Professional Hopes and Goals

One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds.

   One hope that I have from working with children and families from diverse backgrounds is to be more aware and supportive of these children and families. I hope that in the future I am more culturally aware of others. In being more aware I hope to be more supportive of children and families according to their own individual needs. This hope will in turn help me to build relationships and connections with others.

One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice.

   One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is to provide more education and training for professionals. I would love to see professionals in the field receive more educational opportunities related to issues in diversity, equity, and social justice. I believe that this could build a better understanding of the issues and well as better connections with professionals with children and their families.

   I would like to send a special thanks to all of my colleagues. I have enjoyed getting to know all of your opinions and ideas on the issues of diversity, equity, and social justice. I have learned not only from the content presented by Dr. Ferrari but also my colleagues. It has helped me to expand my understanding and ideas of the diversity and equity.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

   This week we are challenged to think about having a family who has recently emigrated from another country that we know nothing about and how we will support this family and be culturally responsive. Since I am in a child care center setting I wanted to choose to keep this setting. I chose to have this family's country of origin be Japan.

   There are many ways that I could help support and be culturally responsive to this family. I chose five ways that will help me be culturally responsive and build a positive relationship with this family:

1. I will research their country of origin which includes the countries culture, economic status, population, history, religion(s), etc.
2. I would then hold a meeting with this family and find out more about their personal background and culture. I would like to know more about what their personal beliefs and values are so that their child can be comfortable in my classroom. I would also like to know what their expectations and opinions of early childhood education.
3. I would attend conferences and trainings on how to support children and families from other country.
4. I would then research more on how to include children from another country especially if their culture is different from the dominant culture in the classroom. This will hopefully give the child a feeling of safety and comfort.
5. Lastly, I would also consult with colleagues and other professionals and their experiences with immigrant children and their families. This can help me to build strategies to better support them.

   These strategies can better prepare me to support the child and his/her family. By using these preparations I can better understand the child and the family. In understanding the child and the family better I can feel better prepared and ready to help the child grow developmentally and ensure his/her well-being. I would hope that using these preparations can build a positive relationship and better connection to not only the family but also their country of origin.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

   Thinking about my life and what I see and observe around me, I can recall a few specific incidents where I have seen bias, prejudice, and oppression. These can be evident and observed in our society whether it be on TV or in personal experiences. While I cannot think of any specific incidences in my personal life I have been witness to a few. One specific incident of prejudice that I have seen was fairly recently. My husband and I were at a restaurant waiting for a table. While we were waiting a Hispanic family was about to be seated. Their party was rather large, probably about 6 people with most of the party being children. As they were walking to be seated a white gentleman leaned over to me and my husband and began to say "That's all America is now. It's all foreigners and minorities and soon us white people will be kicked out if they keep breeding like that" and then pointed to the family being seated. My husband and I were so in shock that we didn't know what to say and we just stared at him. He then walked away to wait for his table. His comments were very clear in the fact that he had specific prejudice with people of a different race and ethnicity as him.

   Looking back I wish I would have said something in return but at the moment my mind was so blank because his comments came out of nowhere. If I hadn't been so shocked I would have definitely informed him of how his comments were not okay and definitely not appreciated. My husband and I talked about the incident during dinner and we talked about how we felt very uncomfortable and angry with not only this man's comments but his blatant prejudice. He was  not shy at all voicing his opinions and bias to us. I would assume he thought his comments would be okay to share with us since we are white. In order for there to be greater equity in this situation he would have to realize his prejudice and how it affects others. While I know that it is hard to change someone's mind especially if they have had these prejudice or biases most of their life I think letting someone know your own opinions about bias and prejudice can show how their actions and way of thinking is something that needs to be changed.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

   Learning about microaggressions this past week has really opened my eyes and made me become more aware of conversations around me. While I did not find an example of microaggrssion this past week, I remember certain situations and conversations that fit into this definition. My husband and I have a friend that is very blunt in his comments and also jokes around quite a bit. I remember multiple occasions where our friends likes to make jokes about women. Many of these jokes pertain to women's stereotypical role in the household. Many of his jokes would involve women having the job of being in the kitchen and cleaning the house. While many of us either laughed or wrote his comments off, I can see now that his comments indeed were microaggressive. While he did not mean any harm in his comments and jokes, they were still very offensive and insulting. I remember my actions during his comments were mainly just to roll my eyes at him and come back with a sarcastic remark. Now I find that putting a clear definition to what he was doing brings me a whole new perspective. If someone else was on the receiving end of his jokes that did not know him very well, that person may as well be extremely offended by his comments.

