Research Aroung the World

For this week’s assignment, I decided to research Early Childhood (EC) in Australia. I chose Australia because it is not a country that I hear about a lot; therefore, I wanted to compare their EC programs to those of the US.

            In doing so, some of the current international research topics in Australia were slim to none. However, I was able to stumble upon EC news archives that continuously monitoring the news for information concerning the wellbeing and development of young children. The latest article published called Resources to support services, families and children deal with bushfires, focused on services and communities around Australia have been affected by the recent bushfires and gave listings of resources to assist families, children and communities through this difficult time. Very seldom you see where an area has been hit with devastation that the community focuses on just EC. Most times there are listings for assistance, but it doesn’t make mention of the biggest topic – children. The website goes on to state “Research shows children who have been directly affected by bushfires can experience emotional distress for a long time after the bushfire has happened. This can be related to the experience of having to leave their homes, fears about their parents' safety and fears about the future as well as actual experience of the fire”. I found this to be extremely touching having gone through many hurricane devastations here in New Orleans.

            The most surprising fact/insights/new ideas about EC in Australia that I gained from the suggested website was the Australian Journal has been around for many years and like most magazines or journals have been through a number of name changes. The best part about it all is that it is known as the most scholarly journal in the field. The Australian Journal of Early Childhood (AJEC) acknowledges the breadth and diversity of those studying and working within the early childhood field, which for many people like me inquiring about the EC field internationally helps to understand their concepts and ways of doing things in comparison to the US.

            The other noteworthy information I found on this particular website was that there is many different types of assistance available in regards to EC. Whether a child is grieving, gone through a traumatic experience or dealing with a loss of a loved one, there are tons of assistance offered to children. As adults, we deal with things different ways from children. We may think the child is okay with certain things, but the truth is, they tend to deal with horrible or traumatic situations harder than adults. After reading the many articles related to these topics, it seems as though many communities need to revise their plans when dealing with disasters and those affected by them.

Reference

Early Childhood Australia. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/