While exploring childhood poverty website I discovered that there are many efforts in researching the effects of poverty on children all over the world. Organizations are researching how poverty impacts the nation as a whole and each country. The website offers many articles that discuss the efforts it will take to combat poverty in different countries. They try to define for investors and other policy makers the importance of funding for families in poverty and ways they can combat the issues. The goal is to break the cycle of poverty so that children and families will have a better chance living a more fulfilling life.
This website introduces Nan Nan who is a migrant child in China. She moved from a rural farm to a small city. It discusses the discrimination that she faces when going to the new school because she is older than the children in her class. She feels that the children nor the teacher respect her. Her mother experiences discrimination as well while she is out working. They moved to have a better life and so their children will have a better education. Unfortunately, they are barely making ends meet and the experiences they are facing seem to be causing more harm than good. The father has to stay on his job and they only see him once a month.
This particular story leaves me feeling very discouraged that there is so little understanding or respect for children from different backgrounds even in other countries. It also opened my eyes to the fact that discrimination for children in poverty stricken situations is not just isolated to the United States. It's not that I was not aware of the discrimination in other countries but to have it personalized from the child's point of view had a serious impact on me. As a nation, issues of poverty need to be addressed for children and families. Policy makers need to make more of an effort to put policies in place to protect children from situations like this. There is so much research that supports how poverty impacts families, there needs to be more attention paid to what the research is saying.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Harlem Children's Zone
The site I chose is Harlem's Children Zone: http://www.hcz.org/home
The Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ) is dedicated to help children from poverty stricken backgrounds succeed from a early childhood through high school. Geoffery Canada, the CEO, has made strides to break the cycle of poverty. The agency has introduced many programs to the community of Harlem. Programs such as Baby College which are parenting workshops of children 0-3, Harlem Gems which is a preschool program, Asthma Initiative, a charter school, and an obesity program. Their goal is to create an environment that is supportive of the child, their families and the community. Through enriching, redeveloping and providing support to these areas, they strive to decrease adverse effects of decades of poverty and crime to the Harlem neighborhood community.
This initiative started off as a 1block pilot in the 1990's and has since expanded to 97 blocks in Harlem! Currently it serves about 10,000 children and 7,400 adults. It costs on average about $5,000 per child. One issue that caught my attention was an article called "From Cradle through College." It speaks on the basic principles of the HCZ program that guide them in the service they provide to children and families. It believes that by supporting the community as a whole, building a community among the residents who live in the community, and evaluating the program's effectiveness to improve the conditions of the program. This program has caught the attention of many professionals nationwide with its radical efforts to break the cycle of poverty and prepare children to enter the work force and society successfully.
The Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ) is dedicated to help children from poverty stricken backgrounds succeed from a early childhood through high school. Geoffery Canada, the CEO, has made strides to break the cycle of poverty. The agency has introduced many programs to the community of Harlem. Programs such as Baby College which are parenting workshops of children 0-3, Harlem Gems which is a preschool program, Asthma Initiative, a charter school, and an obesity program. Their goal is to create an environment that is supportive of the child, their families and the community. Through enriching, redeveloping and providing support to these areas, they strive to decrease adverse effects of decades of poverty and crime to the Harlem neighborhood community.
This initiative started off as a 1block pilot in the 1990's and has since expanded to 97 blocks in Harlem! Currently it serves about 10,000 children and 7,400 adults. It costs on average about $5,000 per child. One issue that caught my attention was an article called "From Cradle through College." It speaks on the basic principles of the HCZ program that guide them in the service they provide to children and families. It believes that by supporting the community as a whole, building a community among the residents who live in the community, and evaluating the program's effectiveness to improve the conditions of the program. This program has caught the attention of many professionals nationwide with its radical efforts to break the cycle of poverty and prepare children to enter the work force and society successfully.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Establishing Professional contacts and Expanding Resources
I chose to make contacts through the Global Alliance of NAEYC. I am attempting to make contacts to the representative in Ghana, Nigeria, and Mongolia. I have not heard anything back from these particular areas and hopefully I will within the next week. I am really interested in learning more about these areas, their policies and practices in early education.
