Sharing Web Resources

I continue to assess the impact that I have on children's lives as I learn and grow in my early childhood profession.  The section of the Global fund for children that I believe is relevant toward my professional develovopment is the impact  they have on children.  The Global Fund has helped more than 9 million children but they continue to meet more in hopes of reaching another million by 2015.  This affords children the opportunity to an education versus having to go to work, it also strive to keep children from catching infectious diseases by providing health services, protects them from slavery and to escape the slavery that some children already live in  and these opportunities simply allow children to be just that "children". 

The Global Fund sets out to find grantees in marginalized communities and help with funding, they invest in groups as they are identified and help them to expand.  They keep community organizations who thrive to help children  informed and provide them with the support that they need to continue to grow and to ensure success they determine if their efforts are successful by looking at the outcomes of those that they helped to ensure that they are helping the lives of children.

"We believe that money alone is not enough—for lasting change, you need strong leadership and healthy organizational development. We support our partners through management assistance, capacity building, networking opportunities, and additional strengthening services" (Global Fund). 

Funding in every organization is important.  One insight that isn't new to me is that it is important is making sure that when working with children is to ensure that the impact that is measured on the lives of the children that I served is a positive impact and if not ways to better this impact.  Although most grantees that the Global Fund supports are small the impact that they have on children's lives are huge and this is my goal to have positive impacts that will changes children's lives forever.

References

The Global Fund for Children http://www.globalfundforchildren.org

Getting to Know Your International Contacts--Part I

Childhood poverty affects many children and families on a day to day basis. After numerous attempts to contact child care professionals in other countries without any replies I chose to listen to some podcast.   I had a very difficult time finding a podcast concerning poverty in other countries however I did find a podcast on the website The Whole Child, the name of this Podcast was titled “The New Poverty:  Dealing with Economic Change”.  

The podcast participants included professional Deborah Wortham, Superintendent of the School District City of York, Pa, Felicia Dehaney, President and CEO of the Nation Black Child Development Institute, Kathleen Budge, Coordinator of the Leadership Development Program and William Parrett, Director of the Center for School Improvement and Policy Studies.  

Poverty is complex and there are different circumstances to why children and families are in poverty, according to the Podcast members poverty can be, situational, generational, absolute, relative, urban and rural.  Situational poverty is caused by sudden changes due to unforeseen circumstances such as the loss of a job.  Generational poverty is passed down from one generation to the next, may consider this a mindset.  Absolute poverty is the lack of basic needs for survival including food, medical care, safe drinking water shelter and education.  Relative poverty comes from the society one lives in and may differ from country to country. Urban and rural poverty are communities with reduced circumstances.

These professionals discuss ways that professionals can address poverty issues by extending boundaries, understanding your cultural biases, reducing situations and providing safe havens where children can be successful.  If children’s needs are placed at the top of our priority list they believe that we as professionals can make drastic changes and there will be dramatic progress in the lives of our children.

After visiting the website of the Childhood Research and Policy Centre’s page the country that I chose to share information about is China.  

Poverty is an almost exclusively rural occurrence, with 99% of China’s poor hailing from rural China, though national statistics count migrant workers in cities among the rural, not urban poor.  Levels of poverty are higher and more severe in China’s western regions, but nearly half of the poor are in other parts of the country. People living in remote, mountainous areas are two to three times more likely to be poor than those who live in more central areas, and the incidence of poverty among ethnic minorities is two to three times higher than among the Han Chinese. Still, about half of the poor in China are neither living in remote areas nor members of an ethnic minority.  overall, poverty rates for male and female adults and the elderly population is very close – between 12% and 13%. But poverty rates are higher among children under 16 years old: 16% of boys and 17% of girls are poor. Girls are also more at risk than boys of becoming poor.

Reference

Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s page (http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/)

http://www.wholechildeducation.org/podcast/tag/Supported

Sharing Web Resources

The website that I chose was The Global Fund for Children (http://www.globalfundforchildren.org/).  The Global Fund transforms the lives of children on the edges of society such as trafficked children, refugees and child laborers by assisting them in regaining their rights and pursuing their dreams.  The Global Fund has reached 8 million children worldwide. 

