Learning about the International Early Childhood Field

             I looked at three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for my professional and personal development began with the information I gained from researching early childhood on a more global perspective.  I began by choosing the website for the Association of Early Childhood International (ACEI) which is an organization focused on the education, development and well-being of children globally.  They developed affiliations with other organizations that seek to not only provide education to children from impoverished areas, but also include children with disabling conditions.  This opened my eyes to how there is not only a movement to provide quality education to children here in this country, but the need is far greater on a global scale. 

The second consequence of learning was that the advocacy for children’s right to receive early childhood education and the inequities that parents suffer are no different in other countries than here in the U.S.  These inequities happen to families of certain diverse cultures and socio-economic statuses.  In other words, race, culture, poverty and education are standard by which people are judged in other countries and these characteristics determine whether their children have access to the same quality educational opportunities as families from a certain status quo within that country.

The last consequence of learning that I gained from my international research was information I gained from an article about the three most important skills a child should learned that was determined by Asia-Pacific Consultants.  These were: 1) culture; 2) values and respect; and 3) history.  I never thought about how these three skills can impact a child’s sense of self awareness and how they view the world, but after reading the article, I realized that each of these factor into how a child envisions themselves throughout their life and how as an adult these skills teach us how to interact with others on a social and professional level.

One goal I shall work towards is to continue to stay informed of how early education impacts the lives of children on a more global basis.  It is important to be knowledgeable about the education of children here in the U.S. and internationally.   We can use the information gained through research, consultations and conferences to change, improve and develop more resources and growth in how we provide early childhood education to children.  It also gives me an opportunity to develop professional colleagues in other countries that I can interact with and use for personal and professional growth.