International Early Childhood Consequences

When thinking about all that we have learned and discussed through this class, I believe one consequence to learning about early childhhod internationally would be seeing the similarities and differences between the USA and other countries. Comparing the USA and Nicaragua, there were huge differences in the schools, with policies, and teachers having teaching degrees. With other countires, I think another consequence would be seeing how we could improve the quality of education based on how another country's policies are formed and regulated. This reminds me of the many things Jeff Grunner has shared about Sweden. Thirdly, I think it is important to share and learn from each other. I truly enjoyed learning from my friend, Martha, and hearing about her hopes and dreams for Corn Island. A goal for educators to set related to international awareness could be to visit and learn from other countries. It would be very interesting to see firsthand how they deal with quality and equity in early child care. It would also be interesting to see how families, living in poverty, are able to provide quality care for their children. I want to thank my colleagues for the much needed support that has been provided through this class. I wish you all the best as you journey along. Good Luck!!!

International Contacts

My friend "Martha" from Corn Island, Nicaragua has many hopes and dreams for the children on the island. Although much has been done in the past years, there is much more to do. The island still does not have any preschool or early child care environments other than kindergarten. Starting a preschool is a dream she would like to see come true. Obviously, there are not many opportunites for professional development. The teachers that she works with, even though some are not very educated, are very committed and passionate about thier jobs.

Sharing Web Resources

The Website I have been exploring is Zero to Three. While following some outside links I came across an Index of Zero to Three Journals. I found this to be very helpful. Some of the journals include Children in Immigrant Families, Understanding School Readiness for Infants and Toddlers, Children with Special Needs, and The Importance of Play. I found all these articles extremely helpful with my studies and research. There are also podcasts, webcasts, and webinars on this site. There is also a link to Technical Papers. Early Head Start Technical Assistance Papers provide clarification and in-depth information on a particular topic of special interest to Early Head Start Programs. Technical Paper #6 is an excellent paper written about school readiness. The Foundations for School Readiness: Fostering Developmental Competence in the Earliest Years The July 2013 Newsletter focused on how children learn through play. There were also some books, about play, featured for the month. I really enjoy this website. There is a lot of good information found here. I learn something new each time I view it.

International Contacts

This week I talked to Martha (Corn Island, Nicaragua) about equity and quality in early childhood. As I stated before, children start school at the kindergarten age and that is only if their parents choose to send them. There is no law that makes children go to school. There are not any childcare centers on the island. Most children begin kindergarten on the same level however, if a child has an older sibling they may be a little more educated than other children. There are two private schools there. One is at the Catholic church and the other at the Baptist church. She is not sure about the tuition at the Catholic church, but at the Baptist church the cost is $250 per year. There is a small public school that the children can attend free. All of these schools require the children to wear some sort of a uniform. The children at the Baptist church wear navy pants or skirts with white shirts. The thing, about my conversation, that I found most interesting is the teachers who teach in the schools are not required to have a teaching degree. Some of them only have a high school diploma. This may not be the case in the whole country, but it is the case for Corn Island. Martha and her husband will be visiting a mutual friend of ours next week and I am excited to sit down and have a long talk!