Early Years Education

One hope that I have when I think about working with children and families who come from different background I hope that children irrespective of their background or culture or experience will have access to quality Early Childhood Education and that I will be knowledgeable and willing to support young children and their families whenever the need arises. One of my most favorite quote by Dr. Seuss “A person is a person no matter how small”. I hope that I will be able to continually advocate to protect the right of young children, especially in Africa, and hope that I will have the cooperation of colleagues who will also speak up and protect this vulnerable group – young children. One goal I will like to set for the Early Childhood field. The Early Childhood field should be a place where you find professionals who are knowledgeable about issues relative the all forms of diversity and are daily working to overcome stereotypes and bias, all within the goal to positively contr...

If I were expecting a child from China, I would do the following to prepare myself and class to be culturally aware and receptive. 1.      Would read up about the country and get to know its basic languages, know where China is situated on the global map, the lifestyle of the people, Celebrations etc. I would not assume that I have the information but will make an effort to know about the country better. 2.     I would also attempt to learn a few words from their language.   Greetings and courtesy words in the language of the child would make connection with child and family easier. Welcoming the Child in his/her language in the morning or saying please and thank you in the language could make child relax faster. 3.     I would develop the expectations of my class members to better understand and accommodate the culture of the child, teaching songs about being a friend/helper, about the continents and how we all belong toge...

My husband told me a story of an incidence that he witnessed that happened at a check-in counter for a flight in Northern Nigeria. A female passenger was denied her request to sit at an emergency exit row primarily because she is a woman. This woman is not physically or mentally in capable of carrying out an exit row function should the situation arise on the flight. She is a six footer and her mental ability is not in question judging from the way in which she was marshaling her points on why she should not be denied the seat. Apparently she desired the seat because of the extra leg room on that row.  As is typical of most flights in Northern Nigeria there was an overabundance of men compared to women on the flight and the airline officer felt this exit row function is better suited for a man than a woman. T he Woman felt she has been denied equity because she is not capable according to rule other than the fact that she is a woman. I felt this woman was marginalized...

How come you speak English so well? You must have gone to a very good school? You definitely don’t sound like a Nigerian? You are quiet and well-mannered unlike most Nigerians I know. These were the many question and observation that filled my 6 weeks among young African leaders and Americans in West Virginia some years back. Micro aggression maybe subtle and unintended but it always leaves the victim feeling marginalized. Then I wandered why so many questions around my speaking English. Our official language is English why must I have to go to a good school to communicate in our official language? Nigerians are smart, intelligent, outspoken and we don’t live in the jungle, why is that termed as loud and unruly? According to Dr. Rue in the Video segment people’s remarks or behaviors can create feelings of uncertainty, inferiority, marginalization, and/or unsettling emotions in others even though they are unintentional (Laureate Education 2011). Many times, like my own exper...

This week I had a chat with three different people about with their view on culture and diversity . This was their definition 1 st person: Culture is the way of life of a particular group of people, the way they dress and things that have to do with their traditions. She defined diversity as the things that make us distinct. What differentiates us. 2nsd Person: Culture is the way of life of people living in the same community, sharing the same values and norms to achieve a common goal. She defined Diversity as how people are different I culture and how their norms and values are different from others. 3rd Person: He defined culture as a way of doing things, unique to a people defined by geographical location. He defined diversity as the state of being composed of many part that are unique in their individual selves. During these chats with colleagues and family members, I realized that most people like myself are more conscious of surface culture, we are aware of the way peo...

If I have to leave Nigeria to a completely different environment as a result of an emergency and I have an opportunity to take only 3 items, those items will be 1. A Yoruba Bible: My Family values are founded on our Christian Faith, it influences our thoughts, actions and family culture. Having it in our mother tongue translation would be a wonderful memorabilia as we would love our young children to continue to speak our language even in a different environment. 2. A collage of pictures of our extended family members: This picture will comprise photos of our extended family including grandparents, cousins, uncles, aunties and friends turned family. It would be nice to have a picture to take along to keep good memories of our wonderful moments with loved ones and to continue to have it as a remembrance. 3. A painting of a cultural depiction of our society: We have a painting in our living room that shows the Nigerian environment, the major occupation of the people livi...

