Research Topic - Parental Involvement and success in Early Childhood Programs

There has been a great demand for early childhood care and education programs continues to increase not only in response to the growing demand for out-of-home child care but also in recognition of the critical importance of educational experiences during the early years. Several decades of research clearly demonstrate that high-quality, developmentally appropriate early childhood programs produce short- and long-term positive effects on children's cognitive and social development. Preschool children obtain knowledge from everyday interactions, both at home and at school. His/Her teacher provides learning opportunities for her, but your involvement supports her development in many areas. As a parent, your involvement ranges from playing learning games at home to communicating with her teacher and volunteering at preschool. Parental involvement early child's life sets her on course to succeed academically. Parental interest in his/her learning shows her that you value education. Staying connected with the classroom gives you ideas of how to expand what she learns at school. If she learns about animals, you might take her to the zoo, read animal books or do animal art projects at home. Reading with your young child is another way to set her up for academic success. He/ she needs strong literacy skills for all academic areas. His/her teacher may offer suggestions for activities at home or areas of improvement for the child. When parents get involved in your preschooler's education, they get a better sense of what goes on in the program. Parent committees and boards allow you to share input and make decisions that affect the early childhood program. A parent who shares her time and talents enriches the preschool experience for her own child and for the other students. Communicating with the early childhood teacher allows you to share information about your child to benefit both parties. Your teacher may have suggestions for handling negative behaviors, and may give the teacher insight into handling your child. Development Problems An involved parent has a better understanding of her child's development and abilities than a parent who is not involved. If a delay exists, an involved parent may notice the issue early. Staying on top of the routine early-childhood doctor visits enables them to work with his/her physician to diagnose a delay, if one exists. The diagnosis opens the path for early intervention services with specialists and therapists. Being involved enables you to pursue those interventions, and to follow up with the physicians and specialists to help your child overcome the delays. Future Participation Parents who are involved at the early childhood level are more likely to stay involved in the elementary years, according to the Harvard Family Research Project. Interviews conducted through the organization showed that involved preschool parents were more likely to visit the kindergarten classroom and build relationships with other school parents. Early involvement may help prep parents for the transition to elementary school by teaching them how to work with the school. Seeing how involvement benefits the child in preschool may encourage continued involvement.

SHARING WEB RESOURCES

http://www.nhsa.org/centers_of_excellence_in_early_childhood has an outside link that leads to government early childhood education page. One area of the site discusses The NHSA Academy and how it offers credentials that: • Address specific areas of the Head Start Program Performance Standards. • Help learners achieve knowledge and/or skill base in their specific learning areas. The NHSA Academy has served the Head Start community for more than 10 years and offers four credentialing opportunities to meet the current and emerging needs of Head Start professionals. The web site allows the user to blog about Head Start Programs. Head Start provides comprehensive early child development services to low-income children, their families, and communities. In 1998, Congress determined, as part of Head Start's reauthorization, that the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) should conduct a national study to determine the impact of Head Start on the children it serves. In October 2000, DHHS awarded a contract to Westat in collaboration with the Urban Institute, American Institutes for Research, and Decision Information Resources to conduct this study through spring of the children’s first grade year. The newsletter offers so much information about education, nutrition, and disability services. The issue of the week is “Does Head Start Work.” The findings affirm the Head Start model in design and in practice. Head Start’s success over the decades has been built on evidence-based practices. The model, informed by programs like the local Head Starts are an influential project that tracked children for decades, is constantly adapting using the best available science and teaching techniques to meet the needs of local communities.