   Keeping an open ear this week for microaggressions has really taught me that discrimination and prejudice does not necessarily mean that someone is intentionally trying to be offensive or hurtful. We see that stereotypes can be brought out because someone is being microagressive to another person. Whether the person feels that they have more power in the relationship to say those comments or the ideals are inherited from someone's family background, being microagressive is definitely unintentional and looking into our own biases can help us prevent the cycle of microaggression. I have learned this week that if I do not want to be unintentionally microaggressive then I really have to look into my own background, beliefs, and biases so that I am fully aware of how I feel towards others. The effects of this can be hurtful since microaggression is something that can be unintentional. People that have been victims of a microaggression can have feelings of being marginalized even by the ones that they are close to which is why I believe knowing our own biases can help in this process.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I interviewed three people this week and asked them about their definition of culture and diversity. I chose to interview my husband because he is a different gender from me, my mom because of our age difference, and my co-worker because she is African American which is a different race from me.

Culture:
My husband's definition is different customs and backgrounds for a group of people.
My mom's definition is the surroundings that you are raised in.
My co-workers definition is the way a group of people live within their society.

Diversity:
My husband's definition is the differences in people which could include race, religion, ethnicity, etc.
My mom's definition is the different cultures that we encounter in society.
My co-worker's definition is the differences and uniqueness in everyone and what sets them apart from everyone else.

There are some aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course that can be seen through these interview answers. The aspects of diversity being unique to everyone and diversity includes many things such as race, ethnicity, religion, and many more factors. The aspects of culture including customs, backgrounds, and belonging to groups of people. Culture is also about a person's surroundings and society that they have become accustomed to.

While I think these definitions gave me an insight into each person's individual answer and how they see culture and diversity, I have also seen things that I have learned through this course that were omitted in their answers. While culture can be about the different customs and beliefs that we can see on the surface, it also includes deep culture and the aspects that we cannot see. Diversity also includes aspects of social identities.

In learning more about people's definition of culture and diversity it has broadened me own definition as well as given me a new perspective on culture and diversity. Learning from others I can see that their definitions have been influenced by their own culture and diversity. This interview has shown me how important people's values and opinions are important to them and how each person can be influenced.

My Family Culture

   For this week's blog we are to imagine our family going through a major catastrophe and having to relocate to a different country with a completely different culture. With this trip we are only allowed to bring three small items.

   The three items that I would bring would be a one book from my bookshelf, a picture of my family, and my cell phone. I chose these items because I consider them important to me and significant in my life. When choosing a book from my bookshelf I would have to just choose a random one because there are so many that I would want to bring. I chose to bring a book because I love to read and I think it would help me to deal with the situation of moving to a completely different country. Reading  book and getting away can help to ease stress, which is what I would imagine to be a stressful situation. I would also choose to bring a picture of my family. This item can help me to feel more "at home". Having pictures of those that I love is something that I like to display in my house. Those that I come in contact with would be able to see just who I consider most important to me. The last item that I chose was my cell phone. While i know this item may seem a bit obvious, I chose it because I feel that it could connect me with the new country more. I could look up and discover different aspects about the culture as well as connect socially with the people that I come in contact with. I think this could help me become more at ease with being in a different country and culture entirely.

   If I was told that I could only keep one item upon arrival it would be difficult to give up the other two. While it was hard to think of three items, suddenly telling me I had to give up two of them would make me upset and extremely hard to think of which to keep. From my three items I'm not sure which item I would choose to keep. From this exercise I was able to gain insight into what would be important during a stressful situation. I reflected on my own culture and what certain items mean to me. I was able to reflect on how I might deal with being in a completely different culture from my own. It helped me to understand how people around me may feel if they were coming from a different country.

When I Think of Research...

   Through this course of Building Research Competency I have gained so much more knowledge than I had originally learned through other courses. I have gained many insights such as bias in research, risks, and even the types of research that can be conducted and what might fit best depending on what knowledge a researcher wants to gain. My ideas about the nature of doing research haven't necessarily changed but I feel they have expanded. Since I did not have as much knowledge prior to this course I feel that I gained more rather than having change my ideas. I now understand more about what has to happen and how much has to go into a research study.

   As far as planning, designing, and conducting research I have gained more knowledge and understand more about this. I know that planning takes time and that research questions have to be very specific. I have learned that designing a research study takes time because there are many factor that have to be considered. Risks, participants, limits, and research type all have to be considered when designing a research study. I have learned more about conducting a research study by seeing the types of methods that can be used. I have learned more about observations and interviews with participants and that the research sometimes needs to remain as uninvolved as possible.

   When constructing my research simulation I did encounter some challenges. One challenge that I encountered was trying to find a research question. I found it hard at first to be specific and very narrow in my question. I did find that once I was able to be specific I could see that it was necessary when designing the rest of the research. It made it much easier to design the other specific factors that went along with the research. From taking this course I have learned more about early childhood professionals that have to conduct research. I have not previously learned from the perspective of a researcher and now that I have taken this course I understand that in a way any professional in the field can be a researcher. This course has definitely expended my knowledge about the field and early childhood professionals.

Research Around the World

   I chose to look into the website of Early Childhood Australia. Upon entering the site I looked into their own work to see what projects are going on. One project I saw was the Australian Early Development Census resources (AEDC) Project. This project is to promote and demonstrate the data found to inform programming, planning and development to Kindergartens and day cares. Another resource that I stumbled upon was the Research in Practice series. This provides an index for practical and effective approaches to the early childhood field. It has valuable resources that have been made possible by research to assist in the care and education of young children.

