Professional Hopes and Goals

           One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds is to make certain that I make them feel comfortable in every way.  I will make certain that I plan my activities in my classroom to meet the needs of all of my students.  I will make sure that my classroom displays diverse families' cultures as well as non diverse families.  I will create partnerships with my diverse families so that I can learn more about their cultures and their goals for their children.

            The one goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to incorporate workshops that brings awareness on equity, diversity, and social justice in my school that will branch out to surrounding school districts.  I would like to use these workshops to teach parents and other educators how to advocate for equity and social justice.  These workshops will also be a learning tool of how to better serve our diverse students and their families. 
            I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank all of my colleagues for your helpful discussions and blogs throughout this eight week course.  I have learned a variety of new things that will assist me in meeting the needs of all of my students.  I sincerely hope that you have learned the importance of social justice, diversity, and equity.  As educators remember that we can make a difference in the lives of the students that we comes in contact with.  Good luck on all of your future endeavors.  I would also like to thank Dr. Rosalie Parrish for her support, feedback, and professionalism.  It is because of instructors like you that Walden University has such a great early childhood program.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

              My families' country of origin is China.  The five ways in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive to my family is by first learning all I can about their native language.  They will be more comfortable if I am knowledgeable about their language and I understand how they communicate.  Second I will make certain that my classroom's atmosphere has a touch of families in different countries, the various foods that they eat, and their cultural beliefs.  This will give the families a sense of belonging.   The third way in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive to my family is to create a partnership with the family.  Parents will become more closer to you and they may even share some of the family traditions as to how they raise their children, what their goals are for their children and what they can and can't eat.  All of these practices are very important.  Fourth, I will make sure that there are classroom’s activities to meet the needs of all of my students.  Some students may not be able to participate in certain activities because of their religious beliefs.  I will make sure that I have other planned activities for these students so that they don't feel left out.  The last way that I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive to my family is by taking the time out to communicate with the parents about what is appropriate and acceptable with regards to adult child interactions.  In some countries children are not allowed to speak unless they are recognized first.  These types of practices are also important.

                I believe that these preparations will benefit me and the family that I have chosen.  These preparations will definitely give the family a sense of belonging because they will know that you have gone out of your way to learn more about their traditions, and cultures.  The students will feel more comfortable and accepted in the classroom because they will see pictures of different cultures posted in the classroom.  Because of these preparations the family, the school, and the educator will benefit is ways that will make the families' transition to a new country much easier.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

           At five years old I became a target of prejudice.  I was in line at a McDonald's restaurant and there was a Caucasian boy in line with his family.  I proceeded to play with him and he responded to me by saying leave me alone nigger.  At that age I hardly knew what the word meant but I knew it was nice by the look on my parent’s faces.  My mother put me in line next to my father and I asked why I couldn't play with the boy.  My mother then told me that some people were not as friendly as we were and that I could not play.  The parents of the young boy never acknowledged that what he did was wrong.  Everyone was looking really funny at the family.  Now that I am older I am really proud of my parents for not acting out of their character. 

            When we received our food and sat to eat my mother explained to me what the word nigger meant and where it came from.  She explained to me that some people are still prejudice and they teach their children to be prejudice as well.  This was the day that she also told me that I should never treat anyone different because of the color of their skin, their religion, or because they don't speak English well.  Being subjected to this kind of prejudice does diminish equity because we are all created equal.  But even today this has proven to not be a true statement.  I was judged because of the color of my skin and not the content of my character. 

            After my mother explained to me what the word nigger meant I was very hurt and disappointed that someone would actually teach their child to be a racist at an early age.  The only way that I see this type of behavior changing is that the dominant culture realizes that slavery is over and that we live in a totally different world now.  Our communities are better and for the most part there is no reason for racism and prejudice to still be a part of this world that has become so full of all type races.  In order for this situation to become an opportunity for greater equity we must learn to respect each other's differences and do away with being prejudice because we all are the world.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

           I experienced racial micro aggression from another time in my life even though the act was not directed toward me.    I was in a store that was owned by a Chinese Family.  I didn't go to the store often but whenever my mother wanted to make a club sandwich she would send me to get cold cuts from the Chinese store.  This particular day I was at the counter being checked out and a young black man entered the store.  He stood to the side and just looked.  The Chinese man stopped ringing my cold cuts up and starting talking to the young man.  You don't want anything get out of my store.  You people always want something for nothing.  I was so shocked at what I had heard.  It was an insult to me but I did not respond negatively because my mother had taught me how to react to certain situations when I was five years old.

