Week 5 - Getting to Know Your International Contacts - Dr. Johnna Darragh

Robin C. Miller

Blog Assignment – Week 5

            Unfortunately, my blog this week will be a podcast and a posting of three new insights I have gained about the early childhood systems around the world using Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website since I am still not able to contact any global early childhood professionals.

Podcast – Episode 4 – Maysoun Chehab

            Maysoun works for a Regional Early Childhood Care & Education Organization as a coordinator at the Arab Resource Collective based in Beirut, Lebanon. She has worked there for 8 years with other early childhood education practitioners, policy makers, and community members. The focus of this organization is to raise awareness about early childhood care and development as well as, child rights. This organization also provides trainings to early childhood professionals on best practices. The resources the center provides are translated into Arabic to cater to the needs and language of the countries (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Sedan, and Yemen) they serve and train.

            Maysoun says that the most rewarding aspect of her job was the project she was able to be a part of in 2006. Project Psycho-Social Support was based on the effects of the Lebanon war in 2006 that affected children, families, and educators. 126 schools were destroyed during the war which made it very difficult to education children. The project’s objective was to train parents and teachers about the range of social-emotional reactions that many children have when they suffer from a dramatic experience, such as war. The goal was to target and train parents first, since parents are their children’s first teacher then, train the teachers. The training provided parents and teachers with the knowledge of coping techniques and strategies that helped support themselves and the children to get through that very difficult time in their lives.

Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” – My three insights

   1.     Un Buen Comienxo (UBC) -  “A Good Start”-

                                           

This is a project that began in 2009 and is based out of Santiago, Chile. The objective of the project is to enhance school enrollment and attendance as well as the community’s social-emotional development by involving the family and the community in the children’s educational development. The overall goal of this project is to provide professional development training to help improve language development in children ranging in ages of 4-6 years old.

    2.     Zambian Early Childhood Development Project –       

 

This project was developed in 2009 by, the Zambian Ministry of Education, the Examination Council of Zambia, UNICEF, the University of Zambia, and the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. The project was based on the well known childhood disease that plaques the country, malaria. An anti-malaria initiative was set in place and began to spark interest on how it affected children’s development.  The project designed a feasible assessment tool for educators and practitioners to use to asses children’s development before, during, and after their schooling. The assessment tool hopes to bring a better understanding of child development to help work towards improvement of their education system in this ever changing developing economy.

   3.     Applying The Science of Early Childhood in Brazil –

                                                            

      Global Children’s Initiatives first program outside of the United States was, Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância. The projects goal was to use the science of child health and development in a collaborative effort to guide and build strong policies and investments in early education that will benefit the development of children and their families in Brazil that will produce a more prosperous society.

References:

Harvard University. (2012). Center of the developing child: Global children's initiative.            Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/

Kalinowski, M. (Director) (2011). Episode 4: Maysoun chehab. World Forum Radio. [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from                                                                                                                   http://cciemedia.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/WFR_04_MaysounChehab.mp3