Sharing Web Resources

Sharing Web Resources

The National Black Child Development Institute has created a prek-3^rd grade framework which includes six areas critical to the positive growth and development of black children. The framework gave me an insight about how to provide all children with high quality educational experiences and support.

 

What is a PreK-3rd Grade framework?
The PreK-3rd terminology encompasses a variety of efforts dedicated to improving systems for children birth through age 8; ensuring continuity for children and families through child care, Pre-K and K-12; and seamlessly connecting high-quality early childhood and Pre-K programs with high-quality elementary schools. The Foundation for Child Development has identified major components of a successful PreK-3rd strategy, comprising a loose “framework” which includes, at a minimum: voluntary full-school-day Pre-K and required full-school-day Kindergarten; standards, curriculum, instruction & assessment that are aligned within and across the early childhood to early grades continuum; curriculum that integrates academic and social skills; teachers who are qualified to teach Pre-K to Third grade; and families, schools, and communities who share accountability for student
 

The core of the PreK-3rd framework is built on the critical importance of instructional quality within and across the PreK-3rd grade continuum. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that “high-quality instruction has special significance during the PreK-3rd years, when children master foundational skills and concepts, develop attitudes towards school, and form ideas about themselves as learners.”vi Our collective understanding of the importance of instruction has been manifested at the highest levels – in 2010, when President Obama and the Department of Education released their Blueprint for Reform, to guide the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, they placed strong emphasis on the need to “measure, develop and improve the effectiveness of teachers, leaders and preparation programs.”

 The PreK-3rd movement aims to change that, having developed a loose framework of core elements that provides ongoing research, evidence and guidelines for states, districts and schools to strengthen teaching and learning across these critical years. In both theory and practice, this framework can be a meaningful one for Black children, families and communities, because it is designed to establish a context for strengthening instructional practices by building on strengths and recognizing cultural patterns. While primarily understood as an agenda to enhance the alignment and coordination of standards, curricula, instruction and assessments across ages and grades, when successfully implemented, the broad PreK-3rd grade framework includes the following six areas that are critical to the positive growth and development of Black children:

 Effective and Aligned Instruction Across Consecutive Years

 Positive Relationship Development Between Children and Teachers

 Strong Family and Community Engagement

 Importance of Social-Emotional Development

 Access to Full-Day, High-Quality Pre K and Kindergarten

 Successful, Supportive and Seamless Transitions

Achieving High-Quality Classroom Instruction

Several components of the PreK-3rd grade framework are dedicated to reversing this trend and promoting effective teaching and high-quality instruction across consecutive years, by advocating for a PreK-3rd grade certification and license; ensuring that all teachers and assistant teachers are considered highly-qualified, with appropriate degrees; building joint planning time for teachers within and across grades to align their instruction and curriculum; and promoting professional development around instructional practices that includes a focus on early education and child development principles.

In addition, high-quality classroom instruction must be based on a foundation of aligned standards across grades; curricula that connect to those standards; and assessments that inform the instruction of those standards and the implementation of the curricula, all of which are integral pieces of the PreK-3rd grade framework. Yet the agenda reaches deeper, having identified four characteristics of what high-quality instruction looks like in PreK-3rd:

1. Teachers observe and respond to individual children’s development over time

2. Teacher provide emotional support to individual children

3. Teachers foster engagement in learning activities and keep classrooms running smoothly

4. Teachers support higher order thinking and advanced language skills

This framework model the NBCDI has established can be implemented  for culturally diverse classrooms to help all children reach their full potential and get the support needed from their teachers.

Childhood Poverty in New Mexico

I have not received a response from my international contact so I visited the website www.childhoodpoverty.org to research poverty in New Mexico. According to research conducted in 2011 there were 116,515 families living in New Mexico with 169,540 young children. There are 32% (54,254) of young children live in poor families (National: 25%), defined as income below 100% of the federal poverty level.

The federal poverty level is $22,350 for a family of four. Children living in families with incomes below the federal poverty level are referred to as poor. But research suggests that, on average, families need an income of about twice the federal poverty level to meet their basic needs.

Parents' Employment Status in New Mexico, by Income Level in 2011 was:

·         31% (16,792) of young children in poor families have at least one parent who is employed full-time, year-round compared to 80% (92,236) of young children in not poor families.

·         40% (21,627) of young children in poor families have at least one parent who is employed either part-year or part-time compared to 15% (17,001) of young children in not poor families.

·         29% (15,835) of young children in poor families do not have an employed parent compared to 5% (6,049) of young children in not poor families.

Education Status:

·         65% of young children whose parents do not have a high school degree are considered poor families.

·         42% of young children whose parents have a high school education fall in the same statues.

·         20% of young children whose parents have some college or more live in poor families.

  Young Children in Poor Families in New Mexico, by Race, 2011

·         16% of young white children live in poor families.

·         38% of young Hispanic children live in poor families.

·         41% of young American Indian children live in poor families.

·         51% of young children of immigrant parents live in poor families.

·         29% of young children of native-born parents live in poor families.

We are faced with a growing concern of poverty and how it is affecting children’s lives. This is why we need to be a voice for families around the world to help decrease the number of children and families living in poverty.

 

 

 

National Black Child Development Institute

 The organization I wanted to learn more about  is The National Black Child Development Institute is dedicated to the success and well-being of black children and is a powerful voiceon issues related to the education, care, and health of Black children and their families.

With a specific and relent less focus on the strengths and needs of our communities and a lens of cultural competence the organization national resource agency providing programs, publications, advocacy and trining related to early childhood care and education for children in K-12. Their resoureces also include resources for health, wellness, literacy, family enagement and child welfare.

NBCDI supports and works primsrily with black children birth through age eight and their families, through coaltion building with community-based organization, foundations, corporations, school systems, elected officials, government, childcare, Head Start, and other private and public partnerships.

This organization is focussed on the Issues and Trends of  black children throughout the world and with the support of others they will ensure black children and families erecieve the support needed for they success in education life and beyond.

 

Visit the website: www.nbcdi.org to learn more about this important organization.

 

 

 



Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

I have emailed the following professional organizations to request information about their organizations. I have not received a response from either. The organizations are Global Alliance and UNICEF. I told them I am enrolled in a course “Trends and Issues at Walden University and was very interested in learning more about what they do for children and families in their country.

 My name is Shelia Ebrahim, I am a student at Walden University completing a master degree in Education. I would like to learn more about your organization and mission to enhance the educational development of children in different countries.

Would it be possible for me to be added to you contact list to keep informed about your organization?  

Hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Shelia Ebrahim

Part 2

I decided to visit National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) website. The overview of what the organization mission is was very informative about how they work to improve the lives of black children and families. I plan to do further research on the organization. I registered to receive their newsletter and other information they can share about the organization.

The website is: www.nbcdi.org