Research Around the World

                                              About ECDVU in Sub-Saharan Africa:
While looking through ecd website, I was able to view some of their research topics. For Example;
 
                      1.The Development of an Integrated Early Childhood Development Urban Model Training Program for Informal Minders and Community Volunteers in Ghana; BY;Felix Agorsah
 
 
                     2.Building Community Leadership for Quality Sustainability in Madrasa Preschools: The Case of Madrasa Preschools Post Graduation Support BY:Asha Mohammed Ahmed
 
 
                    3.The Status of Coordination and Supervision of Early Childhood Education in Ghana BY:Margaret Amponsah

However there were some new insight I was able to learn about early childhood in Ghana, Tanzania. For example;Ghana office of UNICEF introduced the IECD program aimed at promoting the survival, growth, protection, and education, all key components of development of the child aged 0-8 years. I was  also able to learn about early childhood education in Ghana dates back over 160 years to 1843. I was amazed how long early childhood education has been around. Even though it has not been until 1961, however, that institutions were put in place to formalise this service to young children. Since then, major changes and activities have taken place. These include formulation of policy guidelines for nursery education. http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php

There were also additional information I also recognized on this website: ECDVU participants work with a number of highly respected ECD faculty.Inclusion in ECDVU was not based solely on a self-identification application process typical of graduate level educational programs. Instead, in most cases, the names of ECDVU candidates emerged from an in-country process that brought together an inter-sectoral ECD country committee to identify significant early childhood goals for the country in the years ahead.Even though individual aptitude and sustained commitment are critical factors in candidates' success, the ECDVU is not primarily about individual learning and development. It is primarily concerned with advancing ECD within each participating country, and across sub-Saharan Africa, through a "flow-through" of information and involvement in the candidate's learning by the larger ECD "community" within his or her country. http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php

Therefore, I find this website to be highly informative about international early childhood development, education. Even-though each research I have read about was based on different criteria. Their foundation was based on helping communities, families and children development. However among all the different financial support of the following organizations: For example; World Bank:Norwegian Educational Trust Fund; UNICEF;UNESCO;CIDA;Dutch Government, and many more. ECD website was excellent.

Reference:

 http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

                                                           Down Syndrome
Down Syndrome has touch my life in many ways. My children have grown up in a very ordinary school district and to seem to have a lot of friends. During the fall they play football, the winter they played basketball and the spring it was softball. There was one kid in the neighborhood that had Down Syndrome but to my kids and the other kids in the neighborhood he was just like everyone else. Until one night we had away game and  some one called him a rude name and my son decided to hit the kid for saying such a rude name and it cause a huge fight between the two teams. Myself and the other parents in the neighborhood decided to seek professional help. We wanted our children to understand what Down Syndrome is and that people who have it can have a normal life.

About Down Syndrome:
Down syndrome (DS), also called Trisomy 21, is a condition in which extra genetic material causes delays in the way a child develops, both mentally and physically. It affects about 1 in every 800 babies born in the United States.The physical features and medical problems associated with Down syndrome can vary widely from child to child. While some kids with DS need a lot of medical attention, others lead healthy lives

Reference:
kidshealth.org › Parents › Diseases & Conditions
www.mayoclinic.com/health/down-syndrome/DS00182‎

Personal Research Journey

There are many reason researcher studies child development. developmentlists begin with curiosity and then seek the facts, drawing conclusion only after careful research. However child development is divided into four equal parts to make a whole child. Therefor, I chose for my simulation is Early Childhood; Cognitive Development between the ages of 2 and 6 years of age understanding conservation and what is logic or not logic.
Through-out my teaching with  pre-school children. I have personally watch how children eyes have lighten up through-out the years over many fairy-tale stories.Children begin to think symbolically and learn to use words and pictures to represent objects. They also tend to be very egocentric, and see things only from their point of view.

Preoperational Stage:

"During this stage, young children are able to think about things symbolically. Their language use becomes more mature. They also develop memory and imagination, which allows them to understand the difference between past and future, and engage in make-believe.

But their thinking is based on intuition and still not completely logical. They cannot yet grasp more complex concepts such as cause and effect, time, and comparison."(Inhelder&Piaget,pg257, 1964)

 

Reference:

 

Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers

Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers: Inhelder, Barbel, & Piaget, Jean, (1964) The early growth of logic in the child.