Research Around the World

For this week’s blog assignment, I reviewed http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

Concerns in the field of early childhood education in Australia don’t differ all that much from concerns in the United States. Professional development, how to better meet the needs of the families they serve, physical and mental health support and services, nutrition, and ethical practices are just a few topics covered on this website.

While I was not surprised to see these similarities between the two countries, there was another similarity that did take me by surprise: the need for cultural awareness and sensitivity. I was not aware that Australia had cultural tensions similar to those experiences in the U.S. There is a great importance placed on inclusive practices, valuing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. The movement to bring the cultures together is called Reconciliation.

It is interesting to see what other countries consider to be important, and where they are headed in the field of early childhood education, and how their concerns compare to those in the United States.

Benefits of research

    
For this week's assignment, I have chosen option two: selecting a topic research that I believe would greatly and positively impact the well-being of children and their families. For me, this topic would be the impact of budget cuts on programs which benefit young learners and their families.

Teachers from every state in the United States have seen the negative impact of a lack of funds for early childhood education (Boadi, 2013). There is plenty of research which shows just how important early childhood education is. However, it seems as though education is in a constant state of panic, unsure from year to year if funding will be available, and if programs will continue of be closed.

I would hope that this research would finally make an impression on politicians and policy makers. I know that research currently exists to illustrate this point, but so far, those in control of the money don’t seem to be paying attention. Despite the fact that they KNOW that funding quality preschool programs for all children is one of the best ways to invest in the future of our country, they continue to slash funds, denying services to thousands and thousands of children each and every year. My goal would be to find a way to make them accept this fact and act on it, not merely make campaign promises.

 

 Resources:

Boadi, K. (2013). Sequestering nation: cutting off access to pre-k education and child care.  Center For American Progress. Retrieved from: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2013/07/01/68644/cutting-off-access-to-pre-k-education-and-child-care/

Personal Research Journey

My new class is Building Research Competency. Disclaimer: research is NOT my strong suit. I get impatient with details and passionate about my topics and don't stay objective.
Anyway, I am supposed to pick a subject to research and explain why.
I would like to research exactly defines a quality early childhood program. In the last few years, there has been a lot of focus on the need for good early childhood centers, and much debate over what constitutes a high quality center: staff education, type of curriculum.....but no one can seem to agree. I am interested in this subject because it is a very real concern for teachers and program directors. With so many overseeing agencies that have different and sometimes opposite requirements, the field of early childhood education has become difficult.
Despite my interest in this topic, I am not sure how to approach it so that it fits the guidelines of what we are supposed to be doing, I would appreciate any suggestions.....