When I Reflect About My Collegial, Professional Learning Community

Post at least three consequences of your experience being a part of a caring, collaborative learning community for your professional growth and development. Use any format you choose. 1) It is always great to learn from the experiences and/or training that others have gained in the field. 2) We do not always have the pleasure of training with those that have like passions.  So that was great!! 3) You really have the opportunity to study and grow in your field.  Because I have been working in the field of early childhood for several years the information that I have gained is very useful.  Lastly, my goal in each of my classes has been to apply the knowledge or sure an enlightenment with those that I work with.

Post one goal for using this collegial experience to enhance your advocacy, policy, and/or system development work on behalf of young children, families, and the early childhood community.  During study of early childhood systems, I must say that the assignment regarding the Hypothetical Family was the most impactful.  I really had to think when considering how I would make sure that my family had everything that it needed in a comprehensive early childhood system.  I know that the development of a strong comprehensive early childhood system would be of most benefit to everyone, but as an advocate I would like to actively work with those policymakers to ensure that every aspect of that system would be covered.

My Hypothetical Family Situation

I am single young parent still in my sophomore year of high school.  On January 25^th I gave birth to a premature son.  Upon speaking with the doctors because of his premature birth several of his organs did not fully develop to include his lungs.  He gained enough weight to come home after a one month stay in the hospital.  While having my exit interview with the Doctors they informed me that because his lungs did not fully develop he would have to have a portable oxygen tank with him at all times until his lungs are able to mature a little more. Brain functioning was delayed.

Needless to say, I was devastated. I am employed at McDonald’s making minimum wage and living with my mother.  I do not have the finances needed to properly take care of a special needs child, but this is my child and my choice is to raise him myself.  After bringing my child home I noticed that he was not using his limbs properly they were stiff and limber.  After returning to the Doctors office with these concerns it was discovered after many medical tests that he also had cerebral palsy which affects muscle tone, movement and motor skills.

1.       Have I given a complete picture of my family, or are there details missing that I should include in order to complete the assignment successfully? If so, what are your suggestions?

2.       Is this situation realistic?

3.       Are there any specific websites I should be reviewing with regard to learning about quality services and programs for my child and family in this hypothetical family situation?

4.       Does anyone have any thoughts, based on my specific family situation that will affect the early childhood system I am creating?

The Political Will to Improve Early Childhood Systems

President Obama – “The Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge” this is a $500 million state – level grant competition. The Obama Administration has sought and secured increased investments in Head Start and child care so that more families have access to quality, affordable care, while pursuing important reforms such as requiring Head Start grantees to compete for continued funding (Press Office, U. S. Department of Education, 2011).

What appeals most to is the continual support of early education and the pursuit to provide quality care for those family.  I think that this challenge will cause grantees to push towards quality in order to be considered for obtaining the grant.

References

http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/obama-administration-announces-500-million-race-top-early-learning-challenge

PARENT, FAMILY, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• The value that hearing such stories has for early childhood professionals, for the public, and for policymakers and government officials.  Listening to the stories by parents gives those teachers and professionals that are working in field the added push to continue the great work of passionate teaching, advocacy and involvement in the Head Start programs.

• Your opinion regarding why or why not parent/family involvement is an essential system element for all strands of service in the early childhood field.  Parent/family involvement is so important to the as the first educators of children are their families.  When the family becomes a partner with the teachers the child develops great relationships in their education.  When teachers develop those partnerships they are also able to understand the child in a different way by understanding the uniqueness of each family.

QUALITY PROGRAMS FOR ALL CHILDREN

From your perspective, what is current public opinion in the United States with regard to the value and importance of providing quality services (including early care and education) for young children and families?  In an article entitled “Why Obama’s Plan to fix Head Start is Not Enough” by Kayla Webley it states that in Forty Years there is still the question of the effectiveness of the preschool program Head Start (National Institute for Early Education Research, 2011). What indicators and other information have influenced and are influencing your thinking? I think that the Head Start program is great but the continual discussions from the public to determine its effectiveness leads me to believe that statistics from the program and college graduates are not sufficient. 

Over the next five years, I hope that the public’s opinion would change and they would see the validity in offering early childhood education not only to those in poverty, but to everyone.  There are many aspects of early care that children need to foster positive outcomes in their education journey.  How do you hope this change in public opinion will influence early childhood education strands of service, systems, policies, and advocacy?  Should the public’s opinion change and the need to have education for all is enforced overall we will be a stronger society with well education citizens. What then do you imagine will be the related implications for young children, families, and the early childhood field? I can imagine stronger families which will produce stronger leaders and educators and the day when early education is seen as EDUCATION and not as an alternative to babysitting.

