Dealing with Poverty

Early Childhood professionals have to deal with the economy on a daily basis. It effects the communities and students we serve. Early childhood professionals have the responsibility of providing quality education to children regardless of the economy. I found some helpful information about poverty and education. I decided to visit the website of NBCDI National Black Child Development Institute. There I found “The whole Child Podcast” by Dr. DeHaney. The podcast entitled The New Poverty: Dealing with Economic Change addressed the effects the economy have on families, communities and education (NBCDI National Black Child Development Institute, 2013). Dr. DeHaney shared that today the poor children does not fit what he called the traditional stereo type. He also shared that 2/3 of the households contain at least one working adult (DeHanely, 2013). The economic Downturn is affecting many families and communities today. Because of the economic downturn more and more school districts are suffering as well. The podcast consisted of four panelists: Deborah Wortham superintendent of the School District of the City of York, Pa., and former assistant superintendent for high schools and director of professional development for Baltimore City (Md.) Public Schools; Felicia DeHaney, president and CEO of the National Black Child Development Institute; Kathleen Budge, coordinator of the Leadership Development Program and associate professor in the Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Department at Boise State University. Budge and Parrett are also coauthors of the 2012 ASCD book Turning High-Poverty Schools into High-Performing Schools (DeHanely, 2013).

The panelist discussed the types of poverty that is being dealt with the most today. Many of them agreed that situational poverty is affecting most school districts today. Many of the school did not have to worry about budget cuts before. Now the districts are facing budget cuts and families are struggling economically. Deborah Wortham shared some of the things that she was able to do to improve here school district is such a bad economy. One of the things that she did was to involve the community. She stated that she went from door to door in here district to talk to the community and share her goal and her mission. She also stated that the school district improved in spite of the budget cuts and the deficits. Two middles schools had to be closed, but the district and the students were able to benefit from the closing. The results were from making two or three of the elementary schools K-8. The move was made based on research that showed students prospered in schools form K-8. She implemented uniforms of jeans and polo shirts. This policy helps because students did not have to worry who had and who did not. She involved churches and other community originations to help purchase polo shirts for the students. Student attendance went up. Grades improved, students were able to meet their bench marks and the schools were able to meet AYP. Poverty is always an issue, but from the examples in the podcast, it does not have to slow down or stop learning. The main example was to focus on the mission statement and work hard towards the goal. There will be some sacrifices made. Research helps because the information gained from research can be used to implement successful programs.   

References

DeHanely, D. (Producer). (2013, May 2). The New poverty: Dealing with Economic Change [Audio 

     podcast]. The Whole Child Podcast. Retrieved from ec.libsyn.com/p/4/8/b/48b369cfca995be

        /wcpodcast5213.mp3?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d01ce8e32d4cb54b8

   d4&c_id=5646792 

NBCDI National Black Child Development Institute. (2013). News Dr. DeHaney Featured on Podcast 

     about " The New Face of Poverty". Retrieved from http://www.nbcdi.org/news/dr-dehaney-featured-

     podcast-about-new-face-poverty

Sharing Web Resources

The organization that I selected to share is NBCDI National Black Child Development Institute. You are able to find more about the organization and what they do from their website www.nbcdi.org. The organization was established in 1970 and their vision is to ensure a successful future of all children (National Black Child Development Institute 2013). The organization is a resource agency that provide “publications programs, publications, advocacy and trainings related to early childhood care and education; K-12 education; health and wellness; literacy; family engagement; and child welfare” (National Black Child Development Institute. 2013). The organization provides resources for most of the issues that affects children and their families. They address issues such as health, poverty, African American males in the public school, family engagement, and cultural competence improvement. The organization is also comprised of volunteers and provides opportunities for others to join or become involved. NBCDI is also a community based organization that welcomes others that want to join the organization. The organization also provides opportunities for individuals to start a chapter in their community. I encourage you to check out and join the organization. It provides a wealth of information that EC providers will find beneficial for the students, the parents, the community as well as themselves.

Reference

National Black Child Development Institute. (2013). NBCDI National Black Child Development Institute. Retrieved from www.nbcdi.org

Establishing Resources Professional Contacts

      Resources and contacts are important for every professional and the field of Early Childhood is no different. Professional contacts are an important asset for Early Childhood professionals. The goal for the course is to establish as many professional contacts and resources as possible. The more contact a professional have the better. The goal for this course is to build a wealth of resources through professional contact and to establish contacts with professional outside of this country. The contacts will allow me as an Early Childhood student to gain knowledge of the field in different counties. Throughout the course, I hope to establish as many professional relationships as possible from as many countries as possible.