Blog Assignment: Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

This story provides a positive example of the effects of research on children and families who have been inspired by real life obstacles and challenges in life. Also, it pertains to resilience which is considering turning a bad situation into a good situation by learning how to cope with challenges and developing the ability. In addition, knowledge on how to gain perspectives as we face our own challenges in life. For instance,resilience something we all experience in life at one time or another. Therefore, I feel hearing about the positive effects by research can help others to become strong, healthy, or successful again by learning from other mistakes and accomplishments. Learning from our own mistakes and accomplishments during our personal life experiences. This is a story about a 13 year old girl name Marilyn DeAlba whom religion was Catholic and had a baby boy name Chris and he was born with cerebral palsy,which resulted in her son's developing torticollis, in which affects his neck and muscle weakness on the right side of his body. Doctors originally doubted he would survive at all. Marilyn parents were not proud of her and her family members and friends were devastated when they found out she was pregnant and didn’t want to talk to her until after she had the baby. Also, Marliyn had a very complicated labor, the baby got stuck in the birth canal. Three times they had to use Vacuum suction before the hospital staff decided to do an emergency Caesarean section to delivery. He stop breathing twice, once for 12 minutes and his heart stop beating. However, the doctor and nurses were able to revive him. Also, the baby started having epileptic seizures. Liquid went to his brain. She was told he wasn't going to make it or that he would be in a wheelchair or not be able to talk or walk. I was told he was mentally disabled. Therefore, after she had the baby her parents provided a room downstairs for her and the baby. However, she became very unhappy and depressed and begin to go through anxiety attacks, and a lot of stress, being so young. Also, she became withdrawn, so she didn’t pay attention to her peers, even though they may have judged her for keeping the baby. Marilyn had lied to her baby's father and told him at the time she was 16 years old. He found out and a banded her and the baby. Furthermore, considering all the odds were against her, she didn’t give up on her son,she was determine to prove everyone wrong, she finish summer school by getting up at 4 a.m. in the morning making preparation for her son. Last but not least she graduated from an alternative high in the Mt. Diablo school district. Marilyn received three scholarships to complete college and raised her son Chris through sun and rain," she said proudly. Furthermore, she continues to save her money to get a place for her son and herself According to research, she said "I'm happy that I did it. There were times when I had so much doubt in my mind. But, school felt like my extended family." Well-spoken and poised, DeAlba became one of Crossroads' young mothers who traveled to other high schools, sharing her experience and telling girls to protect themselves against pregnancy. DeAlba graduated after two-and-a-half years with a grade-point average of about 3.8, she said. As she prepares to start her first full college semester next week, DeAlba does not feel sorry for herself or dwell on the life she could have had. Instead, she said her pregnancy was a challenge from God and she's focused on what's ahead. "My motivation was my son," she said. "He's my shining armor. I need him and he needs me. He is my future." According to, “Statistics show that most girls in DeAlba's condition won't finish high school, let alone middle school -- where DeAlba was in seventh grade at Martinez Junior High when she got pregnant.”

References:
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15745086?nclick_check=1

Blog Assignment: Your Personal Research Journey

Accommodating All Children in the Early Childhood Classroom

I choose this topic for the simulation because it’s very important for teachers to meet the individual needs of every child by creating or designing an inclusive space within their environment. Also, it’s necessary to gain their interest in learning education skills in order to cope with everyday domestic skills to survive. Also, it’s a continuation of accommodations that are needed for appropriate learning growth and development based on cognitive,social and emotional and physical domains. While integrating children with disabilities to collaborate so they will met their individual needs within their environment.

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My personal experience with this simulation process consist of ensuring a process that nurtures and guides in a safe fun loving atmosphere. While providing connections to different learning objectives while identifying accommodations if needed. For instance some of the children needed support in which I provided hand over hand and repartition in assistance while praising them for making an afford. Also, giving an opportunity to guide and redirect them if needed on how to use their strengthens and weakness to their advances.  Participating using cues, gestures when prompting them to use their words. To perform using activities and materials that implement each domain when necessary to perform that will welcome simulation so that they will become successful in reaching their individual goals. In other words, I included them within the activity by implementing or modifying the following different activities and games that was age appropriate to meet their individual goals base on their ability to perform and succeed. I am interesting in gaining knowledge about strategies for condensing information. For example, Joe loves to stack the different color building blocks on top of each other, however he haven’t learned his colors. Therefore, I use this to his advantage to interact during area time ask him what color is this? Also, I will use different strategies to gain his interest in learning his colors by saying wild you have a red or blue block and either point at the red block if in place or pick up a blue blue and say I found a blue block what color is the block blue and have the child to repeat, sign or point, look whatever stimulate involvement or collaboration with his peers or teacher. 

