Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

        

This week finding out what others think about diversity and culture was very interesting for me  I first asked one of the moms in the program who is Mexican what she thought culture meant and what was her view?
  I loved her answer. She immediately said it is my music, art and food. I thought that was such a beautiful way to express how she felt.I found it to be interesting that she was able to relate to art as culture most people do not.

 Then I asked one of my co-workers who comes from Australia and is a young male his.
 interpretation of what culture is?


  He said that it was what has been handed down to him by his ancestors.I also liked that ,but to vague.

.My young intern from Israel said that culture for her was a mix of many things that make her who she is.
 For example she said her religious beliefs and customs, the way she dresses and the food that she eats and does not eat. That was fascinating, because we only thing about what we can eat, she explained that she does not mix dairy with meat or consume pork.You learn something new everyday.


 Then I asked them what was their definition of diversity? They all pretty much had the same answer. Diversity is just that being different I wanted them to be more in depth and have a more unique answer, but they would all say the same thing. I realized that everyone is not as well informed of what diversity really means and that maybe this is why many people are not accepting of it. Do they realize all that diversity includes, family compositions, and different ethnic groups and race? It seemed to me that they just thought of color, and being from a different country.

MY CULTURE JOURNEY

I really enjoyed this week’s blog assignment, I was able to think what would I be able to bring that I could latter look at and feel my roots and culture .As I looked around my home I realized that I have many religious artifacts that have been handed down to me by family members. The one that stood out the  most is a large golden cross, that my Godmother gave me when I was baptized. This was brought from the Dominican Republic and belonged to her mother. I would take this to be able to explain that Latinos have a strong Christian religious belief and to confirm mine.

The second item would be a picture album with all my families pictures This album has all of my family photos in it including pictures of my grandparents and the home in which my dad was born in Cuba .I would take this to make sure never to forget where we came from and to explain how different yet how alike we all are..

The third item would have to be a cooking utensil called Pilon, this is used to mash plantains and to make what we call  adobo which is garlic, salt and oregano. You mash it in the pilon and season your meats, poultries and etc. This is the heart to Latino cooking .I am positive that I would not be able to buy this where I was going. Since food is the taste of different cultures this would be an opportunity for me to give them a taste of mine.

When thinking about which one I would chose, it was difficult because I was torn between memories, religion and food .I went with the pilon. The answer   is that I think that memories cannot be erased and religion is inside our souls. The magic of food brings everyone together and gives us the opportunity to share our diversity and feel at home where ever we go.

RESEARCH JOURNEY

        

Research has proven to be a very interesting and important subject for me. I have gained many insights that I was not aware of. For instance there are many different techniques and uses that are involved in the research process. I was under the impression that research was a simple process and that all you had to do was collect information and analyze it and that was that. This course has taught me how to take a professional approach on early childhood research and take a deeper look at what the true meaning of research is. Many factors are indispensable in research and they cannot be overlooked, they must be followed to get to the outcome goal. For example researchers must decide what research design they will use and they have to think how will  they choose their participants. They must use ethical and correct procedures when working with children. Researchers should be educated on child development and use age appropriate methods. I understand the importance of using young children as participants in research and know that it is beneficial. In spite of all these positive outlooks I, have a difficult time accepting the issue that young children are developmentally ready to understand and consent to being researched. I hope that in the future researchers can come up with a solution on this issue and respect the rights of young children. This course has opened my eyes on looking at the whole picture not just what is in front of me, but what are the configurations of things. I have a new view when my little students ask why? This to me shows that they are thinking like little researchers looking for answers and trying to find outcomes and reasons for the world around them. I would also like to thank Dr. Davis for all her knowledge, patience and passion that she has shared with all of us. Again Walden receives an A for educators.

INTRNATIONAL WEB

     This week we had to research international websites I was very impressed by Early Childhood Australia: http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/ ,This site explores many early childhood issues such as ECA calls on all political parties to respond to national early childhood priorities, Budget implications for early childhood, Government must act to end child detention and Making a positive transition from pre-school to kindergarten. I was very interested in the topic on child detention this caught my eye and I looked into this in a more in depth way and would like to share the article with all of you.

MEDIA RELEASE
Tuesday 1 May 2012

Government must act to end child detention

Detention of children in Australia must end and the 428 children currently waiting for immigration processing in detention must be placed in the community, according to Early Childhood Australia (ECA), the peak organization dedicated to advocacy for young children in Australia.

In May, the global End Immigration Detention of Children campaign is putting a spotlight on Australia’s ongoing immigration detention of children.

