Learning about early childhood on an international basis we will have a better understanding of some children, open our eyes to the world around us, and adds to every teachers portfolio. As I stated in my reflection this week I believe that we, as educators, can learn from each and every person.
My goal is to continue interacting with my contact from Canada and try to learn as much as possible from her. This concept has given me an idea for my own workplace as well, how great would it be for other teachers in my program to connect with someone internationally on a professional level. My director seemed interested in this concept, as well.
I have enjoyed talking with my contact in Canada, the few times we have been able to connect.
It seems that Canada is very similar to where I live in the United States. They are struggling to teach others the importance of early education and are constantly asking the community for help. She has an equal opportunity for education and training as I do, which she seems to be taking full advantage of. As far as her education goes, she is pursuing her Master's in Early Childhood Education, as well. She also has a diploma in Early Childhood Education and an BA in Child Studies.
Her professional goals are her education and parent engagement. She would love to have her families more involved in her classroom and has already improved on that this school year. I am waiting for her response as to how she has made that change. I have had a lot of parent engagement but could always use more ideas so I can continue to switch my classroom style around.
The NHSA was a huge support for early head start and head start programs in 2013 by helping send 37,740 letters to Congress during the sequestration. These letters were from teachers, head start alumni, and parents to advocate about the importance of Head Start. When the Federal Government shut down in October of 2013 it forced 57,000 slots to be cut.
There is a pilot program that NHSA is doing called First Advocates - this helps train and guide parents on becoming advocates. They will be trained in; how to effectively communicate their story and message, how to engage state and national elected officials, and how to organize their peers and community. This pilot program may be helpful when discussing the barrier of awareness...by having the trained parents in the community raising awareness of head start and sharing their story. This is an interesting program and I am curious to find out more about it, I will be emailing my director to see if she has more details about it.
While browsing through the section labeled 'Resources for Families' it took me to an outside link - Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center. This is a great resource for all Head Start program! I currently use this for teaching tools and if I have a question about one of our standards. This website is also helpful when needing resources for families.
