As a result of learning about international issues and trends in early childhood education:

1-I have a greater understanding of the importance of nurturing relationships and developmentally appropriate stimulation on early brain development. This is due to the material that I read about the effects of institutionalization on young children in Romania. The children were warehoused and tended to like cattle, with little or no nurturing or stimulation. There were lifelong ill effects for the children.

2- I can now comprehend the effect of decisions made by governments on the lives of individual families and children. This is a result of reading the articles about budget cuts in education, the waiting lists for childcare assistance and other social service subsidies, the taxing of people who produced fewer than 5 children during the reign of Ceausescu in Romania (resulting in extreme poverty and the warehousing of children in public institutions).

3- I have a better idea of the effects of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, regional residence, age, appearance or any other factor on the life and outlook of victims. This is from reading material about bias against female children in India and the plight of the Roma in Eastern Europe.

4- I now know that finding quality, affordable child care is a challenge that is present all over the world.


A goal that I have for myself and my colleagues is to effect positive change in our communities and the world via a united effort toward a culture of peaceful activism. May we start with ourselves and extend our message to the families with whom we interact, the children we teach and our offspring. May we network with others to achieve this goal. None of us can do it alone. May we spread our message by example and, in the spirit of Ghandi, "be the change that [we] want to see in the world".

http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/
http://www.quotationspage.com/

Nelson, C., Furtado, E., Fox, N. Zeanah, C. (2009) The Deprived Human Brain. American Scientist.Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/search/?cx=001599101917928556767%3Acfzjkqwnev8&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=UTF-8&q=The+Deprived+Human+Brain&siteurl=developingchild.harvard.edu%2Findex.php%2Factivities%2Fglobal_initiative%2F#510

http://www.unesco.org/

http://www.unicef.org/ 

The Plight of Roma Children and Another Attempt to Make Contact with International Early Childhood Professionals

Previous efforts to reach out to early childhood professionals from other countries have proved fruitless. While researching the plight of Roma children on the Unicef website, I found email addresses for two early childhood professionals. I emailed both with questions about the historical roots of the discrimination and segregation of the Roma as well as the prognosis, in each of their opinions, for the Roma culture regarding accessibility to social services and education. I've not yet received responses, but I am optimistic.

sophie.kammerer@coe.int

belgrade@unicef.org

On the UNESCO and Unicef websites, I read about efforts to assist Roma children in the area of education. It is estimated that 50% of Roma children do not complete a primary education. Further, Roma children are less likely than non-Roma children to complete a secondary education. UNESCO and the Council of Europe are working together to the end of the assurance of the right to quality, basic education for Roma children. Access is a common obstacle to education for Roma children (http://www.unesco.org/). Roma people experience difficulty accessing healthcare, education and social service programs as a result of prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination. This discrimination results in physical segregation and the cordoning of the Roma population to the periphery of society. These factors fuel the unending cycle of poverty and exclusion that is passed to subsequent generations (http://www.unicef.org/). The terrible triad of exclusion, discrimination and segregation inhibits Roma children's potential to contribute to the social and economic development of their culture and country of residence. Awareness is the key to discontinuing the effects of this triad of factors. A campaign, launched by the Council of Europe and European Commission, called "Dosta! Go beyond prejudice, discover Roma!" seeks to achieve the acknowledgement of the Roma as complete citizens of their country of residence, and the appreciation of the contribution made by Roma culture to Roma heritage (http://www.unicef.org/).

The plight of Roma children relates to my newly formulated professional goal: To work toward the provision of quality early education for young children everywhere through participation in political and social campaigns.

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/media_39677.html

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

Quality Child Care Settings & the High Cost of Quality Care

While perusing the Zero to Three website, I came upon the Child Care tab. This lead me to several topics including an article, "Choosing Quality Childcare", that conveyed the hallmarks of a quality infant-toddler program. Among these qualities were caregivers that "are loving and responsive", respectful of the baby's individual identity, provide a stimulating and developmentally appropriate environment. Additionally, the article mentioned accreditation by the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies as a desirable trait of a child care program (Zerotothree.org). I followed the link to the NACCRRA home page. On that home page, I clicked on a link to an article titled, "Parents and the High Cost of Childcare: 2011 Update".

In the article, "Parents and the High Cost of Childcare: 2011 Update", the author asserts that the price tag for high quality childcare programs that emphasize health, safety and school readiness is out of reach for many parents during this tough economic time. This results in parents removing their children from high quality center based or family childcare programs to informal, unlicensed programs where caregivers are less likely to have had training in health, safety or child development, usually have not been cleared via a background check, and less likely to engage in activities that promote school readiness. It is also noted in the article that higher academic achievement levels among children of all income levels is associated with the attendance of a high quality early childhood program up to ten years after the child has left the childcare setting. Some of the recommendations made by the article include a call for the Department of Health and Human Services to define and make public "minimum quality acceptable childcare for children from low income families". Additionally, the author requests that the National Academy of Sciences study the actual cost of childcare so that recommendations can be made to Congress for ways to make quality care affordable to all. The author also calls for the reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant with new, more stringent staff training requirements, mandatory background checks and quarterly site inspections built within the program (www.naccrra.org).

I enjoyed searching through the policy briefs and recommendations in the Public Policy tab to see what is being done by Zero to Three representatives to improve the lives of those between birth and three years of age. I learned additional information about the Child Care and Development Block Grant and Title I and how they can help improve the quality and affordability of childcare.

www.naccrra.org
www.zerotothree.org

The Effects of Institutionalization on the Development of Young Children

Since I have received no response from the first 3 people who I emailed in an attempt to initiate contact with early childhood professionals from other countries, I have emailed the following people.

