Sharing My Web Findings

After reviewing the Canadian Association for Young Children’s website, it is clear to me that they are not up-to-date in their practices and policies as their last Newsletter was posted on March 5, 2010. Because of this finding, I decided to look into our own country’s National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and review their newsletters and publications to see how they address diversity and our changing demographics.
The NAEYC website can be found here: http://www.naeyc.org/. Their mission is explained through the following 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.

I am currently a member of the NAEYC, so I receive paper copies of the magazine, Young Children (http://www.naeyc.org/yc/) and also subscribe to their monthly newsletter.

In a recent issue of Young Children, there is an article that discusses supporting Native Indian preschool students and their families (McWilliams, Mancebo, Szczepaniak, & Jones, 2011). The reason this article caught my attention is because I had no idea there was a government-sponsored program developed in the Midwest to assist families that are not living on a reservation in preserving the Native culture. I learned about a program called the Native Indian Centered Education (NICE) program. NICE is a program in the school district that partners with families to provide Native-centric educational opportunities for preschool children. Among the children of this program is diversity as well. Some of the children enrolled in the program share Latino, Caucasian and African American heritages. The program focuses on the integral role of the elders within their tribal community and brings many aspects of the Native customs into the school environment. This article described the importance of family-school-community partnerships as we have discussed in previous courses.

I would like to recommend that anyone enrolled in Walden’s Masters program sign-up for the student membership from the NAEYC. It is an invaluable membership, as many resources are provided at no cost or little cost.  The cost for the year varies from state to state.

References:

Canadian Association for Young Children: www.cayc.ca 

McWilliams, M.S., Mancebo, T., Szczepaniak, P.S. & Jones, J. (2011 November).

     Supporting native indian preschoolers and their families. Retrieved January 14, 2012 from:  
     http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201111/McWilliams_Family_-_School_- Community
     Partnerships_Online%201111.pdf

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