The role of early childhood education in establishing a sustainble society

Qemuge mentions Urad Front Banner is a small, remote, poverty-stricken town in Inner Mongolia in North Central China with a population of 574, 000. It provides an insigth into difficult situations as fast as sustainable development is a concern. This includes a series of problems that the rapid desertification of grasslands has caused, such as sandstorms and natural disasters. Economic development is increasingly challenging lives due to higher energy consumption, the pollution of water and the threat to the most important water source, the Yellow River. The scary part, only a small portion of the citizens worry about it.
So where does this leave the educational system? How does this effect the children? Sustainable development on the part of individuals is both a prerequisite for enabling people to live harmoniously together in the world and a constitutional right. Early childhood education should play an important part in building a sustainable society because it can be seen as the first stage in building a sustainable lifestyle. In Urad, the rapid economic progress had not only helped the citizens overcome poverty, but has made people realize the importance of knowledge. We need knowledge to understand the connection between quality of life and social development. The attitude of ECE has rapidly changed in recent years. In the 1980's, because of poverty and low levels of adult literacy, there were misunderstandings of ECE. Now, they believe that ECE is very important phase for children's long-term development. This changed occurred because of the development, assistance, and community. In the 1980's there were only two programs. Now, there are two public and 11 private. Overall the programs in Urad, have improved over the years. The children are provided the opportunity to learn in a private or public school. Like the article mentions, knowledge is power. To learn, is to teach.

Education for peace in a sustainable society

According to Fuentes, education has a relevant mission to help individuals in creating identities for peace. Girls and boys who had an identity that gives them security, a capacity for contact and empathy, are beings of peace. On the other hand, those who are conceived as weak, isolated and lonely, become hostile and sad beings. To remove them from this situation is a difficult task. Those with a positive identiy contribute to peace, to nations and communities that value themselves, without deteriorating that values of others. Current conditions in Latin America- such as pollutio, ecological deterioration, industrialization, the unplanned expansion of citites with a huge urban maginality, that rates of deforestation, erosion and reduction of cultivated land, reduced space for the survival of indigenous minorities, difficult access to water and natural resources, which are increasingly precarious are explained by some of those undesirable effects of development and modernization.
My question, how does a country that is in such needs, have their needs met when it comes to early childhood education?

The Contribution of ECE to a Sustainable Society (UNESCO)

At first, I was overwhelmed when I down loaded this article. To make it less intimidating, I decided to read over the contents and decide which articles was most interesting. After looking at the first two, I decided to read the entire article.
Overall, there was a consensus of amoung the participants that ensuring access to quality of early childhood care and education for all children with an important pre-condition that enables societies to be sustainable as well as an essential goal towards which all countries must strive. Every child has the right to adequate care, learning, development, and protection, and a sustainable society is where everyone's rights are recognized, respected and fulfilled. Increasing investment in improving access, quality, and equity of early childhood provision and supporting families is an urgent necessity. This requires government commitment and leadership, around which other stakeholders, including international and donor communities, can be mobilized (Chalmer, 2006). According to Delors (1998), the four pillars of learning proposed by the Delors Report (UNESCO, 1998) learning to be, learning to do, learning to learn, learning to live together- are so relevant in developing early childhood education in service of sustainable development.
Fuji and Izumi (2007) explains the Silkworm Project in Kyoto Japan. This project at the Takatsukasa Hoikuen Childcare Center is a hands on environmental educational program for children. The children learn how to nurture, care, and maintain the silkworms. This project begins at the age of three and continues with the children as the get older.
I believe that this type of learning can happen in Hawai`i. There are so many natural resources that can be used in the classroom.