Web Resources

One of the major topics from the Children’s Defense Fund website and January newsletter that caught my attention is the debate about Full Day Kindergarten. Since I have taught first grade for over 8 years, I have seen first hand what happens when children enter the first grade not ready academically, socially, or emotionally because they either did not go to kindergarten or they attended one that was not of high quality.
Many states do not even require full day kindergarten. I see this as a major concern since
so many children are entering grade school not ready. As educators, families, and lawmakers continue to advocate for children’s rights this is one area that deserves immediate attention.


In December, the House of Representatives and Senate negotiators agreed on a spending bill for the fiscal year of 2012 which helps to fund federal government money through September. For Early childhood advocates, children and families this funding will give additional money for childhood programs and services. In additional slots for Head Start and Early Head Start were maintained. In this election year it is vital that we continue to speak up for the rights of children and focus our attention on the candidates who will place children as a priority in their campaigns. Ending poverty is a number one concern when more than 1 out of 5 children are poor. Minorities lead this crisis. Every year our nation loses half a trillion dollars in lost productivity, poor health and increased crime. Health care also needs to be a priority for families, especially women and children.

I have enjoyed learning about the outreach programs that the Children’s Defense Fund sponsors for children and youth. Their Freedom Schools, Cradle to Prison Pipeline, and Youth Development and Leadership programs enables children to continue serving in their community once they have become stable and capable of helping others. Internships are also available in the CDF’s national and state offices. This is a very experience for the intern and also a valuable resource for CDF because many of theses interns have gone up to become leaders nationally and internationally and help to change the lives of many children.


References:

Children’s Defense Fund. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org.

INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS

Poverty is defined as a lack of money or material possessions. I believe the word poverty goes much deeper than that. When we think of the well being of children, we must think about the "whole child"...is the child receiving social and emotional stability as well as getting their basic needs of food, clothes, and shelter. For a child to not receive the social and emotional support from a nurturing source for their healthy development to me is living in poverty just as well as if they lacked money or material possessions. The organization known as Whole Child International works in existing children's institutions to improve the quality of care and help that prevents children from having a desolate future. Meghan Lopez is the country director of the Nicaragua Whole Child International organization. Their goal is to ensure that all people who care for young children understand their need for attachment, know that they can effectively provide it in their existing settings, and that they are able and empowered to make it happen. Most recently in Nicaragua the organization has made improvements to the environments in one of its centers by adding play area spaces and sandboxes. Environments are very crucial because they can either serve to support an nurturing attachment between caregiver and child or make one more difficult. The children from infant age to 13 years of age have really enjoyed the investigating the sandbox that has been placed in one of the centers. What is more exciting is the fact that the caregivers at the centers have gotten into the sandbox with the children and have been able to build on their relationships with the children through strong and loving bonds. Secure attachments are at the core of a child's emotional health and well being. I look forward to continuing my conversation with Ms. Lopez and learning more about Whole Child International.

Reference:

Whole Child International. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.wholechild.org/home.html.

SHARING WEB RESOURCES

Children's Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/index-1.html

Every 33 seconds in America a baby is born into poverty.
Every 18 minutes a baby dies before his 1st birthday.
Every 6 hours a child is killed by abuse or neglect.

Do these statistics alarm you? When I first saw them, I had to read them again to make sure that I read them correctly. As a member of a United Methodist Church, one of the ministries that I work with is the United Methodist Women Organization. Each year as a part of our campaign for children we participate in Children's Sabbath which is celebrated in October. This is how I became aware of the Children's Defense Fund. Through this organization my church orders material to distribute to our congregation about the plight of children around the world. Using that material we develop our mission project for the next year. This year we are working on a mission project for the children and families in Haiti.

The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) is a non-profit child advocacy organization that begin in 1973 under the leadership of Ms. Marian Wright Edelman, a Civil Rights Leader. Its purpose is to ensure that children are taken out of poverty; protected from abuse and neglect; and ensured access to healh care and quality education with a moral and spiritual foundation. They are supported by foundation and coporate grants and individual donations. Ms. Marian Wright Edelman believes that we need to have a child movement because children SHOULD BE our number one priority in the world today. She believes that children should be empowered with good health and a high quality education. They need to feel confident and loved. They are our leaders of tomorrow.

Two of the many programs/campaigns that the CDF sponsors include the CDF Freedom Schools program and the Cradle to Prison Pipeline campaign. The Freedom Schools program focuses on providing summer and after school enrichment programs for literature to get children excited about reading while building their self esteem. The Cradle to Prison Pipeline campaign is designed to reduce the number of detention and incarceration of teens by increasing preventive supports and services to children in need. These programs caught my attention because I am a firm believer in being proactive. We must put measures into place that gives children positive consequences/alternatives before something happens. The Children's Defense Fund also adovocates full day kindergarten, home visiting with early childhood families, as well as impoving the quality rating of early childhood facilities.

Reference:

Children's Defense Fund. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org

ESTABLISHING PROFESSIONAL CONTACTS/EXPANDING RESOURCES

Establishing a relationship with other professionals around the world in the field of education is a great way to increase my awareness of the issues and trends in early childhood education. However, this task is easier said then done. I used the Global Alliance of NAEYC website to try and connect with professionals in Europe and Canada through my email. I did not receive a response from anyone. Since I am an active member of the United Methodist Women organization in my church and this is a world wide organization, I decided to try and use some of the UMW contacts to locate professionals who work with children. I did receive a response from Nicaragua. A missionary there has offered to try and make contact with colleagues who have expertise or work in the education field for me.

I have also registered with the National Children's Defense Fund to receive their newsletter and updates about this organization. Through my relgious affiliation, each year I have received information about celebrating Children's Sabbath in October from the Children's Defense Fund. This information is used in our local Sunday School at New Francis Brown United Methodist Church. I felt that selecting this organization would give me a chance to learn more about how they help children all over the world and how I can help children in my local community.