   Some insightful information that I found was their Code of Ethics. It was interesting to see another country's code of ethics for early childhood. I was able to read some of it and can see many connections with our own Code of Ethics in early childhood. I was also very interested to see that in their code of ethics, there is a specific part for allowing children to play as a process and context for learning. They also have a special section for research in the early childhood field.

   There were plenty of noteworthy information that was on the website. One section I found very informative was their publications section. In this section I feel that there are plenty of ways to find valuable resources and research in the early childhood field. From magazines, newsletter, journals, and books there are plenty of options to find out more about early childhood in Australia and from around the world. I enjoyed searching through the Early Childhood Australia website and found it a valuable source for international information on early childhood.

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

Research that Benefits Children and Families- Uplifting Stories

   During this week we have learned about ethics in research and it's importance. There are examples of research that was done in unethical ways, but fortunately there are also plenty of examples of research done with positive outcomes. From my personal experiences I have seen that research for children and families can have positive outcomes when ethical standards are met. I have some family friends that discovered that their daughter is Autistic. They were able to find this diagnosis when she was about 3 years old and they have relied on research ever since. With the diagnosis they found that she was on the moderate side of the Autism spectrum. They have tried many different therapies for her and it has been a lot of trial and error when finding certain therapies that work. Through research of which therapies can help children in her situation, it has had positive outcomes for those children. As a family they have discovered that horse therapy along with various other speech therapy sessions have really helped their daughter. Through them I can see that research for therapies for children can be done in ethical ways to provide positive outcomes. When research is done under ethical standards then the benefits can truly be something great.                                                             

My Personal Research Journey

 For my current Research course at Walden we are being asked to think of a topic that we would further like to research. For my topic I have chosen to look into the cognitive development of children in the toddler years. I have personally chosen this topic because I currently work with toddlers. While I do know information dealing with children in the toddler years, I am interested in finding out more about their cognitive development and how as an educator I can help facilitate their learning and developmental growth. I will see how play, our interactions and the environment can affect a child during these years and their learning. I am already beginning to learn more and more about this topic and I am excited to see where this research will take me. I have done research topics before but never this big. I am excited to learn more about research in the early childhood years as well as gain more knowledge on my topic of cognitive development in the toddlers years. 

Final Blog Assignment

   Throughout this course I unfortunately was unable to establish contact with international professionals. From my latest blogs I was able to look and analyze many different websites and organizations that deal with early childhood on an international level. I have learned a few from discovering and analyzing these websites as well as the consequences from learning about international contacts in the early childhood field:

• Learning about the international organizations and foundations is a way to connect on a world wide scale. These programs can help us connect the issues and trends that are going on in the world.
• I found the website and podcasts to be great resources to understand what is going on the in world of early childhood. This could also help with early childhood on a personal level by helping out in the classroom on a local range.
• For my own professional development I now know that keeping aware of of kind of programs are out there. There is still a strive, even internationally, to obtain high-quality programs for early childhood care and education.

   One goal for the field of early childhood related to international awareness of issues and trends is to be more resourceful and knowledgeable about it. Researching and voicing the knowledge found can help others become aware of what is going on in the field of early childhood internationally. Having collegial relations with other professionals in the field can help expand this knowledge as well. It is my goal to keep abreast of not only the issues and trends in my community but now on an international level as well.

International Contacts- Part 3

   For my blog assignment this week I explored the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) website. While looking through the website I found three insights that pertains to my own professional goals and development:

• UNESCO is an advocate for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programs which attend to health, nutrition, security and learning that provides growth for children's holistic development.
• The early childhood programs by UNESCO focus on a holistic pre-primary education for children over the age of 3. UNESCO also has a phased plan to impel the education sector to eventually respond to the needs of younger children and partnership with families for children under the age of 3.
• UNESCO also partners with many organizations and foundations across the world to ensure the health and well-being of children and their families. Here is the link to their partners: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/partners/

   The links to the partnerships and the mission of UNESCO relates to me because their values relate to my field. Since I work in the early childhood field I can relate to their mission and apply it to my own work. They make it their mission to ensure the proper care and holistic growth in education for children around the world. It was interesting to see all the work around the world that UNESCO does to ensure the holistic growth of children. This is a great resource to other to view what is being done in the early childhood field around the world.