ECA Chief Executive Officer Pam Cahir said she wholeheartedly supported the campaign and hoped its special focus on Australia this month would motivate the Federal Government to take action to properly protect children’s rights.

“It’s a huge concern that children are being put into detention in this country. A compassionate Government should be promoting and protecting the rights of all children and young people, including those seeking asylum.

“The government needs to show moral leadership in dealing with the complexities of this situation and place families with children and unaccompanied minors in the community while their claims are assessed.”

Ms Cahir said the healthy psychosocial development of children depends in large measure on the nurturing and stimulation that children receive as they grow, and on the opportunities that they have to learn new skills.

“For refugee children, healthy development and wellbeing also requires coping effectively with the multiple trauma of loss, uprooting from culture and place and often more damaging experiences.

“For children in detention the trauma of this experience is exacerbated. ”

Ms Cahir said ECA would like to see the government act swiftly to ensure that not one more child is placed in detention in Australia.

ECA have developed the following recommendations in relation to refugee children and children of asylum seekers:

• Families with children and unaccompanied minors should be placed in the community while their claims are assessed.
• In the event that an application for refugee status is unsuccessful and families and unaccompanied minors cannot return to their home country, families and unaccompanied minors should continue to live in the community until such time as they can return home.
• Families should have access to the support they need to care for their children and participate in the community.

This has been very disturbing for me to learn,  and I would expect this from a third world country. It is good to know how other countries view children’s issues.

POSITIVE RESEARCH

I AM VERY INTERESTED IN CHILDREN'S MENTAL WELLBEING AND NEW RESEARCH DONE ON THIS ISSUE, I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE THIS ARTICLE.

School-based mental health support results in positive outcomes for children

27 March 2012

A study of more than 18,000 children across England found that embedding mental health support in schools as part of the Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) programme led to greater improvements in self-reported behavioural problems among primary pupils. The benefits were even more pronounced where schools also provided pupils with self-help leaflets explaining how children could help themselves if they were feeling stressed or troubled.

The three year longitudinal study followed children in 25 local authorities across England and also found that tools designed to improve communication between health and education professionals (such as the Common Assessment Framework), good links between schools and specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and the provision of mental health information to pupils were all associated with reductions in pupils’ difficulties in controlling aggression and anger in secondary school.

These findings come from an independent evaluation of TaMHS, led by UCL and involving eight academic institutions and other organisations across the UK (Universities of Manchester, Leicester, Durham, York and Glasgow, The Anna Freud Centre, the Institute of Psychiatry and the National Institute for Economic and Social Research).

Over the course of the project, researchers tracked and analysed the progress of 18,235 children in 526 schools.

The TaMHS programme aimed to help schools deliver targeted support to those with, or at risk of, mental health problems. Between 2008 and March 2011, £60 million was allocated across all local authorities in England in order for them to develop additional provision of mental health support in selected schools, including individual, group and whole-school interventions.

One in ten children in the UK has a clinically diagnosable mental health problem and the authors of the report recommend intervening early as a key to managing behavioural problems. “It may make sense to prioritise mental health work with primary school pupils in relation to behavioural problems to have maximum impact before problems become too entrenched,” says the report.

This report indicates that targeted help in primary schools has helped reduce behavioural problems and should continue.

Dr Miranda Wolpert

The report also suggests that inter-agency working and improved relationships between secondary schools and specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, as well as provision of materials to help young people find and access support, should be prioritised.

Dr Miranda Wolpert of the UCL CAMHS Evidence Based Practice Unit led the research. “This report indicates that targeted help in primary schools has helped reduce behavioural problems and should continue,” she says. “It also indicates the need to build on the good work already happening across schools and the health services to ensure joined up services and support for

IMMIGRATION AND YOUNG CHILDREN

 The topic that I am very interested in and would like to find out more in depth information is, the effect of immigration on young children.I would like to learn  how this might affect children's development now and later on down the road.I work with a large imigrant population and this can

help me better understand the children I serve.Young low-income children of immigrants remain

twice as likely to be uninsured ( Anderson.Capps, Fix).

This also is an issue with cognitive development and the engagement in school and their ability to be

emerging citizens, as pointed out by Professor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, 2011 As an early childhood

professional It is essential that I have a clear understanding of all these important issues.I would like

any information that anyone can offer on this subject.I would also like to share one of my favorite

websites that offers many free courses and tons of educational information on young children.I hope

you will visit the site and find it useful.http://www.cceionline.com/index.cfm?id=47

CONSEQUENCE

First of all my thank to Dr. Klien for opening my eyes to the needs of our most vulnerable ones,and her guidance.You are truly what the word teacher means.


