Reflections: The International Early Childhood Field

Over the past several weeks, my exploration of early childhood websites, the insights shared by my colleagues and the information shared by my contact Fran in the Philippines has helped me broaden my knowledge of the international early childhood field. This knowledge has benefitted me in many ways. Firstly, my awareness of the issues affecting the field of early childhood globally has increased. I came to the realization that many countries both developed and developing still have a long way to go in terms of supporting the field of early childhood at the level it should be. Issues such as lack of funding and resources and lack of regulations seem to be universal as well as false perceptions about the field. I also realized that the state of early childhood in a country is dependent on whether or not the government of the country views it as a priority. Sweden has programs in place that support children and families while the United States in my view has a long way to go. On the other hand, countries such as the Philippines are beginning to recognize the importance of the early years and are beginning to put programs in place but are struggling with the lack of resources in the presence of many other pressing issues such as battling extreme poverty and dealing with the geographical barriers of reaching all children in the many islands that form the country. 

Secondly, in addition to course recommended websites, the resources shared by Fran and my colleagues have helped me build up a great collections of international early childhood resources which in turn has compelled me to continue to stay informed about early childhood happenings internationally. Reading about global and national early childhood initiatives have been eye opening. While I always felt that it is extremely important to stay informed as an early childhood professional, I realized that learning about issues other countries are dealing with and the ways they are being addressed is extremely useful in understanding issues right here in the United States and in trying to figure out ways to address them. For example, I read of a program in Gambia that planned on using the existing primary school infrastructure to support a preschool program as a way of supporting early childhood in their most impoverished neighborhoods. Lastly, I feel very much compelled to stay in touch and collaborate with Fran as a means of professional development by supporting each other through shared knowledge and ideas. In addition, I hope to build up my pool of international contacts as well as learn more about and become involved in initiatives been taking by international early childhood organizations. 

            Many of the issues affecting the field of early childhood seem to be universal. There is much to be done in drawing more attention to the importance of the early learning years and securing more support for the field at a global level. I believe that if early childhood professionals, researchers and other practitioners throughout the world collaborated more on issues affecting the field and worked together on finding solutions, we would be one step closer to ensuring that all our children have the opportunity to get a good start in life.

Quality of Early Childhood Programs and Professionals in the Philippines

My contact Fran in the Philippines and I have been a bit behind in our communication. However, I thought what she had to say was worth sharing.

Teacher Qualifications: A college degree in education or a certain number of units on education courses as well as a Professional License for Teachers are necessary to be able to teach in both public and private schools.  Since Early Childhood Education was not a "requirement" until recently when the country implemented the K-12 curriculum, teachers in some small schools may not be required the license.

Quality of Early Childhood Programs in the Philippines:

 Kindergarten was only just recently required under the new curriculum and therefore there was no required curriculum for preschool levels until recently. There is also no governing body regulating or supervising our preschools.  There are many "small schools" that are found in villages, churches or even garages of homes.  Parents are most often the ones who would check on the quality of programs in the schools where they intend their children to stay.  As for the "big schools,"  the curriculum is usually designed to cater to the future needs of would be 1st grade students.  Access to quality care is not of priority especially for those living in poverty.  If given the choice, they would rather keep the children at home until they are ready for first grade as education is not a priority in their family expenses.  There are daycare centers and church organizations (who teach catechesis) which may offer free services for those who cannot afford early education but Fran was not sure of their conditions.

Issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals:

Many of the issues involve financial assistance and support to the early childhood programs in the country.  As many live in poverty, early childhood (and education at that) is not on top of their priorities.  However, the government is acting on this by educating even parents about their responsibility to send their children to school and provide for their schooling as well.

With regard to the teachers, there are colleges and universities offering courses in education specifically for early childhood.  These programs are important as the needs of children in preschools differ from those in primary or secondary school.  With the teachers' license test however, there are tests for primary and secondary school educators but none for early childhood.  Early childhood thus falls under general education for primary school teachers.  Approaches in teaching as well as how schools are run are mostly decided upon by owners of the schools who may or may not have any education degree. 

The issue of how to regulate preschools still remain.  Teachers' benefits vary from school to school and salaries are dependent on the employer (hopefully, within minimum wage).

Opportunities and/or requirements for professional development:

At the school she currently teaches in, Fran and the staff is given many opportunities for professional development.  They have access to on-site trainings and are also given the opportunity to attend any outside trainings that are relevant. While a Masters is not required, the teachers are encouraged to do so as it will support them in getting promoted as well as a salary increase. The school also provides grants for teachers to support further education.

Professional goals:

Fran is currently in the process of completing her Master's degree.  She has been able to apply her learning to her teaching in the classroom. She hopes to continue her education and share her knowledge with her co-teachers.  She has been teaching preschool for 9 years and would like to try teaching Kindergarten next.

Professional hopes, dreams, and challenges

Fran hopes to see the Philippines succeed in the their K+12 program.  She believes in the program but there are many are against it since it would mean more years in school resulting in a longer wait to become employed.  According to Fran, many also don't take Kindergarten seriously and see it as merely play time for kids.  They don't realize that play is work for the children and they learn through it.  Socialization in this level also is very underrated.  People don't realize what develops when 4-5 year olds interact and learn from each other.  Fran hopes that these perceptions will eventually change.

Global Early Childhood Initiatives

I have not heard from my contact this week therefore I decided to find out what the UNESCO website had to say about Early Childhood Education.  UNESCO advocates for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programs that addresses the development of the whole child throughout the world. As I browsed through the site I gained some very useful information and insights about the global state of ECE. 

