Getting to Know International Contacts—Part 1

Dr. Sriram is a department head at a University lab school in India. She has ties to an Ashram that has a preschool program, run similarly to an orphanage. The ashram is located in Goraj, a village near the town of Waghodia. It was originally set up by a visiting professor from Iowa.

My aunt, who is an early childhood professor at Purdue University, put me in contact with Dr. Sriram. Over the past several years, my aunt has taken students to India several times to expand international perspectives regarding young children and families. Through reaching out to Dr. Sriram and conversations with my aunt, I have learned that the Ashram was started “only to serve the needy and deprived of Goraj.” 

The Ashram is described as a “clean, serene and tranquil place where love for humanity abundantly bubbles through all corners, exploiting natural resources in the most sustainable manner using cutting edge technologies in renewable energy even though tucked in a remote tribal belt. This has made the ashram a self-reliant homogeneous unit.”

My aunt was able to visit the Ashram along with Dr. Sriram, and they agree that only a visit to the Ashram can describe what it is really like.  The Ashram’s mission is:
"To serve the deficient and needy sections of the society, without regards to cast, creed, religion or financial status of the recipient, employing the best available appropriate technologies and in complete harmony with the nature."

Although providing high-quality early childhood educational opportunities to young children living in poverty in important, I have learned this week that additional services must be initiated to provide a more holistic approach.  In addition to providing early childhood education, the Ashram focuses on providing health care and social services, alternative energy, and farming opportunities to locals. Work at the Ashram is based on the teaching of Mahatma Gandhi, focusing attention on equality and social justice.   

Sharing Web Resources

The name of the early childhood organization I have selected to explore is the National Black Child Development Institute. To find more information about this organization, follow the following link:

http://www.nbcdi.org/

NBCDI is a national early childhood organization working exclusively towards the success and well-being of Black children, particularly those between the ages of birth through 8. The organization serves as a "powerful and effective voice on issues related to the education, care, and health of Black children and their families" (http://www.nbcdi.org/).

Focusing on the strengths and needs of our communities through a culturally competent lens, National Black Child Development Institute serves as a "national resource agency providing programs, publications, advocacy and trainings related to early childhood care and education; K-12 education; health and wellness; literacy; family engagement; and child welfare" (http://www.nbcdi.org/).

Working in an under-served neighborhood with few resources, everyday I see the consequences of a neglected community. NBCDI shares a quote in the description of what they do that caught my attention: 

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."

-Frederick Douglass

This speaks to the importance of our constant search for equity in education, and the need to offer high-quality early childhood programs for all children!  

Connecting this to our discussion this week about the growing diversity in the country, the NBCDI posted a recent podcast of a conversation with Dr. DeHaney describing "The New Face of Poverty." In the discussion, Dr. DeHaney talks about how schools need to be prepared to deal with children from all economic backgrounds. She says, "The context in which families come to us is very important. We have to be ready for these children, and we have to work with our schools as partners beyond our traditional means of engagement."  

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

This week I attempted to establish contact with early childhood professionals in Singapore, Serbia, and India. I was particularly interested in Singapore because much of the work I do for early math comes from Singapore. Singapore is a world leader in math instruction, and I am fascinated to learn more about what foundations are build during the early childhood years. Unfortunately, the contact listed by the Global Alliance of the NAEYC has an email address posted that is "permanently disabled," which I only learned after composing a long and thoughtful email to her!

2 of my aunts are Early Childhood professors, one at Kansas State University and one retired from Purdue University. They have done some work internationally, and I have reached out to them to "borrow" several of the contacts abroad. They are attempting to put me in touch with someone in Belgrade, Serbia, and several people at a University Lab School in India. One of my aunts has some contact with an ashram in India who runs a preschool program that she described as more like an orphanage. I'm interested to learn more about that.

In choosing the early childhood organization to study, I explored websites that appeared most relavant to the work that I do currently. I would suggest that when others are looking for an organization to study, base your decision off of what drives your passion for the field.

I have worked for the last 5 years in a chronically underserved community on the West Side of Chicago. Like many of the neighborhoods in the city, this community is highly segregated, as all of my students over the past 5 years are African American. For most of my families, I have seen first hand how local opportunities and resources are scarce. National Black Child Development Institute is working to to ensure that society provides opportunity for all children to have successful futures.

Resources included by this organization includes information on health and well-being, a framework for "what works," and suggestions for developing cultural competency. They also share links to resources shared by partner organizations. I have chosen to study this organization as we explore issues and trends in the field.