Final Blog Posting

Personally and professionally, the consequences of learning about the international early childhood field are as follows;

1.     A Global Common Thread among Children & Families/Inequity: Although the way of life varies from country to country with issues arising from different contexts, I realize that poverty and equal access to quality early child care is a global issue effecting children worldwide.  

2.     Removing Barriers: I now understand that the inequalities that children and families experience are influenced by barriers. In some countries such as India, barriers include gender discrimination, social class, demographics and language.  The knowledge I have acquired about barriers has heightened my awareness so that I can appropriate solutions that are effective. In other words, to bring about equality, one must be able to identify the barriers in order to remove them.  This is a principal I can apply in my work as a parent educator.

3.     Small Steps Matter: I learned that not all solutions have to be on a massive scale. For example, in a country that does not have the means to purify their water, something as simple as teaching a child how to place water in the sun improves the quality of life for a child and his/ her family. 

4.     Comprehensive Early Child Care is Most Effective:  The Harvard Global Children’s Initiative: “Early Childhood Program Effectiveness”. Ph.D. Yoshikawa of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education presented the concept of the “Three Tiered Approach” as the solution to ensuring that all children regardless of their backgrounds experience healthy development. Tier1 includes the provision of a safe environment,  Tier 2 provides support systems for parents and Tier 3, encompasses responsiveness to the needs of children and families experiencing toxic stress. The insight I gained from the “Three Tiered Approach” is that creating equity in early childhood education calls for multiple strategies (as opposed to the cookie cutter programs we now have in place)  to address the diverse needs of children and families.  This is information I can share with coworkers when devising solutions or designing programs in the early childhood field.

The unintended consequence is that I was unable to make a live international contact. By the time I received a response, the course was over. 

My One Goal for the field on an international level and for my colleagues would be that we continue to advocate for children’s rights by keeping current with the issues and trends that effect their quality of life and take steps (action) big and or small to ensure that all children have access to a quality of life that promotes healthy development.

To all of my colleagues, I want to say thanks for your comments in our discussions. There were times that your insight helped me to see another perspective about an issue that I had not thought of. I wish each and everyone of you much success as you pursue your dreams.

Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Center (CHIP). (n.d.). Knowledge for tackling childhood poverty. Retrieved from http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/

Center on the Developing Child. (Harvard University). (2011). Early childhood program effectiveness [video webcast]. Retrieved from (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/)