The Harlem Children's Zone had a recent article about how they are providing free WIFI through a neighborhood to try and close the gap between the digital world and those who cannot afford it.  There is so much that can be learned though the internet.  Also, some teachers are requiring research and work that is to be done through the internet and some families cannot afford that.  If these children are offered free WIFI, they will be able to be as advanced as any other children in the country.  They will not fall behind, causing them to be more successful.  

Reference:

http://hcz.org/news/

During the past few weeks we were asked to contact other professionals in different countries.  I have unfortunately not heard from anyone that I reached out to.  Which disappoints me because I was really looking forward to the communication I could have experienced.  Poverty can cause children to suffer from health issues, have poor diets and a poor education.  UNICEF is an organization that advocates for children and their overall well-being.  The health and rights of children are attempted to be carried out through UNICEF.  It is a great organization that genuinely care about children and does their best to provide for those in need.     

I chose to read a little bit into the poverty information about Egypt.  When I first hear Egypt it is not typically an area that I think would have a lot of poverty.  In reality, there is evidence of poverty in all places all over the world.  “Children are one-third of Egypt’s population today and over one-fifth of Egypt’s children are growing up in poverty” (UNICEF, 2010).

 

Table 28: incidence of severe deprivation, absolute poverty and income poverty, by household size

Household size                 Severe Deprivation        Absolute poverty            Income poverty

less than 3                           15.52                                     3.45                                        1.55

3-4 members                     18.76                                     2.36                                        6.02

5-6 members                     19.95                                     3.20                                        17.71

More than 7                       37.16                                     7.60                                        44.53

Source: authors calculations using Egypt demographic and health

Survey, 2008 and household Income, Expenditure and consumption Survey 2008-09

Every Child is Worth Something!

           So, every person/organization I emailed has not responded to me.  I am not exactly sure what to do when that happens… I have looked into a variety of sources including:  The National Institute for Early Education Research, The Global Fund for Children, The Harlem Children’s Zone, and The Society for Research in Child Development.  After reading through these websites, there is only one that has caught my attention and am able to read their newsletters and have them mean anything is the Global Fund for Children.  I signed up for their newsletter and am interested in what their corporation is capable of.  I still await to hear from someone that I tried to contact.  I feel I could learn a lot more if I talk to a specific person, but learning about children can be done in a number of ways.  I am going to try and focus on the Global Fund for Children and see where that gets me!  This organization takes children that could be sold into slavery and gives them better opportunities.  Children are my life and my passion.  If there is anything that I can do to give them equal opportunities, I will!

Part 1: Establishing Professional Contacts

I chose to contact a variety of individuals from various countries.  Learning about child development in other countries something that I am very excited about and looking forward to.  I hope I get a response from at least one in the next week.  Here are the individuals I chose to reach out to:

Haiti

Step by Step Program / Tipa Tipa
Dominique Hudicourt
Email: tipatipa@hainet.net

Romania

Step by Step Centre for Education and Professional Development
Carmin Lica
Email: carmenlia@dnt.ro

 Armenia

Step By Step Benevolent Foundation
Ruzanna Tsarukyan
Email: ruzanna@sbsbf.am

Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association
Dr. Betty Chan Po-king
20 Somerset Rd. Kowloon Tong, Kowloon
Hong Kong
Tel: 852-23396005
 Email: sannas@ycef.com

 Belarus
 Belorussian Parents' and Teachers' League "Step by Step"
 Iryna Lapitskaya
 Email: sbtbyst@openby.com

Croatia
Open Academy "Step By Step" "KorakpoKorack"
Nives Milinovic
Email: nives@korakpokorak.hr


Part 2: Expanding Professional Contacts

The resource that I chose to read through and subscribe to a newsletter from is NIEER- National Institute for Early Education Research.  The website is: www.nieer.org.
I chose this resources because it seems to have a number of things that interest me and could help me in my career every day. 

Some of the issues it discusses are:

• Assessment
• Special Education
• State Pre-K Evaluations
• English Language Learners
• Governance and Accountability
• Quality and Curriculum
• Economics and Finance