References

National Institute for Early Education Research, (2011). Retrieved November 9, 2011 from http://nieer.org/news/index.php?NewsID=3205

CHILDHOOD ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC POLICY

Part 1: Why did you choose this specialization? I chose the specialization of Advocacy and Public Policy because while working in the early childhood field my passion to help families and to make them aware of available resources to them grew stronger and stronger.  In order to grasp and understanding of what was available to the families it was also important to me to be aware of new policies and how they make affect the families.

Part 2: Why are advocates essential in the early childhood field? Advocates are important because I believe our job entails seeking out what is in the best interests of families and young children.  Without advocacy there would be a disconnection between the early childhood field and what is available to assist families and young children.

Part 3: What do you hope to learn about public policy and advocacy? 1. How can I advocate for families on the local as well as the world level. 2. How efficient is advocacy? How to stay abreast of new policies being introduced how to be instrumental in helping families to understand how policies will affect them and their families should they become law.

Another 8 Weeks Completed!!

It has been wonderful to share information during this coarse on collaboration and communication.  I thoroughly enjoyed the insight gained from each of you in our weekly discussions.  My prayer is that each of you will be successful as we continue our journeys in our chosen career field.  Once again our time together has been great.

Team Building and Collaboration, Part 1 - Blog Assignment

Consider the adjourning phase for several of the groups in which you have been involved. Think about which aspects of the groups made for the hardest good-bye.

The aspect of one particular group that made it hardest to say good-bye was a group that I participated in during undergrad.  The reason it was hard to say goodbye because I had learned so much about these individuals during the forming of the group.  At once entering the performing stage I saw who would step up under pressure and the person that actually held the group together.  It is so wonderful to see how people interact and who the really are outside of the environment for which you are used to seeing them.

Are high-performing groups hardest to leave? I would agree that for me high-performing groups are hard to leave.  However, on the other hand in a group where you see growth in individuals it makes the effort put forth in the group much more valuable.

Groups with the clearest established norms? This would be a group of individuals that have worked together before where all are aware of one another’s weaknesses and strengths. 

Which of the groups that you participated in was hardest to leave? A group formed during my undergrad years.  Why? I knew that I would no longer see those individuals; we would not have late nights in the library studying for exams and no more birthday and anniversary celebrations.  What sorts of closing rituals have you experienced or wish you had experienced? Christmas party, attending graduations and dinners afterwards and strong friendships developed.  How do you imagine that you will adjourn from the group of colleagues you have formed while working on your master’s degree in this program? I think that this would be somewhat difficult, but not as difficult because we only know each other through are introductions at the beginning of each course and through our views in different discussion assignments.  The element that is missing is our one-on-one interaction in which I feel creates a stronger bond with your peers.  This is the one thing that I miss from my undergrad years the one-on-one contact with my colleagues. Why is adjourning an essential stage of teamwork?  This stage is important because you celebrate the victories and it is also an opportunity to discuss changes that could improve the event if it takes place consistently.

Nonviolent Communication and Conflict Management

On this week the conflict that I experienced with a colleague was as follows: there are many reports that are due at the end of the month for our child care center.  I along with another colleague rely on each other for certain parts of the report to be completed before submittal.  On this week my colleague indicated that I had given her the incorrect information the day before the report was due.  I followed up with her when I had not received my portion of the report only to find this information out on the day of.  However, I knew that I had not given her the incorrect information, because I only had in my hand what she was lacking.

Instead of arguing with her I decided that I would make another copy and drive the information over to her and put it in her hand rather than fax it to ensure that she received her copy and I would at that point make a copy of the report that I needed to complete my month end report.  This is not the first time that this colleague has indicated that I had not given her what she needed so I was very frustrated that she waited until the last minute, but I also know this about her.

STRATEGIES:

1.    I could have used the cooperative strategy and asked her if she needed help.  I saw when I arrived that she had a lot going on and may have been overwhelmed but would not ask for help.  I should have offered help.

2.    I could have also used reciprocity – if I help her this time without her having to ask if she is missing documents or needs help the next time she will ask and she will also ask me if I need help to ensure that we both complete our reports in a timely manner.

Who Am I As A Communicator?

During my initial evaluation of myself in the Communication Anxiety Inventory I scored a 60.  In this evaluation I did not agree when I scored High which according to the test “reveals considerable anxiety in most areas of communication.  This is not unnatural, but this type of general anxiety about communication presents problems for you as you attempt to influence others” (Rubin, 2009).  The second evaluation Verbal Aggressiveness Scale I scored a 76.  I disagreed with the score High which according to the test indicates that I “often resort to character attacks and ridicule to others who do not share your viewpoints.  Your aggressiveness may cause anger, hurt feelings, and embarrassment, and will rarely, if ever, persuade the listener to your point of view” (Rubin, 2009).  Lastly, my evaluation of Listening Styles Profile I scored in Group 1.  I agree with the majority of this evaluation but not that I “struggle in fast-paced environments” (Rubin, 2009).

