SHARING WEB RESOURCES: ZEROTOTHREE

Early Care and Education: Child Care

This section to the Zero to Three website is relevant to my current professional development as it discusses the positive outcomes of early learning experiences. All babies and toddlers need positive early learning experiences to foster their intellectual, social, and emotional development and lay the foundation for school success. Babies and toddlers living in high-risk environments need additional supports to promote their healthy growth and development. All child care arrangements, including family, friend, neighborhood, family, and center based child care have the potential to provide high-quality, individualized, responsive and stimulating experiences that occur within the context of strong relationships and which are embedded in everyday routines (ZEROTOTHREE, 2012).

Infant-Toddler Policy Issues: Child Care

 This section of the website encouraged me to further explore policy issues related to child care within my home state of Delaware. In October 2008, the Delaware Department of Education showed a commitment to professional development with the creation of the new Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood at the University of Delaware. The institute serves as a professional development clearinghouse for practitioners working with young children and their families, both coordinating and collaborating with current providers of professional development. To launch the institute, the University of Delaware received a 3 year $2.4 million grant from the Department of Education, funded primarily with federal Child Care and Development Block Grant dollars. The new institute officially opened on Novemenber1, 2008 (ZEROTOTHREE, 2012).

Politicians Support for the Early Childhood Field:

Early Head Start and the Child Care and Development Fund were established to provide high-quality early care and education programs as protective buffers against the multiple adverse influences that may hinder a child’s development in all domains (ZERO TO THREE, 2012).

Early Head Start- The only federal program designed to improve the early education experiences of low income infants and toddlers. The program’s mission is to support healthy prenatal outcomes and enhance the intellectual, social, and emotional development of infants and toddlers to promote later success in school and life (ZERO TO THREE, 2012).

Child Care and Development Fund- A block grant that provide funds to help improve the quality and supply of child care for low income children and their families. Through the use of subsidies the Child Care and Development Fund help working parents make informed choices about the most appropriate child care for their children. The infant-toddler set-aside of Child Care and Development Fund, has helped states focus on the unique needs of infants and toddlers by investing in specialized infant-toddler provider training, providing technical assistance to programs and practitioners, and linking compensation with training and demonstrated competence. Despite modest increases in federal child care funding, CCDF funds are insufficient to serve all eligible children (ZEROTOTHREE, 2012).

GETTING TO KNOW INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS

PODCAST: TJ SKALSKI

My chosen podcast participant is TJ Skalski a Principal of the Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School which is the first indigenous charter school in Canada. TJ is originally from the Blood Reserve a raised in southern Alberta. She eventually left southern Alberta to complete her education including her Master’s degree.

During TJ’s podcast she discusses her start as a Principle of the Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School in addition to specific challenges she faced with her new career. Out of 13 charter schools located in Canada, the Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School is the only school with an indigenous focus. TJ describes her first year as a Principal of the Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School as “hell”. Prior to TJ’s arrival there were 5 different principles within the past five years. The turnover rate among principals within the school was outrageous considering the fact that the school had only been open for five years.

The start of TJ’s new career as a Principal of the Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School made her the first principal to maintain that position for one consecutive year. It took TJ 2 years to learn about the evolution of the school and develop an understanding of the school’s mission. The Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School prides itself on creating a community in which culture and language is placed at the forefront.

TJ stated that she believes that family culture and language is essential to the survival of people. TJ stated that family values are essential qualities missing the lives of children within the current generation, leaving many feeling trapped between family culture and “dominate” culture. As a Principal of the Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School TJ strives to build dreams and hope for children while inspiring children to do more with their lives.

CHINA POVERTY INSIGHTS

1. Between 4-8% of the urban population live in poverty, equating to 15-31 million people.

2. 4.2 Million Chinese children live in absolute poverty while 8.7 million live in disadvantaged conditions.

3. Recent studies suggest that health and education reforms reduce poor families’ ability to make use of these vital services.

1. Study in Beijing, the richest city in China, found that 75% of poor families could not afford all children’s education cost such as tuition and stationary.
2. 50% of families living in Shanghai had no medical insurance due to families’ inability to afford the expensive cost.

SHARING WEB RESOURCES

ZERO TO THREE: NATIONAL CENTER FOR INFANTS TODDLER, AND FAMILIES

http://www.zerotothree.org/

 Organization Focus: ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit that inform, trains and supports professionals, policymakers and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. ZERO TO THREE envisions a society that has the knowledge and will to support all infants and toddlers in reaching their full potential. The work of ZERO TO THREE is (1) grounded in research and experience (2) multidisciplinary (3) collaborative (4) culturally responsive (5) clinically informed (6) accessible.

Current Issue/Trend: Fun activities that nurture your baby’s development and his/her connection to you.

ZERO TO THREE March newsletter highlights several toddler capabilities and corresponding actions that can be taken by parents/caregivers to establish a connection with the child.  ZERO TO THREE highlights toddler’s use of language to understand the world around them. Examples of this capability include (1) walking, running, and climbing (2) scribbling with a crayon and building a block tower (3) self feeding. Parent/Caregiver’s corresponding actions include (1) providing the child chances to explore outdoors in safe places (2) encouraging the child to use his/her fingers and hands to explore (3) show the child how to use a spoon and fork.