            In my mind I knew that I would not be visiting his store again because I too am African American.  After I existed the store the young man asked me what was wrong and had he done anything to justify what had occurred at the store with him.  He stated I only wanted to get a pack of cigarettes which was behind the counter where he was.  My thought was that he assumed that all young black men would harm or rob him.   I could not believe that he used racial micro aggression because most of the immigrants that come to the United States are not always respected and accepted. 

            My Observational experiences this week have affected my perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people.   I have learned that there are great deals of people in the world that are still discriminated against every day.  I have also learned that stereotyping and insulting others can cause severe stress and harm to them, and last I have learned that what we say and how we speak to others can affect them negatively.  As educators we must choose a positive way to speak to others because this is how we expect others to speak to us.   Although we all often state that our society is getting better with micro aggression others still experience discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotyping of some sort.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

            The definition of culture was asked to a friend of mine of a different race, a family member, and a friend who has a different religion.  The definitions that I received were somewhat similar for culture.  The participants may not have used the exact same words but their responses shared commonalities.  They all defined culture as the traditions, customs, and religious practices of a set of people.  The morals and values were also mentioned. 

            The definition of diversity was also asked to the same people.  Again all of their responses shared commonalities.  Their definition of diversity was said to be based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and political affiliations.  One participant in particular stated that her definition of diversity meant understanding the uniqueness in everyone and also recognizing that we all are different.  She stated that her stand on diversity is that we should all be able to respect each other and celebrate each other’s views in a positive manner.

            The majority of the aspects of culture that I have studied in this course were included in the answers I received from the people that I interviewed.  For example the religious practices, their traditions, their behavior are all examples of what I have studied in this course.  Some important aspects were omitted during the interviews.  For example in culture the foods that are eaten are very important.  This is an example of surface culture (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  These are things that are easily seen, tasted, and defined (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  Another thing that was omitted in culture was ethnicity.  A person’s cultural group is related strongly to his or her ethnicity, which reflects the place of origin and cultural background of the person’s ancestors (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

            In diversity most of the aspects that I have studied in this course were included in the responses from the people that I interviewed.  For example they talked about race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and political affiliations.  The one thing that I thought was important was omitted in the responses and that is age.  People can be really biased when it comes to age whether they see you as too young or too old. 

            When I think about other’s definitions of culture and diversity I believe that my own thinking is influenced because although we are all different we all share some commonalities in our definitions of what culture and diversity is, and if we recognize the differences in each other and respect those differences we can overcome many barriers.

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J.O. (2010).  Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves.  Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children                  (NAEYC).

My Family Culture

              In the event my family and I had to be relocated to another country because of a catastrophe we would probably be devastated.  However, the three items that I would choose would be my Holy Bible, a photo album of my family, and my nephew's train.  The Holy Bible represents our religion, my faith, and it is my book that I rely on through good and bad times.  My Holy Bible also includes important documents such as copies of social security cards, birth certificates, and shot records, and school report cards.  My family photo album is filled with pictures, special events, and memories that we can look back at during tough times.  My nephew's train is the one toy that he cherishes over everything that he has ever owned.  I would really want my nephew who is only seven years old to have something that will keep him occupied and happy. 

             Each of these items represents our life, our culture, and our faith.   If upon arrival to my new country I was told that I had to give up two of the three items that I chose to keep I would be devastated as well as sad.    However, I would have to comply to the rules of the country that I will be living in.  Since I will have my immediate family with me it would probably be easy to give up the photo album and I am sure that I could probably find another train for my nephew but I believe that I would most likely hold on to the Holy Bible because the new country may not have the same religion and I really would want to keep my faith that I have and be able to read my bible whenever I can.

            The first insight that I have gained from this exercise is that culture is embedded in our hearts.  What we eat, the clothes we wear, our religion, our political preference, and many other characteristics that define our culture.  We don't need materialistic things to keep reminding us of our culture.  The second insight that I have learned is that if the need arises I can and will be able to adapt in other's cultures.   The last insight that I have gained from this exercise is that things can happen to us that can force us to live outside of our culture.