In these past weeks I have been able to see the faces of many EC issues and needs.A consequence from this has been, that I was able to join many discusions  on  Linkedin with other international professionals and learn about how they see Ec issues.

My second consequence has been being able to join Save the Children organization.I receive many valuable newsletters and up dates on international, as well as local children's issues.Although I would have loved to have a direct contact,their letters were very educational and had a ton of important information.

My third consequence was being able to have the opportunity to read all my classmates blogs with b such interesting and educational information.It was wonderful to read how others view EC.

I have truly been able to look inside myself while taking this course, and I realized that I am 100% correct in wanting to pursue my passion of being an advocate.I consider this class one of the most educational journeys yet.I know that all the knowledge that Dr. Klien has subjected us to has not been in vein.

NEW YORK CARES

2012 and 2013

The QUALITYstarsNY center/school- and family-based standards are complete and posted on

the QUALITYstarsNY website.

The NYS Education Department (SED) agreed to allocate funds from its federal Race to the Top

grant to support implementation of QUALITYstarsNY in 2012-2014. About 300 early learning

and development programs in the communities around persistently low achieving public

schools will be involved. The focus in 2012 is expected to be recruitment of program

participants and outreach and engagement of partners to work with these programs to conduct

assessments, develop QIPs and support implementing those plans. Ratings of programs in these

communities will not be published until 2014.

In 2012, with private funding, QUALITYstarsNY will be implemented in two communities on

Long Island, again enabling new programs to participate in QUALITYstarsNY. The learning

community model will be replicated in these two communities as well.

Implementing QUALITYstarsNY through 2012 is supported entirely by time-limited federal funds

and private philanthropy. ECAC funding will expire in 2013 and SED funds will decline in 2013

and end in August 2014. State investment is necessary for QUALITYstarsNY to continue.

QUALITYstarsNY has adopted the State’s 10-region structure for economic development to

guide implementation, meaning that whenever possible, activity will occur in each of the

regions as implementation proceeds. A multi-year implementation plan and budget have been

developed; the expected total annual investment needed for full implementation statewide is

approximately $100 million.

Implementation of QUALITYstarsNY is proceeding with emphasis on readiness, quality

improvement and development of necessary infrastructure.

Readiness.

QUALITYstarsNY is currently implementing three readiness training workshops

designed to help programs become more familiar with the standards and using the

Environment Rating Scales for self-assessment and program improvement. The workshops are

entitled:

Introduction to QUALITYstarsNY

Self-Assessment: Preparing for Program Improvement (using the Environment Rating

Scales)

First Steps for Quality Improvement

REFLECTION

This week I have been able to explore what my state is doing about our fight for our young children's education.I came across  a very educational piece that reasured me that our most vulnerable population will not be forgoten.This article also reflects many of my goals and what I expect of quality care for our children.

. As many as 100,000

children, including the large majority of infants and

toddlers, are currently not served, and much needs

to be done to expand this system gradually as it

is improved to better meet children’s critical early

developmental needs.

The elements outlined in this strategic plan for early

childhood care are a starting point for an improved,

better integrated, and over time, expanded early

childhood care and education system. We start by

refocusing the mission of the entire early childhood

care system to emphasize child development. This

means better aligning the expectations of parents,

providers, and public administrators to the needs of

children. It means redirecting the early childhood

system toward the goals of facilitating child care

quality, access, information, and choice. We continue

by bringing together the disparate systems of care

across different city agencies. The steps we are taking

toward a better integrated early childhood care and

education system are meant to comprehensively

serve the diverse needs of families in a consistent

way. It will allow families to better access and use

combinations of care that match their needs, and to

make developmentally appropriate transitions in care

as individual children’s needs change.

This plan sets the strategic direction to provide more

effective services to support the development of

young children and their families. By reallocating

services to areas of high need, ACS effectively meets

more of the need for care in the city, with its limited

resources. ACS currently pays for contracted slots that

may not be used. This plan will eliminate vacancies

and reinvest the funding for those slots to serve

additional children in high need areas. Moreover,

with the coordination of contracts and vouchers,

Children’s Services will increase utilization, reduce

vacancies, and help to better meet the increased

demands of public assistance families seeking more

stable care arrangements. Most importantly, ACS will

target resources on program quality enhancement

efforts so that more of New York City’s young children

attend high quality programs that nurture children’s

development.

