Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 3

 

 

 

   Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

Frist; I want to send my love; prayers, and condolences to the families whose lives have been unlawfully changed due to the Connecticut shootings.

Home-Based Early Childhood Services: The Case of New Zealand

 While reviewing the United Nations Educational

Scientific and Cultural Organisation[sic] (UNESCO) Early Childhood Care and Education website; I was particularly interested in the article concerning New Zealand’s position on early child care.  According to the information in this particular article, where the welfare program use to be in charge of early child care programs, are not under the supervision of their educational systems.

“Prior to 1986 in New Zealand, the Department of Social Welfare was mainly responsible for administration of home-based early childhood services. In 1986, responsibility for childcare (including home-based services) moved formally from the Department of Social Welfare to the Department of Education” (Valerie N. Podmore, 2002, p.1). What also caught my eye was that according to Podmore (2002) much more focus is on the “home base child care,” versus the “Play center” (we call center-base). According to Podmore’s survey chart, from 1990 to 2001 a drastic change in parent choosing home base center versus the play centers. Parents, especially parents with newborn want their child’s beginning years to be in a more home type environment setting versus a center type setting (p. 1). I believe that this particular setting is really becoming the trend for childcare… I certainly hope so.   

Curriculum in Early Childhood Education and Care

“Early childhood education and care (ECEC) poses a dilemma for curriculum designers” (John Bennett, 2004, p. 1), the information in this particular article is focusing on how to go about designing a curriculum that will be able to accomplish providing each young child with a personal educational plan, but yet not to interfere with the child’s natural flow of learning. 

A second concern is that without certain guidelines and or educational guidance could leave those who have not had the proper or current training lacking the qualification of providing quality teaching desired by the educational system (p. 1). According to Bennett (2004), those who are investing in the early childhood educational system will need to come up with a curriculum design that will provide teachers/educators with the helpful and needed educational information guidelines in teaching and planning individual educational needs to the young children without interfering with the child’s natural learning abilities (John Bennett, 2004, p. 2).  

“Partners”

United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation[sic] (UNESCO) has dedicated a full page to organizations and partners who are themselves dedicated to making the educational needs for young children are an easier at a much easier access and are of the highest quality. There are a great number of organizations the following information is about one of the many listed organizations:

“International Step by Step Association (ISSA) is an innovative network of early childhood development professionals and organizations primarily in Central Eastern Europe and Central Asia, working to make quality early childhood education accessible to all children” (Para 13, 1995-2012).

ISSA is an organization of members who are working together for the purpose that all children in the world have an opportunity to receive the highest quality educational needs there are available. I highly recommend a tour of this particular website to learn what the members of this organization are doing for the betterment of young children.

 

References:

Bennett, J., Directorate for Education OECD (2004). Early Childhood Education Policy Brief on Early Childhood: Curriculum in Early Childhood Education and Care.

United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation[sic]

Podmore, V., Institute for Early Childhood Studies (2002). Home-Based Early Childhood Services: The Case of New Zealand: Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation[sic]