Website: Zero To Three
•  What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?
• Behavior & Development
• Care & Education
• Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?
• I did not find anything controversial, but there is a section of public policy.  It provides information on how to influence public policy.  I had never thought I could make a difference, but the website shows you how you can help.
• What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?
•   The website contains information on the importance of and the impact of the first three years of life.  Economists, neuroscientists, and politicians can use this information to support the early childhood field.
• What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?
• I learned more about the maltreatment of children and the effects this has on their development. 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

I am very disappointed that I have not been successful in making meaningful contact with any early childhood professionals.  My contact from Canada did add me as a member of the Canadian Child Care Federation.  I posted on the website about how they deal with poverty, but have not received any responses as of yet.  All of my emails have gone unanswered.  So, I will complete the alternate assignment.

I chose to learn about the country of Kyrgyzstan.  Kyrgyzstan gained its independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991.  The country experienced many economic shocks as it transformed from a state run to a market economy.  They joined the World Trade Organization in 1998 and since then the Kyrgyzstan economy has been recovering very slowly. 

During this time of economic stability was as high as 60%, but decreased by 2001 to 47% with 13% living in extreme poverty.  There has been an increase of children forced to live on the street.  The percentage of children who attend school is around 90%.  Many are forced to work at a variety of jobs from agriculture to hospitality. 

The government of Kyrgyzstan has a number of initiative to help combat the poverty issue in the country.  The Comprehensive Development Framework has a 15 year vision for the economic future of the country.  the National Poverty Reduction Strategy (NSPR) is a 3 year plan with specific provisions to tackle the childhood poverty issue.  They want to avoid inter-generational poverty issues from developing.

Source: http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=chipactivities-nat#17

Sharing Web Resources

Zero to Three (http://www.zerotothree.org/) is one of my favorite websites for early childhood.  I subscribe to their newsletter, From Baby to Big Kid, which contains a variety of information from pre-birth through age three.  I often use information found on the website and newsletter in my Child Development classes.  The website focuses on the healthy development of all babies and toddlers, but focuses on those that are vulnerable and in need.  This can be attritbuted to the changing diversity and demographics of our society.  I am focusing on language learning in children, specifically Spanish/English.  I found  this on the website:


Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays in English and Spanish
http://www.zerotothree.org/early-care-education/early-language-literacy/songsengspan.pdf


The Canadian Child Care Foundation's website (http://www.cccf-fcsge.ca/) is in both English and French, showing they value language diversity.  The site is dedicated to providing information for providing quality childcare that meets the need of diverse children.  You can also subscribe to the online magazine called Interatcion (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=852413313200).  The Facebook group is a forum where EC professionals discuss current issues and topics.  For example, one member posted a question about breastfeeding policies at a child care center in the U.S. and other members commented.

Getting Ready—Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

I chose to contact early childhood professionals in British Columbia, Canada and The Netherlands.  I chose the countries because the majority of the citizens speak English.  I was worried that there might be a language barrier with other countries. 

In Canada, I visited the Canadian Child Care Foundation website.  I originally emailed Yvonne Dionne at the address listed on the Global Alliance of NAEYC website.  It was returned as undeliverable,  so I emailed an address for lkerr from the website.  In addition, I requested to join their Facebook page and signed up to receive the e magazine, Interaction. (http://www.cccf-fcsge.ca/)

The Netherlands have a website for the International Step by Step Association.  I explored the website and emailed Sarah Klaus.  As of yet, I have not heard back from her.  (http://www.issa.nl/)

I am looking forward to corresponding with EC professionals from other countries to learn about issues and trends from around the world.

In addition to the websites I have already mentioned, I frequently visit the website Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families.  I receive their newsletters and use the information in my child development class curriculum.  (http://www.zerotothree.org/)

**Update!  Today I received a Facebook friend request from Lynda Kerr from CCCF.  I am looking forward to corresponding with her.!