Sharing Web Resources

   The organization that I have been looking at is the Harlem Children's Zone. Looking through this website I have discovered many different links and resources. Through my searching I found that there is a link to documents and papers published by the HCZ. Many of their documents are biannual reports and highlights about their programs and success throughout the year. Their professional papers have a variety of subject matters that deal with what their programs are all about as well as a look inside their organization as a whole. One section that caught my eye was a few publications by former President Geoffrey Canada's poetry about children! I thought it was very interesting that his poetry was put on the website to showcase children and even the hardships of the neighborhood. Here is a link to their documents and publications page: http://hcz.org/documents-and-publications/

   I did not see any new newsletter containing information about the Harlem Children's Zone in the past couple of weeks so I decided to explore the website more. As I explored the website even more I came across some programs that I have not previously looked at. These programs were not just about the children but about the family and community as well. I showed that this organization is there for the positive input in the community and not just the children. Building a positive and safe environment for children and their families is a big issue to take on. The Harlem Children's Zone is trying to enrich the community to make their neighborhood more empowering and safe. One program to help is called Community Pride. Community Pride works closely with the surrounding businesses, organizations, and institutions to create a strong community where residents feel empowered and and united in the investment to make Harlem thrive. Helping each other through housing, job opportunities, financially, and many other factors help to possibly make this community a positive and safe environment for children and their families. I was glad I stumbled across these programs. I think it really shows the extent of the organizations programs and how far they are willing to go to make a difference in this community.

International Contacts- Part 2

   I chose to view the Global Children's Initiative for my blog this weeks. I was able to look around the website to observe and gain understanding about who and what they are. The three main goals that they focus on are children's mental health, early childhood development, and children in crisis and conflict situations. The center sets up faculty in working groups to achieve their main goals globally. There are a few working projects that are available to view on their website.

   One part of their website that gave me some insight into who they are and what they are doing in the early childhood field globally was their Zambian Early Childhood Development Project. This project is " a collaborative effort to measure the effects of an ongoing anti-malaria initiative on children's development in Zambia". The first children assessed were 1,686 children born in 2004 and were assessed in 2010. Another successful follow-up occurred with 1,250 of those children in 2012. Many of the assessments showed that their prevention efforts helped children and their development. I was interested by this because an assessment was used to help policymakers see just how using and anti-malaria campaign can effect a child's development. For me, I would not think an assessment would have to be made and it would be pretty obvious. I guess for policymakers using an assessment can help figure out just how well the campaign helps a child's development.

   Another program that caught my eye was found in Brazil. This is the first major programmatic effort outside the United States. In the project, collaborations are used with local experts to use the science of child health and development to influence and guide stronger policies and make larger investments to benefit young children and their families in Brazil. Some ways they are achieving this is to build a scientific agenda and community, translating scientific knowledge for application to social policy, strengthening leadership in the early childhood field, and translating and and adapting the Center's print and multimedia for a Brazilian audience. I feel that advocating to better policies and more knowledge of the early childhood years is a great program to establish. Using the content that already exists and adapting it to fit into the Brazilian culture is a great way to establish a better relationship and connection with the Brazilian policymakers and culture.

   Having equity and excellence in their program is a way for the Global Children's Initiative to continue with what they are doing throughout the world. Knowing that all children should have proper access to receive good health and a meaningful education is a factor to help them achieve their goals. Expanding their knowledge and resources to help child development globally shows their passion for the field and advocacy. I would imagine having contact and trying to make a difference for early childhood in a different country is difficult but has lasting effect not only for the field but for the children and families that they are serving.

References
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/

Sharing Web Resources

                                                        
   My web resource is the Harlem Children's Zone. While looking through their newsletters there was nothing that particularly struck me as relevant to my current professional development. I decided to search the website for other resources and information about something that would interest me. I came across a list of all of their programs that serve children and families. I was interested in looking through their early childhood programs. They have The Baby College which helps expecting parents and parents of children ages 0 to 3 gain a strong understanding of child development and the skills to raise a happy and healthy baby. To continue the parenting skills The Three-Year-Old Journey is another program for parents of young children to learn and share with other parents about their child(ren) and developmental milestones. Meanwhile their children are cared for by trained staff and they have time to interact and play with others. The last program that serves in the early childhood field is the Harlem Gems. This is a full-day, year-round pre-kindergarten program that currently serves 240 children across four sites. This pre-k program is to ensure that the children are school ready once they enter kindergarten.

   Throughout the newsletters I can see that there are many different newsletters and articles about the Harlem  Children's Zone and it's influence in politics. Working closely with New York City government is a way to get their name and cause out to the public. There are also influential connections to the White House. Back in February, some students and the then CEO, Geoffrey Canada, visited the White House and President Obama to announce and set up the countries first five Promise Zones which will be based off the HCZ model. This also could prompt economists to promote and invest in the early childhood field. There are newsletters as well that promote what neuroscience is saying, that high-quality early childhood education is the best way for children to be school ready and have success in their later years.

   Exploring this website had me gain more knowledge about their personal early childhood programs as well as their work outside of their own neighborhood. Branching out and reaching those outside of the Harlem neighborhood seems to be something new and refreshing to them. Visiting the White House and the President shows that their influence and passion does not just contain to what they are doing in their own neighborhood but they are advocating for educational programs in neighborhoods like theirs as well. these new insights helped me to understand more about how some neighborhoods are unable to have high-quality early childhood education. Many families are not being able to afford it or the resources are just not there. The Harlem Children's Zone is a place where the resources are there for children and families that need it.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

   I have tried to establish contact with many professionals outside of the United States. Since my e-mails have gone unanswered I ventured around the internet for different resources and organizations. In my research I came across the Save the Children organization. This organization works all over the world to make differences and an impact on children and their families that includes emergency response, education, health and nutrition, hunger and livelihoods, and much more.
                       