I chose to use to expand my resources using the Harlem Children's Zone. The Harlem Children's Zone takes on a community approach to addressing the needs in early childhood to include all children and the environment they are growing up in. This site offers great statistical information on the situation of children born into or stricken by poverty. These numbers largely effect minorities that need to be addressed immediately. I was interested in this resource because it attempts to give a community view on how to address the concerns of children who are growing up in poverty stricken homes.
I chose to use to expand my resources using the Harlem Children's Zone. The Harlem Children's Zone takes on a community approach to addressing the needs in early childhood to include all children and the environment they are growing up in. This site offers great statistical information on the situation of children born into or stricken by poverty. These numbers largely effect minorities that need to be addressed immediately. I was interested in this resource because it attempts to give a community view on how to address the concerns of children who are growing up in poverty stricken homes.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
My Supports
I count myself blessed that I have had such a supportive, understanding and caring supervisor. I have never had a supervisor who went out of their way to see if there was anything that I needed to help me along in my new position. She consistently checks in to see if I am overwhelmed, am I adjusting to the tasks that I have to perform and what could she do to help me adjust. She always praises her team when she sees that we are doing better, trying to do better and when we go out of our way to do something for someone else. I can honestly say that my supervisor is a wonderful person with a deep sense of love for her team. She always says that we make her job easy as well as so hard at times!
My team at work has also been very supportive of me in my new role as parent educator. They are constantly telling me not to be hard on myself, it is a lot to take on all at once and don't beat yourself up so bad, you'll get the hang of it. It feels great to have people who know what your struggling with and are able to offer support and advice on how to get through it.
Another support in my life is my cousin who takes care of my son before and after school. She is the reason I started going back to school. Without her I would not have trusted anyone to take care of my child for such extended hours and make sure he gets what he needs. I worried that I would be missing out on what he needed from me when his father and I separated, but she told me whatever I needed her to do that I had her support and not to worry about my child. That was a great relief for me and made it possible for me to feel good about going back to school.
These are three major supports that allow me to continue my education and give me peace of mine while I am working. They allow me the luxury of learning from my mistakes and the security of knowing that my child is well taken care of. Without these supports, I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today. I would be extremely overwhelmed and not as focused as I feel that I could be. I might not have even taken the new position if I did not have such wonderful support for my son. The hours require me to facilitate parenting classes almost three nights a week. Two of those nights I don't get to to pick my child up until 8:30 or 9 pm!
If these supports were no longer a part of my life, I would be extremely lost. I am surrounded by great friends, but they have their own responsibilities and their own lives to lead. It would be very hard for them to provide anything other than emotional support which is very important to me also.
A challenge I thought of was if I did not have a job. With this economy, it is on my mind often and I try to prepare myself as much as possible. I honestly do not know how I would cope if I did not have a job right now. I would not be able to pay for my apartment, food, entertainment or even to put gas in my car. I am very independent and proud to be able to support myself and my son. Although I know that there would be people who would try their best to help me out, I have to feel productive for myself, mental health and support of my child. I would want to have a way to provide for my child. That is always my greatest concern and even just the thought of not being able to provide for him makes me feel overwhelmed. My friends are always encouraging and saying how proud they are that I set a goal for myself and went after something more. They make me feel as though I can do anything and I am blessed to have such people in my life. I know that without these supports and this particular challenge in my life I would become depressed and feel as though I let myself down. Most importantly I would feel as though I let my child down and that is absolutely not an option!
My team at work has also been very supportive of me in my new role as parent educator. They are constantly telling me not to be hard on myself, it is a lot to take on all at once and don't beat yourself up so bad, you'll get the hang of it. It feels great to have people who know what your struggling with and are able to offer support and advice on how to get through it.
