Sharing Web Resources Cont'd

 

I came across a section on ACEI’s website that highlighted a platform for individuals to have conversations and exchange ideas and experiences.

 

Goals of the Decade

 

•  Promote and protect childhood as a unique and critical stage of human development •  Explore childhood from interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives •  Identify issues that erode childhood •  Advocate for children's rights as a vital element of childhood •  Translate the "Ten Pillars of a Good Childhood" into policies and practices that benefit all children

 

Within this section, it also showcased the Ten Pillars of Good Childhood, which relates exactly to my current professional development and service.  The pillars focus on important aspects that help to create the most optimal early childhood environment. 

The Ten Pillars of a Good Childhood

 

The Ten Pillars of a Good Childhood are a starting point that can be used to consider what a good childhood looks like today. Please use these pillars for your engagement with this decade. How are they relevant to the experience of childhood in your home, your community, or your nation? Share the Ten Pillars with others. We would like to hear your opinions about the pillars and about creative ways that the pillars have been used by you to guide policies and practices related to the experience of childhood.

 

1. Safe and secure places for living and learning,
   with access to health care, clothing, shelter, and nutritious food
2. Strong families and loving, consistent caregivers
3. Social interactions and friendships
4. Creative play and physical activity
5. Appreciation and stewardship of the natural environment
6. Creative expression through music, dance, drama,
   and the other arts
7. Education that develops the full capacities of the child—cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and ethical
8. Supportive, nurturing, child-friendly communities
9. Growing independence and decision making
10. Children and youth participating in community life.

 

Of the ten pillars, strong families and loving consistent caregivers, education that develops the full capacities of the child and creative play and physical activity stood out to me.  I believe that we need families to be involved just as much as those who service and advocate for children.  And we must work together with the families in order to have the greatest impact on a child’s life.  Developing the whole child and incorporating play and daily physical activity are also key points in the early childhood field. 

 

“Through collaboration and partnerships at local, regional, national, and international levels, we will extend our work, especially when enriched by insights across multiple sectors, including education, health, ecology, recreation, sociology, and psychology” (ACEI, n.d).  The platform in which professionals across different sectors can come together certainly allows for more of a collaborative approach for the issues and trends to be discussed in the early childhood field. 

 

  http://acei.org/

http://www.decadeforchildhood.org/