Expanding Horizons and Resources

Part I: Expanding Horizons

The Global Fund for Children

In 1990, Maya Ajmera came across a woman facilitating an informal education classroom in a train station area in Bhubaneswar, India.  She spoke with the woman afterwards and learned the need the children had in their area, and many areas around the world.  This interaction inspired Maya to create the Global Fund for Children (GFC) in 1992, which she continued to lead for 17 years before passing it onto the next generation.  The Global Fund for Children services countries around the world, such as the Americas, Africa, The Middle East, Europe, and Asia.  They touch the lives of children in refugee camps, urban slums, and isolated villages.  They believe in making a social movement to create partnerships among organizations and people, “not dependencies”.  This social movement focuses on education, gender equality, youth empowerment, freedom from violence and exploitation.  

            The GFC follows a model to their success of supporting children and their communities.  They begin by identifying researched groups that work with children and youth with a worldwide scope.  They allocate monies to fund their “partners’ life-changing programs” and continue to monitor the use of funds to ensure children and youth are the focus.  Throughout the partnerships formed, the GFC mentor and build accountability for both the GFC and the organization being supported.  Accountability is supported by self-assessment tools to reflect and plan appropriately.  The GFC also serves as a spring board to network regionally and nationally, to share knowledge and empower one another through this social movement that is being fueled by their efforts.  The end goal for GFC is for their partners to continue to have success in the support they are implementing with children and youth long after working with the Global Fund for Children.  The GFC provides an informational website that offers research, networking, and opportunities to donate and/or participate in their social movement.

Part II: Expanding Resources

The National Association for the Education of Young Children

            For this course, I have chosen to focus on The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  I chose this organization because I personally believe it is important to be a member of the professional organization in your field.  I have been a member with the NAEYC for about 15 years, since I was a college student and was encouraged to by my EC professors.  I have used resources created by the NAEYC in the past, such as the NAEYC Code of Conduct to guide me. I have received monthly journals on the latest trends and issues in early childhood education with a specific focus in either infant/toddler development or preschool/school-aged development.  The NAEYC is well-known for creating early learning standards and principles to guide effective programs and practices in the early childhood field.  

            However, I have fallen into the pattern of relying only on the hard copy journals and books I receive via postal mail from my membership with the NAEYC.  I would like to further explore the opportunities that are offered through the NAEYC by diving into the website for the next eight weeks.  The website offers several areas of interest to educators and parents, such as resources, events supporting the early years, and aids in the accreditation process when creating a high-quality setting.  I am hoping I will gain some insight on the available resources and other avenues of knowledge through online literature and professional’s experiences. 

References

The Global Fund for Children

https://globalfundforchildren.org/

The National Association for the Education of Young Children

https://www.naeyc.org/