INSIGHTS UNITED NATIONS

Mobile Technology I learned that mobile technology has changed education, teachers play an important part in the success of ICTs in teaching and learning. There has been a lot of discussion on how educators can best utilize mobile devices to achieve national and international learning objectives. I also discovered that there is a shortage of trained and motivated teachers is most acute in parts of the world where more and better quality instruction is desperately needed. In-spight of the urgency of the global teacher crisis, UNESCO is working to better understand how mobile technology can help prepare new teachers and provide professional development to working teachers. Health Care I read about how health care is addressed especially AIDS and how there is a gender-sensitive response to HIV and AIDS. It is done by supporting education systems to be gender-responsive by seeking system-wide responses through EFA national action plans; promoting human rights based and culturally appropriate approaches that support women’s empowerment and more balanced gender relations; using training and non-formal education as key entry points to address gender inequality; developing empowering educational strategies and material for adult and lifelong learning; and promoting the better use of information and communication technologies, public entertainment and awareness campaigns such as, radio and TV to deliver socially targeted, gender-sensitive and effective messages about HIV and AIDS and the need for equal gender relations. Teachers Professionally, educators must understand what is expected of them. They must also know the challenges. The main challenge faced by the teaching profession today is both one of numbers and quality. Over a million new teachers are required to reach universal primary education by 2015, the recruiting of new teachers must go hand in hand with improving the quality of teaching and learning, Achieving quality education for all, in line with goals of the Dakar Framework for Action, calls for more and better trained teachers, as pedagogical processes lie at the heart of quality education. Schools must be supported in attracting qualified teachers. The challenge of quantity must be met head-on, while ensuring quality and equity. UNESCO has done a lot to address the challenges and aims to mobilize and assist Member States in the design and implementation of viable national policies for teacher initial and continuous training, recruitment, retention, status and working conditions. A new initiative is replacing the Teacher Training Initiative for Sub-Saharan Africa and focuses on developing institutional capacity for training and developing a high quality teaching force in countries most hampered by the lack of teachers. References United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (2014). United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved from http://en.unesco.org/themes/literacy-all

Alternative Global Issues

The article that was of most interesting to me is the Zambian Early Childhood Development project. The article discusses the full impact of the anti-malaria campaign on Zambia’s human capital development, The project created a new comprehensive instrument for assessing children’s physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development before and throughout their schooling careers. The first assessment tool of its kind in Zambia. Completed in May 2010, the Zambian Child Assessment Test (ZamCAT) combines existing child development measures with newly developed items in order to provide a broad assessment of children of preschool age in the Zambian context. After careful calibration of the new survey tool through two rounds of piloting, a first cohort of 1,686 children born in 2004 was assessed between July and December 2010. In 2011, successful follow-up occurred with 1,250 of those children, and an additional follow-up is planned for June-August 2012. The early stages of the project demonstrate that comprehensive child assessments are feasible within standard population-based household surveys. The ZECDP collaborators hope that the data collected as part of this project, as well as future work in this area, will not only improve understanding of child development in this context but also help identify key interventions towards improved outcomes in a rapidly changing developing world. Having an valid and reliable assessment tool for any study, especially this one can determine what is needed in Early Childhood. Even in other countries, early childhood education is so important. References Zambian Early Childhood, (2012). Zambian early childhood development project. Retrieved http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/global_initiative/zambian_project/

Professional Development

When studying and being involved in Early Childhood Education there are a lot of things to be considered. I feel in relation to me professional development is the effects of poverty in early childhood. I gained some insight from the article, Poverty Effects on Early Childhood. The article discussed the realms of development, poverty can impede such as: IQ does not remain stable over time and is in fact influenced by environmental factors. According to research, children in poverty tend to have reduced IQs when compared to those with higher economic status. This disparity may begin in the womb; brain development is affected by prenatal maternal health, which is influenced by the economic status of the mother. Academic Performance Several studies over the past two decades have pointed out the relationship between academic performance and economic status. Children in poverty academically under-perform compared to children from middle-class or wealthy backgrounds. Extreme poverty may interfere with early childhood development of linguistic, spatial and mathematical skills, making it difficult for children to perform well in the classroom. Health and Mortality Extreme poverty compromises the physical safety and health of children. Children in poverty experience relatively high rates of diabetes, lead poisoning and dehydration. There is also increased risk of mortality from treatable conditions such as dehydration or pneumonia. Children in poverty typically lack the resources to combat these conditions rigorously. Compensating Factors The home environment can offer certain compensating factors that diminish the negative impact of poverty. Children can experience proper development mentally and physically in stable homes with strong familial relationships. The compensating factors of a loving home can help ensure strong childhood development despite economic circumstances. Discussing the factors would help me in the early childhood field because it would make more aware and conscious of what occurs in Early Childhood.

