The Road to Understanding

In my current Master's course, Issues and Trends in Early Childhood Education, we have been given an opportunity to challenge our current thoughts and ideas about the education of young children outside of the U.S. by establishing contact with early childhood professionals in other countries.  We are also put to the task of choosing and exploring the ways in which a specific early childhood organization supports early childhood communities and provides access to resources through their website.  This will be an ongoing assignment, but I wanted to take a moment to explain my goals and thought process behind my choices.

Currently, in my home state of Texas, hundreds of children are crossing the border each day from Mexico and Central America.  These children are refugees leaving their families and risking their lives to flee extreme violence and poverty within their own countries.  While the issue is gaining much national media and political attention, little has been said about what we plan do to support these children in their integration into the American legal, medical and educational systems.  In an effort to understand what I can do to support these children and contribute to positive outcomes for them and others who have immigrated to the U.S.,  I've chosen to contact early childhood professionals via email in both Mexico and El Salvador and intend to update my blog with our correspondence.

I have also chosen the National Head Start Association as the organizational website I wish to study as they will likely absorb many of these children into their program.  With minority populations increasing nationwide, this organization must address the growing need for more professional development and community outreach to support the diverse cultural, linguistic and educational needs of the children they serve.  It is my goal upon completion of this program to have gained the insight, understanding and education necessary to assist them in their efforts.