WHEN I THINK OF RESEARCH ........

I have gained several insights about research from this course.  The first thing that I have learned about research that is of importance to me is that results may not always come out the way I anticipated them to come out.  The authors of the course book has reminded me that I may start off with one question in mind and end up researching another question (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).  I have also learned how important research is to the Early Childhood field.  It is because of different theorists researching that we know so much about children in the Early Childhood Field. 

            My ideas about the nature of doing research have changed significantly.  I formally associated research with a lab with several people looking for cures for cancer or leukemia.  I hardly associated research with the behavior of children.  I now have a better understanding of research and the different ways in which it is used.  I am much more familiar with the different aspects of research and the different categories that must be a part of research.  I can definitely understand the importance of research in the Early Childhood Field. 

            I have learned several lessons when it comes to planning, designing, and conducting research in the Early Childhood Field.  I’ve learned that the best research always involve collaboration between those who plan the research, those who carry out the research, those who participate in it, and those for whom the results will have an impact on (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).  I’ve learned that I must not be biased when conducting research.  I have also learned that there are ethical concerns that must be adhered to when I am planning a research study.  Planning out the research will definitely prevent problems.  The questions of what is to be researched, and how, when, and where the research is to take place, who will participate and what data will be collected and how it will be analyzed must be a part of the planning process (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010). 

            Some of the challenges that I have encountered were not being able to identify the independent and dependent variables in my research simulation.  I used the course book and the assistance of Dr. Rosalie Parrish to meet and work through these challenges.  Dr. Parrish gave me some great examples and comments that helped me to understand the difference between independent and dependent variables. 

            My perception of research in the field of Early Childhood has changed in many ways.  I now know that research involves a variety of things that we can use in the Early Childhood field.  One way is how we observe students.  The question we must ask ourselves is how was the data collected?  Was I biased during the process of observing the student?  What type methods were used in the research?  Was qualitative or quantitative methods used to observe or interview?  One thing that has been modified is how I will plan research that involves children.  I am almost sure that I may have been unknowingly biased in my observations or interviews. 

            I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my colleagues for your assistance in my learning process in this course.  Your discussions and blog posts have contributed greatly to my learning new information that has helped me in understanding various topics from this research course.  Thank you Dr. Parrish for your helpful comments and all of the assistance you have given me during this research course.  Your professionalism and acts of kindness shall not be forgotten.

Reference

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010).  Doing early childhood research:              International perspectives on theory and practice (2^nd ed.).  New York, NY: McGraw-       Hill

Research Around the World

This week I chose to view the website http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/ which is in Australia.   Some of the current international research topics are:

Children’s Behavior

Play based Learning

Teaching and Learning

Language and literacy

Preschoolers

The Australian’s Code of Ethics is very similar to our NAEYC.   The latest early childhood research is Theory into practice and Advocacy and leadership. 

What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?
            I read about their day care center which is called the Long Day care.   It is daycare for children of working families as well as after school care.   I gained knowledge about The Research in Practices Series (RIPS).  This is an easy-to-read resource for the early childhood professional which offers effective new approaches for those challenging issues which arise in the care and education of young children (http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au).   This series covers a wide range of topics covered throughout the series.  These collections actually offer something to anyone who is interested in children’s early years (http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au).  

 What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

            I viewed things on the site that are very similar to what we have here in the United States.   The Early Childhood Australia Online site actually sale journals on its site.  Most of the things that I viewed concerning how they educate their children is basically the same methods that we use in the United States.   This website was really interesting and I am sure that I will find something on this site that I can use to assist me with my research methods.

Reference

Early Childhood Australia http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

Research that Benefits Children and Families - Uplifting Stories

          I have chosen to explore Option 2.  If I could choose any subject to research my topic of interest would be childhood diabetes.  The reason that I am choosing this topic is because my mother is a diabetic.  I am interested in finding out all that I can about diabetes because I have heard that diabetes can be genetic.    If it is genetic I would like to make certain that my brother who is seven years old is tested early on. 