Examining Poverty in China

More than one in five people live in extreme poverty globally, according to a new report, though China's continued economic growth has improved the lives of millions. The poverty rate in the world's most populous country fell by nearly three-quarters in the last six years, from 26% in 2007 to 7% by 2012, the report by Gallup, a U.S.-based research company, said. Such a trend is attributed to the economic reforms within the country in the last couple of decades. One particular aspect of this socio-economic success has been the rapid industrialization of the country, with a major pivot of people moving from the poorer rural areas of the country to more well off jobs in urban centers, particularly within the manufacturing sector. Improved education and healthcare have also played a role in helping many out of poverty in China. *Growth factor But China's remarkable economic growth, which has rebounded to 7.8% this quarter, up from the previous quarter's growth of 7.5% has been crucial -- though forecasts by the International Monetary Fund estimate growth will slow down in 2014, falling to 7.25%. These substantial strides by China meant overall poverty across the globe was halved from 40% to 20% within two decades, according to World Bank President Jim Yong Kim. Gallup interviews more than 2,000 people per year within China to obtain its results. Many remain in poverty Despite China's improvements, the data found that many across the globe still live in extreme poverty, which Gallup classifies as those living on US$ 1.25 a day or less. Sub-Saharan Africa was found to have the highest levels of poverty, with the majority of the population in the region -- 54% -- living under extreme poverty. The statistics in Liberia and Burundi are even more dire, with 90% of the population classed in this category. At the other end of the spectrum, the United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand all had the most positive results, with 1% or less of the overall population in these regions living in conditions of extreme poverty. The World Bank is aiming to cut the extreme poverty rate to 3% globally by 2030. This ambitious aim means that many countries in Africa and Asia would need to slash their "extreme poverty rates" by over half.

Web Resources Early Childhood

A list of Early Childhood Education Websites http://www.naeyc.org/ http://acei.org/ http://www.earlychildhood.org/ http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/ect.htm https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc The Effects of Childhood poverty and education According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, in the United States, 21 percent of children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty line. Although many of these families have working parents, low wages and unstable employment make it difficult to provide the necessary resources for proper childhood development. Not only does research indicate that poverty is a threat to a child's well-being, but it also affects his ability to learn. 1. Absenteeism Regular attendance at school is important for educational success. Absenteeism has a negative affect on academic achievement in reading, math, and general knowledge. The NCCP has found that among poor children, chronic absenteeism in kindergarten predicts low achievement levels at the end of the fifth grade. Poor families' lack of resources such as transportation, food, and clothing may prevent children from attending school regularly. Illness is another significant factor to consider with regard to absenteeism since 20 percent of low-income infants and toddlers do not have updated immunizations, which may be required for school admittance. Emotional Impact Poverty's affects on the emotional development of children has a negative impact on education. According to the Connecticut General Assembly, research shows that children from poor families experience emotional problems more often than non-poor children. As explained on teach-nology.com, emotions are connected to memory, which affect the capacity of children to grasp ideas, think and learn. This lack of emotional development interferes with language development, further preventing the development of higher-order thinking skills that assist with independent problem solvin Children living in poverty may be fearful, which can be converted to aggression, irritability, and apathy, all of which have a negative affect on learning. Low Academic Performance Poor cognitive development affects academic performance. Children who live below the poverty line are 1.3 times more likely to have developmental delays or learning disabilities compared to non-poor children. Research indicates that nutrition impacts children's cognitive ability and that poor nutrition retards physical growth, brain development, and cognitive function. Chronic stress from lack of nutrition and a poor environment inhibit the growth of dendrites and limit interconnections among neurons. Poor children who attend school hungry perform more poorly on standardized tests compared to non-hungry children. Poverty also increases the risk for lead poisoning, which lowers IQ and causes speech and hearing problems. School Unreadiness A significant effect of child poverty on education is school unreadiness; the CGA states that 40 percent of American children are not prepared for primary schooling. School unreadiness is seen in low-income children, who enter kindergarten lagging behind their peers and by fourth grade do not meet reading proficiency standards. Children in poverty may not be ready for school because they miss out on things that help with the development of academic skills, such as computers, visits to zoos and museums, preschool programs, and having access to literature and educational reading materials. References http://www.ehow.com/info_7955115_effects-childhood-poverty-education.html