International Research for Early Education

The website for the University of Victoria School of Child and Youth is very informative. The site offers research endeavors published by students fulfilling degree requirements for their master’s program. I thought the project submitted by Charlotte Day on rural early childhood development projects that focus on learning concepts that are developmentally appropriate for the culture of the people was particularly interesting. The community is working to build a facility for the children, but locals are reluctant to use exploratory learning methods with the children in care. This poses an interesting research question for international early education research endeavors. Many intervention projects that focus on underdeveloped nations are now seeking to design early childhood programs that are appropriate to the cultures of the people they ate attempting to help. This will be especially helpful when trying to define quality and excellence in their childcare. I had the pleasure of viewing a program about an organization called “Right to Play. An organization mostly composed of Olympic athletes is seeking to improve the mental and physical health of children in war torn countries through organized sports activities. The program is based on the belief that children learn through play. They believe children need to play even in the face of life threating conditions. For more information check out their site at http://www.righttoplay.com/International/Pages/Home.aspx.