Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

In order to connect with early childhood professionals from outside the United States I reached out to members of early childhood groups on Linkedin. I participated in a Forum offered through Walden Universiy, Positioning Yourself for Success in Early Childhood. One of several recommendations on how to stay current in the field was to create a Linkedin account and become a member of the early childhood education groups that were of interest to me.

I have reached out to several member of the group in the hopes of getting two positive responses. I was very excited when I receive the second one this morning. I will be corresponding with Godfrey from Kenya and Lynn from Vietnam.

Godfrey is an Early Childhood Education & Development Specialist and is currently training teachers in Kenya. Lynn is an experienced international educator and is currently a Location Manager for an international childcare center in Vietnam. I am looking forward to communicating and learning from their experiences.

I have decided to study the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) website http://nieer.org/  . NIEER conducts and reports on current research in the field of early childhood education. I have found myself using many of the articles they have published during my coursework as I work towards my Master’s Degree. I firmly believe that the most influential way to create positive change in the field of early childhood to broaden the understanding of its importance. Compelling scholarly research can influence policy makers which in turn influences funding. As the nation, states and local communities make decisions about educational funding during this economic climate, having an understanding of the value of quality early childhood education for all children is imperative. I feel the work done by NIEER is of great importance in this area.

Advice to my colleagues is to keep reaching out when trying to make connections; it took multiple attempts before I got a positive response to my inquiries.  Also, think of alternative ways to connect with people; our classroom parents are so diverse now they may be able to connect you to someone from their home country. Good luck to all!