                GFC’s approaches are to scout, support and strengthen most susceptible communities.  They scout by seeking organizations that serve the most disregarded children in the world.  The support by investing in under-capitalized organization that provide critical services to vulnerable children and they strengthen by ensuring there is strong leadership and healthy developed organizations.

                One of the issues that are trending with GFC is The Girl Declaration and why it matters.  They focus on the hopes and dreams of young girls in Pakistan as opposed to young girls in Brazil, Kenya and the Philippines.  The Girl Declaration includes the voices of young girls in 14 different countries that voiced/explained what they thought they needed to reach their full potential.  GFC said that there are three reasons why the Girl Declaration is a crucial step forward is because the needs of the world’s adolescent girls are serious and urgent, it was written specifically written by those impacted; girls and because it’s the best change to make an impact that is lasting against the fight against poverty. 

                During this week’s assignments’ we discussed diversity and I would like to share the link to GFC’s Free Online Diversity Resource Guide (https://www.globalfundforchildren.org/the-global-fund-for-children-releases-free-online-diversity-education-resource-guide/ which provides great information.

Reference

The Global Fund For Children. (n.d.). The Global Fund For Children. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from The Global Fund For Children: https://www.globalfundforchildren.org

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

During this week 1 Assignment I have tried to establish contacts with Early Childhood Professionals around the world and have been unsuccessful in doing so.  I have emailed many but haven't received a response back from any and some mailerdaemons were sent back to me as well.  I emailed Mr. Eric Atmore of South Africa who works with The National Early Childhood Development Alliance (no response), Mrs. Bimbo Are of Nigeria who works with Ajoke International School (no response), I also reached out to someone in the Dominican Republic at the following email address santodomingo@unicef.org (no response).  I waited a couple days to see if they would respond and then I emailed jane@aeces.org and moukram@hotmail.com and both of these emails came back to me.  I was disappointed that I haven't received in responses back as I was looking forward to networking with others outside of the United States but it has been a failed attempt so far.  If any one has any ideas that could help me reach someone please let me know.  I would much rather learn from talking and discussing versus listening to a podcast which is my last option.  I will continue to try and make contact with someone but if anyone has any ideas or tips it will be greatly appreciated. 
The organization that I chose to learn more about is The Global Fund For Children.  I chose this website because I always see infomercials on television about funding programs to help children who are less fortunate and I honestly wanted to learn more about how they receive funds, how to they disburse funds when they are received and to also learn how these projects help with the development of young children.  I have subscribed to their news letter and will be exploring their website as a part of my learning.

Latarsha Riddick

My Supports

     Receiving day to day support is important to me.  Whether it be personal relationships or working relationships, they tend to make me not only a better professional but a better person as a whole.
     My husband is my biggest support, not just financially but mentally and emotionally as well.  His continuous encouragement makes me strive to want to do better, not for him but for myself.  I always want to be the best at everything and I know that's not being realistic, but I'm the best in his eyes.  My mom is another big support for me, she pushes me, gives me needed advice and sometimes unwanted advice but I listen because she's my mom and I know she will never stir me wrong. 
     There are a lot of department heads working with Head Start, and me being a Center Director I have a lot of people to answer to on a day to day basis which I don't like but it's how our agency does things.  Recently, a new Education Coordinator was hired and she challenges me and pushes me in a less aggressive way to do better.  I see the way she carries out things on a day to day basis and it challenges me to change my way of thinking and some of the way I do things.  This is a support from someone who doesn't even realize they are supporting me.  She always tells me I'm doing a good job and sometimes ask for my input which means a lot and having someone who is in a higher position who challenges you, gives you the constructive criticism you need and doesn't hesitate to tell you that you are doing a good job is a supportive person to me.
     Some of my staff are a big support, they step in without even asking or without overstepping their boundaries and without complaint and being a director of a facility where you have independent employees who are willing to go the extra mile is huge with all the job responsibilities that I hold.
     All of the supports mentioned make things so much easier and whether it's at home or at work I feel the positive energy from the people who surround me.  Without these supports it would be that much harder for me to succeed and I would always be second guessing myself.  If I didn't have my husband and my mother I don't know what I would do because after all they are my biggest fans and they challenge me to want and to do more.  I have been on jobs where people didn't support you, everyone was out for themselves, however, being surrounded by people who have your back, can step in when needed, sets examples and can give you constructive criticism and praise makes my workdays that much easier and less stressful and without these people I don't know that I continuously grow as a professional.

