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.

My Supports

   In my daily life there are many different people that are supportive to me. When I think about the daily challenges and daily routines I can really see who is supportive of me and my actions. My family is a big support to me. My husband provides support by listening to me and providing me with advice or sometimes just a helping hand. Whatever my need is he is there to help support me and my need. He is able to support me and help with life's challenges. He supports me by loving me through all of my faults and flaws which gives me a sense of belonging and self-worth.

   My parents have been a big supporter throughout my life. Not only with my personal challenges but with any other challenge that I might have faced in my life such as educational needs. My parents helped support me developmentally as a child and even helped me financially with my education as an adult. With their support I was able to grow and continue to grow in life's challenges.

   My friends are also there to support me throughout my life. My friends are able to sit and listen and support me in all of life's challenges. They are able to give me confidence and friendship that helps me be able to talk openly about my life without judgement and ridicule. I am so glad that I am able to have the support of my friends.

   On a professional support my co-workers are a great support system. They help me with daily challenges in the workplace and are there for advising me if there is a challenge or situation. We are all able to connect and talk about what goes on in our classrooms and able to talk with each other to give support to each other. Our director also encourages this close support system because it really does help us to gain more perspectives with what is going on in our classrooms.

   Without my support systems I would not be able to accomplish all that I have in life. I would be a person that would not be self -confident and I would feel as if I did not matter. I think that having a support system provides me with life skills that I need to face certain challenges in my life.

   I imagined a challenge in my life that I currently do not have. I would think that being unemployed would be a huge challenge in my life. I would need a lot of support from many different sources to help me get through this challenge. I would need the emotional and financial support from my husband if I did not have a job. It would not only be hard on my emotionally but also financially as a family. I would also want the help and support of my friends and extended family to help me emotionally and maybe even by supporting me in finding a job. I think that this challenge for me could not be overcome without the support of these people. It would be difficult for me to deal with something this hard emotionally and not have any support from anyone. Thinking about shelter, food, and many other essential in life that require money when I am not making any is a big challenge that I would hope to overcome by help from my support system. Having a support system can make all the difference in who we are and what we do and handle life.

My Connections to Play

"Play is a child's work and this is not a trivial pursuit." -Alfred Adler

"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood." -Fred Rodgers

Some images that represent play in my childhood:

I would love to spend my time playing board games and puzzles. Being an only child, putting a puzzle together was the perfect way for me to do an activity that just required me.

I was always active outside and when I got my first pair of roller blades that seemed to be what I always did whenever I ventured outside.

   Growing up I remember having lots of times to play both indoors and outdoors. Although I would have rather play outside. My parents were always encouraging me to play and to explore not only my toys but also the outside environments as well. It also helped that I grew up with a large yard and frequent visits to my Mema's farm. Since I am an only child I had a lot of alone time and played by myself but I always enjoyed when friends and cousins were able to come over and play with me. My parents also tried their best to play with me and play games with me when I was younger.

   I feel that play today is somewhat different from the play that I grew up with as a child. A lot of children that I know spend most of their "play time" indoors. I find that the older a child gets the less active the child becomes. Getting involved in media and video games is becoming more prevalent in children today. While I do see kids in my neighborhood playing outside it seems very rare and not an everyday event. I think it is important for adults to guide children to explore the outdoors and to steer away from all the electronic games. While playing these games are not necessarily horrible and completely bad, I do feel that limiting them can benefit the child greatly. Children should be able to explore the environments more at home and at school.

   I believe that play was a big part of my life when I was younger and I have benefited from it greatly. While I did not know it at the time, I was learning and understanding the world around me. It was a way for me to make lasting friendships, be self-confident, and express my creativity. I think having play be a big part in my childhood has helped me throughout my life.

Relationship Reflection

There are many people in my life that I have positive relationships with and that influence me greatly. Here are some great influential relationships in my life:

My husband, Brandon, is a great influence in my life. We have been together for 7 years and married for 2. He has taught me a lot about myself and what it means to be a better person. We know that our relationship cannot survive without certain factors. We continuously love each other and care for each other. We also have communication and trust which contributes to our relationship. Even though there are troubles and arguments which happen in every relationship we work through them and continue to love one another.

My parents were the earliest and most influential relationship that I have. They have taught me so much throughout my life and I am very grateful for all that they have done. For us to have a positive relationship there has to be trust and communication. Growing up my parents always encouraged me to try new things and to be myself. Of course through my teenage years I didn't always think they were right or knew what was best for me but as an adult I can see now that they tried their best to raise me in a way that they through would benefit me and my well-being.

Through these relationships I am able to learn and understand that each relationship takes work and effort to maintain. I have learned that through my personal relationships in life that certain elements contribute to that of my professional relationships/partnerships in the early childhood field. Communication, care, patience, trust, and other aspects contribute to a positive relationship in the early childhood profession. Having this positive relationship with children, colleagues, and families all ensure the well-being of children and their developmental growth.