The link to the organization that I selected to learn more about is: http://www.zerotothree.org.
The focus of this organization as it relates to early childhood education is that of providing insight to parents and professionals on how to care , recognize, and strategize by using techniques through research and developmental specialists to ensure young children are successful in their classroom environment and the world around them. ZERO TO THREE also provides a platform parents to discuss ideas and issues regarding young children's development and there is an excellent newsletter titled Coming Together Around Military Families (CTAMF) E-newsletter dedicated to military families.
One current issue/trend that caught my attention is that of dual language learners. The information focuses on how young children before the age of three "simultaneous bilinguals learn two languages", (Cryer & Harms 2000). The article also focuses on learning how young children communicate by referring to their parents for guidance. The goal is for parents to be consistent when speaking and teaching their children their home language as well as the English language, (Pearson et al., 1997, as cited in Cryer & Harms, 2000).
I reached out to another resource through UNICEF that I am interested in: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/ focusing on Romania. In Romania UNICEF is focused on promoting the rights of children, their health, quality education, and preventing exploitation. The one point that interest me is that of developing an Early Learning curriculum for young children and encouraging their parents to participate in programs provided that focus on them learning how to teach their young child.
References
Cryer, D., & Harms, T. (2000). Infants and toddlers in out-of-home care. Baltimore: Brookes.
UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/romania.html
ZERO TO THREE: http://www.zerotothree.org
ZERO TO THREE: Practical Tips and Tools. "Dual language learners in early care and education settings", (Nov. 2008).
English language is becoming very important for Chinese children nowadays. A friend of mind sent her son to language learning school at the age of 2. I also read English books and sing English songs with my son at home sometimes. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteShelita,
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that children can learn more than one language simultaneously! I would have loved for my kids to learn Spanish or Japanese when they were young. I have heard it is much easier for them to learn young than older.
I think that it is great that children are learning 2 languages by the age of 3. It can be challenging to the children but overall it will help them in the near future. I wish I had this opportunity growing up.
ReplyDelete