It has been some awesome weeks of learning about issues and trends in Early Childhood Education from different parts of the world. It has been great value for time, thanks to the content provided by the various websites in form of podcasts, researches and reports as well as insightful discussions from colleagues.  Three things stand out for me  1.The Issues and Trends in early childhood education are global issues, though they may be more escalated in some continents than others. For example, we are all dealing with childhood poverty however some countries have these issues with poverty on a higher rate than others. We all have to work together to help eradicated childhood poverty using innovative solutions that are workable in that country. Reading through several websites, I can adapt various innovative solutions to our peculiar situation in Nigeria. 2.The Various Stakeholders working in Early Childhood Education all have a vital role to play, Education...

Early Childhood Education in Nigeria is just gaining a bit of attention thanks to the private sector, majorly by business owners who have seen the opportunity to provide care and education for the very young Children. Assessing Quality of Education has been very challenging as Government hasn’given attention to early childhood education . Hence, a new private childcare center popularly known as ‘'crèche’’ springs up daily. In the time past, I have been more concerned about the quality that these private centers provide but now I am grateful to them that at least they provide access to education and are filling the gap where government has failed. Teacher Training and Continuous Professional Development seems to be one of the main drivers for improving quality of Early Childhood Education. I reckon that if we can improve the quality of teachers then it can at least provide some form of quality content where  structure and administration is failing. There are several training ...

This week, I look further into the website of the Global Fund for Children     https://globalfundforchildren.org  , i come across a link  https://globalfundforchildren.org/our-partners/where-we-work/africa-the-middle-east/  that discusses about Global fund for children's work in Nigeria. YES! Nigeria my beloved Country. The Global Fund for Children partner with the Child and Youth Protection Foundation (CYPF) in Abuja Nigeria to work with young children especially girls who work as domestic servants, predominantly girls who are trafficked from rural areas and are denied an education and are particularly at risk of experiencing sexual violence and abuse. For these girls quality care and education remains unattainable as they experience various barriers and experience difficulty in accessing quality programs but for the intervention of CYPF. CYPF's Strategy involves a combination of formal education and counselling with an after school tutori...

This week has been an awesome time listening to podcasts and reading through websites and gaining new insights on issues and trends in Early Childhood Education. I will like to share some with you here. Listening to Delila Vasquez, the Director of program services Los Angeles Universal preschool, I learnt that Solving the gaps and issues that face children is a collective effort and most especially for early childhood professionals it involves a commitment to supporting the best interest of the child. It involves Sacrifices and the ability to articulate the needs of children. "We need not try to FIX them but we need to work with them, get to know them, build relationships with them and most importantly do what is right for them'' she says (Laureate University, 2011). Reading through the Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child, ( http://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/ ) these things stand out: ·      ...

Going through these several websites-   The World forum Radio- http://www.viaway.com/category/2691-21490/world-forum-radio , The Global fund for Children( https://globalfundforchildren.org/ ) and UNICEF website (https://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/index_45357.html) the past few weeks has made me see that the issues , trends and challenges of early childhood education are the same all over the world but may appear in diverse context. The issues of poverty are not geographical in nature and its consequences affect children all over the world. These websites have provided deeper insights to diverse ways by which we can intervene and provide innovative and local solutions to the issues and challenges that affect young children. I like the quote found on the website of the Global fund for children which says “Behind all the numbers, dollars invested, countries reached, growth achieved –is what really matters: the children and communities we serve”. The Collective effort ...