What was very surprising is that those individuals that evaluated me in reviewing the results from the test they both indicted that Communication Anxiety Inventory was Low, Mild, Moderate, Elevated and High in this order.  My Verbal Aggressiveness Scale was None, Low, Moderate, Significant and High and lastly my Listening Styles Profile was Group 1.  Their perceptions of me did not differ from what I perceived myself to be but as indicated I disagreed with some of the results of the evaluations. In discussions while sitting with the other two evaluators it was very interesting to know that they both thought that I enjoyed public speaking, but I do not.

Insight gained - 1) "Self - monitoring is your ability to watch your environment and others in it for cues as to how to present yourself in a particular situation" (Snyder, 1974).  Sometimes I tend to over self-monitor and count myself out of situations that I may have been very successful in doing.  2) "Self - disclosure when you reveal yourself to others by sharing information about yourself" (O'Hair, 2009).  Because of past experieces I am very reserved when it comes to sharing information about myself.

Should I work on these two areas I will be able to better communication with colleages and parents in the early childhood profession.  As communication is all about building relationships.

References

Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.

Rubin, R. B., Rubin, A. M., Graham, E. E., Perse, E. M., & Seibold, D. R. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures II: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.

Communication and Culture

I find myself communicating differently when families of a different culture come into our center.  I overly prepare.  I think of how we interacting with the previous family and draw on the knowledge from that family.  However, in doing so I negate that fact that a family may be from the same culture but the families culture may not be the same as the previous family.

Three strategies that I could use to help me communicate more effectively with the people that I have identified are: “Be conscious of cultural differences, rather than ignoring the differences, Learn as I interact and be willing to adjust my behavior as I learn, and adjust my behavior to others to ethnically accommodate difference and expectations” (Beebe, 2011, p. 114).

References

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

           

Communication Skills: Language, Nonverbal, Listening

SILENCE

I chose to watch 30 minutes of a movie clip. The title of the movie was “Source Code.”

In silence the movie began with a view of a city with water surrounding it and a train that was moving along a track.  A man sleeping train was frowning, he appeared to be dreaming. Suddenly he wakes up and looks frightened.  There was a woman seated across from him that began to speak to him while smiling.  The man appears to be confused.  The man talks to the woman and she smiles.  He gets up and walks on the train looking around as if he is lost.  The man goes to the door of the train looks out and then gets back on the train.  He sits back in his seat and peers out the window of the train while frowning.  He holds up his head and looks at his watch. He begins to talk with the woman using a hand gesture to indicate stop.  Then an explosion happened and the man opened his eyes in a different place.  He’s looking around, closes his eyes tightly and reopens he appears to be confused.  He‘s fastened in a belt in a seat and struggles to free himself but could not.  He talks with a woman on a television screen. Then he flashes back to the train with the young lady on the train talking and smiling at him.  He still appears to be confused, but he smiles and look at his watch and seems to be at ease.  He jumps out of his seat and goes over to another passenger, snatches the papers out of his hand and speaks to him in close proximity.  He get’s off of the train, then steps back on. He walks along the aisle of the train as if he is franticly looking for something, he begins to search compartments, his eyes are looking back and forth, he opens a vent and looks in an finds what appears to be a bomb. He looks up and is talking to someone.  He then leaves that area flashes his identification and states something.  He walks over to a passenger with a computer and states something the passenger responds and then the man proceeds to punch him in the face.  After this occurred the women moves out of her seat says something to the guy and helps the young man that was punched.  He is then back talking with the woman on the screen, he yells and appears to be very upset.  He looks directly at the woman.

WITH SOUND

After watching the movie clip with the sound the difference that I noticed was the music indicated that there was something about to take place.  And as the facial expressions by the actor was as I had indicated when viewing the clip in silence he was confused.  An “Aha” moment that took place was that I noticed that when I watched the clip in silence I could not turn away for a moment because I would miss something that happened during the movie clip, but with the sound the music and listening to the language that was being spoken aided in my interpretation of what was taking place during the movie.

Effective Communication

I will use my mentor she is a very effective communicator.  When it comes to her staff she always provides answers to why certain things have to happen.  Her nonverbal communication is always pleasant.  We she is feeling certain why she openly communicates with her staff. She is honest.  She is not passive.  She addresses issues so that it does not leave room for assumption. She guides her staff in their educational development.  She makes everyone feel valued and important in their respective places but always leaves room for their growth.

I definitely would like to model my own communication behaviors after this person because it makes your job much easier and the staff have a certain level of respect because of your honestly and they see your genuine care.

Professional Hopes and Goals

When reaching out to families who come from diverse backgrounds my goal is to ensure that they feel included because we have put forth the effort to gain an understanding of their cultural beliefs.  My hope is that they will feel valued and become a resource to other families that have cultural differences.  I also hope that the children will feel that they were given the same opportunities to progress as those that are not from their culture.

