The Comeback Kid Strikes Again

    There are many consequences of learning that I feel can help me in my professional and personal development.  UNESCO recently published the policy report Caring and Learning Together: a cross-national study of the integration of early childhood care and education in education . Written by John Bennett, Yoshie Kaga, and Peter Moss, it examines an important policy option for the future development of ECCE services, based on the experience of five countries (Brazil, Jamaica, New Zealand, Slovenia, and Sweden) and one city (Ghent in Belgium) that have integrated ECCE within the education system. It looks at the rationale, process, extent, and consequences of integration and draws important conclusions. It also includes perspectives from countries that have chosen to retain split systems.     The Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC) has therefore chosen the 2012 annual theme: “Early Experiences Matter: Building Foundations for Lifelo...

My professional goals at this moment is to try and establish a supportive document I am truly cultivating a relationship with Kurt, an early childhood teacher from Bateau Bay, near Sydney, Australia who happens to be my international contact. We have shared our thoughts about excellence and quality. We also shared our hopes,dreams, and goals. Even though we have not met in person, it seems as though we are comfortable with sharing information with each other. I did get a chance to ask Kurt some of these questions: 1. What issues regarding quality and ec professionals are being discussed in your area? There is big talk about equity in pay for EC teachers here in Australia. Primary and secondary teachers receive a greater rate of pay and a much more friendly award in regards to holidays, sick pay, etc. This has caused many ECT's, like myself, to transition into a primary teaching job. The Australian government has offered to try and fix the pay divide by funding pay increases...

Sharing Web Resources One of the outside links that I am following from “ International Step by Step Association,” is their major initiatives in 2013-2015. These initiatives will lead to Access and Equity, Quality, Participation, and Network. Here is an example: I found that “they build on the principle that parents are the primary educators of children and strive for active parent participation and community involvement in the education process” (Major Initiatives, 2013) . The link I decided to follow from the ISSA e-newsletter related to the country of Georgia providing free preschool to children whose families qualify for welfare. I found it to directly relate to equity, for all children in Georgia’s rural areas. Though preschool education is free or subsidized for needy families, only about 30 percent of Georgia’s poor children have access, according to a November report from UNICEF. Georgia’s rural areas are particularly lacking. UNICEF and Civitas, a civil society gr...

My international contact is The International Step by Step Association (ISSA). My contact in the organization has been kind enough to invite me to be a member. I have accepted. The insights and information I have gained have helped me to see all countries have the same issues concerning early childhood education, if not far greater, just as we do in the United States. In this case however, there are countries coming people from different countries coming together under this one organization for the sole purpose that children receive adequate support through high quality early years services. I did see a document titled “Competent Educators of the 21 st Century : ISSA’S PRINCIPLES OF     QUALITY PEDAGOGY, “in the newsletter. The ISSA launched updated pedagogical principles. The Principles serve as a basis for professional discussion, building and expanding partnerships, improving practices, and bringing change into the lives of young children in the countri...

One specific section from my  International Step by Step Association  (ISSA) newsletter that I found to be important to my professional development is the New European Commission Recommendation: “Investing in children: breaking the cycle of disadvantage” A new European Commission Recommendation provides helpful guidance to Member States on how to tackle child poverty and promote children’s well-being. It calls for a children’s rights approach and integrated strategies based on three pillars: access to adequate resources; access to affordable quality services; and children’s right to participate.  Importantly it links to the implementation of Europe 2020 and the EU financial mechanisms to ensure progress and monitoring. Member States are encouraged to adopt national targets for reducing child poverty and social exclusion.     New Policy Briefs from EENEE on the Economics of Education  helped me to understand how economist in other countries have ...