Web Resource: Harlem Children's Zone

The web-site that I have been examining is U.S.-based HCZ, or Harlem Children's Zone. The Harlem Children's Zone is New York City based, but can be replicated in any American neighborhood. where poverty has devastated the futures of residents. This project is fascinating to me because it is neighborhood specific. It addresses residents of  what began as a twenty-four block area in Harlem to a nearly 100 block span and growing. It's goal is to lift the entire neighborhood out of poverty, so that it is a great place to live, work, and stay. It is doing this though comprehensive education. The HCZ doesn't stop at preschool, or early childhood, or even high school graduation. It supports children's success until they graduate from college. And then, the educated "child" returns to Harlem. This is the issue that caught me by surprise. I am guilty of thinking about Harlem as a place from which to escape. Mr. Geoffrey Canada's vision is to bring the neighborhood children back to Harlem as Harvard graduates, and raise the quality of life there, as every American neighborhood and city plans to do. Addressing a Cleveland audience, a place that boasts the highest poverty level of any major American city, Mr. Canada mused that the value of old Harlem brownstones has begun to rise, and may be a challenge to buy for even his returning HCZ college grads. This is the unintended consequence of his program, but he wasn't quite complaining.

This particular web-site follows our discussions on poverty, early childhood development, and devotes tabs to evidence-based practice, and quantitative results of the many programs offered. The results document improvements in health, education, and psychosocial development. There is economic benefit information,as well as support from private business and President Obama. I find the site and the e-mail updates to be an exciting affirmation of the strength of community efforts, and the proof that education cures poverty.

The insight I gain from this sight is that programs and supports for children cannot stop in mid-education. Studies that follow children until the fourth grade are insufficient. Children continue to grow into adulthood, and that is where we want them to enter in safety and with readiness. Commitments to children must start before birth, and cannot be cut before they are ready to fully participate in their communities.This is what the HCZ is modeling for the rest of the nation struggling with poverty.

Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre

In reading about CHIP International Activities and country overview of China, I observed four areas of research meant to find solutions to childhood poverty.

Basic services are the infrastructure of the country or geographic area. This includes health services, access to clean water and sanitation, nutrition, and education.
Economic security is the availability of money, in the form of employment and/or cash transfer to families living in poverty.
Supportive policies for child well-being includes early childhood education, home visiting, and child care for working parents, and planned family reduction size.
Donors toward childhood poverty must work with government poverty reduction strategies and be made aware of the issues surrounding childhood poverty.

China has made great strides in reducing childhood poverty from 30.7 % of the population in 1978 to 3.7% in 2000.  Eastern China has experienced a greater transition to global, decentralized markets and shows less poverty than in a slower transitioning Western China. As state-owned enterprises are being reformed, jobs lost from the state sector have not yet been absorbed into the private sector, leaving an estimated 12.3% unemployed. The rising unemployment rate, and the reduction of state sponsored health and education services are making access to health and education more difficult for the jobless. Though anti-poverty initiatives are on the government policy agendas, they remain small scale.

On this site, there are several research briefings and papers available that support the overviews and key findings. One that I found interesting is the policy briefing that addressed early childhood care and development (ECD) as a poverty prevention method. This group was not convinced that ECD models upon which available research are based would be effective in developing countries. The briefing suggests that
available research "presupposes a universal scientific basis to child development"(Hill, Harper, Marcus, 2004, p. 2). and that it may not be appropriate and accepted in developing nations. Also, that the long-term benefits of ECD cited by the Perry High Scope and the Abecedarian projects were not reliable. Thirdly, child education programs and child welfare systems seldom collaborate, further lessening the impact on child poverty. And lastly, ECD programs are expensive and labor intensive, and developing countries surely lack the resources to make them effective.
The brief goes on to describe why ECD as we know it in developed countries is inappropriate to the needs of poor families elsewhere.

We have spent many classes discussing the great benefits of early childhood interventions. This report runs counter to our studies as an aid in relieving poverty. I believe, however, that education is the critical factor in living well. A universal approach to early childhood care delivery may not be effective for all countries, but grassroots, local interventions that promote the education and welfare of families would indeed be effective, as is true within the United States. There is no magic wand that will sweep across the world and fix it. The fix is worked by individuals where they live.

