Sharing Web Resources: Early Childhood Australia

Early Childhood Australia  www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au

This week I explored the Early Childhood Australia web page to see if things are different from what I know.  I found that the Early Childhood Australia follows a QRIS and it’s called National Quality Standards.  I have been learning about the what other states where participating in a QRIS system and I was excited that Australia is following a similar system.  They have videos you can watch with topics like, Environments for learning, Partnerships with families, and Cultural competency just to list a few.

The site also offers e-newsletters, e-learning videos, information on environment makeover, and other information from forums, social media and a resource page.

I have put up their recent media release on Ratings show children already seeing childcare improvements.

Children are already starting to experience the benefits of new national standards for early childhood education and care services according to the peak children’s body Early Childhood Australia.

ECA CEO Samantha Page today visited Coco’s Early Learning Centre in Melbourne, one of the services that have received a first National Quality Standard rating of their progress in implementing the new standards since they were introduced a year ago.

“The ratings show that where centres have shown a commitment to the new standards, they are making progress in improving their ability to deliver a quality early learning and care experience for children.”

Ms Page said a child’s experience during their first five years shapes their ability to go on and do well at school, and throughout their life.
“The standards, once fully implemented, will see long-term benefits for Australian children.

“Education begins from birth; we know that the experience of children in the first five years of life is crucial for their future success.

“The new national standards will ensure all children have access to good quality learning experiences early on in life.”

Ms Page said the full implementation of the standards would take time but the ratings were a great way for families to see if progress was being made by their child’s service.

“We know these changes can’t happen over night but the first ratings show that we are on our way to achieving them.”

WK 3: Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 1

I am still hopeful of finding someone outside of the US.  I had mention to a close friend of mine what I have been having trouble with and she found out that one of her cousins’ lives in Germany and works at the school there.  I have sent an email waiting to hear back but since I have not heard from them yet I went to the www.childhoodpoverty.org site to research what I can/have learned from the international side of poverty. 

We all know that poverty is everywhere in the world but some places have more than others.  We also know that when a child is in poverty they are malnutrition, which can lead to a long life of learning disabilities and very poor health.  What I did not know is that “poverty can be passed from generation to generation affecting the long-term health, wellbeing and productivity of families and of society as a whole.”  I am becoming aware that more and more people want to stop poverty but I also that it will take more than just one person to do it, therefore here are a few things that CHIP is doing to tackling childhood poverty…….

·         Deepening understanding of the main causes of childhood poverty and poverty cycles, and increasing knowledge of effective strategies to tackle them in different contexts.

·         Examining economic and social factors at different levels-international, national and local-which contribute to poverty in childhood.

·         Informing effective policy to end childhood poverty, communicating research findings to policy makers, practitioners and advocates

·         Raising the profile of childhood poverty issues and increasing commitment to tackling them through anti-poverty policy and action

 

This is just a small list of what they are doing to tackling childhood poverty and I will continue reading their briefing to learn more about what they are doing along with success stories and the case studies. 

Sharing Web Resources....

Last week I decided to focus on two different organization because one, I will be working with families that have children birth to three years and two, I plan on teaching preschool. Therefore I have choices Zero to Three ( http://www.zerotothree.org/ ) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children ( http://www.naeyc.org ).   

Zero to Three is a national, nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. Their mission is to promote the health and development of infants and toddlers.

The newest resources that Zero to Three’s is offering are a Spanish language resource: Niños Pequeños, Grandes Preguntas.  The popular parenting podcast series, “Little Kids, Big Questions” is now translated into Spanish.  The podcast series address the most common and/or challenging issues parents face with their children.  Some issues it covers are helping babies learn to sleep through the night, coping with crying and feeding challenges, how to set effective limits and encourage the development of self-control. 

We all have seen, heard, and read about the tragic of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting and I was curious how are parent are helping their younger children cope.  There is an article that talks about how parents and help their child cope after being exposed to a traumatic event and a list of some behaviors parents might see in their child.  If you would like to read more about this here is the link http://www.zerotothree.org/cope-after-exposure-to-a-traumatic.html . 

Ø  A list of a few things parents can do…..

      Turn off TV and radio news reports; don't leave newspapers lying around.

      Ask friends and family not to discuss the scary event around your child.

      Maintain your child's regular routine.

 

Ø  A few behaviors you might see…..

      Increased clinginess, crying and whining

      Greater fear of separation from parents

      Increase in aggressive behavior

      Changes in sleeping and eating patterns.

Ø  A few things you can do to help…..

      Respond to your child's need for increased attention, comfort and reassurance. This will make him feel safer sooner.

