Personal and Professional Growth

Over the past seven week’s we have been studying about the early childhood field from a global and international perspective. My fellow practitioners and I have been collaborating with each other as we explored various avenues of early childhood including poverty, equity, and quality, and characteristics of being professional.  While these are just a few of the issues that we have discussed, I believe the information has broadened my understanding and appreciation for the early childhood field. To my colleagues, I have truly enjoyed collaborating with all of you, and I wish you all the best in our pursue of excellence in the early childhood field.

Three consequences:

a.  I began by trying to contact UNICEF Internationally. Later I looked into the Children Defense Fund.  I was not able to make physical contact but I was able to explore various websites that were very informative about the early childhood profession and children. The websites were user friendly, and very informative.

b. The issue of poverty hit close to home. Poverty is an issue that has devastating and lasting effects on children and families. I particularly liked what Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian Philosopher said about poverty, “Poverty is the worst form of violence” (Mahatma Gandhi). Identifying poverty in my own area made me aware of the lack of facilities to help and support poverty right at my own back door. Children are going to school, without proper food, clothing and shelter, it the mist of trying to learn. We must advocate for our children both at home and abroad.

c. The importance of Early childhood education both nationally and internationally. Studying and identifying international situations that affect how children grow and learn has helped me to understand and affirm that color has no face when we seek to educate our children. All children have a right to an education, and we must begin by focusing on those critical years of development. The same issues that we face at home are found internationally in the early childhood field.

GOAL:

 My personal goal is to help expand awareness and global efforts about nutrition, health, education, and the importance of our youth at becoming productive citizens with a bright future. I will continue to learn and support UNICEF in its efforts in the field of early childhood education. I’m also interested in advocating for children with the Children’s Defense Fund.