The insights I have gained so far from constructing the research chart, and from any other element of this course is to be able to use time management and minimize what I need.By constructing the research to my advantage I am able to get straight to the main idea or supporting topic. Each element of this course will help me to develop an open discipline mind on how to research what, where,when, how it is most important. Therefore, I learn how to use an effective and appropriate approach seeking updated information and resources of the topic.

Final Blog Assignment

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for my professional and personal development 

• I will always greet your child or children with a smile and complement them when they enter the classroom and acknowledge their work and effort for participation or communication by saying that is good, awesome, or like your picture. Use positive reinforcement by encouraging exploring, creating, imagination and self expression that allow collaboration among peers to be openly discuss asking open end questions when participating in group activities.

• 
Keep and open mind and an open line of communication to invite new ideas, suggestions or question about learning consequences that welcome show and tell demonstration about all children cultural or ethnic backgrounds.




• Having the knowledge can open the doors for career advancement. Also, gives educators to become an advocate.

My goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations
My goal relates to the field to international is to surf the internet, web sites , podcast, articles and news letter and ask open end questions to my children and parents about what goals they will like to reach. 
Furthermore, I will keep and open line of communication and form a trustful honest relationship that welcoming them to engage in volunteering the classroom with their child to participate in show and tell activity discussion about their cultural diversity and ethnic background experience on sharing ideas, opinions and any insights they will feel comfortable discussing.

Week 7 Blog Assignment: Getting to Know Your International Contacts- Part 3

      When exploring the site I gained new insights about three of the issues related to international early childhood education that I feel related to my professional goals. For instance,the issues and trends are connected by not having enough qualified teachers, overcrowd classrooms and the lack of eligibility to provide the base educational services for all children and their families within our community and country. Therefore the children and their families are affective by socioeconomic status relating to the funding and locations to were they live brings issue and trends to decrease the learning, growth and development of children receiving  a healthy, nutritional, security and learning environment towards providing holistic development within the early childhood care and within the primary schools. “The UNESCO Institute for Capacity-Building (IICBA) and partners have seven training models that they use to produce tools, skills, and resources to children and families at risk and to teach them the fundamental education activities within their cultural context using the IECCE model to educated them within the early childhood care educational program. (UNESCO Office in Dakar,2013) 

     However, among “19 African countries there are only four who participate in the Early Childhood Care  Education (ECCE) programs operate activities within a African setting which is Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, Swaziland and Zambia.”

(UNESCO Office in Dakar,2014)

     One of the issues is that they are neglecting the cultural values and practices of their societies. furthermore, children 0-8 have a little to no chance to attend in a preschool activities, but it attendance varies between countries and region. According to, Rodrigues, “The learning is being operated by “The IECCE modules are living documents with a goal to build capacities among, inter alia, parents, older relations in the households and extended family members, elders in the neighborhood, older siblings, including helpers and interested stakeholders who can read and write in their local language.” Also, “The learning can therefore be home, community or institutional based.” (UNESCO Office in Dakar,2014)

      "The aim is to develop more sociocultural and economic modalities of early childhood care and education" adds Rodrigues.

According to 2010 data the situation is as follows:

“In Southern Africa (SADC), early childhood enrollment stood at 45% on average.

In East Africa (EAC), only Kenya and Tanzania achieved above 30% level while       the average went up to 27%.

In Central Africa (ECCAS), despite the fact that pre-primary enrollment has more than doubled, the average has only reached 26%.

In West Africa (ECOWAS) (with the exception of Cabo Verde and Ghana), progress has been more timid and rates (19 percent on average) and well below the average of 28% in sub-Saharan Africa.” (UNESCO Office in Dakar,2014)

      Another issue is that children suffer in “learning in Eastern Cape, South African lack desk and chairs due to the over crowded classrooms. Also, it is unlikely that most children within these countries will be able to attend early childhood, preschools are primary schools. “In sub-Saharan Africa, 29.01.14 the issue and trends address a 29.01.14 announce that it is an severe learning crisis in Sub-Saharan African.” (UNESCO Office in Dakar,2014)

       According to, “The 2013/4 Education for All Global Monitoring Report reveals that despite progress, sub-Saharan African countries are unlikely to reach the Education for All goals by 2015.” Also, “ The Report is launched today (29 January 2014) during a high-level event in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), as well as during national launches around the world.” “However, several African countries will reach one or several of the goals.” (UNESCO Office in Dakar,2014)

      In addition,” The Key findings of the 2013/14 EFA Global Monitoring report: The Report provides information on progress made by country and reveals that no African country will reach all six Education for All goals.”