            Since my research will not be restricted to certain rules and limitations I know that I will be able to come up with some great results.  My participants will be children who are from families that have diabetes.  This will assist me in figuring out whether diabetes is passed down from family members.  I will observe the diets of the participants and review medical records of family members of the participants.  This will give me some information on the risk that is involved in the children developing diabetes.  This study will be a long process because most diabetics’ are diagnosed because they have not eaten properly over a long period of time. 

            This research will make a positive contribution to the children and their families by determining whether diabetes is genetic or not.  If families know that diabetes is genetic they can then start to monitor what their children are eating and change their diets to assist them in a healthy way of eating.  This will be a positive outcome because we will all have healthier children because the awareness of childhood diabetes is now known.  Awareness is very important in childhood diabetes.  Research is very important and if it were not for research and researchers we would not know a lot the concepts, theories, and behaviors that are tied to Early Childhood Education.  As a researcher I will maintain professionalism and I will make certain that all of my participants are treated fairly.  I will not treat my participants as objects rather than subjects (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010).

Reference

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010).  Doing early childhood research

          International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.).  New York, NY:  McGraw-Hill.

My Personal Research Journey

My topic of interest is Cognitive Development.  I chose this topic because I have always been amazed with Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development.  I am fascinated with how children learn just as Piaget was years ago.  In the Effective Programs and Practices course we observed young children at various child care facilities throughout the course.  As I observed it became apparent to me that children were not less intelligent than adults, they just think differently than adults (Cherry, n.d.).  This was what Piaget’s thoughts were as well. 

            My personal experience with cognitive development came to true form as I observed the children in various preschools and child care facilities.  The knowledge that I gained from observing children learning proved that several of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development are indeed exactly what he theorized.  For example the preoperational stage which involves pretend play showed in several instances during my observations.  But the children still struggled with logic.  

            I have gained several insights from the course chapters for Week 1 and Week 2 as well as the research charts.  The course book outlines how to select a topic for research and how to design the research.  The research chart assignments has allowed me to become familiar with how to identify the participants involved in the research as well as how to locate the results of the research .  Knowing how to choose a topic and how to design your research is very important. 

            I am willing to share all of my resources to assist you, my colleagues, in whatever way I can to make certain that your research efforts are successful.  I am asking for your thoughts and/or opinions on my topic.  Any input you have will be greatly appreciated.  I am eager to hear from you.   

Reference

Cherry, K. (n.d.).  Piaget’s stages of cognitive development: Background and key concepts of                   Piaget’s Theory.  Retrieved from http://www.about.compsychology.

Week 8: Issues and Trends: Change, Contexts, Consequences, Constants Revisited

I have fostered and shared my professional growth by listening to podcasts and exploring websites pertaining to Early Childhood Education.  I have even gained knowledge from reading my colleagues blog links concerning Early Childhood Education in international countries.  There are several consequences of learning about the international Early Childhood field.  My personal and professional development has been enhanced by reading articles from the websites of Save the Children.  I have gained so much knowledge from the issues in Africa such as poverty, stunting, malaria, and HIV.  All of these issues have changed my personal perspective of children in Africa.  These issues have shown me that our government and our nation are in a better predicament than that of Africa.  Even though poverty exist in the United States we are far better off than in Africa. 

            The second consequence is that most of the international countries that my colleagues have shared information on in their blogs share some of the exact goals, and mission statements in the field of Early Childhood Education as that of the United States.  Some of the countries are also a little different because that put more emphasis on investing in their programs of Early Childhood Education.  They invest because they expect great returns in the future.   The last consequence of learning about the international Early Childhood Education field is that I can now bring or raise awareness to other Early Childhood Education professionals about the importance of Early Childhood Education in other countries and how we can advocate to our policy makers to bring our standards of our own Early Childhood Education programs to meet the standards of the international countries.  In other words we can advocate to receive better funding for our Early Childhood Education programs so that we can compete with the international countries around the globe.

            The one goal that I hope for is that we will all learn from each other and that we will collaborate together to advocate for better standards and more high quality programs that will improve our young children’s growth and development so that they may reach their full potential and become productive citizens no matter what part of the world they live in.

