Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

I have been trying to communicate with my international contact and have had no luck. It seems we have different schedules. For this week I am going to do the alternative. Exploring the website Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” I found something interesting when they talk about working with other countries other than the United States. They have to work on translating the research information not only by language but by culture. I thought this was very smart and interesting because they are taking in the uniqueness of the country and culture. Another thing that I gain was that the work that they are doing in Latin American they believe can help them learn lessons globally,regionally and locally. 
"The project team members work together to understand the implications of what they’re learning as they implement in community-based settings – including an understanding of who the intervention is working for, who it’s not working for, and why" (developingchild.harvard.edu, p.1, 2016). This innovation cluster is about learning fast so they can incorporate their findings. I found this very interesting since in our country it takes a while to implement new ideas and findings. Another thing I found interesting was the Grand Challenge Canada, Savings Brain seeks to improve the lives of children living in poverty within the first 1000 days of life. They want to expand the reach of products, services and have polices to protect and nurture early brains. I found this imformation to be very encouraging and insightful because of how work around the global is supporting young lives.


Reference
developingchild.harvard (2016) Innovation Clusters http://developingchild.harvard.edu/innovation-application/key-concepts/innovation-clusters/

Sharing Wed Resources

This week I reviewed the newsletter I receive from Smart brief. I did not find anything from the DEC to relevant for this weeks assignment. What I found interesting from smartbrief was an article on the leader within. It talked about how being a leader has more to do with how you think and what you do. A leader is not just about your title. They also talked about how we need more leaders in the education field. Leaders are the ones who make changes in schools and other education settings. This article helped me understand that it is going to be the early childhood professionals that are going to make the big difference in the early childhood field. We know what works and what does not. We need to be advocates for the children we teach or the children in our programs. It does not matter your job title you are a leader and we need to stand up and help out politicians make the proper decisions.

"Leadership is complex and contextual. Our circumstances heavily influence who we are and can be as leaders. In order to understand the complexity, we will all benefit from spending some reflective time considering our backgrounds, beliefs, and actions." (edutopia.org, 2016,p.3).

I did not find anything controversial in this article I just found that it helps me understand more about my profession. I need to realize that its the professionals are the ones that help the economist and the politicians get the information to make decisions and studies. I really found this article to strength my reasoning for entering the early childhood field.

Reference
Edutopia.org (2016) Reflecting on yourself as a leader Reterived on January 30, 2016 from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/reflecting-yourself-leader-elena-aguilar

Part -1 international contact

The contact that I have made is with a center in Australia. I have made initial contact but have not had many conversations yet. The director will give my information to her staff and she said they will be happy to converse with me on subjects. I have been exploring their website to find out more about their center. The center is called Regand Park Early Childhood Centre. Their website is careforkids.com. The articles they have available is cost of care, general information on child care, family daycare, au pairs (nannies), babysitters, before and after school care, preschool, work and care, health and child care, child care tools, and safety and security. I have been enjoying exploring a different country and their childcare. I look forward to learning from their professionals.

This week has been all about poverty and I have gain much knowledge. The myths that I thought have been dispelled because I really did not understand poverty. I myself have been there and did not know it. My husband lost his job and we almost lost our house twice in the last two years. When you get behind it is hard to get caught back up. I have found many programs that would have helped us out. I also found government programs that would have too. We have worked hard to get were we are living pay check to pay check but bills are paid and my children have food on the table. My neighbor just lost his job two weeks ago and they make 3 figure salary. I have many friends that their husbands are working out of town so they can make ends meet. I have realized that it is closer to home then you really want to know. I believe that the word poverty gives people the wrong impression about people. I have gained a new look on what poverty in my area is because it is not just the low-income that are experiencing it. The middle class is hard affected by it in such a down turn in the economy. I believe that the government and many other programs are not doing enough to help the poverty situation. The government believes that until you are really rock bottom is when you need help. If you help the working class then poverty can be reduced. The homeless issue has a life of its own. Many families have been their but many individuals like been free and to go where they want. The winter is the hardest in our area. There are many local programs that help the homeless. Poverty is complicated and I do not see a change in the near future.

Sharing Web resources

I subscribed to DEC website. (http://www.dec-sped.org/news)

The DEC (Division for Early Childhood) is an organization that is committed to improving the educational needs of individuals with special needs and gifted/ talented. They have recommend practices that help professionals and families improve the educational outcomes of children. They have a news and note section and they also have ways you can get involved with DEC. They have a section for publications, professional development and conferences. This website helps keep you informed on changes of thought and how to help you as a professional.

What caught my eye was the DEC's Monograph series it talks about supporting children who are dual language learners. They also discuss difficult child behaviors. One monograph discusses developmentally appropriate innovations in addressing the needs of children with challenging behaviors. The other monograph discusses the strategies to support dual learners in an inclusive environment.

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

WEEK 1 EDUC 6162

Part 1
For this part I have asked a classmate to help me establish contacts with Early educational professionals. I have not heard from them yet. I have also contacted some organizations through Facebook and have sent emails out to individuals. I am trying all types of ways but had had no responds back yet. I am still not discounting having to use the alternative to part 1.