Implementation of

Rethinking Child Care will require

up-front investments. ACS needs the human capital

to implement the strategies laid out in the plan, while

also maintaining the day-to-day operations of an

overstretched child care system. First, this will include

supporting current personnel to carry out this vision

for our early care and education system. For example,

eligibility workers will spend more time on final

eligibility determinations and technical assistance

to programs than on face-to-face appointments

with clients. This shift in responsibility will require

professional development opportunities for CCHS

staff. Second, Children’s Services will need additional

staff to accomplish the goals of

Rethinking Child Care.

For instance, with a renewed commitment to high

quality care, Children’s Services will need to hire

additional personnel to provide technical assistance

for helping programs. Without a doubt, Children’s

Services needs to invest in personnel to accomplish

this needed, but ambitious plan.

With this plan, the Administration for Children’s

Services has embarked on an ambitious and viable

process to improve early childhood development

programs throughout New York City. This plan has

already guided efforts to improve management

functions and ease the child care access for parents

and programs. The positive outcomes for the City as

a whole and for families are numerous: the City and

ACS will incur savings and eliminate inefficiencies

throughout the system to reinvest in children;

providers will have fewer administrative burdens and

receive greater support to improve their programs;

families will have greater access to higher quality early

care and education services; and most importantly,

young children will have greater developmental

opportunities.

This is the future we choose for our city’s children.


http://www.nyc.gov/html/acs/downloads/pdf/rethinking_new.pdf

LINKS

I found another link and thought I would share.

 

 

Afghanistan Humanitarian Aid for Children

Save the Children's groundbreaking report about humanitarian aid in Afghanistan By the numbers: Population- 28,395,716 Size: slightly smaller than Texas 70% of the population live below the poverty line 1 in 4 children die before reaching their 5th birthday 72% of the population over age 15 are illiterate Only 50% of all Afghan children between the ages of 7 and 13 attend school ( Afghanistan’s turbulent modern history has been shaped by decades of internal conflict and extreme natural disasters, especially drought. With an estimated population of 30 million, this landlocked country at the historical crossroads of Central Asia is extremely poor and highly dependent on foreign aid as it struggles to rebuild. After years of war and severe poverty, combined with poor security, the country is considered to be among the most dangerous places for children to be born. Emergency Update from Kabul: Deep Freeze in Afghanistan Causes Great Sorrow Challenges for Children Emergency Relief and Recovery Impact and Programs Support Save the Children Challenges for Children The challenges are daunting, especially for children and women. Even though political and economic uncertainty and personal and community insecurity still exist in much of Afghanistan, Save the Children is committed to helping Afghan families and communities. For almost 30 years Afghan children have been affected by conflict. Only half of children are in school today, many work in the streets or in fields and homes to support their families. Children in Afghanistan face one of the worst chances of survival of anywhere in the world. One in four children dies before their fifth birthday, most of them from preventable diseases and malnutrition. Emergency Relief and Recovery Nearly 3 million people in Afghanistan are affected by a drought that has caused crops to fail, leaving many in a constant struggle to feed their children and families. The harsh Afghan winter makes in even harder to reach the most vulnerable communities whose next harvest season will not begin until June 2012. Save the Children is working hand in hand with public and private partners to help avert a child hunger crisis. Parents need support to buy food for their children as they cannot depend on fall harvests to feed their families. Save the Children is advancing a plan to temporarily employ parents of children in need on projects to improve local reservoirs, agricultural canals and other critical drought-related projects. Impact and Programs Child Protection: Save the Children fights for children’s right to protection. We work closely with local communities, religious leaders, parents, teachers and the government to create and help maintain measures and structures that can prevent and respond to abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence affecting children. Health: Save the Children works with families, communities and health care workers in homes, health posts, clinics and hospitals to promote basic health, well-being and survival, particularly for children under age 5 and for women of childbearing age. In addition to government healthcare leaders and administrators, we train and support community health workers living in some of the poorest and most remote areas in Afghanistan. Education: For many children in Afghanistan, being beaten and humiliated is a daily reality. Afghanistan still legally permits teachers to physically punish children. Save the Children works to change that and to provide successful models of violence-free schools that can be used all over the country. Last Updated February 2012

FOLLOWING A LEAD

• health worker
• nutrition
• Guatemala

Kelly Walker is a registered nurse from South Carolina who recently visited Save the Children’s health and nutrition programs in Guatemala. She is a member of Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal Nurses (AWOHNN) and is working with Save the Children to help raise awareness about the role of frontline health workers in the lives of mothers, newborns and children around the world.

As a perinatal registered nurse, I have a great deal of knowledge about global health issues in my head. But my recent trip to Guatemala with Save the Children put the families affected by these issues into my heart.