           

International Early Childhood Issues Week 7 UNESCO

The three insights that I have gained from viewing the UNESCO’s website in Week 6 is:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->UNESCO’s Quality childcare programs

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->UNESCO and Access and Equity

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->UNESCO’s Education in the 21^st Century

The UNESCO’s high quality childcare programs especially for the kids in the low-income households and the families that are at various disadvantages promote cognitive and linguistic development and school readiness (http://www.unesco.org).  Active involvement from parents and communities and relevant play and learning materials ensure that early childhood services remain relevant to the needs of the children and all other stakeholders and increases sustainability (http://www.unesco.org).  This statement ties back to one of my goals which is to instill in parents the importance of parental involvement.  Parental involvement is vitally important to the development of children in childcare programs.  Building positive relationships with the students as well as the parents is very important.  UNESCO is dedicated to promoting quality childcare programs.

In dealing with Access and Equity some countries have made a commitment to expand and improve early childhood care and education.  This is especially true for low-income and disadvantaged children. The government was urged to expand equitable access to quality early childhood services underscoring the importance of instituting policy in favor of the poor (http://www.unesco.org).  Alternative services are usually promoted to the poor children with limited or no access to mainstream the early childhood services.  This often raises concerns about sustainability and quality.  In some cases the government may have limited resources so they use what is called a pro-poor policy that allow them to redistribute some of the resources by reducing the state support for the more privileged children http://www.unesco.org). According to this article the government must ensure equitable distribution of resources among the different populations especially those who are in the disadvantaged regions.  Vulnerable children need equal access.
UNESCO’S mission to educate is one of its principal activities to achieve.  They are committed to a holistic and humanistic vision of quality education worldwide.  The objectives are to support the achievement for all (EFA) to provide global and regional leadership in education, to strengthen education systems worldwide for early childhood to the adult years (http://www.unesco.org).  They focus on increasing access and equity as well as improving quality.  They work with the governments and a wide range of partners to make education systems more effective through policy change (http://www.unesco.org).

Reference

All Information retrieved from http://www.unesco.org

Sharing Web Resources Week 6

When I followed some of the outside links for Harlem Children’s Zone it lead me to the Harlem Children’s Zone College Success Office.  This office assists the students who have graduated from high school to enroll in appropriate colleges.  It not only assists them in getting in the colleges it also helps them throughout their college years (http://www.hcz.org).  Statistics from the Harlem Children’s Zone shows that over 642 of the students who attended the after school programs enrolled in college (http://www.hcz.org). 

            In my search the one area that I have admired the most is the Early Childhood programs and how they recognized the importance of the first three years of a child’s life and how critical it is to their development (http://www.hcz.org).  They have three fantastic programs for early childhood education.  The first one is the Baby College.  This program has workshops for expected parents and those that may be raising children up to age three (3) (http://www.hcz.org).  This is a way for expected parents to gain knowledge about parenting before their babies are born.  All of these services are free of charge to all communities (http://www.hcz.org). 

            The second program is the Three Year Old Journey.  This program assists parents on Saturday’s for several months.  It focuses on child development, language building skills, and parenting skills (http://www.hcz.org).  The third program is the Harlem Gems.  This program is designed to prepare pre-kindergarteners for kindergarten.  The classes teach English, Spanish, and French.  This program includes 3 sites which serve 200 children.  It seems to me that the HCZ places a lot of focus on the Early Childhood programs because they know that the returns will be worth every effort they put forth to educate the children. 

            I applied for the newsletter but I have not received any correspondence back from the HCZ.  Each time I have checked the newsletter sign-in I get a message that states that it takes 2-3 business days for the process to be completed.  I am still hopeful.  The website does contain information that adds to my understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education because it provides education, social-services, and community building programs to children and their families.  The three barriers that we have discussed in this week’s assignment Awareness, Accessibility, and Responsiveness are barriers that the HCZ are eliminating on a daily basis.

            Each time I view the Harlem Children’s Zone website I gain new knowledge as it pertains to the early childhood field.  This week I was overwhelmed when I read about Harlem’s Single Stop program.  This program brings about awareness concerning people, securing benefits, access to legal guidance, and even domestic violence.  These sessions are one-on-one sessions (http://www.hcz.org). 

Reference

http://www.hcz.org

Getting to know Your International Contacts Part 2 Week 5

I am discussing the alternative from the Center on the Developing Child from Harvard University.  The Global Children’s Initiative center draws on lessons from our work in the United States.  It seeks to advance the center’s core mission globally by implementing a compelling research, public engagement and leadership development agenda in child health and development that is grounded in Science and engages researchers, public leaders, practitioners, and students from a wide range of institutions around the world (http://developingchild.harvard.edu). 

