International Research on Childhood Poverty

I have yet to hear from either of my international contacts so I conducted some research on my own. Spain is one of the countries that I have chosen to research. In my research one surprising fact was the prevalence of children living in poverty. I have always thought of Spain as a "rich" country, but in actuality the unemployment rate is 20%. This leads to alot of family tension due to families living with economic hardships.
I found an interesting report outlining research, conducted by unicef, about childhood poverty in Spain, UK and Sweden. The research teams set up discussion groups in schools of the countries studied. The children in these groups were asked to describ aspects of good days and bad days. The researchers were looking for the affect of poverty on the well-being of children.
What the research showed was that it is not the lack of material possesions that affect the well-being of children but the increase in family tensions due to economic hardships.
The children in all three countries sited the same aspects of good and bad days. Good days consisted of time with family, friends and pets. Bad days were characterized by an upset in stable family time such as: separation, fighting, and substance abuse.
This research leads me to believe that the way to end poverty is a combination of things. Families need to be provided basic needs such as: food, clothing, and shelter. But education is key to helping these families lead successful lives. They need to be educated in how to deal with issues that arise as a result of having a low income. They also need to be educated in the importance of quality time with their children.
I feel that, no matter what country we are talking about, the cycle of poverty will not change until we address the underlying causes.

Establishing Professional Contacts

I chose to begin my correspondence with representatives from Ireland and Spain.  I chose Ireland because part of my heritage is Irish and I am very interested in the country. I chose Spain because I live in South Texas and I feel like communicating with a Spanish speaking country might help me in communicating with families here. I wanted to find a contact in Mexico but there was not one listed on the website. I am going to research this further.
I emailed each representative and am still waiting for a response.

I chose to further research the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educatorshttp://www.naecte.org/  website. I chose this because the organization is focused on being a tool for professional growth in early childhood educators. I feel strongly that the best way to improve education is to improve teachers through positive professional development. The dues for this organization is only $45 for graduate students. They offer a quarterly newsletter, periodic e-newsletters, national conferences, information on research conducted by teachers, and the opportunity for members to contribute. I am looking forward to learning from fellow educators.