First of all, I was pleasantly surprised to hear of a world conference on ECCE that was held in September 2010 in Moscow. The conference was organized by UNESCO and was the first ever world conference dedicated to the area of ECCE. It was attended by more than 1000 participants from 101 member states. According to the website, the Conference was successful in raising awareness about the importance of ECCE as a human right and a development imperative, and highlighted the global status, challenges and experiences of expanding quality ECCE equitably. It culminated in the adoption of the Moscow Framework for Action and Cooperation: Harnessing the Wealth of Nations. In my view, participation in the conference and ECCE policy changes that have been implemented since the conference shows evidence that world leaders are beginning to recognize the importance of ECCE and are making it a priority. The information found in the ‘Moscow Follow up’ area of the website highlights significant developments and follow-up actions that have been taken at the national and regional level. As an early childhood professional, I am very encouraged to hear about this increasing focus on the field of ECCE at the global level. 

                As I browsed through the website further, I gained insights into challenges that countries face in implementing policies that address issues of quality, access and equity in ECCE in their respective countries. In the Access and Equity section of the website I learned that while many countries recognize the importance of providing comprehensive early childhood care and education for all children, ensuring that access to quality care for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups is an issue due to limited resources. To address this situation, governments are creating pro-poor policies that directly focus on increasing state support for disadvantaged populations by reducing support for the more privileged. In Gambia, in order to increase access for the most disadvantaged children, the government planned to create Early Childhood Development centers for 3 to 6 year olds on the premises of primary schools in the country’s poorest areas. The goal was to increase access by using existing infrastructure (primary school buildings, teachers) in the presence of limited resources.

The Investment and Financing tab provided further information about the how limitations in resources is affecting countries’ efforts to improve and expand the quality of ECCE in their respective countries. Many developing countries have other pressing priorities which results in ECCE being pushed down the list of priorities during resource distribution. The website points out that engaging the private sector in such cases maybe an effective strategy. For example ‘The Pact for the Comprehensive Development of Salvadorian Early Childhood’ launched by El Salavador with the goals of improving access and quality of early childhood education and care in the country as well as increasing investments from different sectors of society for early childhood development. Under the Coordination and Integration tab I learned that another main challenge facing both developed and developing countries is in difficulties in coordinating policy development and implementation among the various sectors supporting early childhood efforts in a country. In an effort to address this issue some countries have decided to integrate sectoral responsibilities into a single ministry.

After reading some of the content on the UNESCO website, I have a better understanding of global initiatives that address the needs of the field of ECCE and the various challenges countries face in implementing policies that address ECCE issues.

 References 

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/ 

,

Advocating for Children

This week I explored the information under the ‘Take Action’ tab on the Save the Children website. This area provides information about a variety of ways in which the general public can become involved in child advocacy efforts. Save the Children states that one of the best ways to the support the needs of children around the world is to advocate on their behalf to the United States Congress. In order to make this process easier and encourage more participation, the website currently contains draft letters that draws attention to specific issues and advocates for solutions. A sender would only need to add their personal information to the letter and with a click of a button the letter will be sent to the local representative. The issues that Save the Children is currently advocating for include protecting global health funding and increased support for maternal, newborn and child-health programs, protecting programs that help to train and support health workers around the world and ensuring that all children in the United States have access to high-quality early childhood education programs. 

The web area that advocated for access to high quality preschool for all caught my attention. The program ‘Preschool for All’ would ensure that all four year olds in the United States have the opportunity to learn the skills they need before entering Kindergarten. The website states that while all children deserve an equal chance to live up to their full potential, two out of every five children in the United States is unable gain access to a quality program most often due to the high expense.  The draft letter on the website highlights several important points including research behind the need to support children during the early learning years, barriers preventing families from being able to access quality care for their children and why as a nation it is important for the United States to invest in programs for children. In addition to being an advocacy tool for public use, I believe that the research based contents of this letter is extremely useful in educating the public why they need to advocate on behalf of this issue as well as educate policymakers on why it is so important and urgent for them to ‘take action’. 

                 In addition to writing letters to congress the website detailed another opportunity for child advocacy. Each year Save the Children participates in an ‘Advocacy Summit’ in Washington D.C. that offers opportunities for participants to learn more about challenges affecting children throughout the world, learn how the right action at the right time can transform a child's chances to survive grave threats and discuss how helping children reach their full potential can, in turn, transform whole communities, economies and global realities. In addition participants have the opportunity to meet government, business and cultural leaders who are standing up for children and gather on Capitol Hill to advocate for children with lawmakers and staff, call for concrete actions, and promise to join Save the Children in holding these leaders accountable. For those that cannot travel to Washington, Save the Children offers options for online participation and as well online advocacy tools through social media. According to website, whether in-person or online, all participants take away an understanding of the most pressing needs children face and the great potential we all have to address them.

One of the greatest insights I gathered from my explorations of the website this week is the fact that although there are many issues affecting children today they can neither speak for themselves nor can they can they vote to bring about change. As adults it is our responsibility to speak up about these issues and make lawmakers aware of the need to consider these issues in their decision-making processes. In addition I realized that to be an advocate we don’t necessarily have to march on Washington, it can be as simple as writing a letter to your congressman or senator or calling them. One of the newsletters I received also stressed the importance of doing this. The tools provided by Save the Children makes 'taking action' even easier. By advocating on behalf of children’s issues in whatever capacity we are able to, we will be one step closer to having these issues addressed.