            I have gained several insights about Early Childhood systems around the globe.  The first insight that I have gained is how the first goal of The Global Children’s Initiative is designed to reframe the discourse around child health and development in the global policy arena by educating high-level decision-makers about the underlying science of learning, behavior, and health beginning in the earliest years of life (http://developingchild.harvard.edu).  I find this very important because if the decision-makers are educated in science, behavior, and the health of children from the very beginning of life then they will make the decisions in the interest of EVERY child and no children will be left behind.

            The second insight I gained was the information pertaining to (UBC) Un Buen Comienzo “A Good Start” which is a collaborative project in Chile which is to improve the quality of education in four to six year olds in language development through teacher professional development.  It is also designed to assist with health issues that would normally keep children from attending school.  This will help by improving the children’s health which will improve their school attendance.  The (UBC) also seeks to get and keep parental involvement from their parents.

            The Third insight I gained was how this article talked about how some studies have been successful in investigating the impact of Early Childhood experiences on children’s developmental, health, and educational outcomes in developing countries.  In Zambian Africa there is little evidence available on Early Childhood development.  Because of this several organizations along with Harvard University came together collaboratively to launch a project which is called the Zambia Early Childhood Development Project.  It is designed to measure effects of Anti-Malaria on the children in Zambia.  A test called the (ZamCAT) was created which is an assessment tool to assess physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development before and throughout the children’s schooling (http://developingchild.harvard.edu).

            The Global Children’s Initiative is preparing future and current leaders to build and leverage knowledge that will promote the healthy development of children and families and bring high returns in all of society (http://developingchild.harvard.edu).

Reference

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative

Sharing Web Resources Week 4

                My organization of choice is the Harlem Children’s Zone.  The information that seems particularly relevant to my current professional development for this week is investing in early childhood programs.  This is a good topic to compare with the Harlem Children’s Zone because Geoffrey Canada, the President of the Harlem Children’s Zone is doing whatever it takes to educate children and strengthen their communities.  In order for children to do well, their families have to do well.  And for families to do well, their community must do well (http://www.hcz.org).   This is why as educators we must work to strengthen families as well as empowering them to have a positive impact on their children’s development.  So we can see that it takes more than just educators to advocate for early childhood programs.  It will take the entire community which includes the parents, teachers, doctors, lawyers, and politicians.  The HCZ programs are absolutely free of charge to the children and their families and these programs are not funded by the government.  If Geoffrey Canada knows that investing in these children will produce a high rate of return later, what are we waiting on?  We can use the Harlem Children’s Zone as a model for where we want our school systems and communities to be and what we need to do to get there. 

            The information from the Harlem Children’s Zone website has made me see that having a dream for young children and their communities that will remove them from poverty can become a reality.  I have often wondered if it was possible for my community to improve and to produce children that will help strengthen our economy.  The HCZ allows me to see that this is possible.  We must develop the same attitudes as the Harlem Children’s Zone staff.  We must not give up hope.  The whatever it takes attitude is what we must keep in mind if we are going to help our children succeed.

            This website has shown the support of not only economists, neuroscientists, and politicians, but it has also shown the support of several of the United States President’s.  President Bill Clinton made a quote about the Harlem Children’s Zone that states “If you volunteer or give money to the Harlem Children’s Zone, you know you will get a high rate of return” (http://www.hcz.org).   President Barack Obama stated that “The Harlem Children’s Zone is an all-encompassing, all-hands-on-deck, anti-poverty effort that is literally saving a generation of children” (http:///www.hcz.org).   I am of the mind that if donated dollars to the Harlem Children’s Zone can produce high returns then governmental funds and grants can do the exact same thing for children as well.  Our objective should be the same as the Harlem Children’s Zone and that is to create a safety net woven so tightly that children just can’t slip through the cracks (http://www.hcz.org).

            The last thing that I gained from this site is the love and compassion that the staffs provide and show the students.  I love their attitudes and their whatever it takes motto. 

Reference

The Harlem Children’s Zone.   Retrieved from http://www.hcz.org