Sharing Web Resources-Zero to Three

As I once again turn my attention to the Zero to Three website (www.zerotothree.org), I found myself digging into the "Behavior and Development" portion of the website. I don't think I can stress enough how much helpful information that this website provides. This week, I decided to look at the information they have about Early Childhood Mental Health. I have been in a situation several times this year, where I have had to have very hard conversations with parents about their child and the behaviors that we were dealing with in the classrooms. Having a "mental health" conversation can be very frightening for parents, and many parents don't even hear what you have to say, they simply hear the words mental health and think "they are calling my child crazy!"

ZTT gave me information this week on communicating with prints about potential issues with their child's mental health, and social/emotional development.

As I've said many times, the information on ZTT's website is a resource that I use for parents and also for acquiring personal information and achieving professional success, however, it is worth noting that the Zero to Three organization is non-profit, and supported by a board of directors. In 2012 their operating budget was over $20 million. I believe that this shows how the outside world (outside of early childhood, that is) supports the efforts of those that are trying to give information to parents and educators in order to succeed at providing high quality early childhood education.

International Contacts

I have been fortunate to have been able to speak with an amazing early childhood contact over the last week. Farrah, is a Masters student in the United Kingdom. She has been working on her MA in Early Years for 2 years, and works as a "reception" teacher. Reception is basically preschool, and Farrah works with 4-5 year olds. I was so excited to receive a response from her, and while we are at the beginning of our communications, I look forward to chatting with her more.

Our communication this week ended with several questions from me.
1. Following the completion of your degree, what are your plans?
2. How many other students are in your same degree program?
3. What kind of curriculum does your reception class use?
4. Is your school affected by poverty or have you learned about how poverty affects children in the UK?

While I have not been able to hear back from any other contacts, I have spoken with a colleague here in Kansas who has a friend studying in Israel. She is getting me her contact information, and I look forward to opening up a dialogue with her very soon. As a director at a Jewish preschool, I am very interested in learning more about early education in Israel. I'm also going to attempt to set up a pen pal type relationship with this contact and one of our preschool rooms at school. I'm looking forward to the challenge!

Web Resources: Zero to Three

There are very few websites (other than social media) that I find myself visiting every single day, however, Zero to Three (http://www.zerotothree.org) is a website that is up on my work computer, my home computer, and bookmarked on my mobile devices. It's a website that I recommend to colleagues, parents, and sometimes random people on the street!

The people at Zero to Three have a very clear mission

"ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development. At ZERO TO THREE our mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. We know that as babies, the way we are held, talked to and cared for teaches us about who we are and how we are valued. This profoundly shapes who we will become" (http://www.zerotothree.org).

This month ZTT's newsletter/journal is addressing the issue of maternal depression, and how it effects children in the home. Maternal depression is a serious issue and can have long term and lasting effects on children. While I do not have children, I have helped others battle postpartum depression, and know how serious and dire it can be. 

ZTT's monthly journal is worth the price, but they also have a free newsletter. Whether you subscribe to either, the website it definitely worth taking a look at. As a professional it is an undeniable resource. 

Establishing Professional Contacts

This week I was challenged with the task of reaching out to early childhood professionals in other countries and opening up a dialogue with them about what our profession looks like in their section of the world. I was very excited to start communication with people, and looked forward to having adult type "pen pals". I contacted representatives in Ireland, Israel, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and South Africa.
 
I emailed representatives from each of these areas expressing interest in getting in contact with them or other early childhood professionals they could pass me on to so that I could start communicating with them. I received return emails from Great Britain and Ireland, and both women said they would get back with me by early next week. The other countries I have yet to hear from, but I have reached out to several Israeli friends who are going to ask around for contacts they could put me in contact with.

I very much so look forward to creating these contacts! My work over the last 10 years has put me face to face with a myriad of cultures and beliefs, but I have never had the opportunity to speak with anyone about what early childhood education looks like. I am hoping to create relationships, share photos and stories, and possibly have friendships with the professionals I (hopefully) am able to come in contact with!

Expanding Resources
There are so many different resources available on the internet these days, but one that I constantly utilize professionally, personally and academically is ZERO to THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families http://www.zerotothree.org . It is an amazing resource that provides educators, students, and families information on just about any topic you can imagine relating to children. For several months I have been receiving their online newsletter, and sometimes I even use quotes and information from the ZERO to THREE newsletter and website in my newsletter that I send out to families!