Sources:
Hill, F., Harper, C. & Marcus, R. (2004). Policy briefing 4: Early childhood care and development (ECD) - an innoculation against poverty? Retrieved from http://www.childhoodpoverty.org
http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=chipactivities-int
http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=countryo

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

I have yet to have a nibble on my e-lines trolling for professional links in foreign waters, but fishing sometimes requires stillness, and patience. In the meantime, there are so many early childhood website's to stay on top of. The one I chose to follow for this Issues and Trends course is The Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ). This program/project is aimed at helping children living in Harlem, New York grow from prenatal until college graduation, and be able to live and work in their Harlem area neighborhood. There was no real process to choosing this site. I have heard leader Geoffrey Canada speak, and he is passionate about seeing opportunities for children living in severe poverty, opportunities that don't fade over time. So many of the effectiveness studies we have seen so far report results into fourth grade or so, or even stop at "kindergarten readiness". Mr. Canada doesn't want to stop until the children in his program are out of college. This program is a model for many cities across the United States that quit putting forth effort in early childhood,or even stop tracking children's success long before an at-risk child is out of danger of failing. The schools and neighborhoods here in Cleveland need a strong and successful model to follow to reverse the growing blight of poverty here. The Harlem Children's Zone might have something to show us.

My Supports

The greatest support I have in my life each day is inner purpose, that is, to know that God has work for me to do in His world each day. This is what drives me to do what others may not understand, such as making my salary subordinate to my desire to work with young children, a notoriously low paying career. I love this work, and I believe that God will provide all I need in my daily efforts. Without the support of my faith and purpose, I would not accomplish all that I am able to do, I am sure. Actually, I cannot imagine what purpose my life would have if my faith deserted me.

Everything else is the icing on the cake;

Relationships with family, children, friends and neighbors are all supports for me. Those that aren't are divorced, or ignored. There are family and friend supports who are already gone, and their departure is a great sadness and hardship for me, and I still cry.

Routines help me to carry out daily tasks with minimal effort and confusion, and with a goal in my mind's eye.
Work is a routine that I recognize as giving me daily fire, a reason to get out of bed and use my blessings for others. Many become bored right after they reach their coveted prize of retirement, and then take another job. Work is good.
Other routines keep me physically well and fit, so that life feels good. My medication, fitness classes, and the routine of walking my dog supports my optimal physical health. I can live without all of them, but the quality of
my life would greatly suffer (except for the dog. The quality of my mental health might actually improve.).

Basic living essentials surely provide me with all that I need to fully live in comfort. A modest home, enough good food, a solid education, a reliable car, access to medical care, and opportunities to play and admire beauty support my happy life. To be without any of these would mean an adjustment of some sort, but it is difficult to project such circumstances. (The car is really an extra and not an essential. I didn't own a car until I was thirty, when I returned from New York City, where a car is an albatross. I prefer public transportation, or simply public pavement. My current job, however, requires me to drive.)

I do not need to imagine a challenge that is not imminent, one that I can already feel and know the changes it will bring throughout the course of my life. As I age, as everyone ages, the challenges mount. My eyesight has shifted, and though I am not nearly blind, I find it difficult to read or to do close up work like sewing or home repairs, and I may avoid them as a result. Arthritis makes jumping out of bed slightly painful, and my morning routine is minutes longer to complete as I slow it down. I have spent the last few years supporting my mom as aging took much more from her, and I can imagine that one day I may need one of my children to provide the same for me.

And so, aside from faith, close relationships, purpose, and basic essentials for physical life, there is nothing I can't live without, and may have to live without at some time, now or later. The impact that losses will have on me is that I will need to adjust my sails to stay afloat and to enjoy the new direction of the ride.

                                                      

My Connections to Play

Climbing trees was a favorite, and much treasured summer pastime for many of us in my neighborhood. I experienced not only the obvious biophysical rewards, but also developed sensory skills that occupational therapists dream about.

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."
John Bay



     Mr. Bay was an actor, not a neurologist or even an educator. Yet he made a very accurate observation. He may have used the word "dull" to mean "lacking zest or vivacity" as in "a dull performance", but in light of neurological research, "dull" may also mean "mentally slow", "stupid". (Merriam-Webster).  Work done in the absence of pleasure does not produce memorable learning. (Jensen, 1998) This revelation can be the single most effective catalyst in raising the quality and effectiveness of our education systems. For best results, make it fun. Play to learn.


      My most memorable play-to-learn gear were a bicycle, trees, dolls, roller and ice skates, Badminton raquettes and birdies, a kickball, a bat and ball, and a bathing suit. Tap and ballet shoes came later, and stayed with me to this day. The bathing suit is not-so-favorite now, but not because I don't like to swim.

      The work of learning to ride a bike was not fun, as you may recall from your own experiences. The same might be said of learning to roller or ice skate, play the piano, or even read. But the pleasure that came from riding my bike made the work worthwhile. What kept me working at staying on the bike was witnessing the very obvious pleasure of bike riders in my neighborhood and wanting to be a part of the fun. My desire to have fun bike riding has also become a part of my physical and sensory ability to balance, feel and maintain speed, apply the brakes and stop when necessary, actually all the skills one needs to drive. Hmm. Perhaps hours of bike riding made me the safe driver I am today. The time spent playing on my bike may even be a big reason that I have the job I have.


