Over the last several weeks I have been exploring Zero to
Three: The National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families website
(www.zerotothree.org). Most recently, I had the opportunity to explore more of
the Public Policy section of this site, and also received their From Baby to
Big Kid e-newsletter. This newsletter was more relevant to me personally, so I opted to discuss my exploration of the Public Policy section in more detail.
The Public Policy section was most relevant professionally,
because the e-newsletter is tailored to the specific age of my son. I was able
to learn more about President Obama's plan to improve early learning experiences,
especially for infants. Funding for the
Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Technical Assistance
program (MIECHV) was recently approved by the U.S. House of Representatives,
maintaining its current funding levels until March 2015 if it is also approved
by the U.S. Senate by Monday. This program is very important because it gives support
to services that assist families and provide services that will improve
maternal and newborn health, prevent child injuries, abuse, neglect, and
maltreatment, improve school readiness and achievement, reduce crime and
domestic violence, improve family economic self sufficiency, and coordinate referrals
for other community resources or supports.
This information supports what we have been discussing in
class this week, when politicians, economists and scientists support early
childhood education, and circumstances improve to allow for increased funding
and improvements in quality programming that will impact our nation's children
in a positive way for many years to come.
Celeste,
ReplyDeleteGreat information. This week's discussion focused largely on the impact that politicians, economists and scientists play in the role of education and while they all agree on the importance of education, we still battle over ensuring children receive necessary resources and a quality education. We can't afford to lose our children's futures to our inability to compromise.
I also believe that increasing funding for home visits is an excellent way to reduce the abuse and neglect of children by supporting the mental health of pregnant women and parents. It seems to be an obvious solution to address prevention of future problems that these families and children suffer from because of overwhelming stressful environments and circumstances. Thanks for you post, it was very thoughtful.
ReplyDeleteCeleste,
ReplyDeleteI also researched the Zero to Three website, and I also found its public policy section very informative. They have an action center where you can join in the efforts to advocate for policies relating to infants and toddlers. I also found the Infant-Toddler Policy Issues link that expands on good health, strong families, and positive early learning experiences. I think this website is a good resource for EC professionals, regardless of his or her role, as child development begins well before preschool. I think this site will be a useful resource for my role as a Head Start preschool teacher of 4- and 5-year-olds, as many of them are low in social/emotional development. Thanks for sharing your insight on this website. :)
Pamela
Great information I also did research on Zero to Three and it informs, trains, and support professional and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of the children.
ReplyDeleteVery informative. Thanks for sharing the information regarding the new assistance program. This is great for educators to know about!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post....
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