Sharing Resources

The website I chose to write about in the beginning of this course was http://www.zerotothree.org/. I really like the website because it has many different tips and articles about the care and education of young children. Quite often, the infant and toddler age groups seem to get overlooked when it comes to available resources for teachers, so it’s great to see a website devoted solely to early childhood professionals who work with those specific age groups.

The website has many different areas, such as Behavior and Development, Maltreatment, Care and Education, and Public Policy. Included under these headings are articles, helpful hints, resources for more information, and links to related subjects. For example, the Behavior and Development page contains articles on Brain Development, Early Childhood Mental Health, Nutrition, Temperament and Behavior, Sleep, etc. Also included are interactive tools, parent handouts, charts, Tip Sheets, a FAQ page, and power point slide shows.  Under the Public Policy heading, I found an article that definitely added to my understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education. It is an article called Building a Strong Infant-Toddler Workforce. The link to the article is http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/policy-toolkit/professional-development-final-for-web.pdf .  It outlines the need for  collaboration between states to create and sustain an integrated professional development system that:

• Fully incorporates infant-toddler workforce preparation and ongoing professional development based on widely accepted, evidence-based competencies
•  Is aligned with and articulates into college degree programs
• Includes alternative pathways to credentials
• Connects the various service delivery program types
• Provides appropriate compensation

Also, I was unfortunately not very surprised to learn that compensation for infant-toddler professionals is much lower than that of other fields. Out of 770 occupations surveyed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 18 have lower average wages than child care workers, whose mean wage is only $9.73 per hour  :  (

More from Nepal...

My contact in Nepal informed me that gender discrimination is alive and well in that country...and that it is apparent in all aspects of life.

In fact, there is a wide gap between women and men when it comes to adequate access to health care, nutrition, education - or even basic participation in decision-making for themselves or their children. Sadly, infant mortality is much higher for girls, and illiteracy is far more common among women than men. Many rural women live in severe poverty, without any means of improving conditions for themselves and their families. Within households women often have less to eat than men. Insufficient calorie intake for the women leads directly to chronic malnutrition in the infants they nurse.
 
Lack of economic opportunity has resulted in many of the most productive members of households to migrate and leave the villages. As a result more and more women have been heading households alone and taking on the burden of sustaining the rural economy. In fact, women constitute more than 60 per cent of the agricultural labor force but have little access to land, production technology and training.

Given the extraordinary effort involved in simply surviving in Nepal, it is no wonder there is so little push for girls to acquire education.

Boys in uniform waiting for the school bus

Sharing Web Resources

I have been studying the Zero to Three website http://www.zerotothree.org/ This website covers such issues as Public Policy, Behavior and Development, Care and Education, Maltreatment. The Maltreatment section focuses on child abuse and neglect. There are assorted resources for caregivers and parents in this area of the website, including a rather alarming list of the various ways children are impacted by trauma. That link is http://www.zerotothree.org/maltreatment/trauma/trauma.html

The Public Policy section focuses on different states and communities, regulations and laws, politics and how lawmakers support efforts to care for and educate young children. For instance, in Kansas, The Children’s Initiative Fund has designed an accountability system that includes a unique component: Alignment With Priorities. Essentially, this component is responsible for tailoring the goals of the organization so they are always in sync with current political focus. Since the Cabinet is a political entity, this is necessary to ensure continuous funding.

I am particularly interested in the Care and Education articles. This section focuses on:

·           Core information about how children develop school readiness skills and how parents and care givers can nurture and support these skills in young children.

·           Video clips that show children learning these skills through everyday interactions with their parents.

·           Parent-child activities which provide fun ideas for helping children develop school readiness skills.

·           Frequently asked questions that offer answers to common questions about learning.    

The specific areas of development this area of the website focuses on are language and literacy, self confidence, thinking skills, and self control. I work in the toddler room at my school, so I really enjoy articles that address this age group.

In the ‘What’s New” section, I learned about new Infant/Toddler Early Learning Guidelines from the National Infant and Toddler Child Care Initiative. The link to that information is http://nitcci.nccic.acf.hhs.gov/resources/ELG_fact_sheet_2010.pdf

The Zero to Three website is a comprehensive assortment of extremely valuable articles, tips, links to related sites, and information for anyone who is involved with the care and education of children from birth to three years

Global Poverty

For this assignment, I spoke with my early childhood contact in Nepal. I wasn’t able to establish contact with the other one, who is in Ireland.

                                                      Poverty in Nepal

Ellen: Can you tell me what the poverty level is like in Nepal?

Nancy: It’s hard. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. We always hear there has been progress made towards alleviating poverty. However, I don’t see any progress here in Kathmandu. Over 30 per cent of Nepalese live below the poverty line, which is measured to be US $12 per person/per month. Most of the people live in rural areas where it is difficult to reach and help them.

It’s a complex problem because there is a definite caste system. You are either upper caste or lower caste, and if you are lower caste, you really have no possibility of improving your life.

Ellen: Do many of the lower caste children attend school?

Nancy: Unfortunately, poverty-stricken families are very often obliged to send their children to work rather than to school. Because of this, the poverty cycle continues into the next generation...and on and on it goes. I was recently told that one quarter of the children in Nepal are engaged in some kind of family or wage labor.

Ellen: Do you work with any of these children?

