Final Blog Assignment

Being able to share my thoughts and believes with my international contacts helped me understand that every country has similar and different challenges when it comes to early childhood education. One of the things I learned by listening to my international contact was that collaborating with other early childhood professionals will help find new perspectives to problems. Having different points of views can help establish a new perspective on how challenging a project can be. Another insight I gained from my international contacts is that most early childhood professionals have to struggle with establishing the importance of their work. With economies all over the world being down, many of us struggle with trainings and funding for projects. A last thing that I learned from my international contact is the challenges many families face to find quality care for their children that is affordable. Most families in our society are dependent on childcare, yet for the ones who need it most, it is still unaffordable.

After reading that most early childhood professional face the same challenges, I set a new goal for myself to find ways to support my international contacts. I am planning to keep in contact with Ulrike to discuss more challenges that she faces and try to find ways with her to improve early childhood practices all over the world.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

I spoke to my contact Ms Baumgarten. She explained to me that early childhood education is taken very seriously in Germany. Yet, there are many challenges as well. Families who are dependent child care often choose extended families or neighbors since other programs are rather expensive. Once children turn four, they can join Kindergarten but it is hard to get in. Kindergarten is not mandatory. Most parents have to reserve a place for their children when they first find out they have conceived. Depending on the area, the quality of the programs differ significantly. Kindergarten teachers have less of an educational requirement than school teachers. However, they still have to complete schooling and an apprenticeship for 2 years before being allowed to teach children. New teachers a often paired with a mentor teacher for several years as well. However, the challenges often come after completing their training. Once they are done, not many opportunities are provided to expand their knowledge or advance.
Ms Baumgarten professional goals right now are to educate herself more in her field. She has started taking up some more college classes but has explained to me that it is very  challenging. Germany does not really offer online universities so she has to take night classes at a college near where she lives. However, with a busy work schedule and family, she finds it very consuming. Her professional hopes are that Germany will offer more opportunities for early childhood professionals to expand their knowledge by offering workshops during school breaks or offering opportunities online.

Sharing Web Resources

This week, I decided to investigate the zero-to-three website further. I explored the topic of health and nutrition and found quiet a bit useful information to develop healthy eating habits for children. There were articles to provide children with healthy eating strategies. I think it was very interesting because I have come across many children who are picky eaters. The website offers several suggestions and ways to help parents provide children with the nutrition that they need. Eating healthy and having children get nutritious is important for their development in so many areas. Yet, parents are often frustrated or give in to their picky eaters without providing them with the nutrition needed. I learned many helpful tips on how to support parents through their struggles and help them succeed in providing their children with the necessary tools to help their children eat healthier.

Another interesting section was about children in care. I think many parents are dependent on other to take care of their children why at work. The section gives parents tool to what they should look for when looking for quality care and how they can improve school readiness with children. They also explore the option of families, friends or neighbors who may take care of children and why. The last section explores resources for parents and caregivers to help children develop key skills for school  readiness, including helpful information to improve language and literacy skills, thinking skills as well as self-confidence and self-control.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

 I finally made progress in finding an international contact. I found Ulrike Baumgarten, a elementary school teacher in Germany. She has taught for 15 years and is currently teaching a second grade classroom. For this weeks assignment, I asked Mrs. Baumgarten about how different equities are effecting early childhood education in Germany. She explained that it has a tremendous effect on the life of children. Kindergarten, for example, is not mandatory in Germany. It is actually very hard to reserve a spot and depending on the kindergarten, it is almost impossible to get a spot. Families reserve a spot in Kindergarten as soon as they find out there are expecting. Mrs. Baumgarten says that children who have been in Kindergarten often are more successful in school. Also, some children she works with are children of immigrants who still struggle with the German language. She is sometimes frustrated because some of the children are bright but do not have enough support from home.

Next, Mrs. Baumgarten explains that in Germany, school split in three different types after 5th grade. There are two vocational schools (Grades 5-9 and Grades 5-10). However, if parents choose those schools, their children will never be able to college. The last school is focused mainly on academics and has grades 5 through 12. This is the only school that allows graduates to go to college if they choose so. She finds it frustrating since parents make the decisions for their children rather than the children. It also prevents children who may be smart enough to get a college degree from doing so. A vicious cycle begins that many children are unable to break out of.

I found it interesting to see how a different country has challenges that are similar and different. Like in the US, upbringing and access to resources can make a tremendous differences in children's life and school success. Mrs. Baumgarten told me that children who have access to quality care in an early life often succeed without as many struggles as children that grow up in a more challenging atmosphere. Knowing that other countries face similar challenges helped me appreciate the services we have and helped me understand what services we need to offer to help all children succeed in school.