Research that Benefits Children and Families

When we hear about English language learners in the early childhood field we usually bring to mind children who were not born in the USA, or those whose parents are the ones who were born somewhere else and speak a language different from English. But we may rarely stop and think that all preschoolers are English language learners (Garcia & Frede, n.d.), since they all are acquiring the language.

If I had the means to conduct research studies, they would be related to the importance of hiring more well-qualified bilingual teachers, because we all need to know how to support language acquisition for ALL children. At the same time, as early childhood professionals we are aware of the changing diversity in the early childhood programs, and we should look for strategies that help children and families to learn the predominant language. In addition, becoming bilingual teachers helps us to better understand how children and families may feel when they leave their family environment, in order to get into another one where their primary language is unspoken. This transition usually takes place through the early childhood programs and therefore the importance of hiring staff who better works with them.

Through this research more professionals in the field would understand the importance of hiring more well-qualified bilingual teachers by early childhood programs. Besides the benefits for families and children, it would reflect the program aims to become one of high-quality.

References

García, E. & Frede, E. (n.d.). Enhancing Policy and Practice for Young Dual Language Learners: What Is the Research Base? Retrieved from http://nieer.org/sites/nieer/files/Preschool_English_Language_Learners_Policy_and_Practice.pdf

My personal research journey

I had not realized the importance of the research process as part of my professional skills, until the first two weeks of the Building Research Competencies course. Nowadays, I am learning that the research process is not as scary as I thought, because through research I can make “a difference to the way [I] understand and practice [my] work with young children” (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010, p. 1). The difference in my conception of research is not because I have mastered the skill already. It is just that I am learning the whole process since the very beginning, throughout the analysis of useful materials that have helped me to understand what the research process implies, like the validation of a source or something more complex as the steps to follow when generating a research (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).

After reflecting on my personal and professional experiences, as an immigrant in the USA and as a Head Start teacher who has worked mostly with immigrant families, I have decided to focus my simulation research on the inclusion of immigrant families in early childhood programs. I think the research of this topic is important because of the changing demographics that conforms our society. Hernandez mentioned that “if you want to see the future face of America, visit a preschool classroom today” (Hernandez, 2009, p. 6), because the early childhood programs could reflect the current population in a community.

Choosing a topic to research about is not an easy decision, but counting on a supportive network of colleagues we all will be able to overcome our challenges, providing to each other enough resources to develop our simulation research. The support received from my colleagues is highly appreciated and is also as important as the resources I could find in libraries and online databases.  

References

Hernandez, L. A. (2009). Wake up and smell the demographics. Exchange, (190), 6–9.

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Final Blog Assignment

Throughout this course I have learned about different organizations that work on behalf of the early childhood, which most of them I was not aware of their existence. Learning about the different organizations, also let me realized which are the current issues, trends, and priorities related to the early childhood, not only in USA, but worldwide. Now that I have information about them, I can use it in my professional practice, at the same time I can share it with co-workers and families. The conversations with international contacts, not only mine but those of my colleagues too, helped me to appreciate, in particular ways, the practices and experiences I have gotten since working in the field, and influenced me to be more thankful for what I currently have.

With the past blog assignments I also got useful tools that will allow me stay abreast of what is happening in the field, with significant information I need in order to be the advocate that children and families need. In addition, I can help to make the change the field needs when joining to some organizations, supporting their causes, and practicing what they have found is more beneficial for the early childhood education field.

International contact- Part 3

First of all I would like to thank Fany for sharing her time with me and opening her heart throughout our conversations, which was not an easy task, because our times hardly matched. I know that I could not have found a better person who would talk about such personal topics as professional goals and issues at work. Thank you manigüita!

In my last conversation with Fany, she shared that one of her professional goals is to get a masters in pedagogy, she plans to start it on August 2013, because right now her husband is about to finish his, and they cannot afford to pay for transportation for the two of them, the masters, and the baby sitter for her 2 year old daughter. The SEP offers grants to those who want to study a master and the student has to propose a project that focuses on one of the current issues in the field, Fany wants to do it this way and is still thinking on the issue she would like to focus. Another benefit she has is that the SEP allows teachers to be out of the kindergarten classroom for maximum 2 years, so they can focus on the master. During these 2 years the teachers get their regular paid, as if they were working in the classroom, while a substitute teacher takes her position, and the teacher can resume it when she finishes the master.

