Continuing to Contact my International Contacts (Educators)
For any of my classmates who have been making comments to my blog, I have not had luck in getting the persons I have contacted to answer my emails.  I am trying a different set of contacts and I have contacted my former director to see if she can provide me with a list of contacts she knows.

I also retrieved information from the podcast and was very interested in learning more about the "Mother Earth's Children's Charter School" in Canada and its indigenous teachings.  I read about their mission and vision statements and how no child is left behind.

The school's philosophy is as follows:

MECCS believes that there are four needs that must be met for every child to be able to succeed.  Every child feels the need:

• for Belonging (I mean something to you),
• for Mastery (I am good at something),
• for Independence (I have power to make decisions), and
• for Generosity ( I have a purpose in life).

With the support of adults who care and believe in their potential, your youth can discover their hidden talents, develop personal responsibility, and find a purpose to their lives.  Many of the children MECCS serves suffer from some form of adversity.  Resilience is the innate human ability to rebound from adversity with even greater strength to face future obstacles.  Research has shown that resilience is the norm for kids.  This means that it is never too late to make a difference.
As our traditions teach us, we must nurture the development and educate the whole child as was given to us by the Creator.  The philosophy and foundation of our school community and program are based upon traditional Indigenous teachings of the medicine wheel passed down from our Elders.
  
Describe your new insights and information about issues of poverty:  I believe that as long as people are willing to better their situations, they will have a better chance of getting out of poverty.  The government can only do so much to assist families in poverty, however, we must all work very hard to make our lives successful.  There should be more agencies to help the homeless person sleeping out in the streets and provide for them a good meal.

http://worldforumfoundation.org
 

http://www.naeyc.org/

I choose NAEYC because how the organization works/advocates for young children of the World.   I decided to include what the organization's mission/vision statements, goals, objectives and strategies.

 NAEYC Mission Statement

NAEYC's mission is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources (NAEYC Bylaws, Article I., Section 1.1).

Goals

NAEYC expresses its mission in terms of three broad goals:

1. Improving professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education.
2. Supporting early childhood programs by working to achieve a high-quality system of early childhood education.
3. Building a high-performing, inclusive organization of groups and individuals who are committed to promoting excellence in early childhood education for all young children.

Vision Statement

NAEYC's efforts are designed to achieve these ends:

• All children have access to a safe and accessible, high quality early childhood education that includes a developmentally appropriate curriculum; knowledgeable and well-trained program staff and educators; and comprehensive services that support their health, nutrition, and social well-being, in an environment that respects and supports diversity.
• All early childhood professionals are supported as professionals with a career ladder, ongoing professional development opportunities, and compensation that attracts and retains high quality educators.
• All families have access to early childhood education programs that are affordable and of high quality and actively participate in their children's education as respected reciprocal partners.
• All communities, states, and the nation work together to ensure accountable systems of high-quality early childhood education for all children.

Strategic Objectives

NAEYC achieves its goals by:

• Providing professional development opportunities and resources for those who work for and with young children
• Convening individuals and groups with diverse perspectives to generate new knowledge and understanding of issues affecting the education and development of young children and their families.
• Setting and publicizing standards that promote excellence in early childhood education and early childhood professional preparation.
• Implementing systems to recognize early childhood education programs and early childhood professional preparation programs that meet NAEYC standards and guidelines.
• Building public understanding and support for activities and services that promote the healthy development and learning of all young children and their families.
• Advocating for public policies-and funding-to support a comprehensive system of high-quality early childhood education for all young children and families.
• Fostering the development of a network of high-performing, inclusive organizations that share the goal of promoting excellence in early childhood education for all young children.

Statement of Philosophy and Values

Accomplishing NAEYC's mission is dependent on:

• building the commitment, loyalty, and enthusiasm of thousands of people by providing opportunities for participation, contribution, and building consensus on critical issues;
• valuing and respecting individuals with diverse viewpoints and perspectives who share a commitment to the education and development of young children;
• designing programs and services that support individual and collective efforts to improve all early childhood programs regardless of sponsorship, funding, or structure;
• encouraging and supporting a strong network of AEYC Affiliates that provide leadership and professional growth opportunities at the community and state levels;
• supporting the development of individuals' professional competence and attitudes primarily through education, persuasion, and modeling;
• building and maintaining a strong organizational structure (governance, communication, financial base, headquarters staff and facility) to provide leadership, coordination, and services.
  

NAEYC seeks to become a more highly functioning organization that exemplifies its mission and vision and is enriched by and continually grows from the ongoing institutional commitment to diversity and inclusion as a core value in its work throughout the Association.

The reason I choose this ogranization is because of how it works for the education of all young children, how it works with families to assist them in helping their children get the education they deserve.

I think what I learned from this organization is that all young children are entitled to a good quality education, I work with an early childhood intervention program and have many a time looked up articles published here.

I have sent out different emails to six contacts and am waiting for a response.  I don't really have any other contacts to assist me in contacting or getting information so that I can send out other emails. 

I will continue to reach out to others on the resouce list until I do recieve an answer from some of them.


The two websites I have choosen to study during the course of our class are:
Zero to Three:  National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/

The National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/

I hope that the different international contact I have emailed will evidentually answer my emails and be able to continue the contact throughout the class.