Sharing Web Resources

While looking at the Step by Step Foundation website, I saw that they had an e-newsletter.  As I look through some of their e-newsletter, I saw that they had an e-newsletter that talk about the well-being of children. The ISSA had launched an Online Databases of Human, Technical, and Institutional ECDE Resources in the CEE/CIS Region, the result of a partnership project between ISSA and UNICEF. The Databases provide rich information about policies, resources, and initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS), which guarantee and promote the rights of young children. In addition to providing details with respect to human, technical, and institutional resources in 26 countries of the region, these Databases also include information on relevant policies and legislative frameworks, as well as information on whether these resources are involved in or prepared for disaster risk reduction and emergency response.

The address of the website is www.issa.nl/issadatabases.html. User login name: issadatabases@issa.hu
Password: user01.

 ISSA Newsletter states across the region, a great deal needs to be done both in terms of designing comprehensive early childhood strategies and of ensuring their effective implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. This statement along is what made me think differently about the mindset of the economists, neurologist, and the politicians.  Are they really looking out for our children, or are they just trying to save money?

The e-newsletter helped me to understand my question that I mention earlier. According to ISSA Newsletter, ISSA and UNICEF welcome the fact that more and more development partners and governments in the region are beginning to pay closer attention to holistic policies and programs for young children. Therefore, greater attention is being directed to child poverty and its implications for the young, as well as the uniquely intertwined health, development, and protection needs of infants and young children (ISSA, 2010).

The e-newsletter helped broaden my thinking by showing me that these databases are intended to be a critical source of information to address this gap and to enable efforts to promote coordination and cooperation among key ECD players.

Reference

Izsak, E. (2010, Summer). ISSA and UNICEF Launch Databases of Early Childhood Development and Education Human, Technical, and Institutional Resources in CEE/CIS Region. Retrieved January 28, 2012, from http://www.issa.nl/newsletter/10/summer/topic2.html

Getting to Know Your International Contacts Part 1

For this assignment, I had to ask my partners that I had established contact with from the Step by Step Program Foundation to help me understand the issues of poverty they encounter in their professional lives, as well as, those they are concerned about throughout the world. One of them replied to me saying, “I am sending you link of the UNICEF study from 2009 where you can find some data about poverty, non-employment and children's well being. She also said, “On UNICEF site, you can find some other studies. The name of this contact is Suzana Kiradziska, and she is the Executive Director for the Foundation for Educational and Cultural Initiatives, "Step by Step" Macedonia.

I went to the UNICEF website and read about the Well-being of children and young people in difficult economic times. I found out that “the main objective of the study was to identify and analyze the effects of the difficult economic times and the current economic crisis on the well-being of children and young people throughout the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.” Also, the study was done to see how many families were most at risk in the difficult economic times.

Since I have establish contact with my two international partners, I have learned that it is better to have more than one contact to collaborate with because sometimes you may only get one responds to your question. For instance, I emailed both of my contacts and only one emailed back in time to write my blog assignment. I have also, learned about the economic crisis that they are facing in Macedonia. For example, “In countries already undergoing difficult economic times, such as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the global financial crisis exacerbated pre-existing problems such as limited foreign investment and high rates of unemployment and poverty, all of which contribute to extreme levels of social insecurity (Gerovska, 2010).

Reading about the poverty issues in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has given me new insight on an international level of economic crisis. Poverty is everywhere, and it is affecting our children, families, and educational growth. There has to be something that can be done about our financial and economic crisis all over the world. I believe if you start in your own home than you would be able to help others around the world. But you must take care of home first.

Reference

Gerovska (personal communication, January 20, 2012) noted her personal experience understanding about the specific issues of poverty she encountered in her professional life, as well as, those she are concerned about throughout the world.

Gerovska-Mitev, M. (2010). The Well-Being of Children and Young People in Difficult Economic Times. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://www.unicef.org/tfyrmacedonia/STUDIJA_ENG_Final%281%29.pdf

Sharing Web Resources

For this blog assignment, I selected Bulgaria Step By Step Program Foundation as my international website. As for my contact person with the program, I have established contact with Emil Buzov. Emil answered my email asking me what she can do to help me with my blog assignment. Emil is a faculty teacher preparing future students in UNI. She also is an executive director of education NGO. She seemed eager to help me learn more about initiatives and policies of her organization. I am grateful that she answered my email.

Assoc. Prof. Emil Buzov, Ph.D - Executive director

доц. д-р Емил Бузов - Изпълнителен директор

 Step by Step Program Foundation

Bulgaria, Sofia - 1000, str. "Bacho Kiro " 14,

office phones: 00 359 9804942 or 00 359 9805712 or cell phone: 00 359 888 215779

www.stepbystep-bg.org,

emil.step@bitex.com

International Step By Step Association

http://www.issa.nl/network/bulgaria/bulgaria.html

Step by Step Program Foundation/Bulgaria is a non-governmental organization working in the field of the Bulgarian education since 1994.

                   

Vision

Quality education for the XXI century

Mission

As an educational model, the Step by Step Program - Bulgaria spreads ideas concerning the implementation of the following activities through using democratic principles for education:

• Offering educational technologies and strategies connected with interactive teaching methods and organization of the school environment;
• Monitoring, evaluation and research of educational projects;
• Developing specific projects in the field of permanent education as well as training and re-training teachers.

Connected to this, the Step by Step Program Foundation conducts the following projects:

• Infant and Toddler Groups Project
• Preschool Project
• Primary School Project
• Higher Education Project
• Children with Special Educational Needs Project
• Boards of School Trustees Project
• Municipality - Model Site Project
• Special Schools Project

The things that caught my attention about their website was they conduct a lot of projects. They seem to cover a lot of educational ground from infant through higher education to children with special needs to special schools projects. They also invest in re-training their teachers to better their academic skills. I believe that is a brilliant idea because in order to produce successful children, they must have well qualified teachers to teach them. I also believe that if more programs invest in their teacher’s education, then they will be able to prevent a lot of the issues that they have with their children developmental growth. 

Reference

Buzov, E. (2010). Step by Step Program Foundation Bulgaria. Retrieved January 14, 2012, from http://www.issa.nl/network/bulgaria/bulgaria.html

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

I have been trying to locate and contact two early childhood professionals outside of the United States. I have emailed two early childhood professionals, asking them to help me with my blog assignment for my early childhood class. I am still awaiting their reply to my email. If they don’t respond back by Monday of next week, I will try to locate two more early childhood professionals somewhere else before I try the alternative assignment for Part 1. I choose those two organizations because I wanted to learn more about their country, and how their early childhood education systems work. I decided to study The Global Alliance of NAEYC because they had several countries that I wanted to explore and learn. I tried contacting Mr. Erica Atmore at the National Early Childhood Development Alliance, and I also tried contacting Emil Buzov at Step by Step Program Foundation Bulgaria. I hope they will contact me back, so I can start my journey of understanding their perspectives on some of the issues and trends explored in this course. Hopefully, you all have stated your journey as well because it doesn’t seem too easy to find contacts on the other side of the world. If you have made any contacts, please inform me on who I can contact, so I can get this show on the road.