Sharing Web Resources

                                                        
   My web resource is the Harlem Children's Zone. While looking through their newsletters there was nothing that particularly struck me as relevant to my current professional development. I decided to search the website for other resources and information about something that would interest me. I came across a list of all of their programs that serve children and families. I was interested in looking through their early childhood programs. They have The Baby College which helps expecting parents and parents of children ages 0 to 3 gain a strong understanding of child development and the skills to raise a happy and healthy baby. To continue the parenting skills The Three-Year-Old Journey is another program for parents of young children to learn and share with other parents about their child(ren) and developmental milestones. Meanwhile their children are cared for by trained staff and they have time to interact and play with others. The last program that serves in the early childhood field is the Harlem Gems. This is a full-day, year-round pre-kindergarten program that currently serves 240 children across four sites. This pre-k program is to ensure that the children are school ready once they enter kindergarten.

   Throughout the newsletters I can see that there are many different newsletters and articles about the Harlem  Children's Zone and it's influence in politics. Working closely with New York City government is a way to get their name and cause out to the public. There are also influential connections to the White House. Back in February, some students and the then CEO, Geoffrey Canada, visited the White House and President Obama to announce and set up the countries first five Promise Zones which will be based off the HCZ model. This also could prompt economists to promote and invest in the early childhood field. There are newsletters as well that promote what neuroscience is saying, that high-quality early childhood education is the best way for children to be school ready and have success in their later years.

   Exploring this website had me gain more knowledge about their personal early childhood programs as well as their work outside of their own neighborhood. Branching out and reaching those outside of the Harlem neighborhood seems to be something new and refreshing to them. Visiting the White House and the President shows that their influence and passion does not just contain to what they are doing in their own neighborhood but they are advocating for educational programs in neighborhoods like theirs as well. these new insights helped me to understand more about how some neighborhoods are unable to have high-quality early childhood education. Many families are not being able to afford it or the resources are just not there. The Harlem Children's Zone is a place where the resources are there for children and families that need it.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

   I have tried to establish contact with many professionals outside of the United States. Since my e-mails have gone unanswered I ventured around the internet for different resources and organizations. In my research I came across the Save the Children organization. This organization works all over the world to make differences and an impact on children and their families that includes emergency response, education, health and nutrition, hunger and livelihoods, and much more.
                       
   I stumbled across where the organization serves and I was interested in their work in Ethiopia. They have had significant impact in Ethiopia since 1984. They have a huge focus on helping with poverty, hunger, poor health, a rising HIV/AIDS crisis, and education. Ethiopia's population is around 93 million and about 39% are in poverty. With such high poverty levels food insecurity is a huge problem. Current;y, 5 million people are chronically food insecure which can come from famines and poverty. Save the Children helps by trying to preserve and cover range land, increase access to veterinary services, and improve nutritional practices. With poverty so prevalent in Ethiopia a child's well-being and overall health is not being tended to and there is possible results of death at early ages including birth.
                                                          
   From this organization I learned that there are many places around the world that suffer from poverty. While looking through all the places that are served by the Save the Children organization I was overwhelmed by the amount of countries that are being served. I learned that intervention and response from organizations like this one make a huge, positive impact on children and their families.

References
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6150299/k.7399/Ethiopia_Humanitarian_Aid.htm

My Web Resource

   For my web resource I chose the Harlem Children's Zone. (http://hcz.org/) This organization's main focus is to reshape and refocus the community in Central Harlem. The project started in the 1990s and has since grown serving 100 blocks within the Harlem community. The Harlem Children's Zone help children and their education from birth through college age. Not only do they provide valuable education the the children and young adults but they also help families and the community as well.

   While looking over the newsletters I can see that their President/CEO, Geoffrey Canada, is a very vocal person and speaks out greatly about the Harlem Children's Zone and what they stand for. One article that caught my eye was about Canada speaking to the NY Times about why early education is so important. Canada goes on to explain in the article that a solid educational foundation is key in a person's success. The earlier we start then the more potential they will have in their later school success. He also explained that it is important to remember that while a child may be in a pre-kindergarten program, it is important for educators to continue to support them developmentally (Canada, 2013). I believe this article would be very helpful to many of the families and the community that he serves. It explains their purpose and and mine when it comes to early childhood education.

   I am interested in learning more from the Harlem Children's Zone as well as Geoffrey Canada their President/CEO. Many of their newsletter articles contain how their program is being successful and helping the children and their community. There are also links to various articles and videos that feature Geoffrey Canada as he explains the importance of their program and why they can continue to be successful in better a child's future. I hope to learn more from this great organization.

References
Canada, G. (2013). Start Early and Provide Support. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/02/25/is-public-preschool-a-smart-investment/start-school-early-and-provide-for-them-throughout

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

   For this weeks assignment I was able to try and contact several people from the Global Alliance of NAEYC website. I was very interested and excited to try and speak with someone in the early childhood profession about the differences in some of the topics we will be discussing. While I made several e-mail attempts to professionals from Ireland, Armenia, Canada, and the Netherlands I have not heard back yet but hope that someone responds. I am definitely going to try and establish a back up with the World Forum Foundation in case my potential contacts do not respond.

   For the second part of our assignment I chose to view the Harlem Children's Zone website. I was able to read about the program and signed up to be a part of their newsletters as well. The Harlem Children's Zone has set out to educate children that live in Central Harlem so that their ultimate goal will hopefully be college graduation. They not only help the children but the families as well. I chose this website because I really enjoyed reading about their purpose and how much they have accomplished in just ten years. In 1997 they began serving 27 blocks in Harlem and in 2007 they grew to 100. I can only imagine how much they have accomplished from 2007 till now. I am excited to find out more about this organization and what they have and plan to accomplish.