A dream she has is to be transferred to a kindergarten in the city where she lives in, because she is currently working in a community and it takes her about 2 hours to get there from her house. She told me that many other teachers want to work in the city, and not in other communities, because the transportation is expensive. She would like to work in a specific kindergarten, which is considered the best in the city, despite she is aware of how demanding the director is, but she says that is because of the commitment that the director asks the teachers to have towards the program, that it has the positive reputation, which it has hold it since I was still doing my bachelors. 

One of the issues they are facing in her kindergarten is that there are not enough children to serve this coming school year. Up to date, they have only 40 children enrolled and they need to have more than 50 in order to open 2 classrooms, other ways the program will open only one classroom, with one teacher.  This fact means that either Fany of the other teacher may lose their job. Just in case this happens, Fany would start the masters this month.

Throughout these blog assignments and my conversations with Fany, I had the opportunity to learn about the current situation of the early childhood field in my native country, which sadly is not as optimal as I wish, but I am sure that with committed professionals like Fany and the opportunities the SEP is offering, some positive changes would come.

Sharing Web Resources 3

I have met teachers and other professionals working in the education field not only because of the monetary wage they get, that most of the time does not compensate their hard work, but because they love and are passionate about what they do. I consider that love is an important ingredient that in most cases makes a difference in our teaching, because when we love something we defend it and care about it, and that that is what we do for the early childhood. Is there any other way to advocate for and promote equity in the field than by defending what we do?

As part of their programs and events, the Association for Childhood Education International (http://www.acei.org/) has begun a campaign with such engaging name: Love Me, Teach Me (http://www.acei.org/programs-events/love-me-teach-me.html). Through this campaign the ACEI wants to promote the needs and rights of children everywhere, based on four cornerstones: See Me, Hear Me, Love Me, and Teach Me. The campaign is called Love Me, Teach Me since these two facts contribute most significantly to a child’s overall development and well-being.

The first cornerstone, See Me, is related to the children’s right to identity, which is aimed to ensure that children are consider visible members of their society, regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, ability, family status, or national origin.

The second cornerstone, Hear Me, is about the children’s right to participation. This fact invites us to reflect on how we include children, when we listen to them and take their ideas and themselves into account when we make decisions. Sometimes adults forget that children have voice and we do not listen to them just because they are children. When they are excluded from group activities or when they do not have access to medical care, the message they receive is that their needs and ideas are not important. Let’s listen to what they have to say and ensure they can satisfy their needs. Let’s make them feel important, because they are!

The Love Me cornerstone is aimed to ensure the children’s right to security, stability, and protection, first of all through their parents and family, who are their primary caregivers. When we work with children it is easier for us to love them, but when people are not directly related to them the decisions made on their job affect children too, like the images created when designing commercial advertising campaigns to the development of public policy.

The last cornerstone, Teach Me, is related to the children’s right to education. The ACEI highlights the importance of having access to quality education, but in order to get it, parents, caregivers and community members have to make efforts to ensure the education promotes the development of the whole child, through engaging experiences not only at school but in their homes and communities too.

I think that taking these four cornerstones into account when we work with children, will help us to improve our teaching practices, while we ensure their wellbeing and development through experiences they  can freely chose in an environment that has been created based on their ideas and needs.

Let us promote this campaign by adding this cornerstones to our practice and posting the touching post card in our centers http://www.acei.org/images/stories/documents/lovemecard.pdf.

International contact- Part 2

After having a conversation with Fany, my contact in Mexico, I found out that the Secretary of Public Education (SEP) in Mexico released a new guide for the kindergarten programs on 2011, this one was an updated version of the 2004 guide. The difference between these two guides is that the 2011 has standards that focus the outcomes of the kindergarten education on basic skills of communication, recognition of the letters and numbers and their use, natural science and technology, and the 2004 version had only the foundations of the kindergarten.  Still, the main purpose of the kindergarten is not to teach children how to read and write, but some private schools have these as their primary goals, goals that influence the parents’ decision when enrolling their children into a kindergarten setting. The kindergarten standards have been aligned with the primary, junior high, and high school standards, in order to establish continuity in the education.