Connections to Play

 Quotes that represent play in my childhood

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”

               ― Plato

“Genius is play, and man's capacity for achieving genius is infinite, and many may achieve genius only through play.”  ― William Saroyan

 

 

Growing up I always knew I wanted to be a school teacher and I would play school all the time.  I would use my dolls as my students and would teach them lessons.  I would use paper, chalkboards and books to play pretend school. 

As a child growing up we played with dolls, played kick ball, hide and go seek and other outdoor physical games. Sometimes I would hate to go outside, especially during the summer because it was so hot but my parents encouraged us to engage in physical activity.  Sometimes my parents or even grandparents would come outside to play with my sisters, cousins and I and that would make it that much more fun to have them interacting with us.  

In today's world most children would much rather watch television or play video games and feel like it's a punishment to go outside and play.  It's sad but parents don't even reinforce childhood play like my parents did when I was growing up.  This is one of the reasons I feel child obesity is at an all time high because they don't engage in enough physical activity.  Parents should encourage their children to play, read books and they should minimize the use of video games and television.  If parents new the importance of play in a child's development I believe they would be more apt to encourage play and even participate in it with their children.  As a early childhood professional it is my hope that parents become more knowledgeable about play and development of their child and its importance.

 

Relationship Reflections

Relationships are important because it helps to mold a person into who they will become.  It is important that relationships are healthy and enjoyable because it can take away from a person's self-worth if they aren't. 

Relationships are important to me because the relationships that I have formed throughout my life has either influenced me to want to do better, made me happier or have just taught me many things.  I will admit that some relationships that I have had over the years have come to an end(one's with friend's) because I feel that I had outgrown those relationships and I had to cut my losses and move on. However I have had some relationships that I will forever be grateful for and these people will always be in my life.

One of my biggest cheerleaders is my mother, she is my rock.  I love this lady with all of my being because she is my mom and I am who I am because of her.  She has taught me so many things throughout my life and no matter what my plans are she always supports me.  She's not afraid to tell me when I'm wrong and she will still put me in my place if she needs to and I listen because I know she will never tell me anything that would hurt me or hinder me. 

My mother in law passed away on July 31, 2013 and she was my second mom.  I am grateful because I had the opportunity to know her and to love her.  The biggest/happiest thing that I can say about her is that she treated me as one of her own.  She also supported me, encouraged me and was just an all around good person.  She would also put me in my place if I needed it, and her advice was never taken for granted.  We could talk about anything and most important, unlike a lot of mother in laws she was never opinionated and she never chose sides if issues would arise.  She is truly missed!!

My husband is my best friend.  We can talk and laugh about anything.  We have been married for 10 years, been together for 13.  Although we have had challenges, communication has always been the key to overcoming those challenges.  He is my number 1 fan.  He encourages me when I don't have the energy to encourage myself.  No matter the decisions I have made he always supports me and he always had my back.

My sisters are older than me but they make me feel like I'm the oldest sometimes.  I refer to them at times as my little older sisters.  I don't know if they know how much they inspire me.  They are more outgoing than I, I tend to be more serious and since we were little kids up until this day they encourage me, make me laugh and make me cry.  But on that same note they tend to come to me for advice which lets me know that they value my opinion because over the years they have learned that I am never going to tell them what they want to hear but the truth and they appreciate me for that.  I love them to pieces. 

All of the relationships mentioned have help mold me into the person that I am and the person that I'm becoming.  It has taught me as a professional that all relationships take time, effort, trust and communication.  These things help me as a professional daily and when building partnerships with families.  When building partnerships with families you must put forth the effort to start the process and show families that they can trust you and that you aren't their to judge them and there must be constant communication to keep those relationships going.  Most of all it takes work from both parties and it can never be one-sided because if so partnerships/relationships will never be successful.