Regina Sabaliauskiene (Lithuania)

Yvonne Dionne (Canada)

Carmin Lica (Romania)

Sarah Klaus (Netherlands)

As of now, I’ve received no responses, but I am hopeful.

I followed a link on the Harvard University Global Children’s Initiative website to the reprint of an article, “The Deprived Human Brain”. The article told of the plight of institutionalized children in Romania during the rule of Ceausescu and the revelations that were made after Ceausescu’s execution and the country’s subsequent revolution (Nelson, et al.,2009).

In 1966, Nicolai Ceausescu, the communist dictator of Romania determined that the best way for Romania to gain power on a global scale was to increase its economic production. This required a greater amount of human capital. In order to increase the population of Romania, Ceausescu, made contraception and abortion illegal and taxed families who had produced fewer than five children.  As a result, families produced more children than they could support. The number of abandoned children increased and the country’s system of state-run institutions grew. The handing over of children to state-run institutions no longer held a negative stigma in Romanian culture, in fact the government endorsed the practice. The babies in the orphanages were confined in their cribs, often with filthy bedding and minimal sensory stimulation. The staff to infant ratios were, at best, 1:15. The staff had little education and no knowledge of child development. As the children grew, they experienced a very strictly scheduled lifestyle with many children in a group toileting together, wearing the same clothing, scheduled meals and identical haircuts regardless of gender. After the revolution, some children were adopted by westerners. They were found to be suffering from the effects of malnutrition and neglect:  subpar physical development, low cognitive and language development, behavioral challenges including hyperactivity, attachment disorders, and difficulty regulating attention and emotion (Nelson, et al., 2009).

The plight of the children in Romanian orphanages spurred studies regarding the effects of institutionalization on young children. It was determined that the length of a child’s stay in an institution is directly proportional to the likelihood of the child incurring developmental delays. The authors make the point that, while genetics are key in postnatal development, a child’s experiences have the greatest effect on development.  Brain synapses are mass produced in the infant brain. Brain synapses must be used or they will be lost via pruning. If an infant receives less than average stimulation, those synapses will be pruned. Development occurs during specific times in a child’s life. If the stimuli are not present during those times, the moment will pass for that specific type of development.  Institutionalized children receive less tactile stimulation because they are less likely to be held and are less likely to develop a lasting relationship with an adult caregiver. Attachment disorders, cognitive and language disorders along with behavioral challenges and delayed physical development are the most typical effects of a child’s institutionalization. These conditions improved steadily after the child was placed in a quality foster or adoptive home (Nelson, et al., 2009).

In 2006, it was estimated that eight million children were living in institutions worldwide. The news of the children in Romanian orphanages and subsequent studies precipitated efforts to buffer the existence of young children in institutions. In Sudan, an organization called Hope and Homes for Children has created a foster care and adoption system that is compatible with Muslim culture and customs. In Bulgaria, Worldwide Orphans Foundation employs retired women who have education and experience in healthcare, childcare or elementary education as professional Grannies. The Grannies work with one or two individual children living in institutions for five hours per day, five days per week. The Grannies also work with psychologists to best plan how to meet needs of the children and seek advice. The Grannies also keep records of the child’s growth, accomplishments and activities. In China, Fuling Kids International’s goal is to have every institutionalized child placed with a trained foster family until he is adopted. The group raises money and sends volunteers to provide individualized care for children in orphanages. First Hugs Infant Nurture Program, also in China, employs trained Aunties to work eight hours per day caring for specifically assigned babies in a room that is tailored to the infants’play and skill development (Nelson, et al., 2009).

Reference

Nelson, C., Furtado, E., Fox, N. Zeanah, C. (2009) The Deprived Human Brain. American Scientist.Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/search/?cx=001599101917928556767%3Acfzjkqwnev8&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=UTF-8&q=The+Deprived+Human+Brain&siteurl=developingchild.harvard.edu%2Findex.php%2Factivities%2Fglobal_initiative%2F#510

Further Exploration of the Zero to Three Website

   I really enjoyed reading the article, "Make the Most of Playtime". It provides background information about all of the great skills and understandings that are developed during child-guided play. At work, we are frequently bombarded with accusations from parents that their children are not learning anything, just playing. This is a great resource for parents and early childhood professionals. It is important for early childhood professionals to share their knowledge with parents in order to get the parents' buy in to the program and curriculum.
   The Baby Brain map feature is an example of neurologists' influence on the early childhood field. It provides information about the parts of the brain, their function and how it affects development. The new Policy videos, accessed via the home page, provide information and inspiration about how to advocate for children and early childhood programs with legislators. I'd always thought that influencing policy was not within my reach, but these videos provide enough information and inspiration to allow me to begin to become active in this area of my profession.
    I found the sidebar of questions about specific situations written by parents and caregivers along with  answers from professionals to be very informative. The questions, ranging from how to manage a toddler's behavior in a blended family to a parent's concern about a child who has begun to stutter, are great resources for parents and caregivers.
    I downloaded the Policy Guide from the Zero to Three website. It provides the background information required to lobby for funding for quality early education programs. The Policy Guide also provides information about brain development, Human Capital Investment in terms of early childhood programs and early medical care, information required to influence policy in early care adn education, steps to assessing and changing policy. There is a tremendous amount of information contained within this policy guide. It should be required reading for those in the early childhood field.

http://www.zerotothree.org/