This week’s blog is based on the Early Childhood field and how quality in care make for a better program. I chose to read about community based solutions and how to link early learning and early grades.
The reason that I chose this article is to justify why early learning is more than play or babysitting as some parents like to say we are. In early childhood education there are many curriculum’s that are followed. In the head start program I provide services for we follow two curriculum’s (Montessori ) which teaches independence and ( Spark) that provides a set of services and supports designed to increase school success. I feel both of the programs go well together because they both share the same beliefs which is quality care and a lifetime of success.
This next piece is based on success within spark and Montessori and how they interlock.
School Readiness is the primary goal that we look for when gaining parents into our program, we prepare the children yet as Dr. McCarty has shared the school should be prepared for the child, I feel that the linkage between Montessori and Spark provide the classroom ready for the child by preparing teachers to think as a child. We provide a two year program where teachers learn how to think and work as a child, this is done to prepare teachers in providing the best possible care for children.
The next piece is based on success these programs provide parents and children with school readiness materials and opportunities. The key is to develop and provide parent friendly materials to use at home. This is known as consistency it helps create parent child programs where literacy, math and transition into kindergarten guarantee positive outcomes for all involved.
This last piece is based on the article working globally and three new ideas or insights I gained about early childhood systems around the globe. In analyzing this article there are many pieces that come together for the sake of the children.
The following shares how the centers come together to benefit quality care among all children.
- Coordinated strategies to support child development can multiply the effects of investments in child survival, health, education, and economic development.
- We need to protect children from significant adversity, in addition to providing them with enriched learning opportunities.
- The early childhood years are critical building blocks for lifelong health, not just school readiness.
Working Globally promotes innovation in Brazil, Canada, and Mexico, as well as across a broader international platform.
In these three pieces the focus is strategies, protection and readiness for all children.
As an early childhood provider support for children and families provide a better outlook of what is needed in order for a program to grow. Working globally helps many children in ways that they would have never received were it not for people and agencies coming together to encourage and guide families towards success.
I agree building blocks for lifelong opportunities are much more than school readiness it is more than academics it is making sure children and teachers enjoy what and how they are teaching and learning, also for adults to listen to children and not just hear them.
Some examples of what each program provides
Brazil
The collaborative Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância (NCPI) includes the Center on the Developing Child, Fundação Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal (FMCSV), the Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Insper, Sabará Children’s Hospital, and the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard. This partnership has been highly successful in creating a science-driven early childhood movement in Brazil.
Canada
The Alberta Family Wellness Initiative (AFWI) shares our strong belief in the power of translating the science of child development to inform public policy.
- supporting research in early brain and biological development, mental health, and addiction, and
- translating that research for policy makers, healthcare communities, and the general public.
Mexico
The Aceleradora de Innovación para la Primera Infancia, one of the Latin American Innovation Clusters, is anchored in Monterrey at the Universidad Regiomontana, a pioneering institution at the forefront of an extensive urban revitalization effort. A strong interest in adding a human development focus to their work led the Monterrey team to connect with the Center and learn more about our strategy for enhancing child outcomes through adult capacity building.
Across Countries: Saving Brains
A partnership led by Grand Challenges Canada, Saving Brains seeks to improve outcomes for children living in poverty through interventions that nurture and protect early brain development in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. The Center on the Developing Child supports a dynamic learning community of Saving Brains innovators to help them advance the impact and scale of their work in countries around the world.
These pieces are what each program has to offer, in reading the one piece that stands out is care for children and making sure that they receive the quality education they deserve no matter their living situation.
In reviewing these articles I have learned and come into agreement with Dr. McCarty that as adults we should make the school ready for our children as well as make our children ready for a lifetime of success. This creates substance and harmony among families and teachers.
We can all achieve goals with the right structure and guidance.
Quotes that help me understand why early childhood education is more than play it is a head start towards a lifetime of success
References
ecs@ecs.com
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Spark program
Montessori
rainbowchildrensite 
You know I hear people always referring to a Early Development Center as a day care and I hear people correcting them buy telling them its not a babysitting place. Its a place of development. A place where children are being taught. In Early Childhood Centers teachers follow a specific curriculum that is age appropriate for children. Great post!
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