International organizations and Issues on Poverty I am reviewing The UNICEF website https://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/index_45357.html and highlighting some insights gained from the information documented on the website. 1. Poverty is not only present in low-income countries. It is a global issue, though it could be more prevalent in some areas than others. Children are one of the most vulnerable and impact is more on them. 2. Child poverty has a more reaching impact than when an adult falling into poverty. For an adult, it can be temporary but for children, it can last a lifetime. A child usually doesn't get a second chance at an education or a healthy start in life, therefore Child Poverty threatens not only the child but is likely passed on to the future generation. Understanding how and where children are experiencing poverty is important to developing poverty reduction strategies. 3. There are many strategies and innovations being used by U...

 Picture credit- Sahara Reporters Today, i will be sharing from the website of the Global fund for Children about an intriguing story of change and impact of an Early Years Center in Nairobi's Kibera slum -a pioneer of inclusive education. I read about the impact Little Rock Early Development Center   is making in the lives of young children in Kenya by Providing early childhood education for young children with disabilities, orphans and children affected with HIV AIDS, little Rocks is the 1st inclusive early years’ center in Kenya. When the government of Kenya declared free education, there was an influx of young children into primary schools with little or no early years’ education.  Little Rocks was founded to help bridge the gap that suddenly became obvious in Kenya by providing quality Child Care Education as well medical checkups, occupational therapy, and nutritious meals. Little Rocks is a Partner of Global fund for children and has been able to reac...

 In the next 8 Weeks i will be sharing with you an overview of Podcasts and Websites in an attempt to understand the various issues and Trends in Early Childhood Education 1. World Forum Radio :I cant stop listening to the podcasts of the World Forum Radio. This Radio brings together the international community to exchange ideas about Early Childhood Education. The introductory music of this radio station is intriguing to me. I love the music and kept replaying it again and again. The Podcast is hosted by Micheal kalanaski and he interviews various professionals working to support young child across the world. The Podcasts basically shared various ideas and issues in early childhood education across the world from issues around  Health to Education and all issues that bother around young children. The radio discusses various ways of partnership and why partnership is key in bringing about a change in early childhood across the world. I will recommend you to subscri...

My life has been a lot happier and easier because I have people that love me, believe in me and are ready to help me in my journey in life. I can’t imagine my life without the support system that surrounds me; my family, friends and employees. I consider my self blessed that I have a good support system in raising my children otherwise it would have been difficult, extremely tough running, growing my business alongside raising my two beautiful children. I imagine days when my husband and I have an early morning business meeting or we have to be out of town, I need the support of friends whose children also attend the same school with my children to help pick up and drop my children at school. Upon getting home I need the support of a Nanny to help in preparing their meals and supervising their play in my absence, sometimes I need the assistance of a tutor to help with homework and extra academic coaching. Though some of these people might be paid for what they do but ...

             “it’s a happy talent to know how to play’’-Ralph Waldo Emerson ‘’Play is our brains favorite way of learning’’-Dianne Ackerman ‘’Play is the work of the child’’-Maria Montessori I had a very playful childhood full of many fun memories. I lived with my grandmother in a small town. It was a family house built on a large expanse of land, a lot of green area, many trees and fruits. I spent a lot of time outdoors, climbing trees, tasting fruits and just running around. My grandmother supported play, I was allowed outdoors as much as possible and was not scolded when I came back indoors all looking dirty. I remember several minor accidents hurting myself while at play, but the next day I was out and about again. I didn’t have fancy toys but I had the opportunity to explore and experiment with my environment. I believe that’s where self-discovery starts. I am grateful that as a child I had the o...

Relationships mean a lot to me because it’s by relationships that I am who I am today. To have a relationship with someone is to be connected to someone by a family tie or a common interest. some of most important relationships to me are the ones that I didn’t get to choose -My Family but some key ones I somehow get to choose-My spouse. I have a rich Childhood memory which has influenced my adult life positively solely because of the quality relationship I had with my family.   I spent a great deal of time with my grandparents and not as much with my parents, I have come to realize that the people you have the closest of relationship with are people you spend a great deal of time with. What you value, you create time for. One of the strengthening factors of a good relationship is the quality of time invested in the relationship. Love is also a critical factor in any relationship. Love for the other person makes you commit to the person, it helps you to overlo...