One goal that I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice is that we all put forth the effort to understand others and see each other as valuable pieces to a great society.  Our differences are what make us strong.

Thanks to all of my colleagues during these eight weeks it was such a great opportunity to have discussions and share our different experiences regarding the children and families in the early childhood.  Thanks for your valuable input.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

My family’s country of origin is Chile.

The five ways in which I would prepare myself to be culturally responsive to the family is:

·         First I must learn about their dominant language.

·         Create an atmosphere in the classroom that will promote inclusiveness (i.e. post pictures of familiar things in different countries, have a day that we invite families in to share different cultural beliefs, foods etc.)

·         Learn about acceptable practices in the family’s home (i.e. How do they care for their children, what are acceptable eating practices)

·         If the family is not religious or does not have any religious beliefs I will ensure that the lesson include diversity so that when they are unable to participate in a religious celebration other activities will be planned in which they can participate

·         What is your country’s culture in regards to adult child interaction (i.e. is it okay for children to speak with an adult without being prompted, is eye contact acceptable are handshakes and hugs acceptable?)

These preparations will be if benefit because it will first show genuine interest to the family our willingness to learn about them and their cultural practices, it will encourage the students to make the young child feel accepted and it will also develop a strong relationship between the family, school and child which eventually will become a resource.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The memory of an incident that I witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression was recently with a parent or of our child care center.  This young lady works as a private duty nurse. She visits the homes of seniors that maybe home bound and need around the clock medical attention.  One day when going to work at a team meeting she discovered that her employer had fired all of the African American CNA’s but two of them and rehired all Caucasian’s.  In a staff meeting the supervisor stated that I have heard rumors that I am prejudice.  She started by opening the meeting with a statement that “I am not prejudice.”  While making this statement she was only looking at the two African American ladies in the room.  This was clearly prejudiced.

This specific prejudice in this incident diminishes equity because it clearly discriminated against a specific race.  This also caused the African American ladies to question their abilities to work in this capacity. And they felt threatened.  This sent a negative message and they both put in a two weeks notice to leave their jobs.

This incident made me feel slighted because there are so many prejudices against that occur some intentional and some unintentional against African Americans and females as well.  It also caused me to feel saddened for the young lady because she worked really hard and long hours in school and internships to receive her certificates to work in her chosen field only to experience prejudice in her first weeks of work in the first job after completing her training.

To turn this opportunity into an opportunity for greater equity the supervisor should have provided and explanation to her staff outside of the meeting that validated the African American girls as good workers in this field.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

On this week there was a little girl who attends our center.  She outwardly disobeyed her parent and was disciplined immediately. The staff shrugged their shoulders and made the assumption that the mother would still allow the child to participate in the activities regardless of the unacceptable behavior.  “You know that you people give in and the child is in charge.” During our Summer Program children participate in different field trips and art projects on the next week the children are scheduled to go to the Children’s Museum.  However, the mother called back later to check on the child and stated that “She will not be attending the field trip on next week.” 

This was a microinsult.  Because of the staff member’s experience with that culture they made the assumption that this parent would do the same.  That their children are verbally disciplined but there are no consequences.  When hearing the microaggression I wanted to apologize to the parent and correct the staff member for making such an accusation.

My observation really made me feel like I needed to do something.  Have training with my staff to inform them of what microaggression really are and to encourage them to be more careful when speaking with parents and children because we want them to feel included in our program and not to make statements that would make them feel otherwise.

PERSPECTIVES ON DIVERSITY AND CULTURE

What is culture?

Person #1: Where you come from.

Person #2:  Is your background.

Person #3: The place where you received your upbringing, the things that you do.

What is diversity?

Person #1: Different races.

Person #2: A place or group of people with different ethnic backgrounds.

Person #3: People that may be of the same group but have different ideals.

In reflecting on our reading culture does include ethnicity, reflects on the palce of origin and cultural background of the person’s ancestors (Derman – Sparks, p.56, 2010).

What has been omitted regarding culture the responses appear to be only surface culture and not deep culture.  In regards to diversity it appears that they only view diversity as different ethnic backgrounds.  From our readings diversity also includes how we conduct ourselves, sleeping arrangements in the home etc.

After hearing what others thought about diversity and culture I felt obligated to discuss with them what culture and diversity includes.  In my discussion with the three individuals they really thought their definitions that they had given were solid answers.

Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

MY FAMILY CULTURE

THREE ITEMS I WOULD TAKE:

1.      Holy Bible

2.      Photo Album

3.      Degree

EXPLANATION OF IMPORTANCE:

-          Holy Bible - I am a Christian and my family’s foundation is built on strong Christian values

-          Photo Album: We have a album that has pictures of my family interacting in different events such as weddings, graduations, family cookouts etc.