“The pre-primary education gross enrollment ratio increased from 10% in 1999 to 18

in 2011, leaving the region lagging behind all others regions.”

“Sub-Saharan Africa is far from achieving universal primary education (net enrollment ratio of 77%). No progress has been made since 2007, leaving nearly 30 million African children out of school.” (UNESCO Office in Dakar,2014)

     “The Report provides information on progress made by country and reveals that no African country will reach all six Education for All goals. However, several African countries will reach one or several of the goals.” (UNESCO Office in Dakar,2014)

      Therefore without teaching and learning the basics will result into a disadvantage for the children leaving the schools before they reach the fourth grade can read and write their own language. Furthermore,without providing qualified and train educational staff within the early childhood care and primary schools can result into a learning crisis among future generations can be affective by this issue. 

      According to, research” in sub-Saharan Africa, “The result of so many children leaving school without learning the basics, or never entering school at all, 40% of young African people cannot read a sentence. And young people from poorer households are far less likely to be able to read.” (UNESCO Office in Dakar,2014)

     Therefore further insights about having enough teachers to be placed into the classrooms. In addition, “Between 2011 and 2015, sub-Saharan Africa needs to recruit about 225,000 additional teachers per year to achieve universal primary education by 2015.” (UNESCO Office in Dakar,2014)

“394,000 additional teachers per year are then needed to reach a ratio of 32 pupils per teacher in lower secondary education. In comparison, the number of lower secondary school teachers grew by 52,250 annually in the region between 1999 and 2011.” (UNESCO Office in Dakar,2014)

     “One particular challenge is to support teachers in being able to teach early reading skills in more than one language and to use local language materials effectively.” (UNESCO Office in Dakar,2014)

      “In Mali, a study of pupils’ skills using an Early Grade Reading Assessment and teacher observation found that few teachers were able to teach their pupils how to read. This is no doubt an important reason nearly half the pupils in Mali cannot read a word in their own language at the end of grade 2.” (UNESCO Office in Dakar,2014)

     I realized that within the comparison of where I live and people who live in other countries  seem to be facing the same problem within it self that relates to the issue and trends we as a society face challenges due to lack economic status, lack of qualified teachers,and lack of excellence quality care and a lack to change old habits to teach holistic development in education for all children. Also, I feel that educators need to advocate more to others about the code of ethics and address these issues and trends we as whole face among the public so that children, parents, teachers, policymakers and other professionals across the world have a friendly reminder about everyone who contribute back a commitment to serve the children a healthy,nutrition, security and learning environment that provides excellence quality for all children and their families. 

References
29.01.2014 - UNESCO Office in Dakar, http://www.unesco.org/

WK 6 Blog Assignment: Sharing Web Resources

     When I follow the outside links I chose to explore about the early education programs and children of immigrants: Learning each others language and where do they lead. The issues lead to miscommunication between the children and families immigrants in connections to not knowing their civil rights and not have the proper information given to them about the resources and services within the early head start programs or primary schools were their child or children were enrolled. Most ELL parents who have children that needed to have access to the services don’t have access upon availability within the community or country where they live in because they don’t get the information or resources that is required within their community. The majority of the children and families are subject to being unaware of those resources because of the miscommunication. This leads to issues that affect their eligibility to participate by not knowing the context of awareness and accessibility to the regulations, guidance. About the legislation of the policy of the state and federal programs base on their classification of income or citizenship status base on being immigrants. There are significant wait lists which are also apart of issues towards children and their families who are immigrants who may not understand English and guidelines of state and federal policy and standards within the community in which they live.