Another support in my life is my cousin who takes care of my son before and after school. She is the reason I started going back to school. Without her I would not have trusted anyone to take care of my child for such extended hours and make sure he gets what he needs. I worried that I would be missing out on what he needed from me when his father and I separated, but she told me whatever I needed her to do that I had her support and not to worry about my child. That was a great relief for me and made it possible for me to feel good about going back to school.
These are three major supports that allow me to continue my education and give me peace of mine while I am working. They allow me the luxury of learning from my mistakes and the security of knowing that my child is well taken care of. Without these supports, I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today. I would be extremely overwhelmed and not as focused as I feel that I could be. I might not have even taken the new position if I did not have such wonderful support for my son. The hours require me to facilitate parenting classes almost three nights a week. Two of those nights I don't get to to pick my child up until 8:30 or 9 pm!
If these supports were no longer a part of my life, I would be extremely lost. I am surrounded by great friends, but they have their own responsibilities and their own lives to lead. It would be very hard for them to provide anything other than emotional support which is very important to me also.
A challenge I thought of was if I did not have a job. With this economy, it is on my mind often and I try to prepare myself as much as possible. I honestly do not know how I would cope if I did not have a job right now. I would not be able to pay for my apartment, food, entertainment or even to put gas in my car. I am very independent and proud to be able to support myself and my son. Although I know that there would be people who would try their best to help me out, I have to feel productive for myself, mental health and support of my child. I would want to have a way to provide for my child. That is always my greatest concern and even just the thought of not being able to provide for him makes me feel overwhelmed. My friends are always encouraging and saying how proud they are that I set a goal for myself and went after something more. They make me feel as though I can do anything and I am blessed to have such people in my life. I know that without these supports and this particular challenge in my life I would become depressed and feel as though I let myself down. Most importantly I would feel as though I let my child down and that is absolutely not an option!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
My Connections To Play
One quote that caught my attention was by Confucius “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” For children play involves doing and many of us forgot that children learn through being active. They have to figure things out in their own way but with guided opportunities from parents and educators to let them do what comes naturally, play.
Another quote that stands out for me is by Jack Chilton Pearce “Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.” This quote is important because people forget that through the curiosity of play, the trial and error we need to figure things out, the creative ideas that come through play is how intelligence is gathered.
Three things important to my younger self
Play, Play, Play
When I was growing up, I had great play experiences. Most of them were by myself for a while because I was such a shy kid. I remember playing in the woods across the street from my house. I climbed trees, made paths like Hansel and Gretel to find my way back home, even though you could see all the way to the other side! I made mud pies in my back yard and fed them to my imaginary friends, played school teacher with my next door neighbor, and hide and go seek with the neighborhood kids. The great thing about it was adults did not come into the picture until you had to eat a meal or the family was going out somewhere. When I was with my grandmother I remember helping her wash clothes, cook and clean. I also remember exploring in her yard. There were always worms to dig up, frogs to catch and dragon flies to chase after, then walking over to the neighborhood store to get penny candy and stale cookies with the yellow icing! They were the best to me then! No one interfered or told me how to play or what to play (unless it was my bossy next door neighbor and we were the same age!) The best support I received was being able to figure it out on my own and with people who I could relate to my own age. I lived in an age and small town where it was safe for those things to occur. I wasn't scared to walk out of my front door and go play in the ditch or roll down the hill.
Unfortunately, today's society is not conducive to these experiences and it forces educators to try to create things that use to occur naturally. Many children have forgotten how to play and use their imagination but I hold on to the belief that they can be reminded of how wonderful play can be. I believe that if children are once again allowed to figure out life with only the guidance that is needed and through experiences where they can learn, then maybe society can once again be safe for children to have those outside play experiences and figure out how to use their imagination and creativity.