-          Degree: I obtained this degree on my own at age 40 while being a parent, wife, mother, working a full-time job.  This will make sure that I do not forget how persistent I am and the value of education.

FEELINGS:

If upon arrival I was asked to get rid of two of those items I would get rid of the photo album and degree.  I would be upset but the bible is my foundation.

INSIGHT:

This exercise caused me to really think about what is in important in my life.  In addition, it caused me to really reflect on how an immigrant would feel if there were brought into a culture different from their own.  I questioned “What could I do as an educator to help them feel included?”  “How would I be able to aid them in their transition to a different culture?”  “How could I be proactive and not bias?”

WHEN I THINK OF RESEARCH...

1. What insights have you gained about research from taking this course? After taking this course I have a greater understanding of what research entails.  There are so many components of research or things to consider when conducting research such as: what to look for when you are using electronic resources i.e. web to ensure that the researcher is valid, who your audience will be, how will your research be conducted, will the research require consent from a parent or guardian or child, how would you ensure that your research is valid.  These are just a few of things that I have learned from this course.
2. In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed? Well, initially I knew that research required a lot of planning, but I really had no idea of how much planning.
3. What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn? I learn that each of these components is very important to the success of the research.
4. What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them? Some of the challenges for me came from narrowing down the topic so that the research conducted would be specific.  The way that I corrected this challenge was actually changing the question several times and then seeking the help of the professor.
5. What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course? This course only validated for me how important the early childhood profession is to the education of young children.

RESEARCH AROUND THE WORLD

I viewed the Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) website: http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

Some of the current international research topics that I found to be very interesting were:

1. Improving the Quality of Childcare Through Parenting Enrichment and Training of Trainers: The Eritrean Model by Abeba Habtom of Eritrea, Africa – This is really interesting because this topic demonstrates that in other countries there is a need to improve quality.  Here in Virginia our center participates in Virginia Star Quality Initiative which is a program that provides mentors to early childhood centers and family day homes that would like to improve the quality of care they provide to children and their families.  During our time in this program we have renovated our center, teachers have achieved their CDA (Child Development Associate) from the Council for Professional Recognition in Washington, DC and a few are enrolled in a Community College to achieve their Associates degree in the early childhood field.
2. Involving Fathers in Early Childhood Care and Development by Rosemary Hua of Nigeria, Africa  -  In my view when partnering or developing relationships with parents of preschool children the majority of the time it is the mother that develops and maintains the relationship.  It is very rare to see a male involved with preschool education.
3. Curriculum Development Using Community Resources by Wunesh Woldeselassie Bairu of Eritrea, Africa – This topic was also interesting because curriculums and how they are executed in education are so important.  As professionals learn more and more about young children opportunities are presented to improve current curriculums.

What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website? Some of the information that was interesting is the fact that their studies are similar to the needs that are here in the United States: curriculum development, parent involvement and quality programs.

What other noteworthy information did you find on this website? The Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) commitment is great.  “The ECDVU is committed to improving the quality of life for children and their families in Africa. The program seeks to accomplish this through working, on a sustained basis, with ECD leaders from across the continent” (ECDVU, 2007).

References

Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) , 2007. Retrieved from http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/about.php

Option 2

Imagine that you possess the means and the knowledge to conduct research studies about any topic in the early childhood field. Imagine further that you are not restricted by the reality of the present. Imagine that your study will make a major positive contribution to the well-being of children and/or their families. What topic would you choose? The topic that I would chose would be the affects of early childhood programs on young children’s future success. What can you imagine the positive contribution(s) would be? The positive contributions would be an higher rate of high school graduates and college graduates, successful/positive participants in society, low crime rates and minimal amount of individuals in prison.

Personal Research Journey

I am not to familiar with the research process.  The information from the articles this week gave great insight on how to determine the quality of electronic resources and the text gave insightful information on how to refine your topic.  After reading Chapters one and two of the text Doing Early Childhood Research I have narrowed down my topic and will focus the research simulation on how children develop social/emotional skills through early learning environments.  My reasons for studying this topic stems from my experience in the classroom, as a director of a nonprofit child care center for at-risk children and my desire to advocate for young children.  During the course of my career I have experienced children raising children, children that have been pushed through the school system without having the proper education, which indicates that they have been set up to fail, and lastly, seeing young children that lack in social/emotional development that I believe is gained through the early childhood experience.

Having the chart is a great tool.  While undertaking research the chart will keep me focused.  The simulation process took a little longer than I anticipated.  After finding information on my topic there were several articles with research that supported social emotional development but some of the research focused on the adult interaction, others on the environment and one focused on that development in the classroom environment.  The insight from our first week’s resources on how to read research articles was a tremendous help.

While learning about the research process and conducting research during this course I welcome all advice from you all that will assist me in my research process.  Definitely during this process I will be keeping the articles, text book and other guides with me at all times to ensure that I am interpreting research terms appropriately and grasping an understanding of the context given.

