A Child's Advocate: Three New Ideas Learned from UNESCO

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Three New Ideas Learned from UNESCO

The most saddening side to not hearing back from my international contacts is the gained professional contact and information that I have missed out on. I was really excited to hear from Italy, a place I have always wanted to visit. However, thanks to knowing the website for their UNICEF program, http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/italy.html, I am able to visit and get to speed when needed (thank you Internet).

On the website for UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, I watched a short video about Moscow’s kindergartens. It was nice to see the children experiencing their culture and learning with adults as well as their peers. They emphasized singing in their language as well as learning English. They dressed up with their parents in traditional garments and the excitement displayed by the adults to sing and dance encouraged the children. It would be nice if in America parents could attend the kindergarten setting with their child to sing and dance, but I feel that art and expression is being pushed far out of the boundaries for kindergarten.

I was made aware that the World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education website has stepped up their own language barriers. Besides English, there are now four other languages available in which to view the website material, those include, French, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese.

There was also an article that caught my attention regarding the inequality of child care quality versus costs. “Good quality childcare comes at a price, said Helen Penn from the University of East London. She estimated the cost at between $7,600 and $22,000 a year. In many countries she added, it is provided mainly by entrepreneurs. This exacerbates inequalities, the rich being able to pay more for higher quality service” UNESCO, 2010) This headline is something we have been steadily talking about in class. How can we improve on quality care when the funding is non-existent? Also, why is it so easy for some to see the benefits and need for quality education and care for all children, but others seem to think it is okay for now to set on the back burner?

UNESCO-United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/world-conference-on-ecce/single-view/news/market_control_of_ecce_is_not_an_option/

2 comments:

Caitlyn MarktOctober 23, 2011 at 4:21 PM
I, too, was saddened that I never heard back from my international contacts. But through the alternate blog assignments I was able to gain a great deal of knowledge. I, too, researched the UNESCO website, but focused on Africa.

I'd love to know the area of the website with the video of the Moscow kindergarteners singing and dancing with their parents.... it sounds very fun to watch.

Caitlyn
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tinaOctober 27, 2011 at 11:02 PM
Caitlyn,

I finally found the Moscow kindergarten video!

http://www.youtube.com/unesco#p/c/A164BB6DE3BDF60F/5/pFUm3emm5h0
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Personal Childhood Web

Terry- A neighbour of mine when I was a teenager. She was like a big sister in a way and treated me like my age instead of like a small child. I could confide in her and she helped me through a sticky situation when I was in high school. She taught me that although things seemed bad at the time and like there was no possible way out, that all things end eventually. That thought has helped me through some tough times in my life.
Chris- My brother. Chris joined the service when I was young, but when I'd visit him he never ceased to congratulate a grade or a new step in my life. He is someone who gives appreciation and shows admiration to everyone. He is intense to learn more about you and to help you feel better about yourself along the way. He carries my favorite trait which is sometimes hard to find- common sense. I hope I have gathered at least a handful of his knowledge and kindness along the way. His open heart and courage to do good is a constant reminder to me that there is more to people than meets the eye.
Kathy- A friend of my mother's, she was and still is someone who tells it like it is. She would never hide anything about the truth to me and she was comical in telling it. If I had a question, Kathy had a straightforward answer. Still to this day Kathy will not hesitate to give meaningful opinions and life lessons to me. I don't call her enough, but I do think of her constantly especially when life throws me a curve ball and I make some kind of joke out of it!
Louise- A friend of my mother's, she was someone I could tell things to that I was afraid to tell my mom. She would comfort me and let me know I was normal and tried to figure out ways to help me in any situation. She stayed calm and optimistic and I always admired those traits about her that I wish I could have found at home. Louise has definitely taught me to stay true to myself and not try to change to meet another's needs. She's also taught me positivity lasts longer and doesn't create as many wrinkles.
Melanie- She was a childhood friend who had a stable family life and was very intelligent. She helped me study and she helped me see past what other's thought to find out what I thought. Melanie is someone who I assume went on to become some kind of life changing scientist. She showed me dedication, and for a young child to see a peer unafraid of committment to something left a lasting impression.