International Contacts and Goals

Considerations through study of Russian Early Childhood Programs and Practices:

1)While spending time researching the methods and trends in early childhood practices in Russia, I can't help but consider the similarities when thinking of inequity in the United States. While some programs in both countries are stellar, some are far below standards and survive based solely on the generosity of a few. The programs that excel are those in larger areas, supported by private dollars, and based on the cultural expectations of the surrounding areas.

Inequity can be devastating for children in rural areas in both the US and Russia. Those are the areas that are least supported by government or private dollars. At times, there are no options available for rural families.

2) While reading and sharing information with my Russian friends, parents, and teachers who live in Russia, I realize that I am still passionate about the country. I am still interested in family structures, how young children learn, and what the program of studies looks like in a Russian preschool. I have often wondered if phonics is an issue, if play is a factor, and if teachers are compelled to assess the very young children like we are forced to do in US kindergartens???

3) Through basic study of the language and it's translation, I understand that there is a variance in how children formulate sentence structure, and the basics of sound letter relationships are vastly different. In a smalllllllll way, Russian is somewhat easier. (Obviously if its the first language). Sounds are sounds, either hard or soft, and words are words. No special rules such as we have with our vowels..Long A, short a, sound diagraphs and blends such as (au   ai   oa   ay)  ...I wonder if the children in Russia have less trouble learning to write as there are some hard-fast rules that make it easier for the children to begin writing...

Professional Goal Associated with the Study of Russian Early Childhood Trends in Early Childhood Programs and Practices

I have studied Russian preschools, elementary schools, and the education system for 10 years. My interest has always been personal as I would love to teach in Russia. I would love to write a paper on early childhood education and how the country educates it's orphans with a focus on those with disabilities.

How We Celebrate Beginnings and Endings

We are in HIGH graduation season around the United States. My family is doubly involved. Last week my daughter graduated from her elementary school, and this week my kindergarteners have their big celebration. When I say it has consumed our team, I am not just saying it. Every day we practice, everyday we make little things here or there, and I am delighted at what we will present, but every bone in my body aches.  We want this for our parents. We want them to see how big this milestone is.. We want our little ones to shine and be adorable singing their little songs...

Meanwhile in Russia, the celebrations look a bit different. We have a saying, "a dog and pony show" that fits for both American and Russian celebrations, What do you think about the Russian version?
I adore it..I like the idea of bringing together a small group of children. In our school we will put together a show for 90 children. It's big, and overwhelming for the teachers. (When I say I have blisters, cuts, burns, and body aches from the preparation I am not kidding!)
 Here is a family as they journey through the special day of Kindergarten Graduation.
*This is a lovely day for this family, and we learn by the father's comments in the beginning that even in Russia, this is a touching time for families. Children in more developed programs in larger areas in Russia go to a Kindergarten as young as 2 and stay until they are finishing when they are six years old. They begin elementary school at around aged seven. I love this idea.
If US schools could develop "Kindergartens" at the state level for 3, 4, 5 AND 6 year olds, we would have a better chance at keeping our children little, and keeping our programs for age appropriate!

I love the idea of a toast at the end offered by the director... Really seems like all families are involved. **All Russian cities do not have this type of program, and this is for one group of students at this particular school. I love how formal some parts are, and that they share a meal..Just lovely!

SRCD Review

#1 Search Led to the Press Releases of the SRCD

While digging around the site, I chose to focus on the press releases. I found a great paper written on working memory. Some highlights of that:

Working memory once thought to be affected by both that parents’ education—one common measure of socioeconomic status—is related to children’s 

performance on tasks of working memory, and that neighborhood characteristics—another common measure of socioeconomic status—are not. 

Neither parents’ education nor living in a disadvantaged neighborhood was found to be 

associated with the rate of growth in working memory across the four-year period. Lower parental 

education was found to be tied to differences in working memory that emerged by age 10 and 

continued through adolescence. 

The study suggests that disparities seen in adolescence and adulthood start earlier in childhood 

and that school does NOT close the gap in working memory for children ages 10 and above. Generally, 

children whose parents had fewer years of education don’t catch up or fall further behind by the end of 

adolescence, when working memory performance reaches mature levels.

So what do we learn? For me, my heart breaks a little for my students. While a very small percentage hold high school and college diplomas, most parents have only finished 2-3 years beyond elementary school, in their home country. Strike one against my students. 

What else do we learn? The neighborhood in which my students live is not as important as their parent's education. So if they are living in subsidized housing with parents that continued their education in their home country, but cannot transfer that into prosperous employment in the US, they still have a fighting chance. PLUS for them.

Working memory is neither stationary or reliant upon school. 

#2 Outside Links

I found a great link this week. http://www.childtrends.org/

This is the place where research across the country is housed for early childhood programs. Lot's of good information here, and lot's of work being compiled. I like it that the mission of the organization is clear, the reports are clear, and the data is listed. Too many NonProfits seem to exist, just to exist with links to others doing work in the field. Not this one...