This was my first time in Guatemala, a beautiful but heartbreakingly poor country. In the rural villages where Save the Children works, families travel by dirt roads, fetch drinking water from streams and subsist on homegrown corn. Their homes are filled with love, but little else. Without electricity, appliances and heat, families huddle around wood-stoves – the heart of every home

It was in one of these homes that I met Juana and her newborn baby, Marlene. I was making house calls with a local health worker named Isabella. Watching Isabella care for Juana and Marlene, I was amazed at both the simplicity and efficiency of her work.

During the home visit, Isabella weighed Marlene, now a healthy 11 pounds, and gave her a well-baby check-up. To help ensure baby Marlene gets the nutrition she needs to grow and thrive, Isabella educated Juana on the importance of breastfeeding to build her baby’s immune system and avoid disease. Save the Children’s staff told me that counseling new mothers on breastfeeding is extremely important in villages like these where chronic malnutrition threatens children’s health and survival.

Malnutrition is often tied together with other illnesses. Most times, the illness is treated but the malnutrition continues – which means that another illness will surely present itself. A new report by Save the Children states that by the age of two, chronic malnutrition permanently stunts children’s physical growth and brain development and leaves them more vulnerable to disease.

We continued to follow Isabella as she visited a number of local families and checked on the health and growth of the children. Throughout the day, the connection between Isabella’s role in her village and my job on a busy hospital floor became clear – both of us are health care givers, trusted advisers, and friends to offer support or a smile.

It was then I knew that I had to be a voice for babies like Marlene who deserve to grow-up free from the threat of malnutrition and preventable diseases and for health workers like Isabella so that they can continue to do their lifesaving work.

This March, I’m taking what I learned in Guatemala and I’m bringing it to Capitol Hill at Save the Children’s Advocacy Summit. And, in my heart, I’m bringing babies like Marlene and health care heroes like Isabella. They need me to be their voice in Washington, where I’ll speak out in support of these lifesaving programs. Won’t you join me and be their voice, too?

This week I followed a link on my newsletter and found out how my orginization helps children.I got to see first hand all the different countries as well as the different divisions that the orginization is divided into.This was a very interesting story hope you enjoy reading it.

HOW OTHER COUNTRIES VIEW EARLY CHILDHOOD

SINGAPORE
Prime Minister Lee of Singapore;

"I think we should do more to nurture the whole child, develop their physical robustness, enhance their creativity, shape their personal and cultural and social identity, so that they are fit, they are confident, they are imaginative and they know who they are.

"Every child is different, every child has his own interests, his own academic inclinations and aptitudes and our aim should be to provide him with a good education that suits him, one which enables him to achieve his potential and build on his strengths and talents. Talent means talent in many dimensions, not just academic talent but in arts, in music, in sports, in creative activities, in physical activities.

"We need to pay more attention to PE, to arts and music and get teachers who are qualified to teach PE and art and music.

"Give each one a tailored and holistic upbringing, so you get academic education, moral education, physical education, art and a sense of belonging and identity. We aim to build a mountain range with many tall peaks but with a high base, not just a single pinnacle where everybody is trying to scramble up one single peak. And we are realizing this vision."

EQUITY

Global Section:

International Women's Day: Special podcast on education and gender equality

©© UNICEF/NYHQ2007-1045/Olivier Asselin

A girl carrying her slate and schoolbooks on her head smiles in the village of Essaout, Senegal.

This year, International Women's Day is focusing on the theme: “Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all.” Though significant progress has been made towards gender parity and equality in education, many challenges remain. According to latest UNICEF estimates, girls make up more than half of the 101 million children of primary school age that are not in school.
To look at the advances made and challenges ahead for girls’ education, moderator Amy Costello spoke to Tamara Kreinin, executive director of Women and Population at the United Nations Foundation, and the Honourable Ambassador Professor Samson Kagengo Ongeri, Kenya’s Minister of Education and UNICEF Champion for Child-Friendly Schools.
“The girls are still being pushed aside for the boys, and we have to put them front and centre,” said Tamara Kreinin. During her 25-year career in the private and public sectors, Kreinin has worked around the globe on issues affecting young girls and adolescents. Ms. Kreinin says that girls are still often left out in data collection and programming. “You often times find that when there is a program for youth, 90 per cent of the participants are boys.”
Honourable Ambassador Professor Samson Kagengo Ongeri discussed the experience of the Kenyan government in bringing more girls into their educational system.
Despite the strides that Kenya has made in many parts of the country, getting girls in nomadic districts to attend school has proved challenging. The enrolment for boys in the nomadic areas reached 50 percent, compared to only 22.5 percent for girls due to high drop-out rates for girls and early marriages.
However, there has been progress. “We have been able to create mobile schools, we’ve also been able to create low-cost boarding schools in order to attract the young boys and girls into our schools,” said Minister Ongeri.  “And also by the provision of other services like HIV and AIDS programmes and water and sanitation programmes we have been able to maintain our retention rate reasonably within reach

EXCELLENCE

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Budget Watch: This Week...

