Getting Ready—Expanding Horizons and

Expanding Resources

In 1919, Save the Children was founded by Eglantyne Jebb in London during the wake of World War 1.  It is said to be first global movement for children.  Save the Children encompasses a variety of worldwide initiatives that focus on topics directly impacting young children, which includes early childhood education, health/medical care, nutrition, disaster relief, hunger/famine relief, and public policy. They are funded by contribution, gifts, and government grants.  Approximately 90% of the donations are allocated towards the mission of helping children.  The other percentage is used to support the program and fundraising.  They have programs in the United States, Africa, Asia, the Greater Middle East and Eurasia regions, Latin America, and the Caribbean.  To learn more about the programs in these countries visit https://www.savethechildren.org/us/what-we-do/where-we-work.  One program that caught my attention was the KinderBoost program offered in the United States.  It is a “two-week, 10-day school readiness program provides children and families the opportunity to get to know their new school, meet teachers and staff, make new friends and engage in early learning activities” (Save the Children, n.d.).

According to their website, “NIEER conducts academic research to inform policy supporting high-quality, early education for all young children promoting the physical, cognitive and social development needed for children to succeed in school and later life. NIEER provides independent, research-based analysis and technical assistance to policymakers, journalists, researchers, and educators” (NIEER, n.d.).  The information and resources provided on the NIEER website are extremely beneficial to me as an early childhood special education specialist.  In my position, I support special education and general education prekindergarten programs in public independent school districts and charter schools, so it is imperative that I remain knowledgeable of current research and policies to support high-quality early childhood education.

I have been a member of the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children for several years.  Their website is rich with resources, such as DEC recommended practices, professional development Learning Decks, journals, and position statements.  I currently receive their two journals, Journal of Early Intervention and Young Exceptional Children, in the mail.  The knowledge and information that I gain from these journals are regularly embedded in my trainings and technical assistance with teachers and administrators that work with children receiving special education services.  It is recommended for educators to be members of at least one professional education organization, the DEC is one that I encourage young special education teachers to join.

The National Association for Education of Young Children, NAEYC, has one primary vision statement that describes the overall purpose.  It is for “all young children thrive and learn in a society dedicated to ensuring they reach their full potential” (NAEYC, n.d.).  The NAEYC website is packed full of resources that benefit educators, administrators, and families.  They offer their members access to professional development opportunities, exploration of early childhood topics (new and classic), updated position statements, varying publications (books, articles, and journals), and a blog.  Their two journals, Teaching Young Children and Young Children) are chock-full of articles that relate to classroom teachers and parents.  Young Children’s article “Mr. Joe Becomes a Dad: A Former Preschool Teacher Reflects on His First Child Starting School” is one that I like to share.  It is a wonderful example of developing empathy for parents on the first day of school, developing a plan of action to help smooth the transition to school for the children and parents, and building connections with not just the moms, but the dads, too.

References:

Division of Early Childhood. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2018 from http://www.dec-sped.org/

Save the Children. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2018 from https://www.savethechildren.org/

National Association for Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2018 from http://naeyc.org/

National Institute for Early Education Research. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2018 from http://nieer.org

Valente, Joseph M.. (2018).. Mr. Joe Becomes a Dad: A Former Preschool Teacher Reflects on His First Child Starting School YC Young Children, 73(4).  Retrieved November 3, 2018 from https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/sep2018/mr-joe-becomes-a-dad.