Final Blog

I learned a lot of information regarding early childhood.  1).  There are similar challenges regarding early childhood that are being faced in other countries in the early childhood field, just to name one would be the allocation of funds.  2) It was awesome to subscribe to an online newsletter of an early childhood organization.  In subscribing to the newsletter I was able to keep abreast of upcoming policies regarding the early childhood field and also invite others to share their views with their policymakers in regards to certain policies.  3) My desire to be an advocate for young children is greater after the interaction with my peers during the course learning from their international contacts and the study of different issues and trends throughout this course.

One of my goals is to continue to seek additional international contacts to continue my advocacy of young children and seeking answers in bettering programs.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

Two of my professional goals are to gain a wealth of knowledge as it relates to the early childhood profession and to serve as a advocate for young children.

In viewing the UNESCO website in regards to quality in the field of early childhood care we must focus on the development of the child holistically versus preparation for schooling.  The site also addresses the importance of family and community involvement.  Resources remain one of the issues that are lacking when it comes to expansion of quality in the field.  Governance of the program will only be successful with the different sectors, national, local, public and private, working together as a unit.

References

UNESCO, (2011).  Education. Retrieved April 16, 2011 from  http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/quality/

Sharing Web Resources

Follow some of the outside links that you have not yet explored. Where do they lead? The stories of interest were in regards to funding and an article entitled Pre-K Students Unprepared for Kindergarten—Imagine Learning English Helps which indicates that a literacy-rich curriculum assists children in excelling in kindergarten.

If you receive an e-newsletter, follow a link related to one of the issues you have been studying.

What new information is available? An article that ranks each states child care centers regulation and oversight. Go to http://www.naccrra.org/ and click on the article entitled We Can do Better: 2011 Update: NACCRRA’s Ranking of State Child Care Center Regulation and Oversight to view your states’ ranking.

Additionally, find out if the site you selected at the beginning of this course offers any information about the issue of this week: In an article on the NACCRRA’s website entitled The Economy’s Impact on Parent’s Choices and Perceptions about Child Care the report revealed that “quality and cost remain the most important factors for parents when choosing child care” (NACCRRA, 2011).  Here again inequities in funding rear its head.

Does the website or the e-newsletter contain any information that adds to your understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education? Allocation of funding continues to be a major issue.

What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain this week from exploring the website and/or the e-newsletter?  I received an e-mail on this week from the NACCRRA e-newsletter.  On the NACCRRA website Capitol Connections **Breaking News** --

Complicated Federal Budget Situation Continues:

Government Shutdown Likely; How a Shutdown May Affect CCDBG;

Negotiations Continue for Remainder of the Year;

We Need You To Take Action!

“The House of Representatives may vote on the Ryan budget resolution next week.  It is important that House Members hear from you as soon as possible.  Ask them to oppose the Ryan budget resolution which cuts funding for programs helping families with children (like child care and education).  Tell them that you oppose tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of everyone else. Now is not the time for $700 billion more in tax cuts, which would be paid for by cutting children’s health care, family food assistance, and early childhood programs.” (NACCRRA, 2011).

References

NACCRA, 2011. The economy’s impact on parent’s choices and perceptions about child care. Retrieved April 9, 2011 from http://www.naccrra.org/publications/naccrra-publications/economy-impact.php

NACCRA, 2011. We can do better: 2011 update: NACCRRA’s ranking of state child care center regulation and oversight.  Retrieved April 9, 2011 from  http://www.naccrra.org/publications/naccrra-publications/publications/states/Virginia.pdf

Getting to Know International Contacts

I have not heard back from my international contact, but here is the information that I gained from the Center on the Developing Child website and the audio from this week. I learned about the initiative established by the world’s government to “end poverty and hunger, ensure that every child worldwide completed at least a primary education and reduce child mortality by two-thirds by 2015” (Center on the Developing Child, 2010).  The initiatives are known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
 

Dr. Shonkoff at the “World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Wealth of Nations” September 27-29, 2010 speaks to the importance of brain science in child development and the unhealthy effects of early-life adversity have ramifications both on long-term health of the individuals and society” (Center on the Developing Child, 2010).

In addition to the information gained from the Center on the Developing Child website I enjoyed the audio from Vasquez on the Excellence and equity of care on education on this week. As she discussed Standards, School Readiness, Achievement Gaps and Assessment Challenges.

