When I went into this site, I wanted to research current information on what this association was involved in globally. There are numerous links throughout this site but I was interested in latest data and information that would pertain to this assignment. The website had eight tabs on the left hand side of the page and I choose the Quality Resource Pack.
The International Step by Step Association or ISSA's has developed a resource pack. The resources address the needs of early childhood education systems to set up quality framework for early childhood practices and tools for mentoring, assessing and improving them.
The quality of services and learning environments for young children is an issue for a number of countries. Access to programs is no longer considered adequate if it is not accompanied by quality, supported by motivated and competent individuals, as well as adequate systems and frameworks.
The ISSA has developed a complete “Resource Pack on
Quality Pedagogy” to:
Ø
Better serve children and their
families by increasing the quality of the services
Ø
Support educators - to improve their
everyday performance through the principles of learner-centered, interactive
pedagogy, development of life-long learning skills, self-reflection and
cooperation with colleagues/peers, families and communities.
Ø
Advocate for the complexity of the
early childhood profession.
Ø
Inform different stakeholders about
the need for quality and engage them in dialogue about quality so that better
systems are put in place.
Major Initiatives for 2013-2015
Pillar 1: ASSESS and QUALITY
Development of a Theory of Change to advocate for ECEC Inclusive competent
systems
Coordination of the Romain Early Years Network
Scaling up Diversity and Equity Programs
Pillar 2: Quality
Implementation of the Quality Assurance and Improvement Strategy targeting
services for children from 3 – 10 years old and measuring impact
Quality Framework for ECEC services for children from birth to 3 years of
age
Pillar 3: Participation
Family and Community empowerment programs targeting children from birth to
three years old
Pillar 4: Network
Community and capacity building
Expansion of membership and reach
Income generation for sustainability
More staff in the secretariat to deliver more services to a wider audience
Strategic partnerships for a wider regional network
The information from this resource was very helpful to me. It put into perspective that organizations globally want to help improve the conditions for children by providing quality early childhood programs. The International Step by Step Association “currently reach well over 1 million children and their families”. http://www.issa.nl/qrp.html
I really enjoyed reading your blog post. The website seemed to be very interesting. The international step by step association seems to be very helpful. I really like the way that you laid out your discussion post. It was easy to read and I learned a lot of valuable information. The website that I researched was zero to three it was also very informative.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this website and feel that their initiatives for the 2013-2014 year are right on target for major issues occurring within the early childhood field. I particularly liked pillar 1 on developing a theory for change. This is the first step to changing the standards within our child care services provided for families.
ReplyDeleteI think this organization is awesome because it focus on families and children ffrom all walks of life. I especially like the inclusive and diversity approach. I will visit the website to learn more about the mission of this organization.
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