   I stumbled across where the organization serves and I was interested in their work in Ethiopia. They have had significant impact in Ethiopia since 1984. They have a huge focus on helping with poverty, hunger, poor health, a rising HIV/AIDS crisis, and education. Ethiopia's population is around 93 million and about 39% are in poverty. With such high poverty levels food insecurity is a huge problem. Current;y, 5 million people are chronically food insecure which can come from famines and poverty. Save the Children helps by trying to preserve and cover range land, increase access to veterinary services, and improve nutritional practices. With poverty so prevalent in Ethiopia a child's well-being and overall health is not being tended to and there is possible results of death at early ages including birth.
                                                          
   From this organization I learned that there are many places around the world that suffer from poverty. While looking through all the places that are served by the Save the Children organization I was overwhelmed by the amount of countries that are being served. I learned that intervention and response from organizations like this one make a huge, positive impact on children and their families.

References
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6150299/k.7399/Ethiopia_Humanitarian_Aid.htm

My Web Resource

   For my web resource I chose the Harlem Children's Zone. (http://hcz.org/) This organization's main focus is to reshape and refocus the community in Central Harlem. The project started in the 1990s and has since grown serving 100 blocks within the Harlem community. The Harlem Children's Zone help children and their education from birth through college age. Not only do they provide valuable education the the children and young adults but they also help families and the community as well.

   While looking over the newsletters I can see that their President/CEO, Geoffrey Canada, is a very vocal person and speaks out greatly about the Harlem Children's Zone and what they stand for. One article that caught my eye was about Canada speaking to the NY Times about why early education is so important. Canada goes on to explain in the article that a solid educational foundation is key in a person's success. The earlier we start then the more potential they will have in their later school success. He also explained that it is important to remember that while a child may be in a pre-kindergarten program, it is important for educators to continue to support them developmentally (Canada, 2013). I believe this article would be very helpful to many of the families and the community that he serves. It explains their purpose and and mine when it comes to early childhood education.

   I am interested in learning more from the Harlem Children's Zone as well as Geoffrey Canada their President/CEO. Many of their newsletter articles contain how their program is being successful and helping the children and their community. There are also links to various articles and videos that feature Geoffrey Canada as he explains the importance of their program and why they can continue to be successful in better a child's future. I hope to learn more from this great organization.

References
Canada, G. (2013). Start Early and Provide Support. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/02/25/is-public-preschool-a-smart-investment/start-school-early-and-provide-for-them-throughout

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

   For this weeks assignment I was able to try and contact several people from the Global Alliance of NAEYC website. I was very interested and excited to try and speak with someone in the early childhood profession about the differences in some of the topics we will be discussing. While I made several e-mail attempts to professionals from Ireland, Armenia, Canada, and the Netherlands I have not heard back yet but hope that someone responds. I am definitely going to try and establish a back up with the World Forum Foundation in case my potential contacts do not respond.

   For the second part of our assignment I chose to view the Harlem Children's Zone website. I was able to read about the program and signed up to be a part of their newsletters as well. The Harlem Children's Zone has set out to educate children that live in Central Harlem so that their ultimate goal will hopefully be college graduation. They not only help the children but the families as well. I chose this website because I really enjoyed reading about their purpose and how much they have accomplished in just ten years. In 1997 they began serving 27 blocks in Harlem and in 2007 they grew to 100. I can only imagine how much they have accomplished from 2007 till now. I am excited to find out more about this organization and what they have and plan to accomplish.

My Supports

   In my daily life there are many different people that are supportive to me. When I think about the daily challenges and daily routines I can really see who is supportive of me and my actions. My family is a big support to me. My husband provides support by listening to me and providing me with advice or sometimes just a helping hand. Whatever my need is he is there to help support me and my need. He is able to support me and help with life's challenges. He supports me by loving me through all of my faults and flaws which gives me a sense of belonging and self-worth.

   My parents have been a big supporter throughout my life. Not only with my personal challenges but with any other challenge that I might have faced in my life such as educational needs. My parents helped support me developmentally as a child and even helped me financially with my education as an adult. With their support I was able to grow and continue to grow in life's challenges.

   My friends are also there to support me throughout my life. My friends are able to sit and listen and support me in all of life's challenges. They are able to give me confidence and friendship that helps me be able to talk openly about my life without judgement and ridicule. I am so glad that I am able to have the support of my friends.

   On a professional support my co-workers are a great support system. They help me with daily challenges in the workplace and are there for advising me if there is a challenge or situation. We are all able to connect and talk about what goes on in our classrooms and able to talk with each other to give support to each other. Our director also encourages this close support system because it really does help us to gain more perspectives with what is going on in our classrooms.