Even though the kindergarten education is mandated since 3 years old, not every child attends to it. Fany told me that the teachers make a census, every 2 or 4 years, in the community where they work at. This year when teachers did the census, they found out that there are some children who do not attend to school, kindergarten nor elementary, because they do not have their birth certificate, not even the one that mom was supposed to get from the doctor or midwife when the child was born, because mom lost it or parents did not have the money to pay the fee for the late birth registration; in these cases, the family needs to work with a lawyer. (Registration of the new born is for free when the child is registered before turning 6 months old. If the person is registered after 6 months old, the parents need to pay a 180 Mexican pesos fee, which is the equivalent of 14.40 American dollars.) Fany told me about a 5 year old girl, who did not have birth certificate and attended kindergarten because she, as the director, connected the family with a lawyer in order to get the birth certificate for the girl. This girl needed to be enrolled in the kindergarten, in order to be accepted in elementary school. By the end of the school year the girl did not get her birth certificate, but an elementary school in the community accepted her and they will continue working with the family and the lawyer.

Fany also told me that she thinks the system and buildings are not ready to provide a quality education, The SEP requires teachers to educate themselves, taking minimum 4 courses per school year and other required by the state. Some courses are offered in the afternoon, when the child care for the teachers’ offspring are closed, or the courses take place in schools that are far away in weekdays. Fany has taken courses on Saturdays or afternoons, but she needed to find a baby sitter for her daughter. She told me that would be better if child cares close later that 5, because this way teachers would have more opportunities to take courses without worrying about their own children.

It was pretty sad to realize that the improvement of the early education in my native country is going to remain only written on papers, because there is not enough support, not only economic, but related to their buildings too, that could offer quality education. Even though the kindergarten education since 4 years old is mandated, the reality is that there are communities that do not even have the building with materials needed to provide quality education, and this lack of materials make the parents think there is not important to enroll their children into school.  Some early childhood professionals have to make extra efforts in order to help parents understand the importance of their children’s education, which is the best way to ensure a bright future for the country.

Sharing Web Resources 2

I found two sections in the Association for Childhood Education International (http://www.acei.org/) website much related to the topics we have been discussing over the week. The first one is about the Institute for Global Education Diplomacy, and can be found under the programs and events tab. The second one is under the global action tab, and among other themes, it is related to play in early childhood and standardized testing.

On April 17-20, 2012, the Georgetown University Conference Center, in Washington, D.C. will host a professional learning event called Institute for Global Education Diplomacy (http://www.acei.org/programs-initiatives/institute-for-global-education-diplomacy.html), presented by the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI).  The ACEI recognizes the impact that children’s education, development, and well-being have on the social and economic situations of every country, and it is through this event that they want to encourage professionals in the field of education to become effective agents of change in relation to reforms, improvements, and progress.

In regard to the standardized testing, the ACEI has its position about the use of this way to assess the children’s progress; they also talk about what parents need to know about the standardized testing.

About the importance of play, the ACEI also published their position on play in early childhood, as well as these recommendations to take action and promote the learning in early childhood programs through play:

“1. Place an article in your local newspapers and community newsletters

2. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspapers and community newsletters

3. Send published letters and articles to your member of Congress

4. Write or e-mail to your state legislators

5. Write or e-mail to you national legislators

6. Organize a community forum” (http://www.acei.org/global-action/the-value-of-play.html).  These same recommendations are suggested for taking action on the standardized testing issue too.

After exploring this website I am more aware of the importance of taking action in the early childhood field, because as Dr. Grace mentioned we need to talk for children, not about them (Laureate Education, 2010).

Reference

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Economists, scientists, and politicians supporting the EC field. In Issues and Trends in the Early Childhood Field. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_1341054_1%26url%3D