Saving Brains....India

Saving Brains is a partnership that is led by Canada called saving brains. Saving Brains mission is to improve outcomes for children that live in poverty. The improved outcomes are reached through interventions that nurture and protect early brain development in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.
Saving brains and changing mindsets programs in India targets Pregnant Women; Mothers; -9-0 months; 0-28 days; 0-2 years; 3-6 years; 6+ years as their service population they serve. The objective of the program is to show how effect it would be to have a workplace based child program that targeted the whole child so the children would have a place to go to unsafe places and to help them become competent adults.
The construction industry is the second largest employer in India with about 30 million workers with two-thirds of them not having skills which make over half of them live below the poverty line. The children of these workers were overlooked by businesses and not seen by the governments. Women that work for the construction barely or do not have maternity support or daycare for their children at the construction site where they work although the need is ideal for one. Because of the lack of daycare, 3 million children of migrant workers at the construction site did not care for and had their rights violated. The people are so poor they do not have access to proper medical services, good nutrition, safe environments, basic simulation, nurturing or breastfeeding that is needed for holistic care.If they can implement saving the brains changing minds, children will be safe and will not have to play at construction sites which are dangerous for all involved.

RESOURCES

The National Black Child Development Institute Stop the Madness: Purging the Preschool Pipe Line to Prison had an article about dealing with Mental Health Issues with preschool children especially those that are African American. One thing that is relevant is preschool children face expulsion rates three times higher than children in kindergarten through 12th grade. African American preschoolers are 3 to 5 times more likely to be expelled than their white, Latino, or Asian American peers (Gilliam, 2005). Teachers don’t feel that they are adequately trained to handle children with mental health issues, so they are sent home instead of getting the help they need. I have dealt with making the decision to suspend a child from school because of behaviors and teachers not wanting to put in the work to address challenging behaviors. This website has a lot of articles that deal with African American children and their families. As a young teacher, I would become upset when I would see workshops, books, and articles that dealt with a particular race, I found it insulting because I felt a child is a child, and they all go through life the same. As I matured as a teacher and increased my knowledge, I realized that because of our culture, we are going to respond to things differently because we don’t all experiences.

http://www.nbcdi.org

Bangladhesh

Poverty in Bangladesh







Although remarkable progress has taken place in Bangladesh, around 26.5 million of the 63 million children in Bangladesh live below the national poverty line.(UNICEF) Because of the lack of nutrition and health care, 88 children still die before the age of five for every 1,000 live births, rising to 121 among the poorest income quintile. However, the U5MR for girls has fallen at a faster rate than that for boys. (UNICEF) Around 46 percent of all children under five are underdeveloped, and 40 percent are malnourished. The mother’s level of education affects children’s growth and development. Notwithstanding the number of education policies and programs in place, almost one-fifth of children of primary school-age (6-10 years) are deprived of school enrollment.(UNICEF)
There are programs for children who are living and working on the streets, “Protection of Children at Risk “There is a constitutional recognition of the right to shelter for every citizen, but 41 percent of children does not have adequate housing. There are recommendations to address poverty and disparities and to help with the kids well being, and they are in these areas; Nutrition, health, water sanitation, social and child protection and education.
This article has given me insight into how other countries deal with poverty. I was astounded to fund out that children are working and staying on the street. According to the article, girls are married before them becoming of age and the life expectancy of children is very low. I know that poverty is a problem in the United States, but the people of Bangladesh problems surpass ours.

National Report - UNICEF. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/National_Report_Bangladesh_(Web_Version).pdf

Early Childhood News

Diversity in Early Childhood Programs

. Early Childhood News focuses on issues dealing with early childhood. I read an article about diversity in classrooms and how differently it looks today. In the past, parents searched for programs and teachers they could identify with, but today because of an ever changing world, children are being taught about other cultures. By teaching children about other cultures, it teaches them about respecting people different from them.

I like this article because it tells you what diversity is and what it isn’t. Diversity is not Black History or Cinco de Mayo, but it is instead learning about a person’s background that is different from them and learning about to celebrate and accept individuals who are different from them. Because of things happening in our world today, if we teach children to be respectful and accepting of people different from them, they will grow up to become adults who are accepting of everyone

References

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/

 

Resources

Early Childhood International Supports

I emailed UNICEF in Ethiopia and The Canadian Association for Young Children. I am presently awaiting their reply.

 Expanding Resources

The National Black Child Development Institute improves and advances the quality of life for Black children and their families through education and advocacy. 

Trauma Teaching Trauma: How Dysfunction Facilitates the Preschool to Prison Pipeline

I chose this article because I am interested in what happens in a child’s life that leads them from school to prison. This articles talks about trauma in a dysfunctional classroom and its effects not only on the children, but the teachers as well. The author thinks you should address and treat stress and trauma among school leaders and teachers. You should also provide in-school mentoring and fellowships/apprenticeships that engage students and the community.

My Supports

Factors that are important to me within my daily life is the ability to communicate. I live over an hour from my nearest relative and if I did not have the capacity to communicate with them would cause anxiety and depression. I use my phone and my computer to stay in touch with my children, grandchild, siblings, and my mother, and if I did not have a phone or a computer, I would not be able to communicate. I could write letters, but technology gives me the opportunity to connect and communicate instantly. Being able to check in with family and hear what is going on in their lives keeps us to stay connected.

The challenge I chose to imagine is that my ninety-year-old mother is ill, and I do not have any means of communication; I would not know how she is doing. I would not know that my mom is sick and that my family needs me to come and check on her.

The potential benefit of having cell phones and laptops is that I will be able to communicate people who don’t live close to me. I would also benefit from the ability to communicate because I have the capacity to keep up with what is going on in the world and with family.

   

MY CONNECTION TO PLAY

FAVORITE QUOTES ABOUT PLAY 

                                             

ESSENTIAL PLAY ITEMS

BUILDING BLOCKS

 When I was younger, it was understood that children would go outside and play. I grew up as the youngest of five brothers and one sister who is nine years my senior.My mom worked the night shift so we would play outside most of the day. In school, we would go outside to play, and the equipment consisted of balls, jump rope, sliding boards and swings. Teachers allowed us the freedom to play and use our imagination while doing so.

Children today miss out on the simplicity of play. Parents buy expensive toys and jungle gyms for children to assist them with their play. The will never know the accomplishment and joy of climbing a tree and riding the limb like a hobby horse or using items within the environment to substitute for a softball or bat.As a child, I was allowed to get dirty and play in mud while making mud pies.Today, our children have so much to play with; they do not enjoy the art of play. My hope is that children be allowed to have the freedom to express themselves and find their way through the art of play.

 Growing up was all about playing with my siblings and myself. We would choose teams and play in the super bowl. We were poor, so we did not have a lot of toys. We would use our imagination and used things within our environment to supplement our play. As a child, we would have softball tournaments with the neighborhood kids. My sister was so much older than I, therefore; I had to play with my brothers and I would play Batman and robin, superman, and rat patrol. As an adult, I like to play board games, and sometimes I play hopscotch with my grandson.