   Without my support systems I would not be able to accomplish all that I have in life. I would be a person that would not be self -confident and I would feel as if I did not matter. I think that having a support system provides me with life skills that I need to face certain challenges in my life.

   I imagined a challenge in my life that I currently do not have. I would think that being unemployed would be a huge challenge in my life. I would need a lot of support from many different sources to help me get through this challenge. I would need the emotional and financial support from my husband if I did not have a job. It would not only be hard on my emotionally but also financially as a family. I would also want the help and support of my friends and extended family to help me emotionally and maybe even by supporting me in finding a job. I think that this challenge for me could not be overcome without the support of these people. It would be difficult for me to deal with something this hard emotionally and not have any support from anyone. Thinking about shelter, food, and many other essential in life that require money when I am not making any is a big challenge that I would hope to overcome by help from my support system. Having a support system can make all the difference in who we are and what we do and handle life.

My Connections to Play

"Play is a child's work and this is not a trivial pursuit." -Alfred Adler

"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood." -Fred Rodgers

Some images that represent play in my childhood:

I would love to spend my time playing board games and puzzles. Being an only child, putting a puzzle together was the perfect way for me to do an activity that just required me.

I was always active outside and when I got my first pair of roller blades that seemed to be what I always did whenever I ventured outside.

   Growing up I remember having lots of times to play both indoors and outdoors. Although I would have rather play outside. My parents were always encouraging me to play and to explore not only my toys but also the outside environments as well. It also helped that I grew up with a large yard and frequent visits to my Mema's farm. Since I am an only child I had a lot of alone time and played by myself but I always enjoyed when friends and cousins were able to come over and play with me. My parents also tried their best to play with me and play games with me when I was younger.

   I feel that play today is somewhat different from the play that I grew up with as a child. A lot of children that I know spend most of their "play time" indoors. I find that the older a child gets the less active the child becomes. Getting involved in media and video games is becoming more prevalent in children today. While I do see kids in my neighborhood playing outside it seems very rare and not an everyday event. I think it is important for adults to guide children to explore the outdoors and to steer away from all the electronic games. While playing these games are not necessarily horrible and completely bad, I do feel that limiting them can benefit the child greatly. Children should be able to explore the environments more at home and at school.

   I believe that play was a big part of my life when I was younger and I have benefited from it greatly. While I did not know it at the time, I was learning and understanding the world around me. It was a way for me to make lasting friendships, be self-confident, and express my creativity. I think having play be a big part in my childhood has helped me throughout my life.

Relationship Reflection

There are many people in my life that I have positive relationships with and that influence me greatly. Here are some great influential relationships in my life:

My husband, Brandon, is a great influence in my life. We have been together for 7 years and married for 2. He has taught me a lot about myself and what it means to be a better person. We know that our relationship cannot survive without certain factors. We continuously love each other and care for each other. We also have communication and trust which contributes to our relationship. Even though there are troubles and arguments which happen in every relationship we work through them and continue to love one another.

My parents were the earliest and most influential relationship that I have. They have taught me so much throughout my life and I am very grateful for all that they have done. For us to have a positive relationship there has to be trust and communication. Growing up my parents always encouraged me to try new things and to be myself. Of course through my teenage years I didn't always think they were right or knew what was best for me but as an adult I can see now that they tried their best to raise me in a way that they through would benefit me and my well-being.

Through these relationships I am able to learn and understand that each relationship takes work and effort to maintain. I have learned that through my personal relationships in life that certain elements contribute to that of my professional relationships/partnerships in the early childhood field. Communication, care, patience, trust, and other aspects contribute to a positive relationship in the early childhood profession. Having this positive relationship with children, colleagues, and families all ensure the well-being of children and their developmental growth.

"When I Think of Child Development"

"Since the earliest period of our life was preverbal, everything depended on emotional interaction. Without someone to reflect our emotions, we had no way of knowing who we are." - John Bradshaw

When I see this quote I cannot help to think about what I have learned in these past weeks in my class. Emotional connections and interactions can shape who we are and how we see the world. From very early on in our lives we look to emotions and interactions with first our caregivers and then others. I now know just how important emotional interactions between children and caregivers really are.

Testing For Intelligence?

   When looking at the big picture to some it seems a little ridiculous to be having children take standardized test, right? Children are measured and assessed in a number of ways in the school systems today. Many of these tests are being administered and children really aren't learning much. If we are to assess how a child learns why not look at how a child interacts with others, how the child is reading, and even how the child's language is. I think instead of testing things that children will more than likely end up forgetting and teachers only teach because they have to, we should be assessing things that a child will use in his/her lifetime. Socialization, emotional readiness, and other factors that goes into a child's learning, other than picking out the subject of a sentence, should be assessed to how the child is learning and developing.