Highlights:

• In 49 states and the District of Columbia, child-level data across different ECE programs are not all linked. Only one state – Pennsylvania – can link child-level data across all ECE programs and to the state’s K-12 data system. Most states cannot answer key policy questions about all children served in publicly-funded early care and education programs because ECE child-level data is not linked.
• 30 states reported securely linking ECE child-level data to states’ K-12 data, compared to 20 states that link ECE child-level data to social services data and 12 states that link ECE child-level data to states’ health data. A number of states are engaged in planning processes to create these linkages between state health (22 states) and social services (18 states) data systems.
• State coordinated ECE data systems are more likely to link data for children participating in state pre-kindergarten and preschool special education than children in Head Start or subsidized child care programs. More states securely link preschool special education data (25 states) or state-prekindergarten data (23 states) than link federal Head Start (9 states) or subsidized child care (12 states) data.
• 36 states collect state-level child development data from ECE programs and 29 states capture kindergarten entry assessment data. Aggregate data on developmental screening and assessment, including kindergarten readiness assessment (collected by 29 states), can be useful at a state level to track, over time, the trends in children’s developmental status and need for early intervention and/or special education services. More information is needed about the proportion of programs participating in these state systems and how this development and assessment information is being used.
• 32 states have designated an ECE data governance entity to guide the development and use of a state coordinated longitudinal ECE data system. Over one-half of states have established an ECE data governance structure to assist with strategic planning, secure data sharing across public agencies, and ensure appropriate, secure use of data. These governance entities are well positioned to coordinate data across the multiple state agencies that administer a patchwork of state and federally funded programs.

(Many counties across the states do not link ECE data with elementary data)

#3  This website contains information that adds to my understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education, which is clearly stating that we need to link resources, data, research, and social services information. We have a long way to go if we want equity across the states.

What new Info Did I find related to our current study? WALAAA! This one is a great set of lists of Five..Check them out, not all are about early childhood. Some are related to parenting, families, and culture. __________________________________________________________________________________ Child Trends 5 is a new monthly publication from Child Trends. April 26, 2013 President Obama's early learning initiative proposal includes strategies to increase access to high-quality preschool and expand the Early Head Start - Child Care Partnership program serving infants and toddlers. While Congress will debate plan funding and implementation, research provides solid guidance for bolstering quality across the diverse array of early care and education settings and programs. As the country considers a historic expansion of early care and education opportunities for young children, Child Trends offers a list of five ways to improve their quality:  Focus first on children's safety, health, and happiness.  Regardless of setting, children's safety, health, and happiness are the non-negotiable elements of quality care and education. Minimizing risk and maximizing children's opportunities to engage with teachers, caregivers, other children, and the world around them are essential strategies for promoting physical health and social-emotional, language, and cognitive development. Rigorous licensing regulations and regular monitoring of programs are essential. Yet a review of existing state regulations indicates that current protections for children are inadequate.

Support the early care and education workforce.  The administrators, teachers, and caregivers working with young children each day are at the center of creating high-quality early care and education. The current workforce has a low education level, and average annual incomes for some workers are under the federal poverty level for a family of four, despite efforts to promote higher qualifications and access to professional development. Further efforts should target improvements in the quality and content of early childhood education preparation programs; opportunities for supervised internships and student teaching; ongoing professional development that is rigorous and relevant; compensation parity; andcoaching, consultation, and mentoring that facilitates the application of new knowledge to everyday practice.

Use observations and assessments to support every child's needs across all developmental domains.  High-quality programs regularly collect information about children's physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. The National Research Councilhas published guidance on choosing and using child assessments that are appropriate for children's developmental, cultural and linguistic characteristics. The results of assessments should guide communications with parents, teaching strategies, curricula, and activities to help each child learn and develop in the way that works best for him/her. Ideally, such assessments would also align with states' guidelines on what children should know and be able to do upon kindergarten entry.

Create a culture of continuous quality improvement.  High-quality early care and education programs never stop improving. Continuous improvement starts with program leaders who engage themselves and staff in reflecting on strengths and growth areas through self-assessments, feedback from colleagues and parents, and data collected about the quality of their program, classroom, or child care home. Professional development and technical assistance can be linked to growth areas, and programs as a whole can annually update goals, objectives and strategies for improving services. State Quality Rating and Improvement Systems offer quality standards, professional development supports and incentives to guide the quality improvement process.

Build partnerships to support quality. Quality early care and education programs are supported by a larger early childhood service system that includes access to health care andmedical homes for young children, social-emotional development and mental health services that focus on prevention and intervention, comprehensive parent engagement that is responsive to parents' needs, and family support services to help families access resources and build their capacity to support their children's development. An effective early childhood system is dependent on strong partnerships among early childhood settings and across service-delivery systems; coordination of resources; and alignment of standards, which are critical for promoting quality early care and education programs that can meet the full range of children's and families' needs.

Back To Russia...

In order to understand Russia, you'd have to understand that Moscow and St. Petersburg are not the truest representation of Russia. There are thousands upon thousands of miles of plains, coasts, tundras, and countrysides that present a mush more accurate representation of how Russians live.

As for the current standards of Russian early childhood care, it is as vast as the territory. But one area is consistent among most state run schools, "you get what you get."

Many families are encouraged to send gifts to the teachers to encourage her/him to take special care for their child. Many families accept this practice as law, and expect that special care will be offered. Often, children do not attend any sort of early childhood program prior to beginning their first year. Children are left at home with family members if both parents work, and are rigorously pushed when they begin their first years. In most cities, state schools are the only option. There are no private schools unless there are expats that support it.

I did end up finding two resources in Russia. Both are American, but one is the father of a child who has always attended Russian schools. He loathes most of the process, and worries that his child is being hurt by the harsh practices of the teachers. She did attend a type of preschool that only met several times a week and focused on music only. 

The other resource is a teacher in one of the largest private expat supported schools in Moscow. She echoed the sentiment of the harshness of state schools. Through her experience and time in Russia she has seen a very slow change in the attitudes about early childhood education, but admits programs are primarily privately offered and only available to the wealthier families. Research has shown me that the cost of a full day program in Moscow for 3 and 4 year olds is roughly 15-18K per year, that fee would leave out most in America as well...