Part 2
For this part I decided to explore DEC (Division of Early Childhood). The reason I choose this one was because of the work I am doing currently with my daughter's school. I also have children with learning disabilities and delays. I like to learn more on how I can help my children reach their full potential. This is what I learned from this week exploring this website:

"The Omnibus bill to fund the federal government for the remainder of FFY 2016 has been agreed to by all parties and was released this morning. The bill includes an increase of $20 million for the Part C program and an increase of $15 million for the Preschool Special Education Grant Program (619). These funds will be available through state’s grants July 1, 2016. This bill still awaits final passage by the Congress and signature by the President. Both are expected to occur." (DEC Website News and Notes).

This statement was taken from the response that the DEC had for the for the US Heath and Human Service Department. They were explaining what their opinion was on the departments family engagement statement. I found this very interesting and how the DEC was very open with their comments.
"The State-level recommendations raised some concerns given that family engagement, to be optimally effective, must occur at all levels of policy and service planning and implementation. While the recommendations are well-organized, detailed and appropriate, they lack adequate steps to engage families and direct service providers in these processes at the state level. As we have seen in, for example, the implementation of Part C of the IDEA, the process benefited greatly from a collaborative approach that engaged stakeholders, including families, at all levels as equal partners." (http://dec.membershipsoftware.org/files/DEC%20Response%20to%20Request%20for%20Comments.pdf)

References
http://www.dec-sped.org/news

My Supports

I live with my three children in a farm community. My husband works out of state and has for many years. He is gone for long periods of time. I remember one time it was three months before we got to see him. With this being said I have him as a support but mostly as a mental and emotional support. In my daily life the types of supports I have are my alarm clock, my children, my animals, my phone, my notes, and things around the house. My alarm clock helps me get up in the morning so I can get the kids ready to go to school. S,o I guess the clocks in the house are a support because they keep me on schedule. My children are a support because they remind me of things that need to be done for them and things I need to do with them. My animals are not only a schedule reminder but they are there for fun, enjoyment and emotional support. When you are having a rough day a dog is so nice to have because petting and loving them helps you relax. My phone is my calendar because it reminds me of appointments and other events. I would also have to add that the calendars in the house help support me on a daily bases. I also write notes down to help me accomplish things that I have to do. Objects around my house help support me in many ways because I am so reliant on things that I have. Yes, I can live with our many of my supports but my family and animals are not one of them. Modern conveniences are nice but I could just use calendars to help me keep my appointments. My animals wake me up so I could live with out the alarm it would be difficult some days but I would probably train myself.
I have had injuries to my hand and back problems with in the last 2 years and I can tell you I appreciate my body and what I can do. I believe that these short times with a disability helped me understand what I do not what to live with out. I praise and have the utmost respect for people who have no choice but I have gained a respect for the purpose of things. My daughter has recently smashed and broke her pinky finger and because she is so active the doctor and I decide to cast the whole hand. She is having to learn to adapt. The thing is she figures it out quickly. We as human beings learn to adapt and change very easily that sometimes we forget about the old way.  A support that I forgot about was my orthodontics and my family. My family supports me emotional in many ways and it would be hard to live with out them.

My Connections to Play WEEK 4 (educ 6161)

The Pictures I included here are pictures of my children playing with Lego's, playing with cars and trucks, and dressed up for Halloween. Included these pictures because when I was younger I loved to play we Lego's, cars and trucks and my sister and I liked to play dress up. We more liked to dress our cat and dogs up but we enjoyed playing dress up.

Play has been a essential part of my youth and into adulthood. I played sports when I was younger and I also had many free time play. I remember playing cars with one of my friends for hours in my hall way. I also remember my sister and I playing with our blankets on the clothes line building a house in our back yard. My mom allowed us to have an imagination and explore our world. We were allowed to play outside. We rode our bikes all over the town and during the summer we would play at the park. We had a swimming pool in our back yard and we would create all types of different worlds while we were swimming. During the fall we would rake the leaves up and play in them. I remember one year that my sister and foster sister stuffed me with leaves. I itched for hours afterwards. My parents supported my play by allowed me to explore and create without extreme boundaries. I believe that because of my free play is why I have fun sitting down with my children and playing with them. I love building Lego's with them. They love having me play Play Doh with them. I do this because I love them I just cannot handle the smell of the Play Doh. I love taking my children for walks in the woods and watching them explore. We go on bike rides and they also help me work in the yard. Planting flowers and a gardening is fun for them. They love to play in the dirt and getting dirty. I believe that because of how my parents were with me allowed me to have the foundation to allow my children to play without too much structure.

Play has defiantly change since I was a child. Electronics and technology are contributing factors. Other contributing factors is violence in cities and the fear of someone kidnapping your child. Where I live I do not have to keep a close eye on my children because we live in the country but many children in the cities and towns have to be watched closely. When parents get in trouble for allowing their child to play at the park without supervision I know our world has changed. My children have way more electronics then I ever had. They relax with a movie or a game. When I was a child quietly siting in your room was the way to unwind. Free play I feel in more structured because of the types of toys that are on the market. I was watching a commercial about a car set for preschools that talked to them and told them where their car was and what it was doing. Right now I am listening to my children play with Lego's and they are building and creating conversations. They are build a world among themselves and they toys are not telling how to think and what to do. I see more and more toys do not allow for imagination.