Nancy: No, sorry to say. The children who attend my school tend to be from upper caste families only. I’ve noticed there isn’t a lot of sympathy on their parts for those less fortunate, either. It’s sad.

Ellen: Do you try to instill empathy in the children you work with?

Nancy: No. We’re not allowed to interfere with the ways things are. We are told that quite strongly during training. The school organization controls what we teach, period. We either comply, or leave.

Ellen: What are your thoughts on that?

Nancy: I need this job. It pays well. However, during the summer, I will be volunteering in an orphanage here in Kathmandu. In that way, I can help make a positive change for some lower caste children. I’ll tell you more about that later but have to get to school now.

Ellen: Sounds great! Thanks for the chat!

I always enjoy chatting with Nancy and this time was no exception. I was surprised to find there were such clearly defined castes there. It must be really hard to work with children and not be able to work on empathy - to see them dismiss others as being beneath them.

I am looking forward to hearing about her work at the orphange!

                                                            Nancy

                                                             Schoolgirls in Nepal

Sharing Web Resources

Zero to Three website,  http://www.zerotothree.org/ , is a comprehensive collection of helpful articles, links, and information for those who wish to learn more about and promote the health and development of infants and toddlers.

The website is divided up into four learning sections- Behavior and Development, Maltreatment, Care and Education, and Public Policy. Click on any of these headings and you will be taken to a page dedicated to that subject. Included are articles, helpful hints, resources for more information, and links to related subjects. For example, the Behavior and Development page contains articles on Brain Development, Early Childhood Mental Health, Nutrition, Temperament and Behavior, Sleep, etc. Also included are interactive tools, parent handouts, charts, Tip Sheets, a FAQ page, and power point slide shows.

On the right side of the Home page is a helpful feature called Find It Fast. Simply select a key topic from a pull down menu (for example, Challenging Behaviors), click on it, and that page opens up without your having to sort through the different sections to find it – very handy, indeed. Located directly under this is another highlight of this website - the Download of The Week. This week’s offering is The Magic of Everyday Moments™ 24 to 36 Months, and is an additional resource containing in-depth information on how children grow and develop from 24 to 36 Months. Included are assorted tips for parents on nurturing their children's healthy development through everyday routines and interactions. Also very informative is the video one can access directly on the home page. Entitled A Window to the World: Promoting Early Language and Literacy Development, the video illustrates how early language and literacy development directly contribute to a child’s success throughout life.

I recommend this website to the parents of toddlers at my center, and often get positive feedback from them.

Early Childhood professional contacts in other countries

I was fortunate enough to have fairly easy access to two people in the Early Childhood field who are working in other countries. I got their names through the advising office at the University of Massachusetts, where I got my BA.  I emailed them and received quick replies- both were happy to answer any questions I might have. I began by asking them what led to their current work in other countries.

The two Early Childhood professionals I made contact with are in Nepal and Ireland.

Nancy B works as a teacher at the Lincoln School in Kathmandu, Nepal. Their website is http://www.lsnepal.com/index.php Nancy works with the Pre –kindergarten class. She is an assistant teacher. Nancy is from Boston, Ma. She first heard of Lincoln School when she saw a ‘help wanted’ ad in her local newspaper. Intrigued, she contacted the hiring agency. Nancy was interested in working with children from another country...and .Nepal is about as far away from Boston as you can get!

My other contact person, Jill C, lives in Westmeath, Ireland. She is a teacher at the Saplings school. Sapling schools are located across Ireland. They work exclusively with Autistic children. This is their website: http://www.saplings.org/schools .  Jill was living  in Cambridge, Ma. and working with autistic children when she went on a vacation to Ireland in 2008.  While there, she met her future husband. Jill moved to Ireland in 2008.

I am looking forward to learning more about Nancy and Jill and the work that they do!

The website I chose to  share is http://www.parentingtoddlers.com/ . It is a very detailed collection of helpful articles, links, and information for those who wish to learn more about and promote the health and development of infants and toddlers. It is updated on a monthly basis, with news articles, ideas, learning activities, and information links.

My Supports

I tend to think of supports as falling into one of  two categories; physical or emotional.

Physical: In order to survive, I must have certain supports such as:

• A vehicle
• Money
• Appliances
• Stores
• Food
• House
• Computer

Emotional: In order to survive happily I depend on:

• My husband, who is a good listener  :  )
• My children
• the YMCA, where I can work the stress out, sometimes
• Computer, where my online friends are
• Music, another good stress-buster

Obviously, the physical supports make my life easier. If I didn't have a car, home, job, computer, I could still survive but it would be a much less comfortable life! Same with my emotional supports - they aren't absolutely essential to my survival but I would be lonely, less motivated, and probably very depressed without them.

My 23 year old niece has Down Syndrome. Her support needs are a bit different. If I had Down Syndrome, I would need much more custodial assistance; help with dressing, someone to cook and clean for me. I would need a driver, and someone to handle my money. I would need many things explained to me. Someone would need to accompany me everywhere, to keep me safe. Someone would have to live with me, help me keep myself clean, pay my bills and take care of all paperwork, make sure I got my medication, etc. If I were on my own, I could easily get hurt, sicken, or even die due to neglect.

Socially, I would need help staying healthy, happy, and challenged. If I didn't have these supports, I would become very depressed and isolated. This, too, could lead to illness and even death.