Getting To Know Your International Contacts: Part 2

I didn't get the opportunity to speak with Jane for a long period for this discussion...  She lost her father a week and a half ago, so she has been busy with family and my condolences go out to her.  Jane, as you may recall, is my international contact from  London, England from the Regents Park Nursery.

I spoke with Jane briefly about equity and excellence in England in regards to the care of children in her early childhood program.  Jane feels that the children enrolled in her facility are provided with exceptional care due to the fact that the focus is on personal/social/emotional skills, physical development, and communication and language skills initially. She also stated that after those areas of development are developed, then they focus on specific areas such as math and literacy, and expressive art.  I told her that I am a firm believer that those prime areas of development are critical before children are able to move further in development.  

Jane said they have enriched learning centers and the parents donate and volunteer their services on a regular basis.  She said her nursery has even adopted two animals from the local zoo, a penguin and a tiger that the children in the facility will soon name.  Jane ended our conversation because as I stated earlier, she is dealing with the loss of her father and she has plenty of things to do.  She said we can finish this discussion for the next entry.


  I still have not heard from my Mexico contact, but I did send out a second message to him.  I understand that as early childhood professionals, our plates get full and we tend to possibly put off fires that aren't close to us at the time.  I am going to wait another week to see what happens.