Sharing Web Resources

The website that I have been researching and exploring thus far is the National Black Child Development Institute. What seems to be relevant to my current professional development is the information on education in general, the layout of their policy on teaching black children, early childhood education issues and trends, family engagement, as well as the health and well-being of the children.

What I felt was very interesting when it pertains to families and family togetherness is the issue of absentee parents. On the NBCDI, “ the U.S. Census Buera reports that one-third of American children are growing up without their birth father. The last 50 years show that the number of children who live in a two-parent home has decreased by 22 points, and the number of babies born to unwed mothers has increased from 5% to 40%.” (NBCDI, 2014)  That is a issue all over, but especially in the black communities, and I am glad that NBCDI is making sure to bring awareness when thinking of the well-being and education for African American children.  Even though this is article is in the ‘who we are’ section on the website on the issues and policies they deal with, it is very relevant to my professional development. The newsletter has not come out thus far for the 2014 calendar year, but I am still keeping a lookout for the newsletter.

There are some great things this site has to offer. You can be a student, regular, or join the organization on behalf of another group for $40 or less. It is a great way to get involved for a small price, which is a great insight for me as an educator and advocate.

Reference:

The National Black Child Development Institute. (2014) Retrieved from http://www.nbcdi.org/ .

International Contacts

I have not had any luck getting or hearing back from the individuals I contacted during the first week of the course, and when trying to get the podcast website, the link was not allowing me to properly go to the site. I decided to go to this website to research on the poverty in Brazil/Rio De Janeiro at http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/ucs3.pdf . One of the most interesting insights I learned is that the largest populations living in poverty in Brazil are children between the ages of 0 to 17. (UNICEF, 1993 & 2000, pg. 11) Another interesting fact is that even though and since the publication has been published, there was a significant amount of children who were illiterate. This also made it harder for children to pass in primary education schools within the normal 8 years, children in Brazil would take 12 years. (UNICEF, 1993 & 2000, pg. 13) The publication is an older publication, but it is still allowing for us to see that poverty is such a real and global issue that needs more attention. Even though there has been more done in the later years since the publication, there is still a huge issue of poverty not just Brazil, but all over. Children suffer in education because there is not a way for them to afford to get into ECE programs, and may not be possible for parents to be able to send them to school because they cannot afford to get the necessities needed for their child to be in school. This issue needs more awareness and more advocates for children and their families so that children’s well-being, health, and education are met, and families are getting the help they need to make those things happen.

Resources:

  http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/96

Sharing Web Resources

The organization I chose was the National Black Child Development Institution. The link to the organization is: http://www.nbcdi.org.

This organization helps with children dealing with poverty and racial barriers have an equal opportunity at education. For over 40 years, the NBCDI has helped bring awareness of issues that effect the black community and child and tries to empower them from things like early childhood education, health, child-welfare, literacy, and family engagement.  The organization was launched by the Black Women’s Community Development Foundation, whose leadership, in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement, was deeply concerned about the unsatisfactory conditions faced by families determined to raise healthy Black children.  For 38 years, NBCDI was led by Evelyn K. Moore, who got her start as a teacher in the ground-breaking Perry Pre-school/High Scope program, which became the model for Head Start.(NBCDI, 2013)

A trend that caught my eye about this website is just the overall mission of the site which is culture and diversity of African American children. Learning and understanding how to help them rise above racial differences and to provide ways for them to progress is a very great and essential them and focus of this organization. I also like that within the mission statement, they want ALL children to be successful, not just African American children.

I think this is an amazing website, and there is so much to learn. I feel honored to have stumbled across this website as a resources, and I recommend it to everyone who is an educator and non-educator. It is for everyone who wants to learn about diversity and culture and it is a great resource available to educators to help with teaching young African American children and inclusion of their families within the curriculum.

Professional Contact and Resources

This was such a step out of the box kind of assignment. I contacted to individuals, one from Spain, and the other from Morocco. It was hard to choose, but I wanted an email of an actual individual who I felt would respond to me. I sent a brief description of who and what my purpose was, and that I was interested in their views, perspectives, aspirations, dreams, and work in the early childhood education field.  I sent that off a day or so ago, but have not received anything as of yet. I am still hopeful. I know that they are busy individuals, so I will give it another week before thinking about the alternative to this part of the blog.

When choosing the early childhood organization and website, I wasn't sure what I wanted; the selection was so grand. I chose the National Black Child Development Institute. As an African American woman, I wasn't even aware of this website, and was just drawn to it because I wanted to learn more about the organization, their goal, and purpose. One of the things that also fascinated me about the organization is that they are supporters of the T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps) program to try to help stop high turnover rates in early childhood programs and to motivate early childhood educators to get degrees and to be compensated for their efforts.

I was just wondering if any has heard back from who they contacted, and how long did it take to get a response. Also, are any of you nervous about the process? I am more excited, but just a hint of nervousness; just because I am not sure about how the professional will perceive me. Best of luck to all of you on this journey!