Early childhood education has
become an important topic of conversation because of the lead tainted water and
so many children being exposed to the water. There are programs being offered
at many different institutions where these programs have not been offered
before. The concerns of many is getting enough qualified teachers to teach
fulfil the need. Finding one qualified lead teacher has been challenging. There
has been talk of developing the para-professionals and extending their training
to fill in the gaps. However, with every good idea comes the problem of
funding. While there has been grants and government help, it is not enough. Many
parents of the children who were exposed to the lead tainted water are grateful
for the opportunities for their children to get the extra help. Many professionals
report they are starting to see behaviors in the children who have higher lead
levels.
The area colleges in Flint, MI
have offered classes at reduced rates for those who can qualify. There have
been free trainings for teachers and educators offered at Genesee Health
Systems and throughout the community. There has also been a group coalition of professionals
from multiple disciplines who come together and brainstorm about opportunities
and how to help the children with high lead levels.
Some of my professional goals
are to provide as much support and knowledge as I can to help the children in
Flint, MI. After I complete this certificate program, I do not see myself going
into a classroom; as I am nearing retirement age. However, I have consulted and
participated in the coalition of professionals to see how I can help make a
difference. I will continue to do so. My hopes and dreams would be to know that
all of the children who were exposed to the lead water recover 100% and go on
to live healthy and happy lives. I also hope the water lines will all be
replaced so that this does not happen to any more children. I know our mayor is
working hard to get the funding for this huge project. Some of the challenges
that I see is money. Our governor does not want to pay for the replacement of
the pipes in the city. That is an ongoing debate. While they are debating, many
families are still living on bottled water. There has been some progress but we
still have a long way to go. We continue to fight for what is right!
It’s just sad about what is happening in Flint. I saw on the news one day where children were walking from different places carrying bottles of water. I even saw were one child got sick because of the water. It’s sad that the government’s not doing more to help these people. I can imagine what the teachers are going through. These children probably feel like don’t know one care about them. So, they act up. I just feel like the government can do more, but they don’t. Teachers need to so these children as much love as they can and give them the best education they can.
ReplyDeleteLaQuesha Goss
Hi Delores,
ReplyDeleteThe situation in Flint is horrible. I had a child in my class several years ago who suffered from high lead levels/lead poisoning due to the presence of lead-based paint in the home. It definitely affects kids' brain development and their behaviors. Your comments about funding and how centers that want to invest in professional development for their staff may not be able to afford to do so are really spot on. So many times it all just comes down to the money. This is why we need to advocate for more government funding for early childhood programs.
~Deb
How disheartening to read how these children have been exposed to tainted water. The government needs to provide proper funding to resolve this issue and whatever medical treatment the children and their families need.
ReplyDeleteThere also needs to be more government funding for Early Childhood programs, Children develop so much between the ages 0 to 3 that there needs to be higher investment into those programs
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ReplyDeleteHi Delores,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. First and foremost I'd like to extend my sympathy to all the children and families who were affected by the lead in the water in your community, I really hope they all recover from this devastating mishap. I agree, the pipeline should be replaced and there shouldn't be any hesitation about it, if it was the source of the problem. I wish all of you well.
Dulce