I look at my son now and think how different his life is from mine when it comes to play. I always had people around who I could interact with at home. I had a sister and a brother, bossy next door neighbors (and she is still bossy!), kids from down the street, but my child does not have that. He has many friends, but outside of school, it's hard for him to play with them because they are so scattered around the city. I feel sad for him sometimes because it seems as though all he has is me. How disheartening for an 11 year old boy. At least from my point of view. Don't get me wrong he knows how to play with children his own age and he tries to solve his own problems, but the experiences on the weekends for him to do this is far and few in between.
Another quote that stands out for me is by Jack Chilton Pearce “Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.” This quote is important because people forget that through the curiosity of play, the trial and error we need to figure things out, the creative ideas that come through play is how intelligence is gathered.
Three things important to my younger self
 |
| Dragon fly wings were amazing! |
 |
| Making mud pies a must! |
 |
| Climbing trees were essential! |
Play, Play, Play
When I was growing up, I had great play experiences. Most of them were by myself for a while because I was such a shy kid. I remember playing in the woods across the street from my house. I climbed trees, made paths like Hansel and Gretel to find my way back home, even though you could see all the way to the other side! I made mud pies in my back yard and fed them to my imaginary friends, played school teacher with my next door neighbor, and hide and go seek with the neighborhood kids. The great thing about it was adults did not come into the picture until you had to eat a meal or the family was going out somewhere. When I was with my grandmother I remember helping her wash clothes, cook and clean. I also remember exploring in her yard. There were always worms to dig up, frogs to catch and dragon flies to chase after, then walking over to the neighborhood store to get penny candy and stale cookies with the yellow icing! They were the best to me then! No one interfered or told me how to play or what to play (unless it was my bossy next door neighbor and we were the same age!) The best support I received was being able to figure it out on my own and with people who I could relate to my own age. I lived in an age and small town where it was safe for those things to occur. I wasn't scared to walk out of my front door and go play in the ditch or roll down the hill.
Unfortunately, today's society is not conducive to these experiences and it forces educators to try to create things that use to occur naturally. Many children have forgotten how to play and use their imagination but I hold on to the belief that they can be reminded of how wonderful play can be. I believe that if children are once again allowed to figure out life with only the guidance that is needed and through experiences where they can learn, then maybe society can once again be safe for children to have those outside play experiences and figure out how to use their imagination and creativity.
I look at my son now and think how different his life is from mine when it comes to play. I always had people around who I could interact with at home. I had a sister and a brother, bossy next door neighbors (and she is still bossy!), kids from down the street, but my child does not have that. He has many friends, but outside of school, it's hard for him to play with them because they are so scattered around the city. I feel sad for him sometimes because it seems as though all he has is me. How disheartening for an 11 year old boy. At least from my point of view. Don't get me wrong he knows how to play with children his own age and he tries to solve his own problems, but the experiences on the weekends for him to do this is far and few in between.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Relationship Reflections
I've always felt that building and being in relationships challenge us to be better. I feel that relationships give us character and show us how to treat others. Some relationships are good and some are not, but they all have a purpose; for us to learn and grow. In truth people need relationships so that they do not feel so isolated. They need to feel like they matter to someone else. Our first experiences with relationships, begin with our parents. They show us how we should trust the world and give us the blueprint for how to interact with people. I have been blessed with strong relationships in my life and I continue to learn from them all the time.
The strongest relationships I have now are with my son, my sister, two of my best friends who have known me for over 17 years. I have friends that I am coming to know and build relationships with who have also impacted my life in very meaningful ways. I have developed relationships with the children and families over the years who have come to mean so much to me. It is through these relationships that I have learned what kind of person I can become and what kind of person I really am.
My relationship with my son is the most important to me. It is through him that I exhibit the most tenacious part of my personality. I push him to be better than just average, to try his best at whatever he does, to be respectful of others and not to be afraid to make mistakes. This is how we learn, when mistakes are made. The relationship I have with my sister is very important because she is someone I look up to. She has many struggles in her life right now and I am determined to be there for her the best way I can just as she was there for me through college, the birth of my son and my separation. I rely heavily on my friends for support, comfort and fun when the time comes and they depend on me for these things as well. I try to be a support for all of the people in my life and do not like it if I cannot be there when they need me. I try hard to check on everyone and keep in contact but with people being spread out and with various schedules, it can be hard but each time I call or go back, it's like I never left.