References

Walden University (2011). Excellence and equity of care and education. Retrieved March 30, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4895003&Survey=1&47=7787673&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Center on the Developing Child Harvard University (2010). Global gathering in Moscow put spotlight on early childhood issues.  Retrieved April 2, 2011 from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/topics/global_child_development/moscow-conference/

SHARING WEB RESOURCES

The information from the article “Mobilizing Science to Revitalize Early Childhood Policy” is relevant to my current professional development.  In the article “President Barack Obama has called fro a greater investment in the healthy development of the nation’s youngest children” (Shonkoff, 2009).  This seems to be so relevant because the article discusses limiting funding and finding away to allocate funds appropriately.  The article also urges us to think about the facts that have already been proven through research.  There are benefits to early childhood development.  “Documented benefits include higher rates of high-school graduation and increased adult incomes, as well as lower rates of special education referral, welfare dependence, and incarceration” (Shonkoff, 2009).

An article on that NACCRRA website entitled “The Current Economy’s Impact on Child Care.”   The article discusses how the current economy has affected child care.  It states that “the most recent data shows that over 14.5 million Americans are out of work” (NACCRRA, 2011).  Whenever employment rates are low parents are forced to rely on subsidy to provide care for their children while they either seek employment, return to school or “they are taking their children out of organized child care and making due with whatever arrangement they can find” (NACCRRA, 2011).

VERY INSIGHTFUL – “Some  metro-east business leaders believe and support the adage that children are the future and teaching them well – and early – will help lead the away toward economic recovery” (Buss, 2011).   We concur that children really are our future but education is key in determining how successful that future will be.

References

Buss, W. (2011).  Local business leaders say early learning program are key to economic recovery.  Retrieved March 26, 2011 from http://www.bnd.com/2011/03/25/1644174/early-learning-key-to-business.html

NACCRRA (2011).  The current economy’s impact on child care.  Retrieved March 26, 2011 from http://www.naccrra.org/policy/economy/

Shonkoff, J. P. (2009). Mobilizing science to revitalize early childhood policy. Issues in Science & Technology, 26(1), 79–85. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the ProQuest Central database. 

N ACCRRA (National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies)

The web link for the organization is http://www.naccrra.org/.  NACCRRA’s vision is: “A nation that supports the development and learning of all children” (NACCRRA, 2011).  The mission of the organization is: “To promote national policies and partnerships to advance the development and learning of all children and to provide vision, leadership, and support to community Child Care Resource & Referral” (NACCRRA, 2011).

CURRENT/ISSUE:

The House of Representatives approved legislations (H.R.1) to cut federal programs by over $60 billion for current fiscal year which means that child care funding will be cut.  NACCRRA is urging parents to contact their local Senator and vote ‘NO.’

SHARING:

There was nothing on the website or newsletter this week that related to the topic on this week.  However, what I found to be interested was  NACCRRA conducted a study in which they ranked states, including the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense on 10 regulations and 5 oversight benchmarks.  This information was based on State Licensing Regulations.  The results: average score was 83 out of 150 points – the equivalent of an F.  Where does your state rank?  Go to http://www.naccrra.org/publications/naccrra-publications/we-can-do-better-2009-update and click on to the link Child Care Center Combined Scores for Oversight and Regulations – Alphabetical listing of states.

Resources

Naccrra, 2011.  Public policy.  Retrieved March 13, 2011 from http://capwiz.com/naccrra/issues/alert/?alertid=22381536

Naccrra, 2011. We can do better:2009 update. Naccrra ranking of state child care center regulation and oversight. Retrieved  March 13, 2011 from http://www.naccrra.org/publications/naccrra-publications/we-can-do-better-2009-update

EXPANDING RESOURCES

My choice to use the NACCRRA - National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies website to explore.  The website was very inviting, user-friendly and overall seemed to have information that would peak my entrance in regards to Public Policy and Advocacy.

I also signed up to receive weekly newsletters to include: "Capital Connection: (A weekly newsletter of the latest legislative action happening in Congress); State Connection: (A weekly newsletter, soon to begin, summarizing pending legislation affecting child care in the states); and Parent Central Newsletter (a monthly newsletter of helpful resources for parents and news that parents can use in promoting healthy child development)" (National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, 2011).

Resources
National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (2011).  Retrieved March 5, 2011 from http://capwiz.com/naccrra/mlm/signup/ 

Expanding Professional Contacts

When viewing the assignment to establish professional contacts immediately I was excited about the possiblity of learning about issues and trends in early childhood outside of the United States.  However, contacting the professionals was not very easy.  I chose to contact professionals through the list provided from The Global Alliance of NAEYC.  I have attempted to establish communication with four different professionals of those four three e-mail addresses came back as errors.  Successful communication has been established with Ms. Bessie Rios her email address is child_ceccd@yahoo.com.  I am awaiting response from one or two others.

MY SUPPORTS

Describe factors within your daily environment that are supportive to you, including the ways in which these factors provide support. Husband – encourages and loves me and supports the center as a driver; Alarm clock- even though I consistently hit the snooze button every morning.  School Bus – provides transportation to and from work.