   Many countries tests children's abilities and intelligence in many different ways. I learned years ago in my undergrad studies how China assess their children's intelligence. During their whole life Chinese children learn and study to prepare themselves for the gaokao. The gaokao is a test given to high school graduates to determine which college they will go to (if they can even go) and what they could study. It's pretty much a life determining test. Children study for this test that lasts for nine hours over the course of two days. Subjects that would be on the test is math, science, English, Chinese, and a 800 word essay. Students have been known to hook themselves up to IV's filled with fluids to keep them going and essentially make themselves sick with stress over the test (Carlson, B., Chen, Z., 2013). The way I see it, their education system is far more intense than ours. I don't think I would be able to survive this type of test let alone want my kids to go through it.

   If we want our children to be assessed by what really matters then we should be advocating for this. I believe for something to truly change enough people have to get on board and voice their opinions to the right people. While you may feel that your voice isn't being heard, advocating is the best way to get information out there to change the results of a system that is just not working.

References:
Carlson, B., & Chen, Z. (2013). You thought the SAT was bad? Meet the gaokao. Retrieved from: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/130607/china-gaokao-exam 

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

   This week we are talking about stresses that can affect a child and that child’s development. As a child I do remember one stressor that affected my life. Compared to others my childhood was relatively stress free but experiencing a natural disaster is something that I will never forget. Living in North Carolina, hurricanes are somewhat common and can happen every year. One hurricane that I can remember during my childhood that was unlike any other I have experienced. Hurricane Fran hit North Carolina on September 1996. I remember this as my first hurricane experience and the worst. The lights went out, winds howled, trees feel on the house, and I was scared that the house would cave in. Luckily our house was not damaged but as a 6 year old it was quite a scary experience. I remember sleeping in our hall bathroom and being without power for weeks. It was a while before we were able to go back to school because many parts of where I lived were flooded, even the school. Thankfully, everyone I knew was okay and not hurt. We had to pull together with our neighbors and community to help repair damages and support each other.

                                     

   Even though I went through a natural disaster I can see all around the world where there is more fatal damage than what I went through. During hurricane season, June to November, there is a more potential threat of hurricanes in the Caribbean and Central America. After a hard-hitting hurricane or tropical storm, children are left with disaster in his/her community. Some have to deal with the loss of family members which can lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Children may also seem to become more aggressive and distant with others. In the community the loss of agriculture and food can lead to malnutrition in children which can affect their growth and development (Barrios, Stansbury, Palencia & Medina, 2000). Stress can affect a child’s brain development and can lead to child to have deficits in learning and in memory. Children exposed to stress can develop major depression and PTSD. But while these factors are negative there is some positive in that a child can overcome these factors and develop and live a normal life (Berger, 2012). There are many organizations out there that help those who experience natural disasters and can ultimately help a child that is in need.

Some are:

http://www.redcross.org/ - American Red Cross

http://hands.org/ - Hands on Disaster Response

http://www.rescue.org/ - International Rescue Committee

http://www.savethechildren.org – Save the Children Disaster Relief

References

Berger, K.S. (2012). The developing person through childhood. (6^th ed.). New York, NY:    Worth Publishers.

Barrios, R. E., Stansbury, J. P., Palencia, R., & Medina, M. T. (2000). Nutritional status of  children under 5 years of age in three hurricane-affected areas of honduras. Retrieved  from http://www.scielosp.org/pdf/rpsp/v8n6/3955.pdf

Public Health Issue: Immunization

                                         
   For our class we are discussing public health issues that effect child development. The topic that I chose to cover is immunization. I chose this topic because since I am an educator, the children that I work with have or will have vaccines. Immunization also seems to be a debated topic as to whether it is helpful for children to be vaccinated or not. I find the debate interesting and I would like to know more as to why more and more parents are choosing to not have their children vaccinated.

   According to the World Health Organization, immunization "is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease" (2014). There are many vaccines for many different diseases that were more than likely once epidemics. For example, chicken pox use to be a death causing disease that caused hundreds of deaths per year in the United States now there are no deaths and far fewer people get chicken pox. While many disease have become preventable through vaccines there are still other diseases that professionals have yet to find a vaccine for, such as AIDS (Berger, 2012). Certain vaccines are given at particular ages, many in the early childhood years. A lot of families are concerned about the potential side effects that vaccines may have. Some families are concerned that their child will be greatly uncomfortable with the vaccine and that they child may end up getting sick anyway. A potential side effects that is common with vaccines is a mild fever and some discomfort for a few days. Because of these side effects missed vaccinations have risen in the past decade (Berger, 2012).This causes a great concern for public health professionals since they feel that having side effects from a vaccine is a better issue then having an epidemic. The World Health Organization continuously shares their research as to why vaccination is important. They have an interesting Q&A section which can be found here: http://www.who.int/features/qa/84/en/. They cover many of the questions that a concerned parent may ask.

