We are in the
last two weeks of the course and I have not had any contact with any of the
three international childhood professionals I attempted to contact. I am saddened
by this because I truly, wanted to gain a firsthand experience with discussing
children and families across the world. I know that it is easy to search these
areas on the internet, but I will not have the same experience if I were to personally
speak with or email someone. This has been a hard journey connecting with
others, but after this course is completed, I will continue to try
communicating with someone internationally. For an alternative to this
assignment, I have searched the UNESCO Early Childhood Care and Education
website to find three things that relates to my goals as an early childhood
professional.
When I first
began my education at Walden, I had several goals in mind as I continued my profession
in the field of early childhood. A few of my aspirations were to become a great
advocate, leader, director, or an owner of a high-quality childcare facility;
many of these goals remain the same. While exploring the UNESCO website, I
found a tab discussing quality in the field of early childhood. I desire most
in life to provide quality care for children and families across the world. I
desire to promote quality education and early learning experiences for all. One
new insight I have gained from exploring this site is, the importance of
quality care in early childhood and how many educators abroad strive to create
great learning experiences for all children they serve. This section also
discussed the importance of educating children from a holistic standpoint;
children need to learn through child directed learning versus teacher directed learning.
According to UNESCO (2013), “High
quality childcare, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds,
promotes motivation, confidence, good cognitive and linguistic development and
school readiness.” This is true because many children from disadvantage
homes are more likely than others to have issues getting into early programs because
of location, social status, and awareness.
Another insight I have gained from searching this website is how coordination
and integration is monitored and carried out from place to place. “Coordination
issues include coherent regulation, funding and staffing schemes and a common
vision of care and education” (UNESCO); this is because many professionals
cannot carry out the cross-sectoral coordination that is needed between
national and local, and private and public educational programs. All of these
programs desire to help children holistically.
The third and final insight I have gained from researching this website
is the importance of access and equity for all children. I found that governments
in that area of the world were advised to expand access to quality early
childhood services to the poor children (UNESCO). This is important because,
children who do not have access to quality education, and those who could not
afford it, would receive quality education because of their circumstances.
Overall, this website provided me with so much information that related
to my personal and professional goals as an early childhood professional. I
enjoyed researching and learning about the strategies and efforts of others who
do not live in my area. I have learned so many things to help me in my future endeavors.
I hope this information will help the reader learn new things about their goals
and aspirations; as a professional, with efforts to help others across the
world.
Lah-Lah
References
UNESCO’s early childhood care and education. (2013). Retrieved
from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/
Lah-Lah don’t give up on trying to connect with your international childhood professionals. I think in some cases trying to deal or contact people on an international level can be extremely difficult. Don’t let the hard journey get you down. As I read your aspirations I thought about myself and you sound just like me. I think it is a great idea that you want to be an advocate, leader, director, or an owner of a high quality childcare facility. I find that a high quality facility is not related to where the care is offered but to how it is offered. It is difficult to provide high-quality care in an environment that is dirty, the equipment is in poor repair, toys are scarce, and space is cramped. But poor quality care can be and too often is delivered in beautifully designed settings with all the toys and materials your child could wish for. The capacity really to listen to very young children and to understand the ideas they are trying to express is central to showing respect for them.
ReplyDeleteListening and responding sensitively shows real consideration for the feelings and needs of the child. Children feel valued when they receive such undivided attention. A respectful caregiver values children’s ideas, is considerate of their feelings, and demonstrates high regard for them through her warm and affectionate manner. Teachers and caregivers who can appreciate children in these ways often show the same respect toward the parents and co-workers they interact with.
Quality child care offers many opportunities for all children to play each day. Counting, reading skills and problem solving are just a few things learned through play. A caregiver should have a combination of a solid educational background in early childhood and some practical experience in working with young children. There are different caregiver qualifications for different child care settings. Training, education, experience and credentials prepare a child care provider to meet the child’s development needs.
I share in your disappointment of not being able to receive insight from any of the several international professionals I attempted to make contact with. There were even 2 that had inactive email addresses and my introduction was actually bounced back to me un-deliverable. I can only hope that when it comes to parents or potential partners, the professionals that I tried to contact are at least responsive to those individuals. I would have at least appreciated a courtesy email of declination if in fact they were too busy or uninterested in participating. It's the unknown that seems unfair. Just my 2 cents.
ReplyDeleteI have also felt a little disheartened that I was unable to make any international contacts throughout this course, Lah-Lah. It would have been a very valuable opportunity to learn more and broaden our view on early childhood education. Reading about your professional aspirations was inspiring. I also appreciate the new insights you gained this week as a result of looking through the UNESCO website. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete