Communicating Ahead

Thanks to my course colleagues who had to be trusting enough in this class and in past courses to divulge failures in personal and professional communications along with what worked. It is because we have been supportive of each other that we have been able to speak frankly about our experiences, beliefs, successes, and failures. Such support has been encouraged and nurtured by Dr. Myers. May we continue to be as supportive of friends, family, and colleagues as we continue our careers in the Early Childhood Field.

Team Building and Collaboration- Adjourning

     As I have considered the groups in which I have been involved, I recognize that whether formal or informal, we have had some sort of closing ritual. The Recognition Committee which I recalled for its lack of clear vision did indeed have a most effective closure. The committee met twice more after the training institute to review the session evaluations, and then to make notes for the following year's committee. A less formal family planning committee for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary conducted meetings before the event, but really had no formal adjournment, though the clean up after the guests left was a time of discussion and planning for the future. The event is recounted frequently at family functions.( It was a smashing success, a highlight in our family history.) In both experiences, there certainly was no sadness at separating from the group or meetings. The goals were very clearly reached, successfully, and there was no need to feel anything but positive about moving on to the next adventure. Both our text (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2009) and The Five Stages of Team Development: A Case Study (Abudi, 2010) indicate that the stage of adjournment brings sadness at separation. I disagree. If the outcome was successful, and if relationships are strengthened, why wouldn't separation from the project be a natural transition to the next activity? I find that at the end of such a group effort, there is plenty of work and play waiting for me, and I am not sad to move on. I will not be sad to have successfully completed my studies at Walden, and if I continue to build relationships that have begun here, all the better. Mission accomplished.

References:

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html



O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Non-Violent Communication and Conflict Management

I have recently experienced yet another communication conflict with a sibling, the same sibling. Her initial attack was not focused at me, but towards a brother in the audience of the rest of us, via e-mail, the great impersonal channel. The root of the conflict was money. Surprised? The conflict between us was triggered by a combination of unbalanced costs and rewards and incompatible life goals in that money is not as important as strong and loyal sibling relationships. Through brief e-mails, we tried to discuss options and alternatives and also to debate and argue the merits of both sides of the disagreement. A plea for her to consider the outcomes of her actions and communications affecting her and the others was met with verbal combativeness. I, and I believe the other four siblings, have resorted to separation from her until such time as she can become more other-minded in her behavior and communications. I have evaluated this outcome to be lose-lose. No one wins from family estrangement. Perhaps the time of separation will allow healing enough to repair the family relationships. This is the most appealing non-violent strategy that I have been able to comfortably use in such an emotion-filled conflict.

Who Am I as a Communicator?

        The first most surprising result of the communication evaluations that I took and compared with others' assessments of me came from my brother's evaluation of my level of verbal aggression, "Significant", far above scores from two other evaluators. When he saw the description of the score he earned for me, he became concerned that the assessment was too harsh. Together we reconstructed the test and answers, and he explained his reason for each one, still scoring in the "Significant" range. He then took the test to evaluate his own verbal aggression level, and scored also in the "Significant" range. He believed that the answers he gave did not add up to the description of a significantly aggressive verbal communication style. That his was the only score difference among the evaluators was the first part of the surprise, but that he evaluated himself in the same range as how he evaluated me also caused me to take a closer look at why such a disparity had occurred. I project that the difference in score came from two schemas that were not possessed by the other evaluators; He is a male, and he is a self-employed businessman. I had considered that perhaps I change my communication style to match his when we converse or debate issues, but I believe that the results came from his perception of my verbal style based on his experiences with me as a colleague in business, his business partner schema. The other participants were younger females in non-business roles, and evaluated me almost exactly the same as my personal assessment. Because my current colleagues are mostly younger females in non-business roles, I am unconcerned with being perceived as verbally aggressive. If I return to a business career, or if I have the opportunity to communicate with early childhood education funders who are business people, I may possess an adequately aggressive style to be noticed and heard by men who may perceive aggression in communication with a different schematic lens.

Communicating and Collaborating

Just as a skilled child care provider will change body position to meet the eye level of a child, and adjusts tone of voice and vocabulary to match what the child understands, so do I adjust my communications with different individuals or groups. This is what other-mindedness is all about, learning what the communication needs of the other person are, and meeting them to better understand and to be better understood. And because all individuals have their own cultural identities, I believe that the most important and the most challenging communication strategy for me to use is to be non-judgemental. Asking questions to clarify my communication partners' intentions will help me to better understand their ideas, and remaining neutral, or non-judgemental, will help me to stay in the conversation without getting lost in my own emotions that could become stirred by what I have heard. I believe that most are skilled at talking about themselves. When I can give another person the opportunity to talk about one's self, I am building a relationship of trust, and the other person reveals more as the communication continues. This is so easily observed with young children. Sit at the lunch table with four year olds and ask them about their lunch or their favorite foods. Soon they will be telling you everything. The topic that people know the most about is themselves, and children will talk about what they know best. After talking and listening during lunch to a child with challenging behavior, I have learned that the child's father has been released from jail and is back at home. Now my communication with this child's parents is not so much about changing the child, but about support for some stressful conditions at home. To communicate more effectively with each culturally different person I encounter, I would like to

• remain non-judgemental
• ask questions to clarify the person's viewpoints, and
• encourage the other person to talk about his or her ideas and experiences, and talk less about my own.

Communiction on TV

Observing the Nickelodeon television show, Digrassi, without sound, non-verbal behavior seemed mostly easy to read. There are several sub-plots on this show about social problems that high school teens encounter and how they solve them. In this episode, a boy was shrink-wrapped, presumably naked, to the school flagpole. As a group of boys were addressed individually by adults in the gym, the perpetrator looked guilty with his face looking to the floor, and speaking to the adults with his head in a low position.  The two male adults seemed bothered by the woman adult who questioned the guilty boy close to him. She smiled as she spoke, but the other adults had perplexed looks on their faces.She left the gym quickly.Without words, she may have been the principal making threats. The spoken lines revealed that she was the bullied child's mother making threats to find out who had hazed her son. Later, when the two boys spoke in the hall, they were physically close, face to face, with serious expressions.The hazed boy put his finger on the chest of the aggressor. They looked directly at each other. The spoken lines revealed a plan for revenge by the hazing victim. In another social dilemma between two girls, the leader of a dance group was challenged by a girl set on showing her up. Both of these girls smiled at each other while speaking. Without sound, they might have been friends in disagreement. The challenger used rapidly changing facial expressions, from smiling to haughty. Both girls communicated at a physical distance. With sound, one girl smiled as she spoke in a conciliatory manner, The challenger spoke insults through her smile.
It was easy to identify the roles of the boys and men during the soundless viewing. The close physical proximity to each other and facial expressions were clear indicators of what they communicated to each other. The girls and women, however, were not so easily read. Smiling is usually an indicator of positive feeling and intentions, yet in the spoken viewing, challenges and insults were communicated through smiles. In contrast to the boys in conflict, the girls were physically positioned as if they stood on either side of an invisible line.
Perhaps these television programs are reinforcing the widely accepted belief that female communication is complicated and is not always as it seems. In addition, they provide a model for young girls, soon to enter adulthood, for communication that is deceitful, as these girls smiled though they were angry and competitive. This viewing affirms my disdain for television, and supports my parenting restrictions on television viewing for my children and grandchildren over the past 25 years.

What is Communication?

    

 A few years ago, Yale University researchers published a report that exposed a shocking number of children expelled from preschool (Gilliam, 2005). I witnessed a spontaneous, bring-down-the-house speech at a local press conference that featured the grant project for which I work. Our agency had invited a few parents and child care center directors to attest to the success of our tax-based grant at retaining children with special and behavioral needs in their preschool programs, contrary to the Yale report. Our child care center director arrived just as the interviews were beginning, and was surprised to learn that she was not a guest, but a guest speaker, and was escorted to her seat behind the table set with microphones. After a series of rather boring speakers, the child care center director rose from her seat, moved out from behind the table, and addressed the cameras and audience in a calm, clearly projected voice. Her hands were clasped in front of her, and she made eye contact around the room, unlike the agency higher-ups who stuttered reading through their notes. She used a slow, evenly paced voice to announce what she would talk about, gave some facts and experiences, and briefly re-stated what she had just presented. I was stunned to hear and see such a smooth impromptu peformance after witnessing a series of CEO's stumble through dry data that they had prepared for the occasion. Joan the Director exuded confidence, used concise, effective speech, spoke slowly enough to be heard, made eye contact with her audience, and smiled slightly while she spoke. She was persuasive in defending the value of the program. The manner in which she communicated her testimony was far more convincing than higher management who did not use these speech techniques. Public speaking is only one form of communication, but the goal is the same for public or personal, that the speaker be heard and understood by the listener(s). Joan the Director attributed her communication skills to practice with a group called Toastmasters.

More can be learned about public speaking and general communication skills at http://www.toastmasters.org .
References:
Gilliam, W.S. (2005). Prekindergarteners left behind:Expulsion rates in state prekindergarten programs. Retrieved from http://childstudycenter.yale.edu/zigler/publications/34775_National%20Prek%20Study_expulsion%20brief.pdf

Professional Hopes and Goals

When I examine the topic of meeting diverse cultural needs in early childhood, I often compare current topics with historical issues of my parents' early childhoods as first generation Americans from Poland in the early 1930's. They recalled little of cultural barriers except that they spoke only Polish until they entered kindergarten, where they learned English. They never referred to this time as stressful, though it is quite possible that the stress they experienced in their early childhoods suppressed the memory of such. I do know that their large families provided a formidable support for them. As I work with today's children in a culturally diverse community, I am hoping that our progress in diversity studies combined with brain research discoveries equip early childhood workers, whether child care providers or preschool and elementary school teachers, to provide more support for children's development and family well being than was offered to my parents.
A goal that I would like for early childhood professionals to work towards is not only treating children and families respectfully, but to develop specific curriculum activities to equip children to prepare for and deal with anti-diversity behaviors aimed at them or someone they know. Gloria Boutte (2008) called us "naive" to believe that all we need is respect, a place where I was before this course. It is clear that as teachers and people of primary influence, we owe it to the children and families we serve to give them tools to manage the unpleasant realities of prejudice and unequal access.
Finally, I wish to thank my colleagues for the truly frank discussions about the topics of personal and institutional discrimination and microaggressions. These are painful topics to voice, but necessary for problem solving. Thank you for your professionalism in your candor.

References:
Boutte, G., (2008). Beyond the illusion of diversity: How early childhood teachers can promote social justice.Social Studies, 99(4), 165-173.

Welcoming Families from Around the World

I frequently visit Head Start programs that begin each year with new immigrant families from a variety of countries. Sometimes there is not a staff who speaks the native language that can give assistance to the staff and comfort to three years olds separated from their parents in a strange place. In the case of the children who were enrolled in the program who were from Viet Nam, a country that none of the staff were familiar with, the pre-enrollment meeting took place at the Head Start office. I might have added a few strategies to help everyone feel more comfortable, both family, child, and staff.

Home visits as parent education are typical in Head Start, however, in the the case of children from Viet Nam, I might make sure that the enrollment took place at the child's home, and with an interpreter. There are local cultural centers for most immigrant groups that could offer such a service for a new family. The children could meet the teacher on their own terms, and the teacher could gather insightful information about the child's most influential environment:

• How many people share the home, and what relationship do they have?
• Who is the power in the family, mother, father, or a grandparent?
• Do the children have responsibilities, and what are they?
• How does communication among adults and children occur?
• Do the children speak when they wish, or are they silent among adults?
• Are there toys in the house and of what kind?
• Is the family connected with a cultural support community?
• Is religious behavior practiced, and how?
• Does the family take photos? Can the school use photos? Are there photos that the child can bring to school and share? Can the teacher take photos of the children and display them in the classroom?
• Are there developmental special needs?

Broffenbrenner's bioecological model of child development indicates that the child's first and most influential is home and family (Keenan, 2009), and knowing how the family operates each day will be crucial in constructing supportive interactions in the classroom. This visit is meant to discover the deep cultural factors (Derman -Sparks & Edwards, 2010)  that influence the child.

Before the new children begin, I would announce to the class their arrival and when, and discuss with children how they can welcome the children. There is a DVD that is available to educators made by Candid Camera called The Green Kid (2003) that records the responses of young children of  the question, "What can you do to welcome this (green) child?" The answers they give brought tears to my eyes. We often forget that children are competent to come up with real and powerful solutions to their everyday challenges.

In addition to the home visit strategy, all of the children should have regular activities that share family structure, values, and activities, as well as the more topical cultural artifacts of foods, music, and clothing. The new child from Viet Nam may begin to bring in items from home to show to others, and to demonstrate their likenesses and differences.

Because so much cultural development occurs through language (Derman-Sparks, Edwards, 2010), making the language of the Vietnamese children visible in some way in the classroom will  create community in the class, reducing stress that can hinder learning. Consulting with parents during the home visit, or using library materials to learn a few words in the home language will be on-going.

Most child care and Head Start programs are required to have an open door policy for parents, but not all fulfill the requirement with relish. I would invite the child's parents to attend, interact, share when able, or just observe. Their presence to other children make Vietnamese people regular particpants in the program.

• Home visit
• Ask the children
• Plan specific classroom activities that share family culture
• Learn some Vietnamese words, and display them
• Invite families to visit the classroom

All of these efforts would be made for any child entering the program, whenever possible. A child develops in an environment of relationships (NCCDC, 2004 ), and establishing relationships, probably the most difficult task in all of life, is the most effective way to prepare these Vietnamese children, and all children for success.

References:
Candid Camera. (2003) The Green Kid Tolerance Project. Retrieved from http://www.candidcamera.com/cc6/green_kids.html

Derman-Sparks, L., &  Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).


Keenan, T., & Evans, S. (2009). Theories of development. In An introduction to child development. (pp.35-43). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2004) Young children develop in an environment of relationships. Working Paper No. 1. Retrieved from http://www.developingchild.net

Much of my work with child care providers who care for children with special needs gives me experience with able-ism. Many child care programs simply do not enroll children with special needs because of the perceived added expense of adequately meeting those needs. Some programs just don't know any better. I was aghast to learn from the Pastor of the church that I attend, where there is also a child care program, that the Child Care Director turned a child away from the center whose parents were new members to the church. He told me that because the child used a wheel chair, he was not able to descend to the lower level where his preschool class would be, as the building was not equipped with an elevator. They turned him away without consulting with the resident inclusion expert, me. He lamented the potential loss of worshippers, and I lamented the injustice done to that child who should have been included in our program, and the heartbreak it must have caused his parents. Quite easily, and with no added expense except effort and about two hours of paid moving time, the preschool class from downstairs could have been switched with the school age classroom on the main floor. The preschool children could have been served on the main floor, where a wheelchair could enter. My church administration did not think to make such a simple modification, or even call for advice, and the child was turned away.  It was not intentional able-ism, but the lack of effort was inexcusable. I was angry with the Child Care Director, whom I held responsible for discrimination, and disappointed with the Pastor who did not make more of an effort to understand and include this child and family. I hurt for the family. All of the adults in the church administration, as well as the child care staff, needed to re-evaluate their enrollment practices for institutional discrimination against people with disabilities. I am relieved to report, however, that our Sunday School leaders accept all who attend, and we have more than one child whose behavior is a result of autism. They may not always have answers, but they welcome all Sunday School kids and do their best to make a loving community for an hour or two each week. I am also happy to report that we have hired a new Child Care Director.

Awareness of Microagression

I can recall only one personal experience with microaggression aimed at my child, who has Colombian parentage. At a large gathering in my small childhood home,  family members made a fuss over my very beautiful and playful toddler, my first baby. The house was full and noisy, as is customary in a large family. A man's voice rose above all others when he playfully tried to engage her in a game of catch, calling to her,"Come here, you little spic!" At that moment, the noise abruptly stopped and there was an instant of complete silence except for my toddler laughing with a ball in her hands. Then came the sharp reprimand of the wife, who tries to take her husband to social functions and is frequently embarrassed. I believe she even gave him a lightening quick smack on the head. Slowly the volume of celebration sounds rose, he continued his play, and a brief unspoken, facial cue of apology was communicated to me by his wife. The moment was jolting, and sad, but the experience served as a reminder to all who witnessed it that terms of endearment should be a positive reflection of the loved. No one wanted to hear such an exchange again.

Communication and relationships are fragile, and one must always speak with care, as opposed to speaking carelessly, even without intent to harm.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

What is "culture"?
What is "diversity"?

My teen aged daughter answered these questions without much hesitation. She defined culture as the way someone acts because of their ethnicity. Diversity is simply the differences between people. I further examined her as to whether our family is diverse or not. "Of course it is. We are all so different!" To my teenager, cultural diversity would be only one of many types of diversity to be experienced.

My 87-year-old aunt and I had a conversation about her Hungarian family and the one she married into, my dad's Polish family. She described culture as the things each group likes to do. Ethnicity was not so important because boundaries in Eastern European countries are always changing, entire countries disappear, and everyone thinks that the village they are from is better than any village on earth, whether it lies in Poland or in Germany. She believes that my grandfather lived on German soil because of claims to the land, but he spoke Polish. Diversity, she commented, was the mix of us.

My friend from Hong Kong, transplanted to the United States for college and now a die-hard New Yorker, fervently defines culture as that which grows from ethnic heritage. His children are growing up in America, but "they WILL be Chinese as long as I am their father".  His thoughts about diversity stem from his experiences as a misunderstood Chinese man, with language and values being the cause for many misunderstandings. (Neither his English nor his Mandarin is very clearly understandable.) He is happy in New York because there is a large Chinese population where he feels comfortable, however, there are clear barriers to diversity as well. In Long Island, he believes that the neighbors mistake him for the landscaper, because he is a "Chinaman" cutting the grass. He is sure that no one believes that he actually owns the house he maintains. His particular neighborhood is not ethnically diverse as in Manhattan. He has chosen a school that is operated in a Chinese neighborhood for his children.

Ethnicity seems to be the major element of culture and diversity, and language has also been discussed. Language is identified in Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves (Derman-Sparks, Edwards, 2010) as a deep culture characteristic and in The Developing Child in the 21st Century  (Smidt, 2006), as being closely tied to identity. What I did not hear was the influence of religion, which was a little suprising considering the current wartime climate. Aside from current events, religious differences very often cause stress in relationships at the very least, and large-scale social unrest throughout the world. Religious beliefs are at the very root of one's lifestyle and choices in the activities of daily living. I am most heartened by the response of my teenager, who was quick and definite, in predictable teen style, about the simplicity of culture and diversity, and that even the young with limited life experience can answer these questions with a positive response.

References:

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves.Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).


Smidt, S. (2006). The developing child in the 21st century: A global perspective on child development. New York, NY: Routledge

My Family Culture

This writing assignment is interesting to me because the very idea came to me to evacuate Japanese citizens to anywhere in the world until their island was deemed safe from radiation after the extreme natural disasters they have experienced.  I am sure that there are many people that do not have even three personal items left after their homes washed away in the tsunami. I have also been acquainted with women who were driven out of their homes in Germany and Poland during World War II, who were not given any choice of what to take more than what they wore and what food they could stuff into their pockets. This situation has been real, and surely can be again. Given a choice and time to prepare, I would choose a Bible, and a small photo album of my immediate family. I cannot think of a third item worth taking. My family's culture is not represented in tangible items or costume. Christian principles are a way of living, and must be demonstrated. If I was as good at memorizing scripture as I should be, even toting the Book would not be necessary. My family who is not with me physically is in my heart and my memory. Loyalty to family and self-sufficiency are not represented in any form that can be tucked in a pocket or suitcase. I suppose that my family culture would be explained to others in my new home in much the same manner that most have dictated history, through the story-telling tradition. The artifacts of culture do not tell the story, the people do. And so this blog reminds us, as early childhood professionals, to listen to the child's story to know who they are, where they are from, and where they are going.

When I Think of Research

     When I think of research, I envision professionals using valid, reliable, and ethical methods of answering questions in an effort to improve their practice and the lives of those they serve. I have been skeptical of university driven research because of my experiences with researchers who have not been early childhood professionals, and their eagerness to please funders over finding and reporting truthful answers. During this course, however, I have discovered that practitioners can be researchers, and I have come to believe that action research is very useful to early childhood professionals who want to better serve the children and families in their care. There is more on action research at the website listed below. I have also come to a sensitivity for the children's competence to give assent as participants, separate from the primary consent of their parents, an element of research I had not previously considered.
      Planning and designing the research is a common conversational activity with my colleagues and family in the course of discussing the world's problems and how to go about solving them. Putting the talk on paper seems to be the next logical step to take in this interesting and important pastime, and so writing and refining a research topic question, hypothesis and research design, with step-by-step instructions, made the process do-able for even a student. The most challenging part of this course for me was plowing through much language that was not conversational, using vocabulary and style perhaps common to academics, but certainly not in the daily interactions of most early childhood professionals. For these, I skipped to the Conclusion, as directed by Dr. Lepuschitz in the article, "A Practical Guide to Reading Research Articles" (Lepuschitz, 2011), and feel relieved to have such direction from a respected instructor.
Any Early Childhood Professional should be, and can be reading current research, (keeping Dr. Lepuschitz's guide handy), and even considering ways to act upon the questions that need answers in their professional environment with research. Even if the research is never published, the very act of proceeding results in professional growth. Described as a journey in The Research Journey: A Lonely Planet Approach, the research journey changed the "traveller" not just in what was learned, but also in what she became as a result (Mackenzie & Ling. 2009).

Thank you, fellow travellers, for your professional company along the path of Building Research Competencies.


References
Ferrance, E. (2000). Action Research. Retrieved from www.alliance.brown.edu/pubs/themes_ed/act_research.pdf

Lepuschitz, J.K. (2011). A practical guide to reading research articles.  Laureate Education Inc., Baltimore, MD.

Mackenzie, N. M., & Ling, L. M. (2009). The research journey: A Lonely Planet approach. Issues in Educational Research, 19(1), 48–60 Retrieved from the Walden Library using Education Research Complete database

Research Around the World

ECDVU Sub-Saharan Africa: Mission Statement


To further develop African ECD leadership capacity as a key strategy in support of child, family and community well-being and broader social and economic development.


http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php


As nervous as I become over learning new technology (I still don't get the point or hang of Facebook), this site is a wondrous model of technology reaching where infrastructure does not. The ECD Virtual University, Sub-Saharan Africa model can unite the African nations in a collective effort to improve the lives of children on the continent, and provide collaborative information about child development to all other global locations. The link above brings the reader to a list of research reports that inform Early Childhood professionals of the state of early childhood, families, policies, issues, and trends affecting children in a given African region. Reading through the report submitted by Samuel Ngaruiya from Kenya, I was surprised-but-not-really to read that Kenya has experienced "a breakdown in social-cultural values, civil strife, conflict and war, rapid socio-economic and political change, and urbanisation as well as inadequate legislation and policy (that) have adversely affected children (Ngaruiya, 2002, pp16-17). Despite cultural differences, the current social issues that have a negative impact on early childhood seem to be the same worldwide.


Other topics that appear at this site are


• Identification of leadership skills needed to support parents in Tanzania


• Assessments of the impact of single-mother, low-income family structure on interaction between mother and child in Malawi


• The influence of different early childhood program models on school readiness on Kenya






I believe that it is noteworthy that a Canadian University sponsors the ECDVU-SSA. What does this say about the responsibilities and motives of educational institutions?


References


Ngaruiya, S., (2002). A Report on the status of Early Childhood Development in Kenya. Retrieved from http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php

Research that Benefits Children and Families: The Research That I Imagine I Could Conduct

This weekend and next are filled with end of school year activities for my two high school aged teenagers, one of whom is graduating. The National Honors Society Recognition Banquet and the Music Recognition Banquet were last week. The Athletic Recognitions and Senior Class Recognition banquets are this week. I know all of the parents who attend. They have been the same who have attended all of the games and concerts for the past several years for their children who are marching band members and athletes, and who are also academic leaders. There seems to be a connection between athletics, marching band, and high academic achievement, a connection that transcends socio-economic class, because this successful group is diverse. I imagine conducting research that attempts to answer the question, "What connections exist between team sports and academic achievement?" I am including marching band in the description of team sports, as it involves marching (and playing a sometimes heavy instrument) in formation relative to all the other members of the band. If indeed a connection can be implied based on a good research study, then physical activity, play, and marching band and related activities would receive a new level of serious attention and funding to produce greater academic success for students. What a turn-around in our public school system this would create! No more cuts to athletic programs, intramural sports, and music programs. In fact, school funders may even provide additional dollars to expand physical education programs from preschool to graduation in an effort to raise test scores. What a much-needed  transformation our schools would make! I am sure, even before such research is conducted, that the positive impact made by enriching school children's physical activity programs would raise the standard of living for all in the community. Smarter graduates benefit everyone. An active child is a higher achiever. This would be a life-changing study for everyone who works with children, or who will benefit from their academic success.

My Personal Research Journey

The older I get, the more theories I formulate about early childhood development, most of them based on my own parenting experience, personal reading, and job-related activities. The one I have chosen to follow through this class is that children's cognitive development is directly impacted by vigorous physical activity. I would not be surprised if research could show a quantitative relationship between vigorous activity and test scores. Just imagine what funding early childhood programs would receive if there was enough convincing research that linked running with logic, or dancing with math. Consider the amount of play that would make a re-entry into childhood if adults were convinced that it improved grades. Until recently, play was rich in childrens' lives. Now we are seeing a decline in academic performance in the United States, where childhood is more about being seated and paying attention to the teacher than it is about climbing trees and roller skating. I believe there is enough evidence already to justify increasing physical education and recess time and experience increased academic performance, but that even educators are not convinced. This will be the focus of my simulated research experience, so that perhaps I can conduct serious research that may convince the general public as well as educators and policy-makers that  active play really does have great value in the civilization and advancement of society.

Final Post Issues and Trends Week 8

As a consequence of interacting with international early childhood professionals via web sites, I am reminded that there are many others who share my very same goals and hopes for children's lives as they grow and become contributing adults in a world that will need them, too.

They legitimize my beliefs in the critical nature of committing to children the tools necessary to live at peace and prosperity. 

We no longer live far apart from each other, and so communication about needs and strategies can be shared with a world wide pool of professionals.

We also have much to share and learn from each other about poverty, its sources and its consequences on the lives of children, who might grow up to be leaders, or not. I found the issue of poverty to present more differences than similarities between the poverty we experience in the United States, and that which is found in developing nations. There is no single source of poverty, and so its eradication will come from a collaboration of professionals in many fields who know the people and needs of the local area. There remains a common strategy, however, in appropriate care and education of young children as a long term investment in any country's well-being.

My goal is to continue searching out early childhood professionals from around the world who can help me better understand the needs of the children I serve now, and those that I may serve in the future. The United States continues to be an attractive home for immigrants. Keeping abreast of international child and family issues may prepare me to be more sensitive to immigrant children's needs and strengths whenever they arrive in my community.

Unesco's Early Childhood Care and Education

My professional goal to improve the lives of children and families in my community echoes the initiatives of UNESCO, even in underdeveloped nations. UNESCO gathers the advocates for children's rights internationally, all striving to achieve the best care for the youngest population that can propel communities toward better lives for all. The website outlines the efforts to strengthen education systems, and stresses the inclusion of early childhood care and education as part of the government-sponsored programs for elementary to high school aged students. There are universal issues with regard to access, quality, and funding. Typically, the poorest children have the least access to early education, and many government-sponsored programs are directed at serving poor communities. Vietnam's national early childhood policy is less focused on universal access than on providing supports to poor children in the effort to eradicate poverty (UNESCO, 2005), such as our local child care voucher programs are aimed at keeping parents employed, and Head Start is offered to families in poverty to closed the school achievement gap between poor children and those from families with higher incomes. There is not full consensus on the government's role in funding early childhood education efforts. In the report, Market Control is Not an Option, participants in the World Conference on Early childhood Care and Education in Moscow concurred that the cost of care is prohibitive to many parents, making the government the most likely source of funding accessible, quality care. UNESCO's Investment statement,however, indicated that services delivered by the private sector are often more efficient than governments, and that governments may provide complementary funding to assure even quality and access.
Three insights I have gained by exploring UNESCO's site relating to my professional goal of being an agent of change in early childhood to better my community are that the recognition of the impact of early childhood on the success of the community is evolving around the world, that access and quality issues are large enough to be discussed at world forums, and that the same political polarities that exist in the U.S. about funding this important element of our well-being divide nations abroad, as well. Those who continue to advocate for early care and education are all in good company of committed individuals world-wide.

Reference:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

Sharing Web Resources - The Harlem Children's Zone

The Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ) web site provides links that explain more about the mission, structure and results of the program. A most useful link is an audio from Chicago Public Radio, This American Life, both interviewing CEO Geoffrey Canada, and explaining much about the foundations and importance of early childhood development as a basis for community development. I recommend listening to this audio to hear the evidence of the positive impact of strong families and solid education on the development of good, successful citizens. I am fascinated that this organization makes themselves available to all parents in the Zone by recruiting them right off the streets, literally, stopping pregnant women and anyone pushing a stroller to recruit them for Baby College, the birth to three component of the program. All three issues are addressed in this one, very simple method of marketing. Awareness of the resource, accessibility to the program's free, neighborhood-based classes, and responsiveness to the immediate needs of parents-to-be. The programs themselves cover all three issues, providing a free service, near home, and in a family-friendly atmosphere. This program does not abandon children at 5 years, or seven, or even 18 years. They are partners with families until the children finish college.
There are limits to the number of children who may attend the promise academies, slots which are filled by lottery. It is Mr. Canada's desire to never have to leave a child out of high quality education. With regard to responsiveness, the children's Head Start programs teach and speak  English, French and Spanish, neighborhood languages.
By viewing the link for the Harlem Gems, I am encouraged that this Head Start program goes beyond even what Head Start has defined as quality, including a one adult per four children staff to child ratio. Using English, Spanish, and French languages makes this program more accessible to its citizens. I am further encouraged that this vision for equity is not reliant on government funding to be realized, rather by solicitation of private corporations and individuals. Though Head Start is made possible by a combination of Federal and State grants, the HCZ is primarily funded by large corporations and private individuals. This puts its success in the hands of those who will gain the most return for their investment.


Take a look at this web site to get a real look at how the science of early childhood development is changing the lives of children living in poverty, and making the eradication of poverty in Harlem a real possibility.


http://www.hcz.org/

International Contacts

I continue to try to contact an early childhood professional abroad, with no response, and  I enjoyed listening to several short podcasts on World Forum Foundation Radio.
TJ Skalski is a principal at Mother Earth Children's Charter School in Alberta, Canada. In this podcast, she describes her school as a charter school with an indigenous focus. The school struggles with high turnover of administrative staff. She is the fifth principal in five years, and the sixth superintendent has just started. She sees that the school must reinvest in children, and give them hope of achieving beyond what they can see. She describes her community as being trapped, and reflects that she was inspired to achieve by her family, their values and their work ethic, which she believes is missing in her students. Her school aims to make native culture and language a priority to preserve and strengthen her community. 
http://www/worldforumfoundation.org/wf/radio/php

Ms. Skalski's description of difficulties in her native cultural setting is similar to many of the problems in the public school system near where I live in Ohio, though the cultures are different. Lack of committed leadership trickles down to staff who are less invested in the children than they should be. Many children are stuck in poverty, not completing high school, and not able to make a positive impact in the community. Strong, committed and courageous leaders in education are in short supply for the need, it seems.

The Global Children's Initiative has been launched by The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University to gather interdisciplinary information that advances the outcomes for children around the world. They work towards informing high level policy-makers about the science of child development for use in economic development decision-making in three areas; early childhood development, mental health, and children in crisis and/or conflict. The reputation of Harvard University may lend solid credibility world-wide to the science of early childhood development as a basis of economic prosperity. Such a source of factual, and credible information about children's development and the international discussions of research and practice, is sure to be a tool for improving the lives of children and the communities they live in.

http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/

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