Sharing Web Resources (more about HCZ!) :)

The website for the Harlem Children’s Zone is so grand that I feel as though there is more to explore. This week I decided to see what job opportunities there are as well as the qualification requirements for the jobs at HCZ.  Through my research I noticed that there are quite a few job opportunities. I wanted to see if this particular program stood up to the higher expectations of education and followed the recommendation for equity in the field. Most jobs required a bachelor’s degree and those that did not preferred one.  All of the job descriptions expressed the need for positive instruction, experience, education, collaboration, and flexibility. I was impressed! There was not a pay scale on the website and none of the job descriptions listed anticipated pay.  I thought that information would also give me more information to HCZ commitment to equity in the field.

On the website searches are available under category. I did a general search to begin with and moved to early childhood education. Some of the titles for jobs were Program Director (Baby College), Parent Engagement Coordinator, Outreach worker, and Family Aide. Most of these positions also required a bachelor’s degree in ECE or related field. They too asked for experiences, excellent communication skills, and commitment to the mission HCZ.

Looking through the website and the expectations of the Harlem Children Zone I see a definite trend. I see them working towards meeting the standards for quality care and instruction. As we learned last week teacher qualifications matter. The outcomes for children are higher when teachers with bachelor’s degrees are teaching. I also see the HCZ working to set an example of quality care. They serve the child and the child’s family offering services beyond traditional education.

Josie Zbaeren

Getting to Know International Contacts Part 2

One interesting insight I learned through my exploration of Harvard University’s Global Children’s Initiative is the economist Günther Fink and Zambian Ministry of Education along with other groups have taken an interest in the children in Zambia and the effects of malaria on their development. Malaria is a devastating disease that kills many children in Zambia each year. In 2004 an anti-malaria initiative was set in motion to decrease the effects of malaria on Zambian children and families. Fink with help from Beatrice Matafwali was able to create an assessment suitable and appropriate for Zambian children testing their development. Before Fink’s assessment children’s development was based on their height or lack of height based on age. In other words if their growth was stunted they were considered delayed and if not they were not considered delayed (Lawton).

The second interesting insights I gained for researching the website is the strategic objectives of the Global Children Initiative including educating higher level decision makers on the importance of a healthy start and child development, making connections and offering education globally on healthy development, unhealthy development, and how to keep it on track or, “get it back on track” and increase the amount of leadership from other countries. 

The third insight that I learned is the hard work Brazil is doing to make a difference in obtaining stronger policies for children and child development. They are using the science of child health to get policy makers and investors interested in early childhood. Facts lead to action and Brazil is headed in the right direction for children and families.

The website I have chosen to explore is the Harlem’s Children Zone at http://hcz.org/home .

There are several sections on this website that are relevant to my current professional development however the one that tugged on my heart is “The Baby College”.  The website explains the baby college as, “a nine week parenting workshop to expectant parents and those raising children up to three years old,” (HCZ, 2012). The program focuses on reading and literacy for children 0-3 as well as proper discipline techniques (redirection). I am working on my education in early childhood education and in the future I would like to pass that knowledge onto others in the field and to parents.

The resource that I found the most news worthy is the concept of serving children from “cradle to college.” We have a lot of programs that aim at specific age groups for example 0-3, 3-5, or school-aged however I have not heard of any other program that serves children from 0-college. I think it is an amazing concept! I think that the Harlem’s Children Zone understands the sooner care or services begin the better and that the longer they are provided the better the outcomes. The website claims that, “90% of the children that graduate from the program go on to college,” (HCZ, 2012).

The website has media coverage on the changes it is making in the lives of children and families 100 blocks wide and long. Barack Obama talks of the baby college; the early education programs, the free medical program, food programs and afterschool education programs. He explains how excellent the Harlem Children’s Zone is and promises to place 20 more programs around the country funded partially by the government and encourages others to put forth the dollars needed to get the projects off the ground. This part of the website is controversial in a way because of the amount of money taxpayers will shell out. That being said it is newsworthy because if it happens it will change the lives of children and community members forever.

Other insights I gained from the website are the importance of covering a variety of issues with families beyond early education in the classroom. Serving children and families is more than learning about developmentally appropriate activities for children. The Harlem Children’s Zone offers classes, programs and information on obesity, asthma, drug and alcohol abuse, anger management and the list goes on.

Poverty affects children in a variety of ways. Three insights I have learned or am more aware of now after researching poverty include:

·        Poverty affects children’s development. Children that face malnutrition may never recover from the damages of inadequate nutrition. Last year in our community a school employee and his wife were arrested for starving their adopted children.  The oldest son was 13 when Child Protective Services removed him from the home. The boy weighed 49 pounds and stood 4’4” tall. This a case of abuse not poverty however the reports on this case explained that the lack of nutrition has affected the child’s cognitive ability and he is permanently stunted because of malnutrition. 

·        I also learned that there is a lot more research to be done on how children can be trapped in poverty and how to help them escape. “Poverty can be passed on from generation to generation affecting long-term health, wellbeing and productivity of families and of society as a whole,” (Child Poverty and Research Center, 2012). There is an article on this website titled Promoting Disadvantaged Young People’s Employment-What Can Be Done that is worth checking out.

·        I also found out there are a lot of agencies working in collaboration to help curve poverty and the effects on children and their families. CHIP has set goals on changing policies to eliminate childhood poverty, spreading the news on childhood poverty and working with others to develop strategies to lesson poverty as well as work internationally to reduce childhood poverty.

http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/

Josie Zbaeren

Sharing Web Resouces

Blog Assignment: Sharing Web Resources

The Harlem's Children Zone is a program aimed at serving not only children but the community. They work to help children succeed in school as well as life. They are a support system from early on, through college and onto employment. The program covers over 100 blocks in Central Harlem. Their goal is to lead by example surrounding children and parents with support from highly qualified and goal-oriented leaders. The HCZ project offers parenting classes for parents of children ages 0-3. They also offer developmentally appropriate early education programs, before and after school programs, and social and health services for children and families. The HCZ serves children 0 through college age and their families.

One current issue/trend that the Harlem’s Children Zone has listed on their website is the Harlem Armory which is a fitness center focused on healthy choices.  The children or participants are educated about exercise and healthy eating. The armory is a gym where the children have exposure to sports, games and large motor play. The children have the opportunity to run, jump and play like all children should get to do. Many children in the program have limited space for large motor activities and the armory is a welcomed addition the HCZ project.

The Harlem Children’s Zones is working to help children in generational poverty. They have different programs that help children of all different diverse backgrounds. For example they have a program focused on helping teenage boys beat the odds despite their neighborhood situations. They have another program that helps families living in low-income apartments buy the apartments and turn them into co-op owned living quarters they can be proud of. They offer a program to help families with mental health issues. They serve families with different backgrounds and encourage them to come together for the good of all people in their community.

The website for Harlem Children’s Zone is:

http://www.hcz.org/home

Josie