The challenge that I am learning now is maintaining certain relationships. It's hard to keep up with someone when you don't see or speak to them often, and I don't like feeling as if I've let anyone down. I don't do well with disappointment especially if I let someone else down! I've learned that this past week. Because I pride myself on being a support for others, and it really discourages me when they can't count on me, professionally or personally.
When I think of a partnership, there is a consistent contact of give and take. Each person doing their part working towards a goal, like in marriage. I think that some partnerships need to be cultivated and some just come into being. Right now I am trying to build a partnership with the co-facilitator of the parenting classes I just started facilitating. We are getting to know each other and I am still very new at facilitating groups. I sometimes feel that I am not doing enough in our partnerships and that hinders me from being effective with our parents. I consider myself a life long learner and have learned that there is a strong passion inside of me to better serve and impact the parent that are under my care. I feel that this is what it takes to be effective when working with children and families and I am glad I finally found my passion!
The strongest relationships I have now are with my son, my sister, two of my best friends who have known me for over 17 years. I have friends that I am coming to know and build relationships with who have also impacted my life in very meaningful ways. I have developed relationships with the children and families over the years who have come to mean so much to me. It is through these relationships that I have learned what kind of person I can become and what kind of person I really am.
My relationship with my son is the most important to me. It is through him that I exhibit the most tenacious part of my personality. I push him to be better than just average, to try his best at whatever he does, to be respectful of others and not to be afraid to make mistakes. This is how we learn, when mistakes are made. The relationship I have with my sister is very important because she is someone I look up to. She has many struggles in her life right now and I am determined to be there for her the best way I can just as she was there for me through college, the birth of my son and my separation. I rely heavily on my friends for support, comfort and fun when the time comes and they depend on me for these things as well. I try to be a support for all of the people in my life and do not like it if I cannot be there when they need me. I try hard to check on everyone and keep in contact but with people being spread out and with various schedules, it can be hard but each time I call or go back, it's like I never left.
The challenge that I am learning now is maintaining certain relationships. It's hard to keep up with someone when you don't see or speak to them often, and I don't like feeling as if I've let anyone down. I don't do well with disappointment especially if I let someone else down! I've learned that this past week. Because I pride myself on being a support for others, and it really discourages me when they can't count on me, professionally or personally.
When I think of a partnership, there is a consistent contact of give and take. Each person doing their part working towards a goal, like in marriage. I think that some partnerships need to be cultivated and some just come into being. Right now I am trying to build a partnership with the co-facilitator of the parenting classes I just started facilitating. We are getting to know each other and I am still very new at facilitating groups. I sometimes feel that I am not doing enough in our partnerships and that hinders me from being effective with our parents. I consider myself a life long learner and have learned that there is a strong passion inside of me to better serve and impact the parent that are under my care. I feel that this is what it takes to be effective when working with children and families and I am glad I finally found my passion!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Favorite quote
"I brought children into this dark world because it needed the light that only a child can bring."
~Liz Armbruster
This is still my favorite quote. We need to remember that children are the light of the world and they offer an innocence that only a child has. We as parents and educators need to do everything in our power to ensure that the light never goes out. Whether we are teaching the parents or teaching young children, we need to do everything to show how important our children are to us. So often they are getting left behind and seem to be an afterthought in our minds because we often question, "What could I have done?" All we have to do is care and the other actions will fall into place.
~Liz Armbruster
This is still my favorite quote. We need to remember that children are the light of the world and they offer an innocence that only a child has. We as parents and educators need to do everything in our power to ensure that the light never goes out. Whether we are teaching the parents or teaching young children, we need to do everything to show how important our children are to us. So often they are getting left behind and seem to be an afterthought in our minds because we often question, "What could I have done?" All we have to do is care and the other actions will fall into place.
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