March 29, 2012

Paul Ryan's Budget Passes the House

Today, the budget introduced last week by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) was narrowly approved by the House of Representatives. This budget would cut discretionary spending even more than agreed to in last year’s bipartisan Budget Control Act, and would increase funding for defense instead of cutting it, as agreed to last year. Additionally, it would further cut taxes, thus requiring even more spending cuts in future years if deficit reduction is to be achieved.
The Ryan budget breaks a bipartisan agreement last year (The Budget Control Act) that would reach an agreed upon spending threshold by taking half the $1.2 trillion in cuts from programs that serve vulnerable Americans and half from defense. Essentially, his budget takes all the cuts from programs that provide Americans with important services and serve children, families, the elderly, and people with disabilities. By cutting discretionary spending below the level agreed upon with Democrats last year, Ryan’s budget sets up another partisan battle on spending and tax issues that will make a budget deal virtually impossible before the November elections (all spending bills must be passed by beginning of FY 2013, October 1, or the government shuts down unless there is some temporary extension of spending). Senate Budget Chairman Conrad has announced that he will not pass a budget this year, but has filed a deeming resolution setting the FY 2013 spending limits agreed to last year.
Specifically, Ryan’s budget calls for $5.3 billion in reduced spending, and nearly $4.4 trillion in lower taxes over 10 years compared to current policies, on top of the $5.4 trillion cost of making the Bush tax cuts permanent. It would cancel the scheduled cuts to defense (“the sequester”) agreed to as part of the budget deal last year ($600 billion over 10 years) and would instead increase spending on defense (by $228 billion through 2022) and shift all those scheduled cuts to domestic programs. He does not specify how those savings would be reached, but the budget includes instructions to the authorizing committees to find enough savings for this purpose. About half of the cuts in the Ryan budget ($2.5 trillion) are from health care programs – block granting Medicaid, repealing the Affordable Care Act, and voucherizing Medicare. By block granting Medicaid, Ryan’s budget would cut spending by $810 billion over 10 years, and additionally give states the power to cut eligibility, benefits, and payments to doctors and hospitals, and raise costs to the poor. The Ryan budget would also repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), eliminating the Medicaid expansion to lower income Americans, canceling all the subsidies to low and middle income Americans to help purchase health insurance starting in 2014, and cutting funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) by nearly $29 billion in two years alone. Without the ACA, the 30 to 32 million Americans who would be expected to gain health coverage under the ACA would not get coverage, and in addition, millions of people who are already covered would lose their health coverage.
The Ryan budget would also cut funding for food stamps (SNAP) by about $133 billion over 10 years, and block grant the program, making assistance contingent on work or training, and subject to time limits and work requirements. Additionally, Ryan’s budget calls on six committees to find $261 billion in cuts to mandatory programs, so the other cuts that would necessarily result have not yet been identified.



As always cuts are meant for the poor and our children who are the most vulnerable.Do politicians realize that health care is the most important factor for being able to pursue a good education?I am always amazed at how so many well educated law makers have no clue on what Early education involves and child development is.

NEWS LETTER

This is my news letter for this month ,just wanted to share
2012 Press Releases

Hidden Malnutrition Crisis Could Put Almost Half a Billion Children at Risk, Save the Children Says

