Week: 8 Issues and Trends

Final Blog Assignment

Progress in our world relies on the ability 

to access and share knowledge. 

Access to knowledge is an advantage and 

knowledge itself is a tangible asset. 

Kids Rights

Majority of countries are not addressing the issue of discrimination against minority groups of children and youth. Disabled children, indigenous children, street children, migrant children, and refugee children are still widely discriminated against. Another area of concern is nations’ failure to facilitate child participation. Children have the right to be heard and express their opinion, and to have a say in matters affecting their social, religious, cultural, and political lives.

Equity for all children

All children have a right to equal opportunities to grow, develop, learn, and thrive. However, the current landscape of opportunity denies that right to millions of children around the world.

When children are unable to reach their full potential, the cycle of inequity continues, leaving fewer opportunities for their children and thus perpetuating situations of poverty and suffering. 

“Failing to seize critical windows of opportunity in the lives of the most vulnerable children now will incur higher costs later. These costs will be felt in terms of lost lives, wasted potential, and reduced productivity” (Association for Childhood Education International 2015).  The government's goals must include opportunity to allocate resources, inspire collective will, and ensure international commitment to end inequality and ensure bright futures for all the world’s children.

Supporting Children’s Development

One third of children in low- and middle-income countries fail to reach developmental milestones

The number of children in poor countries who fail to reach their developmental potential remains large. A new study shows that over 80 million of approximately 240 million preschool-age children in the world’s low- and middle-income countries fail to develop a basic set of age-appropriate skills. These skills would allow them to follow simple directions, maintain attention, communicate with others, control their aggression, and solve progressively complex issues. The researchers found that the problem is most severe in sub-Saharan Africa, followed by South Asia, and Latin America/Caribbean( PLOS Medicine).

Early childhood education is something everyone can support. 

From brain scientists to economists and 

from parents to governors, societies of all 

ethnicity should realize that we need to invest in 

our nation’s youngest children. 

I would like to thank all my colleagues and professor Tammy Shephard for such a significant course experience, I greatly appreciate the opportunity to learn and grow from each of you. Together we can make a difference in the lives of young children and families.

A great BIG thank you to all the organizations and meaningful programs designed to promote success for others. 

References: 

McCoy, D.C., Peet, E.D., Ezzati, M., Danaei, G., Black, M.M., et al. (2016). Early Childhood Developmental Status in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: National, Regional, and Global Prevalence Estimates Using Predictive Modeling. PLOS Medicine.