     After, I thoroughly search one of the areas of the site. I find that children and families of immigrants shared a lot of barriers that consist of not addressing the three areas in awareness, accessibility, and responsiveness. However, immigrant’s families who live a very long time in the United States are more aware of the programs and services and other immigrant’s families are limited about the awareness and availability of the Outreach for early education programs and benefits. According to, research “recent immigrants may be removed from traditional social networks that would help them access local information” (Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families 2006).Recent immigrants also have had less time to adjust to life in a new country and less time to become naturalized citizens (Hernandez 2004). Misinformation is not always intentional. Families may be confused about or misunderstand eligibility rules; they may be directly misinformed by state, local, or program personnel; or they may be misinformed by friends and informal networks. Federal education programs have differing rules regarding immigration eligibility. Low-income immigrants often do not understand eligibility rules for public benefits. For example, in a survey of low-income immigrants in Los Angeles and New York City, half the respondents gave incorrect answers to at least two of three questions about program eligibility and mistakenly thought that receiving public benefits—even for their citizen children—might jeopardize their immigrant status (Capps et al. 2002).

    The website contain information that added to my understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education. I understand how important it is to be able to communicate, understand and relate to everyone involved in order gain knowledge about someone or something you never discover or explore about another human being. Additionally,  in the site I selected at the beginning of this course offers information about the issue of this week pertaining to the main issue about the Gonzalez family. When they discuss openly about their culture, language, and religion relating about how they felt coming to the United States to obtain equality and excellent opportunities for their children and themselves. How difficult it was not speaking fluently in English and how being an immigrant family made them feel unwelcome or uncomfortable around individuals who couldn’t speak are understand their home language. Also, they talked about their first experiences as immigrants to becoming United State Citizens. The main issue was how difficult it was to establish equality and equal opportunities which could offer them better career opportunities for their children and themselves within the community and society within the world. The other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field I gain this week from exploring the website is that we are can learn from one another no matter were you are from or how old you may be it is important to learn to communicate with another individual. Also, the more you learn about different people, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds and places within the world in return it makes you a smarter person, because it broaden an individual knowledge, understanding and communication helps to obtain equality and excellent in education.


References
Matthews, H., & Ewen, D. (2010). Early education programs and children of immigrants: Learning each other's language. Retrieved from the Urban Institute website: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412205-early-education.pdf

"The Gonzalez Family: A First Generation Immigrant Experience" (approximate length: 23 minutes). Members of the Gonzalez family share their story about life as first-generation immigrants in the United States.

Blog Assignment: Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

Tackling toxic stress

The policymakers, researchers, and practitioners in the field are re-thinking services on how to reduce toxic stress and the effects on health, learning, and behavior towards all children in their earliest years and across their lifespan. Sciences and pediatricians have taken on the challenges provide and  improve primary care in the earliest years of  all children brain architecture in order to prevent damage of  lifelong health. Also, to improve within the nation’s health and economy for all children early interventions health care. Therefore, physicians are providing screenings and check ups that provides early interventions planning checking the baby brain and heartbeat, ears, pediatric check ups and testing for exposure to lead in preschoolers. Also, innovating for the preschoolers can reduce toxic stress so that most children will have a better chance to be successful in learning throughout there future.

     It is critically a heightened issue for very young children to experience in life. It is commonly now as the persistent fear and anxiety that create affects among all children during their early years in learning and development. Today and everyday most children have been affected in learning, solve problems, associated, experience, expose in their lives to community violence, parental drug abuse or indirectly victims of violence clearly for children in these circumstances, always seem to be repetitive threats create fear and chronic anxiety. “When delivered effectively, such interventions could have a multiplier effect into the next generation by reducing both the individual and societal costs of the negative de­velopmental effects of persistent fear, including mental health impairments, antisocial behavior, physical disease, and violent crime.” (Gerwin 2013, pg. 9). When all policy makers, community base services, ECE professionals, and other private sectors, politicians will innovate on behalf of the child well-being the children can gain equity and excellence that is required internationally 

 Applying the Science of Early Childhood in Brazil

       The Global children’s Initiative Center is the first programmatic partnership outside of the United States that form an organization to engage in the following activities effectively communicate with scientific and Brazilian cultural agenda for the community of scholars that there goal is to reach out to help the (NCPI) Núcleo Cuenca Pela Infância is in collaboration with local expert, to build stronger policies and larger investments for the young children and their families to benefit unique opportunities offering child health and development guide towards larger investments and stronger effective policies, strengthen leadership through policymakers and translate print and multimedia resources  for local Brazilian cultural context of early childhood life outcomes for vulnerable children and support sustainable education, health promotion social welfare and economic development programs that foster the well-being of high equitable society in Brazil.
Diverse group of U.S. and Brazil-based faculty with a proven record of excellence in the biological, behavioral, social, and leadership sciences.”​ (quemsomos par. 1&2)

    Zambian Early Childhood Development Project, According to, “A large number of studies have investigated the impact of early childhood experiences on children’s developmental, health, and educational outcomes in developed countries, relatively little evidence is available on early childhood development in sub-Saharan Africa.”