Once arriving to work:  Teachers – provide care and implementation of vision and goals; Van Drivers – provide transportation to students to and from child care center; Cook – provides USDA approved meals to children and staff; Department of Health – provides guidelines to operate kitchen and compliance with food; Department of Social Services – provides guidelines to run child care facility; Parents – utilize our program which secures funds for payroll; Mom – cooks meals for us on some nights; Bible – gives guidance to my life; Prayer – with staff over the facility, children, administrators, and staff; Administrator – pushes me to excel in higher education, home life etc.

Describe what you see as the benefits of these supports. The benefits of these supports are: provides a network of people that keeps me grounded.  Gives structure for life, and pushes me to have the desire to be on the cutting edge in the field of early childhood education.

How difficult would it be to exist without these supports? Without these support systems I would be lost.  The child care center would not exist and without the bible I would have no direction for my life and would not realize that I was uniquely made and there is no one like me.  Without the support of my husband I would not be pursuing higher education or working in the ministry and my mom is a subtle supporter to me, but what she does is huge in my mind.

What impact would they have on your life if they were gone? If these support systems were gone I literally would be dependant upon myself.  And as it is written in the Bible “no man is an island.”  I need people.

MY CHALLENGE – To efficiently operate a Children’s Church Ministry with approximately 20 children ages 3 – 8 that would include a Wednesday bible study, transportation availability, choir, and Sunday Morning Service.

Again, describe factors within your daily environment would be supportive to you, including the ways in which these factors would provide support. Ten Dedicated Teacher Volunteers that love children; 4 van drivers; 3 dedicated musicians, 2 choir directors, Age Appropriate Curriculum; Classroom structure that is conducive to the traditional church setting; parental support/buy-in to ministry and volunteerism

Describe what you see as the potential benefits of these supports. With these support systems this ministry would be able to prepared for church ministry and be an example to the next future church

How difficult would it be to exist without these supports?  The ministry without these supports would be utter chaos; the number of volunteers needed would make sure that burn-out does not occur and fresh ideas would continue to flow to engage the children in ministry activities

The impact they would have on your life if they weren’t there? Without this ministry I feel that I have not serve my purpose in ministry or shall I say fully utilized my gifts and education obtained.

"MY CONNECTIONS TO PLAY"

Select two quotes that you feel summarize what play represented for you in childhood.

“Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength” (Ginsberg, 2007). 

“Play helps children weave together all the elements of life as they experience it” (Almon, 2002).



"Grandma's old Bible"



Include two to three pictures of essential play items for your younger self.   While growing up in the Country we did not have a lot of things to play with so we used things around the house.  Most of my play was centered on pretend play. Teacher, Preacher, Mom & Dad this is how we would play.  Using my grandmother’s old shoes, purses and clothes, my grandmothers church hat and bible, and always pretending to cook and feed the baby.  We did not have a doll baby so of course of my cousins had to be the baby when we played Mom & Dad. 

"Grandma's old church shoes"



"Grandma's old church dress"



"Grandma's old glasses"

Describe how people supported play when you were younger and/or the role of play in your childhood.  Play was supported by adults really just allowing us to play.  It was no right or wrong way to play.  As long as you were not in harms way you were allowed to play for hours at a time.  I really cannot remember play as much in the school setting.  I never attend preschool because we had adults that provided care for us until time to enter school. Therefore, in Elementary school what I really remember is taking naps on my mat and doing work no play other than outdoor play, which was called recess we all looked forward to that time of day.

Write a brief entry on how you feel play today is similar or different from the play in which you engaged as a child and what your hope for young is now with regard to play.   The way that I feel play is different now than from the play in which I engaged is “play was simply just that – play”.  Today, there is so much emphasis placed on play for a child’s healthy development that it can at times not become play.  Play of yesteryear was not monitored as it is today either.  We were told when young to go play.  We would play for hours without adult supervision.  It was understood that everyone should be inside before it gets dark.

Include your thoughts regarding the role of play throughout your life and/or the role of play throughout childhood and adulthood.  Play for me was very important throughout my childhood.  When growing up we used whatever we had around the house to play and have fun.  We mad mud pies, climbed trees, build forts from cardboard boxes old sheets and sticks used a steering wheel from an old car of my grandfathers to fix a bicycle so that we could share and ride.  All of our play was really centered on pretend play.  Whenever we built of fort we were providing a place for our family to live, we mad mud pies for food for the kids to eat, and when riding the bicycle we were going to the grocery store to buy food for the house.  We just about reenacted everyday life.  So these were life lessons learned through mimicking what we saw the adults in our lives do everyday.

Resources

Almon, K. (2002). The vital role of play in early childhood education. Gateways, 43. Retrieved from http://www.waldorfresearchinstitute.org/pdf/BAPlayAlmon.pdf

Ginsberg, K. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics, 119(1), 182–191. Retrieved from http://www.aap.org/pressroom/playfinal.pdf