      Pay close attention to your child's feelings and validate them. Ignoring feelings does not make them go away.

      Help your child identify her feelings by naming them (scary, sad, angry, etc.).

 The NAEYC also has a statement on Violence against Children, the Importance of Social and Emotional Development, and the Value of Educators…… http://www.naeyc.org/newsroom/pressreleases/statement_on_violence_against_children

The NAEYC has a link to resources for anyone that may need help in coping………

http://www.naeyc.org/content/coping-school-shooting

Ø  A policy update: NAEYC Children’s Champions Special Update….

According to the site, the next few weeks are critical and they are asking we continue to let our Congress know “that cutting programs such as child care, Head Start, child nutrition, and other basic human needs is unsound economic and social policy. When families don’t have affordable early childhood education, they have more difficulty taking and keeping jobs, employers have a less stable workforce, and children lack the support to reach their developmental and education potential. A strong economy invests in human capital, including our youngest children. Tell them stories of how these federal funds for child care, Head Start, education and early intervention make a difference for children, families and high-quality services.”

Expanding Resources Part 2

I went through the whole list and signed up for every newsletter that would allow me to sign up.  My main focus will be "Early Childhood Australia: The Australian Early Childhood Advocacy Organization" and "Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families." 

Early Childhood Australia: The Australian Early Childhood Advocacy Organization mission is Early Childhood Australia will advocate to ensure quality, social justice and equity in all issues relating to the education and care of children from birth to eight years.
Their values are

• The rights of children
• Leadership
• Excellence
• Respect
• Courage
• Honesty
• Openness
• Collaboration
• Diversity
• Justice
• Social inclusion of children

I want to learn more about their process of early childhood education and I want to learn more about Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families because I will be working with children birth to three years of age.

Establishing Professional Contacts Part 1

I have sent out several email to get in contact with early childhood professional but the email seem to come back as rejected. Since most of the emails have been rejected, I decided to contact the World Forum Foundation since they have early childhood professional around the world and come together to share and train other early childhood professionals.  I am waiting for a response.

If any one sees my blog and knows another way to contact early childhood professional in another country (I would like someone from Germany or another place in Europe and Australia), please post a comment on my blog.

Thank You

My Support..........

Support to me does not mean having others do for you; it is the comfort of knowing I am not alone.  My greatest supports are my daughters, son, husband, family, and friends.  My kids and husband were my biggest support while I was going to school and am still now while I am going through my master degree.  My family and friends would always encourage me to go forward and tell me it is never too late to change things.  I remember a time when me and my children where living at a friend’s house because we had no place to go and I did not have a job.  Without the support and love from friends and family I think I would have given up on the world. 

So many of us has faced some type of challenges during their life but I think the biggest challenge is poverty or financial.  My biggest challenge that I faced in the world was losing my business and having to live with friends for four years.  I had to close my child care center, I was getting divorce, and during that divorce I lost my car and my house.  I became a single mom with three children and no place live, no job, or transportation.  Me and my children lived with some family for about two years and then lived with my closest friend.  During this time I finished my degree in early childhood education and got a job as a teacher assistant.  My boyfriend at the time while I was going through this major financial issues, he encouraged me to continue on, then we got a place together and after eight years we got married. 

Other support that I received was during my financial issues was a state medical card for me and my children.  I also received food stamps to help bring food into my house for me and my children. After I started working my medical card was discontinued but my children continued to keep their medical cards until they were eighteen.  The area I live single mothers can get support from the state with medical cards, food stamps, and can even get child care assistants to help pay for their children to attend child care center so they can work.   

My Connection to Play

These quotes reminded me of play when I was little:

“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning” –Fred Rogers

“Play is the beginning of knowledge” –George Dorsey

 

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation” –Plato

“Play is training for the enexpected” –Marc Bekoff

My dad was always gone due to his job but my mom and grandma always encouraged me and my sister to go outside and play.  We would stay outside for hours exploring but we never left the yard unless mom was with us. We would ride our bikes, go for walks, roller skate, jump rope and even go to the park or the beach.  I remembered when I was in the second grade, we had to do experiments for school and my mom and I created a color wheel and that is how I learned how to mix colors together to make another color.  We did not watch TV much, when I was little but in today’s world TV is the biggest baby sitter for some children. 

As I got older, I did not go outside as much because my mother became a single mom and had to work.  She would not let us go out unless she was home, but I still was learning while I was staying inside. I learned how to wash clothes, clean dishes, and even taught myself how to cook.  When I became a mom I continued to learn by taking care of my children, playing with them and watch them learn.