Getting to Know Your International Contacts- Part 2

I still have not heard from my international contacts and have not had any luck with new ones.  I have chosen to focus on the Early childhood systems around the globe; particularly Zambia.  The global program focuses on three strategic areas;
- Reframing the discourse around child health and development
-Supporting innovative, multi-disciplinary research and demonstration projects, and
- Building leadership capacity in child development research and policy

The three strategic areas listed above has led to the Global Children's Initiative beginning to build a portfolio of activities in three domains;
- Early childhood development, child mental health, and children in crisis and conflict situations

Zambia has very little evidence available on early childhood development in sub-Saharan Africa.  The Zambian Early Childhood Development Project (ZECDP) was developed in 2009 as a collaborative effort to measure the effects of an ongoing anti-malaria initiative on children's development in Zambia.  A new comprehensive tool for assessing children's physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development was created before the children began school and throughout their careers in school.  This was actually one of their first assessment tools.  In May of 2010 they came up with a test called the Zambian Child Assessment Test (ZamCAT).  This test combines their old knowledge with new knowledge to see their development of preschool aged children according to the Zambian context.  Countries overseas are beginning to realize the importance of early childhood development and the effects of poor health on development as well.

Reference:
Center on the Developing Child Harvard University Global Children's Initiative. (2013). Zambian early childhood development project. Retrieved from: http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiaive/global_initiative

Technology and Young Children- Effective Classroom Practice: Infants and Toddlers

I chose this article from my NAEYC website because my children absolutely love technology.  I was also interested in this article because with technology being so prominent, I wanted to see how technology would play a role in early childhood settings.  Just recently my 17 1/2 month old loves to watch the Mickey Mouse app on my iPad.  He doesn't really pay attention to it, but every time he sees my iPad, he says, "mouse" and begins to cry if I do not give it to him!  I know it is not good for young children to really engage in technology before the age of 2, so I try to be strict.  However, he wants to do what my four year old and 13 year old does.

According to NAEYC, during the earliest years children should interact with primarily with people.  They need to freely explore, manipulate, and test everything (NAEYC, n.d.).  If infants and toddlers use technology it should be safe, sturdy, and not easily damaged.  If used, it must be in the context of conversation and interaction with an adult.  Also an adult should act as a mediator and co-player.  Passive screen time is not good for them and should be avoided.  In the future, if more technological programs are created for schools and maybe in a variety of languages, this could help teachers incorporate creative play and incorporate culture into their programs especially when more than one language is represented in the classroom.

Poverty in Africa

Africa includes some of the poorest countries in the world. In much of Africa south of the Sahara, harsh environmental conditions exacerbate the conditions of poverty. Dry and barren land covers large expanses of this region. As the poor try to eke out livings through farming and other subsistence practices, they exhaust the land, using up the soil nutrients needed to grow crops. Over time this has led to desertification, a process in which once fertile land turns to desert. During the late 20th century, desertification contributed to famines in a number of African nations, including Somalia, Ethiopia, and Mali. Political instability and wars in many sub-Saharan countries have also contributed to poverty. As a result of such factors, the number of people living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa grew from 217 million in 1987 to more than 300 million in 1998.

• 200,000 child slaves are sold every year in Africa. There are an estimated 8,000 girl-slaves in West Africa alone. (sources: BBC 5 October, 2001 & Anti-Slavery Society)
• About 120,000 African children are participating in armed conflicts. Some are as young as 7 years old. (source: Africa Children’s Charter)
• Children account for half of all civilian casualties in wars in Africa.(source: Africa 2015)
• One in six African children dies before the age of five. Most of these deaths could be prevented. (source: Africa 2015)
• Nearly one third of children in Sub-Saharan Africa are underweight.(source: UNICEF)
• In sub-Saharan Africa, measles takes the life of a child nearly every minute of every day. An effective measles vaccine costs as little as $1 per child. (source: UNICEF)
• Between 12 and 14 million African children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. (source: World Bank/UNICEF)
• Nearly 2 million children under 14 years old are HIV positive. (source: UNICEF)
• 43% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have safe, accessible drinking water. (source: UNICEF)
• 64% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have adequate sanitation.(source: UNICEF)
• Only 57% of African children are enrolled in primary education, and one in three of those does not complete school. (source: Africa 2015)
• For every 100 boys there are only 83 girls enrolled at primary school.(source: World Bank/UNICEF)
  A number of countries within Africa have made real progress:
  • In the last five years, Mozambique has reduced poverty from 70% to 55% and has doubled the number of children in school; 
  • Kenya has introduced free primary education, which has brought 1.2 million children back into school; 
  • In Tanzania, 1000 new schools have been built and 18,000 teachers recruited.  This will enable Tanzania to achieve the goal of primary education for all in 2006 – 9 years before the target date of 2015;
  • Uganda has reduced HIV from 20% in 1991 to around 6.5% in 2001.  The experience of Uganda in relation to HIV/AIDS shows that with political will the tide of an epidemic can be turned;
  These are just a few examples of what can be done.
  
  Countries in the north are recognizing that partnerships with countries based on a commitment by both sides brings real benefits in the long term.  High and predictable levels of resources to countries that have a credible Poverty Reduction Strategy and the political will and capacity to deliver on the Millennium Development Goals can reduce poverty (this is the case in Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique, Uganda and Rwanda).

Sharing Web Resources

The "Foundations" course really opened my eyes to all of the early childhood resources that are available.  If a person wants to be the best that they can be at their craft, there are many resources available to assist them.  After researching just about all of the early childhood resources out there, I decided to become a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  The focus of the NAEYC is to educate people on how to be the best at teaching young children.  The website also provides information on accredited programs in your state and updated policy information is also available.  This organization is awesome because I receive the magazines or journals; Young Children (YC) and Teaching Young Children (TYC).  The articles are quite interesting and offer lots of crafty teaching ideas especially for someone like myself who has not one creative bone!  NAEYC also offers conferences yearly, and I subscribe to a newsletter.  The newsletters pretty much stick to things regarding children.  I'll admit that I do not read the articles as much as I do the magazines.  The magazines do offer information on diversity and I remember reading an article that offered suggestions to teaching in a diverse classroom.  I also subscribe to several blog conversations or newsletters through Linkedin such as; Early Childhood Education, and Teaching Infants and Young Children.  I receive ongoing conversations from these sites almost daily.

My links are;
http://www.naeyc.org/
https://www.linkedin.com
The forums in Linkedin are entitled- Early Childhood Education, Child Care, and CCR&R Professionals Forum Group Members and Teaching Infants and Toddlers Group Members

Establishing Contacts

I have not established contact with anyone as of yet.  I have sent out several emails to people in Haiti and Lebanon.  I am not going to give into the second option because I believe that someone will write me back.  I will email a few others from the list and if I do not hear from anyone by Wednesday, I will have to resort to the other option.  I am really looking forward to this assignment and corresponding with someone from another country to learn about their early childhood programs.