   Immunization across the world is different in many different countries. Some countries, such as African countries, do not have access to many immunizations. Many infants and children in Africa die before their fifth birthday because there is a lack of access to immunizations for many preventable diseases. While there are great efforts by WHO and UNICEF, there are still a lot of infants and children that are being missed and not getting vaccines. Low and middles income countries are receiving help from these organizations and many diseases such as measles and polio are seeing a great decrease in numbers. We can see these great efforts being taken but it will take a lot more to eradicate the many other diseases that effects Africa.
   I think that finding this information was very helpful to me and my opinions in immunization in infants and young children. I was able to see why parents and families are wary of vaccines and their potential side effects and the good that vaccines do and why public health professionals are trying to get information out and educate people to get vaccinated. I think this will help me in my future work because I was able to gather resources that I could share with families in my classroom.

Resources

Berger, K.S. (2012). The developing person through childhood. (6th ed.) New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

World Health Organization. (2014). "An evaluation of infant immunization in africa: is a transformation in progress?" Retrieved from: http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/85/6/06-031526/en/.

World Health Organization. (2014). "What are some of the myths-and facts-about vaccination?" Retrieved from: http://www.who.int/features/qa/84/en/.

The Childbirthing Experience

   Since I have not had the privilege to experience childbirth personally and none of my close friends or relatives have either, I decided to write about my own; which I had to refer to my mom. My mom recalled all the details saying that she "just wanted to get me out!" She explained that she went into labor and her water broke during the middle of the night and they headed to the hospital. She was actually a few weeks early into her labor considering they were expecting me on around the 17th and I was born on the 6th! She said that she was in labor for about 12 hours and finally the doctor decided to give my mother a c-section because I had become distressed and she was not dilated enough. She said that 12 hours of labor and a c-section later I was finally born. During the c-section my dad was the only one allowed in the room. I weighed 6 lbs. 11 oz. She has not had anymore children (I am an only child) so she has not experienced child birth other than having me.
   While reading through our textbook I have discovered the difference in childbirth in the U.S. and other countries. One aspect that was interesting to me was home births. In the Netherlands 30 percent of births are done in the home. For home births midwives re used and they are paid for by the government. The only time that a hospital is used is if there are complications with the mother or newborn. An ambulance or flying stork is used to send the mother to the hospital. Dutch researchers find that home births are actually better for the mothers and they pose no harm to the infants (Berger, 2012). I find this interesting since it is really rare for a mother in the United States to have a home birth. It is almost unheard of. Midwives are rarely used as well and I found it interesting that they are used as a government service to expecting mothers.
   I think that child birth plays a huge part of child development because so many factors can happen that effects a child's growth and development. A child being premature, distressed during birth, the mother using drugs, or any other complications can effect the child's growth and development in the future.

References

Berger, K.S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

A Special Thank You!

Eight weeks ago I began a new journey into my Master's Degree at Walden University. Through my first course I have found that I have learned so much already. Through this blog I was able to connect with some of my colleagues. I would like to send a thanks to all of the colleagues that I was able to connect with- Pamela, Patricia, Anna, Bonnie, Brenda, and Trinisha. I would like to give a special thanks to Pamela whose posts were very enlightening and can tell she has a passion for what she does and I can see her hard work and dedication in her postings. I would also like to give a special thanks to Patricia because her passion for Early Childhood inspires me. I can clearly see her passion for military families and that has inspired me to pursue my own passions. I would also like to thank Dr. Dartt for her encouraging words and being patient as I tried to get back into the APA formatting! I am excited to continue this journey and learn so much more throughout all of my other courses.

Early Childhood Codes of Ethics

I have chosen three ideals from the codes of ethics from NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) and DEC (The Division of Early Childhood). These three ideals are meaningful to my life and my professional career. These code of ethics ideals are:

NAEYC:

I-1.5- To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity and their contributions.

This ideal is important to me because I have to make sure everyday that I am reflecting this statement. I have to make sure I am fostering each child's development in my lesson plans, activities, and in their everyday schedule.

I-2.2- To develop relationships of mutual trust and create partnerships with the families we serve.

I believe that educators need to have a relationship with the child's family because we are not only providing services to the child but the child's family as well. Building a positive relationship with the family benefits the child because everyone will be communicating about the child's development and specific needs.

DEC:

II. Professional Development and Preparation:

4. We shall support professionals new to the field by mentoring them in the practice of evidence and ethically based services.

This is especially important to me because I continuously have practicum students in and out of the classroom learning from me and the students. Having this code of ethics in mind helps us to remember that we are there as mentors and a support system for new educators.

References:

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

The Division of Early Childhood. (2009, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.dec-sped.org/uploads/docs/about_dec/position_concept_papers/Code%20of%20Ethics_updated_Aug2009.pdf

Early Childhood Resources

Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf

Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
• Websites:
• • World Forum Foundation
    http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep-usnc.org/
    Read about OMEP's mission.
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/
    Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.

Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/
• Children's Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org/
• Institute for Women's Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/

Selected Professional Journals

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education

Other Selected Resources

• Foundation for Child Development http://www.fcd-us.org/
• National Head Start Association http://www.nhsa.org/
• Children's Advocacy Institute http://www.caichildlaw.org/
• Early Childhood Research & Practice http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/