Hidden Malnutrition Crisis Could Put Almost Half a Billion Children at Risk, Save the Children Says Chronic Malnutrition is Preventable, but Remains Deadlier and More Widespread than Food Scarcity, New Report Says Media Contact Tanya Weinberg 202.640.6647 (O), 202.247.6610 (M) Celebrity chef Cat Cora visits Save the Children's nutrition programs in Ethiopia. Credit: Anne-Sofie Helms/Save the Children WESTPORT, Conn. (February 15, 2011) — Despite global efforts to address food security, chronic childhood malnutrition has been largely overlooked, putting almost half a billion children at risk of permanent damage in the next 15 years, Save the Children said in a new report released today. "Malnutrition is a largely hidden crisis, but it afflicts one in four children around the world," said Carolyn Miles, President & CEO of Save the Children. "It wreaks lifelong damage and is a major killer of children. Every hour of every day, 300 children die because of malnutrition." Save the Children's new report, titled "A Life Free from Hunger: Tackling Child Malnutrition," was released as the world begins to awaken to the latest emergency food crisis, in the African Sahel. But the report reveals that chronic malnutrition, or a lack of proper nutrition over time, is deadlier and far more widespread than the short-term acute malnutrition frequently seen during food crises. Chronic malnutrition weakens young children's immune systems, leaving them more likely to die of childhood diseases like diarrhea, pneumonia and malaria. It leads to 2 million child deaths a year, three times as many as result from acute malnutrition. But, chronic malnutrition also leaves children far more vulnerable to extreme suffering and death from acute malnutrition when emergency food crises hit, as in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel right now. In total, malnutrition underlies 2.6 million child deaths every year, or one third of all child deaths. "It's time for a paradigm shift. The world can no longer afford to wait until visibly emaciated children grab headlines to inspire the action these children need and deserve. Unfortunately for millions of the world's chronically malnourished children, permanent damage to their physical and intellectual development is not as obvious, and so it's too often overlooked," said Miles. Save the Children's new report calls for action on proven solutions that would prevent these deaths and help all children affected by hunger and malnutrition. Progress on reducing malnutrition has been extremely slow for 20 years, in comparison to great strides made on other global health crises. Costs are High Well-nourished children perform better in school and grow up to earn considerably more on average than those who were malnourished as children. Recent evidence suggests nutritional interventions can increase adult earnings by 46 percent. Malnutrition costs many developing nations an estimated 2-3 percent of their GDP, extends the cycle of poverty, and impedes global economic growth at a critical time. "World leaders are searching for ways to strengthen their economies over the long term, so why not achieve that through helping children get the healthy start they deserve?" Miles said. As Save the Children released its new report, United Nations leaders endorsed its call to action to end chronic malnutrition, also known as stunting. UNICEF's Executive Director Anthony Lake said: "Stunting is rarely obvious until it is too late. The first 1,000 days of life determines a child's life forever — before birth until the 2nd birthday. After that it is simply too late to repair the damage to the bodies and brains of a child. We are encouraged though there is now an awakening around stunting thanks to the leadership of many governments and the Scaling Up Nutrition movement." Action Lagging Awareness While addressing food security, world leaders have galvanized much-needed support to boost agricultural productivity, but they have yet to make nutrition central to their efforts. In 2009, President Obama helped spearhead the L'Aquila Food Security Initiative, which inspired $22 billion in pledges at the G8 and G20 meetings. Yet, only 3 percent of these pledges and less than 1 percent of pledges fulfilled to date have targeted nutrition. "Investment in agriculture is clearly important to making sure production keeps up with a growing population," said Miles. "But let's not forget, right now the world produces enough food to feed everybody, and yet one third of children in developing countries are malnourished. Clearly, just growing more food is not the answer." "The United States has shown great leadership on nutrition, but now must call on other powerful nations to make it a global priority," she added. Many expect President Obama will again address food security when he hosts this spring's G8 meeting in Chicago. Save the Children is calling on the G8 to extend food security funding at current levels for three years while including greater focus on nutrition. A Solvable Crisis According to seminal research published in the Lancet medical journal in 2008, a set of 13 basic interventions could prevent the vast majority of malnutrition, especially in the critical 1,000-day window between conception and age 2. These include encouraging breastfeeding to avoid contaminated water, proper introduction of varied foods for infants, fortification of basic staples and vitamin supplementation. The World Bank has estimated the cost of getting these solutions to 90 percent of the children who need them would annually save 2 million lives and cost $10 billion. Split among developing and developed countries, that sum is manageable, Save the Children says. If the world fails to act and the current rate of progress of reducing chronic malnutrition continues at less than 1 percent a year, 450 million children will be affected in the next 15 years, Save the Children says.

SHARING RESOURCES

Welcome to the ChildCare Education Institute Newsletter! This Month, CCEI Discusses Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum.

Early childhood education (ECE) research is constantly evolving. While it is difficult for ECE professionals to keep up with all the latest twists and turns in current research, it is essential to be aware of major trends and shifts. In developing curriculum and other program elements, ECE professionals must be able to discern the "good ideas" from those that are confirmed by research. A little over a decade ago, many early childhood teachers were not aware of the important role they play in determining a child's future success in reading and other academic pursuits. Prior to the mid 1990s, you would not have found many child care programs that focused on things like vocabulary development, print awareness, and exposing children to rich oral language. Today, if you find a program that does not include these areas in its curriculum, then you would be justified in wondering whether the program's designers have been paying attention at all!

Some specific information seemed particularly relevant to my current professional development is the fact that finaly ECD is being recognized. 

