Facing the reality that none of the contacts I pursued were going to work out, I listened to a very interesting podcast from the World Forum Radio website http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/radio.php I listened to a conversation with Susan Lyon who was inspired by her visit to Reggio Emilia, Italy. She brought The Hundred Languages of Children exhibit back to San Francisco with her to train teachers in the Reggio approach. An outgrowth of this was the development of the Presidio Child Development Center located in the Presidio National Park. From the podcast I located an article about the center in Exchange Magazine. As another attempt to connect with a professional in the field, I sent an e mail to the center's director who also traveled to Italy and was greatly impacted by what she saw. I have not heard from her, yet. I was surprised to learn The Presidio Child Development Center provides access to impoverished children.
Sixty percent of the children speak a second language and over half of them qualify for free or reduced lunches (Kalinowski, 2011). Tuition is based on a sliding scale determined by per capita income and family members must be working, in training, in school, or have protective services needs (Kalinowski, 2011). I am hoping to learn more about the center and about the director's insights into early childhood education in Italy.
Looking into poverty in Italy, I discovered a vast difference in living conditions between Northern and Southern Italy. Two-thirds of Italy's poor Italian families live in the south (Bonati, & Campi, 2005). Southern Italy has the third largest population of children under five years old in all of Europe and one of the poorest health conditions for children of that age (Bonati, et al, 2005). Because of limited health services in the south, most families have to travel to the north if their children need hospitalization, and only 54.9% of children in the south received a measles vaccination (Bonati, et al, 2005). Related to inequities in health care is limited access to early childhood experiences (2.2%), the rate of primary school drop-outs is 2.5 times greater than in Northern Italy, and unemployment for teens is 65.2% compared to those in the North at 7.1% (Bonati, et al, 2005). Bonati called for a change in policy to address the denial of the human right to dignity being ignored for the children of Southern Italy. Policy has been based on national averages, not based on regional or local needs (Bonati, et al, 2005). Bonati linked denial of quality health care, high drop-out rates, and underemployment to high risks of stress, shame, and depression ( 2005).
Reggio Emilia, Italy, where Susan Lyon and the director of the Presidio Center visited to learn of the Reggio method is located in Northern Italy.
Bonati, M., & Campi, R. (2005). What can we do to improve child health in Southern Italy? PLoS Medicine, 2(9), 849-852. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.
Kalinski, M. (2011). A program showcase: Presidio Child Development Center, San Franciso, California. Exchange, Mar/Apr2011(198), 86-87. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
Hi Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteI found interesting and worrying that huge differences exist in the same country, but in different areas, like in the case of Italy that there is more poverty in the southern than in the northern. It is also sad to know that decisions regarding policies are taken based on national averages, not on local needs, especially when we realize that each family has unique needs, as Ralph da Costa Nunez, the president and CEO of the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness (Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness, 2012) mentioned, one size does not fit all when working with families in need.
I hope you hear something from the professional you contacted recently.
Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness (ICPH). (2012). Retrieved from http://www.icphusa.org/
Hi Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to hear that southern italy has some of the poorest health conditions for their young children. It too surprised me how the families travel to the North for health care services. It is obvious that individuals in Southern Italy's rights are being violated. Another statistic which I was not aware of was the fact that Southern Italy has the third largest population of children under the age of five. The youngest children are the most neglected: Almost half the world's countries offer no formal programs for children younger than 3 years, a time of remarkable potential and extreme vulnerability. At this age, interventions that combine health, nutrition, and cognitive stimulation can have a determining effect especially for children from highly disadvantaged backgrounds.(Burnett, 2008).
Suzanne, This was a very interesting post!
Millie
Burnett, N. (2008). Education for all: An imperative for reducing poverty. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1136, 269-275. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.
Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteI have studied the issues of poverty in India. I have learned that almost 20% of the children are not attending school because of poverty. As a result, I find it scary that many of the thriving nations are being affected by poverty issues. Thank you for this post.