FINAL THOUGHTS

The blog assignments for this class have helped push me to research early care and education in other countries and by doing so I have found a wealth of information I can use to improve my own understanding of the field, as well as make positive changes at my program. I have learned that there are countries who make children and their healthy development a priority.

Although I was unable to make connections with early childhood educators abroad, I still feel as though I learned a great deal about issues and trends in other countries. I would have loved to have had the opportunity to share ideas, hopes, dreams, goals and stories from others working hands-on in the field abroad. However, since I was not able to make connections I resorted to the alternate assignment and with the information I was able to retrieve though podcasts, web searches and reading posts from colleagues I was able to learn there are issues all over the world, many countries face issues just like ours. For instance, many countries struggle with poverty, equity and quality, just as we do here in the United States.

I also learned that there are people around the world who have a genuine interest in early childhood care and education. I learned there are countries that invest very heavily in early childhood education. These countries understand that it is this time in the child’s life that builds the foundation for their future. The United States could learn a great deal from some of these countries.

Finally, I have learned how important it is to receive on going professional development. Teachers need support, and they need to continue developing themselves in order to deliver high-quality in their classrooms. Teachers need to know how they can support families from diverse backgrounds.

It is my hope that through the connections I have made through this course that I will continue to learn and have the opportunity to put into practice many of the things I have learned. I want to learn more about how to help disadvantaged children living in poverty. I welcome any ideas from others as ways we can help to make high-quality early care and education available to every child.