Information that adds to  my understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field is by accepting the research on the importance of ECE.

Other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field that I gained  from exploring the e-newsletter is how ECE are changing the curriculum for the better and understanding all the developmental milestones that young children must reach.

When Can I be Me

This week I took a look at how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field . I was not happy with what I learned, although they support  the field the reason behind it is for their benefit.This is only my opinion, so read a bit on the views of the famous  Dr. Jack P. Shonkoff.

One of the cardinal features of human development is its tremendous variability. I mean, kids grow up in all kinds of different environments, and within similar environments there's a lot of variation among the normal population. I think the challenge that we face is how do we use the knowledge that we have -- not to mention the knowledge that we're going to have going forward -- to create environments that will really support individual development such that every child can reach his or her full potential. And at the same time, we must also value and respect differences among children, and recognize that, depending upon what area of development you look at, some kids are more competent than others. And this tension between optimizing development and respecting and honoring and cherishing differences, I think, gets very close to the heart of how we will use science in both an intelligent and a humane way. Because it would be wonderful to have knowledge that could help all children live as full and rewarding a life as possible, and be as good as they can be.

But even that, "As good as they can be," that's so characteristic of our society, right? I mean, because we're so focused on individual achievement. Not all societies focus on individual achievement this way; but in our society, we focus on individual achievement. And that's such a setup for winners and losers. It's such a setup for haves and have-nots.

But this is a moral issue, this isn't a scientific issue, because some people are fine living in an environment in which there are winners and losers. They say, "That's, you know, the way it is." So it's a matter of personal values and personal preferences. I would prefer to live in an environment that didn't focus so much on winners and losers, but focused on differences and valueis the differences for what they are. And science could be used either way. Science could be used to help us appreciate the richness of diversity, or it could be used to help us push the winners and losers.
I believe that winning is great and there is nothing wrong with competition,but when it is a streesor for parents, children and the teachers then it is no longer a healthy sittuation. When are children allowed to be just that? As professionals we must advocat to preserve children's right to be children.

"The active ingredient in the environment that's having an influence on development is the quality of the relationships that children have with the important people in their lives. That's what it's all about". - Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D.

HUNGER

Dear Elizabeth, Yesterday over 270 Save the Children advocates and students went to Capitol Hill for the 10th annual Advocacy Summit. It was a great success. Children met with their Senators and Representatives to urge them to support health and nutrition programs in the USA and around the world. While many legislative leaders strongly support the programs, we were alarmed to hear that deep cuts were being proposed to health and nutrition for some of the world’s most vulnerable children. We need YOU to tell Congress not to cut these critical, lifesaving programs that deserve strong support. The international health and nutrition accounts comprise less than half of one percent of the federal budget. Cutting these programs would do little to solve our fiscal woes, but could have dire consequences for babies, mothers and young children who depend on health and nutrition assistance. Won’t you please take a moment to send a message to Congress and tell them that you support Child Nutrition programs?

Our Backyard

Where We Work > USA

USA

Child Poverty in America Support Programs in the U.S. Nearly one in four American children lives in poverty—that’s 16 million kids who understand all too well what it means to go without. What does “go without” mean in America? For the children we serve in rural America, going without can mean no access to things many take for granted. Simple things like books, healthy foods, and places to play and exercise. And not so simple things, like knowing there will be food on the table at all, a safe place to sleep at night, or just the comfort and hope that comes from being able to see a future outside of poverty. At Save the Children, we believe all children deserve a fair chance at a bright future. Learn more about: Early Childhood Education Literacy: Helping Kids Learn to Read Healthy Eating and Exercise Disaster Relief in America How You Can Help You can support programs in a child’s community through Child Sponsorship, ensuring they have access to the resources they need to succeed in school and life. Learn more about the reward of sponsoring a child today. Sponsor a Child in the U.S. today >> Investing in America’s Future… One Child at a Time Save the Children's dedicated U.S. Programs staff work in America’s poorest and most remote areas to break the cycle of poverty. In states across the country, from the foothills of Kentucky to the deserts of Arizona, our successful and proven programs are making a difference the lives of underserved, and often forgotten, children. During the 2010-2011 school year, Save the Children’s Early Childhood Education, Literacy, Physical Activity and Nutrition and Emergency Response programs benefited more than 141,000 children, families, and caregivers. We help kids get the resources they need—access to a quality education, healthy foods and opportunities to grow up in a nurturing environment. And when disasters strike, Save the Children is among the first on the ground keeping children from harm and we stay on helping communities rebuild child care, playgrounds and much more.