     “In order to measure the full impact of the anti-malaria campaign on Zambia’s human      capital development, the ZECDP created a new comprehensive instrument for assessing children’s physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development before and throughout their schooling careers—the first assessment tool of its kind in Zambia. Completed in May 2010, the Zambian Child Assessment Test (ZamCAT) combines existing child development measures with newly developed items in order to provide a broad assessment of children of preschool age in the Zambian context.”( par. 2)

    The additional information about issues of equity and excellence I acquired from the international sources impacts global children who are at risk all need children’s physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development to gain healthy learning capabilities to develop health lives in order to function and survive within in their lives. Also, I learn in order to save our children and produce economically we as a nation have to put our minds together and focus on what’s best for the children it we want our economy and society to have positive outcomes on the future. 

Blog Assignment: Sharing Web Resources

What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

     There is specific information that is particularly relevant to me in the professional development and still is current in the early childhood programs that targets children and families who are at risk who live in a certain zip code to receive free child care services. Mean while other children and their families who are at risk are not eligible because they don’t live in that zip code area. Therefore, this is an issue that I fell needs to be address to the “No Child Left Behind Act 2009” and this seems to be a current trend that children ad families are struggling with as far as government subsides. For example, “there are roughly 650,000 Australian families who claim both government subsidies. We estimate that should the current trend continue, these subsidies would cover 6–8 per cent less in 2016 than in 2009, and it will continue to decline.” (par.5)
“We need to make the process much easier and more accessible for families. This will go a long way to addressing affordability issues we have within the sector, and encourage more children to enroll in early childhood.” (par.12)

Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?

     The unaffordable child care services that low- income families can’t afford the government has tried to subsidize but failed because not everyone meets the qualifications. The effects of the government failing is, according to Dr. Grace,(2011) “ If children don’t receive the benefits of good health, nutrition and mental and physical services from the economist and from the scientists and politicians young children growth and development livelihood then this country will be face an increased risk of engaging in violent crime and illegal drug use, and of experiencing chronic health problems in obesity in this country.” In Australia the citizens are facing a similar issue. “Analysis by Early Childhood Australia (ECA), the national children’s peak body, shows that government subsidies for early childhood education and care have steadily fallen behind the cost of service delivery. As a result, subsidies cover an ever smaller proportion of daily fees and parents face increasing out-of-pocket expenses.” In addition, “ quality early childhood education has many social and economic benefits, we don’t want it to be unaffordable. Children who experience quality early learning opportunities are more likely to thrive at school and have good social and emotional skills” said ECA CEO Samantha Page.”(par. 10)

What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?

      The  article gave me the understanding that influential voices of the Early Childhood Field are truly what guides how the field is developed in a nation. By providing a financial breakdown of the Child Care Benefit I was able to see first hand the economic impact of each child. “Child Care Benefit is paid directly to a service, and currently covers a maximum $3.99 per hour of childcare for households earning up to $40,000. The subsidy tapers down to zero for families earning $150,000 per annum. The subsidy increases every year based on CPI, which falls well behind the average increase in early childhood education fees which is currently 7 per cent.” In addition,  “We can directly target cost-of-living pressures on young families by giving serious consideration to the complex subsidy arrangement currently in place. The Child Care Rebate and Child Care Benefit are poorly targeted and make things much more difficult than they need to be for families.” (par. 7)

What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

       I learned that the economic impact of government subsides such as Early Childhood can impact the development of not only the child but the nation as whole. I learned that it is imperative that each member of the Early Childhood field be an advocate for the parents and children. I also observed that we have the responsibility to provide the opportunities for personal growth along with the child development in order to provide a life of enrichment. “We suspect that the substantial increase in early childhood fees is primarily due to annual wage increases, extended operating hours and higher fixed costs such as rent. These trends are common across service sectors and industries; early childhood education is not unique in this.” (par.8)

References
January – Media Release – Child Care subsidies falling behind
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/early_childhood_news/early_childhood_news/january-media-release-child-care-subsidies-falling-behind.html