Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1

Mongolia

I have not received a response from my early childhood professional as of yet.  So I chose to go on the website and read about the country of Mongolia and share some insights from studying it.

Mongolia, located in Central Asia is a country where poverty is a widespread movement, which emerged during the change that started in 1990.  During this time the state owned many farms, services and industries and all the cows, goats, yaks, and sheep.  After the country joined the World Trade Organization in 1997 most trade barriers were removed and the economy was much improving. The unemployment rose and the inflation and prices soared which helped many people get back on their feet. 

In 1998 it was indicated that 36% of the population of Mongolia including 39.4 % of urban population and 32.6% of rural population were living in poverty.  The following is a list of causes of poverty in Mongolia:

·         Collapse of industries

·         Bankruptcy of industries and establishments

·         Deterioration in social welfare

·         Unemployment (Poverty Statistics in Mongolia, 2002).

It is very difficult to judge the number of children living in poverty in Mongolia, because many of the females are the head of household and the small children ages ranging from 0-16 years of age.  Supporting families and their children who are suffering from poverty is one of the major concerns of the state.  The responsibility of some children at home were, looking after their sisters and brothers, fetching wood, and doing domestic work and others just end up on the streets.  The bad thing about it is that some children never get a chance to enter school, by no means dropping out. 

Mongolia’s social services provided access for underprivileged families, migrants and those living in the country areas.  Due to the health insurance scheme, which service was terrible, but also demanded customer charges to the people living in specific areas.  By the 1990s some improvement had been made, birth rates had fallen, serious illnesses had declined and infant mortality rates also fallen.  Malnutrition is a big concern in Mongolia, because many children were born underweight and lacking nutrients (CHIP, 2001).

One of the organizations that have come alone and help families in Mongolia is World Vision, it's an organization that partners with the people of Mongolia.  Helping them to improve their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their children, families, and communities.  Including:  offering relief  and assistance to rural families affected by natural disasters; providing shelter, safety, clothing, food, basic  medical care, and educational programs for children living on the streets and increasing access to education through workshops (World Vision, 2012).

                                                        Reference

Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre. (2001). Retrieved on January 21, 2013 from http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=countryo#12

United Nations Economic and Social Council: Poverty Statistics in Mongolia. Thirteenth Session. (2002).

World Vision: Information and Facts About Mongolia. (2012). Retrieved on January 21, 2013 from http://www.worldvision.org/our-work/international-work/mongolia

Sharing Web Resources

Name of Organization:  International Step by Step Association

                                            Tipa Tipa/Step by Step Haiti

 Website:  http://www.issa.nl/

 Organization’s Focus: offers quality and modern education opportunities to children from disadvantage environments, using an individualized child-centered approach.  This association also encourages participation from the families and local communities.

          This week we have been discussing issues about demographics and diversity and how it meets the needs of our students in the classroom.  This program has deliberately chosen children and youth as its target group and has great ambition to provide access to knowledge, books, internet, and the opportunity to all for life as equal citizens.

          ISSA (International Step by Step Association) reaches out to children and families without access to quality preschool programs. For many communities, a range of creative, flexible strategies can provide parents with the knowledge, skills, and practices needed to support their children’s development.

          I was surprised to learn that these classrooms were organized around developmentally appropriate learning and activity centers.  The main concern on peer learning is that it ensures that children have the opportunity to make decisions each day.  Particularly, the Step by Step program works to develop self-initiative, empowerment, shared control, respect, and appreciation of differences.  It also helps develop partnerships with special education institution and a teacher training institution.  Some of the areas are as followed:  

 

1.    Early Childhood (birth to age 6)
2.    Primary School
3.    Equal Access 
4.    Teacher Education
5.    Civic Participation in Education

          The ISSA topics below are covered in the International Step by Step Association site and support a wide collection of programs that provide a complete set of educational services for families and children from birth through primary school.  It has been said that these standards are important values to be followed by the professionals and administrators and provide the greatest support to children and their families.

1.    Interactions

2.    Family and Community
3.    Inclusion, Diversity, and Values of Democracy
4.    Assessment and Planning
5.    Teaching Strategies
6.    Learning Environment
7.    Professional Development

One resource I found to be useful on the site is ISSA’s Online Community, it is useful and you can join free of charge and is able to read relevant news about ISSA and also have access to the online library.  Also, you can join professional groups, discussion forums, and collaborative initiatives around topics of interests. To become a full time member, you also can have full access to the entire range of services and initiatives provided by ISSA.

                                                                       Reference:
International Step by Step Association. (2010). Retrieved on January 13, 2013 from http://www.issa.nl/

      

                                          ESTABLISHING PERSONAL CONTACTS:

On today, I received some information from one of my personal contacts, Joanne.  She works with the Center for Community Child Health at the Royal Children's Hospital in Australia.  The five themes on focus on were: 1. Development, behaviour and mental health 2. Obesity 3. Language, learning and literacy 4. Hearing and 5. Service development 
This website is very informative and provides a good overview of all aspects of the Center for Community Child Health, along with resources for parents, professionals, researchers and the community.  I hope to bring you more information in the coming weeks.

 Resource:
http://ww2.rch.org.au/ccch/list/index.cfm

 

 

ESTABLISHING PERSONAL CONTACTS:

I am currently in the process of establishing two contacts with early childhood professors outside the United States via email.  I have decided to send out correspondence to both Global Alliance and UNICEF websites and have emailed many professional contacts, but have received no response.  I am looking forward to communicating with these contacts and will post more information as I receive it. My main focus is communicating with someone from the International Step by Step Association in Haiti.

If anyone can contact me and tell me another way to correspond with Early Childhood Professionals out of the U.S., please leave a comment on my blog.

 

                                                Expanding Resources:

For part two, I expanded my resources as I explored the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) website.  This membership organization supports equal access to quality education for minorities and children and making sure they are treated like all other children and given the opportunity to reach their full potential in school. Within the context of child-centered learning and family participation, the ISSA supports a wide range of programs.  It is reaching out to children and families without access to quality preschool programs.  A range of creative, flexible strategies to provide parents with the knowledge, skills, and practices needed to support their children’s development.   

I also decided to look into the Step by Step Initiatives which is centered around child-centered learning and family participation, where you can open up and do research on Early Childhood (birth to 6 years old); Primary School (grades 1-4); Equal Access (education for social justice); Teacher Education (training for adult trainers); and Civic Participation in Education (Parent advocacy).   This site is very informative, because it gives you the chance to research on the different trends of different countries.  

Tipa Tipa is a program for children ranging from 0-12 years old and their families.  It offers quality and modern education opportunities to children from disadvantages environments using an individualized child-centered approach.  What’s good about this program is that it encourages participation from the families and local communities.

The role of the teacher in the ISSA programs is to facilitate children’s learning and create a community of learners.  Teachers should be able to create a climate for learning, intellectual curiosity, independent learning, empathy and caring. Teachers of this school are not only introduced to the child centered approach but are also given instruction on teaching methods for mathematics, science, social sciences, art, Creole and language development and French as a second language. 

GOAL:  is to expand services to reach families whose children are not attending formal preschools.  Additional programs include: parent-child activities, parent education workshops, adult education, and informal developmentally appropriate activities for children from birth to 7 years of age

                                                                        Reference:

International Step by Step Association. Retrieved on January 8, 2013 from

http://www.issa.nl/program_early_child.html