      Social circumstance supported play when and where I grew up 40 years ago. Two parent, traditional families made sure that a parent was at home, supervising and monitoring the comings and goings of the children, who were many. Our home was small, and we spilled out of it, into our yard, the yards of the other children who spilled out of their identical homes, and into the park and school playground nearby. Our homes were too small to be comfortable playing inside of, and we were too noisy, so out we went. Our work day was done when school was out, usually around 3:00, two or three hours before dinner. Out we went. Summers and holiday breaks were full-time, sun-up to sundown play. This was possible not only because my mom stayed at home while my dad worked, but most moms stayed home, and lots of kids were at home to play with, not at day care until 6 or 7 o'clock at night.  School also supported play with recess every day, gym very often and all school year, and after school intramural sports activities in the higher grades.  School  buildings were opened in the summer months for city-run recreational activities for children, in the absence of  numerous liability law suits and rampant vandalism.

      Play today is sadly different from the play opportunities I had growing up. A group of teen aged boys asked to use my daughter's football, and as I watched them try to throw and catch it, I marvelled that they couldn't throw or catch a football, and quite probably because they never had spent time just tossing one around. They quit playing and returned to their porch with their cell phones to text or whatever one spends time on a cell phone doing. Children also spend a large part of their out of school time in another institution, called child care, that very often forbids running as too dangerous, jumping as too dangerous, throwing balls as too dangerous, and the list goes on. Lack of real free choices for play, time at home, and a plethora of "safe" techno-play has eliminated many opportunities for creative, active, and social play today.

      I most seriously believe that if play is not re-established as the best way for children to spend time, our biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial health will fail us. My family will not participate in this downhill slide. Tonight, we are going to slide downhill on our sleds instead, and we will be smarter for it.

Resources

Jensen, Eric. (1998). Teaching with the brain in mind. Alexandra, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Merrian-Webster. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dull

"Life must be lived as play"
Plato

A New Public Health Issue - Obesity

When I think of children in developing countries, I envision poor nutrition as a pervasive problem in public health and general welfare. Upon searching for information about children in Mexico, the country of origin of some extended family, I am surprised, and not-so-surprised, to learn that Mexico is struggling with simultaneous under-nutrition and obesity, and that the International Development and Research Center (IDRC) has begun research into the double burden of under and over nutrition in Mexico. Obesity affects the public welfare with rising incidence of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancers. Mexico's economic gains are resulting in the availability and affordability of food high in sugars, refined flour, and processed convenience foods. (Janssen, Taylor) One result of the rise of the middle class has been the rise in childhood obesity. Other social trends that are contributing to childhood obesity are the increase of motor transport and the resulting hazards for walkers or cyclists among the traffic, increased use of television and video entertainment, the increase of availability of food, portion size, and fast food stores, and the rise in consumption of soft drinks replacing water (WHO, 2010). One may think that childhood obesity is a problem only in the United States, but apparently it is a side-effect of poor nutrition education in a place of rising wealth and choices. That this condition is growing worldwide is a sure call for educators and all public servants to collaborate with families when caring for a child, offering education, including health education, that will impact the development of the child through a lifetime.


Resources:


World Health Organization, GHH Seminars. (17 November, 2010). Retrieved from http://www.who.org/

Janssen, P. Ian M., Lopez Y Taylor, Juan Ricardo. Unraveling the Emerging Childhood Obesity Epidemic in Mexico: The Nutrition Transition and the Double-Edged Sword. Retrieved from http://www,idrc.ca/en/ev-_134240-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

a favorite quote

"Many see what is, but we must see what can be"
-Albert Einstein

I doubt that Prof. Einstein was thinking about early childhood development when he expressed his belief, but this one rings true for young children as they develop, and especially for those children who have disabilities. When we see a child who needs help walking, we must not stop our vision there. We must ask ourselves, "What if we tried..." or "What if she could do it this way?" So many innovations that benefit children with disabilities have come from a vision of what might be.


" Part of the problem with the word 'disabilities' is that it immediately suggests an inability to see or hear or walk or do other things that many of us take for granted. But what of the people who can't feel? Or talk about their feelings? Or manage their feelings in constructive ways? What of people who aren't able to form close and strong relationships? And people who cannot find fulfillment in their lives, or those who have lost hope, who live in disappointment and bitterness and find no joy. no love? These, it seems to me, are the real disabilities."
-Fred Rogers

Children's social/emotional development must be regarded with equal, if not greater importance than physical and cognitive accomplishments by those who care for them.