Research and Me- Conclusion

 

                This course has been a journey; however, I feel that I have learned many valuable tools to help me as I continue my professional development.  I have gained many insights about research and what it means.  I have learned that research is about relationships, the relationships between the researcher, subject, and the participants of the research.  I have learned that their interaction can have a strong influence on the research study, which can change the research study altogether.  I have also learned that research is a process that requires careful planning, concentration, and a strong work ethic to complete the research.  Research can bring about new ways of thinking and understanding about a particular subject or it can be used to solve a problem. 

                My beliefs about “doing research” has changed because I know that to be a researcher you do not have to be a professional researcher to conduct research.  Many classroom teachers engage in research to some extent or another everyday as they try to understand and improve circumstances in their classrooms.  Research requires careful planning; however, once the process itself is understood it can be implemented. 

                When designing a research project or study one of the most challenging things is defining and developing a workable hypothesis, which can be measured and in some way or another tested.  Doing research in early childhood required extra attention to detail, flexibility, and ethical consideration because usually the participants of the study are young children.  Researchers must hold their selves and their studies to the highest standards.

                In designing and outlining my own research study, the biggest challenge I had was narrowing down my research question to a workable hypothesis.  I continually had to keep narrowing down my topic into something specific so that I would be able to show the correct aspect of language and social development that I was looking for. 

                I believe that an early childhood professional must be someone who is willing to meet challenges and is always searching for understanding and a way to improve things.  Research is designed to do that to bring about awareness or understanding or to make things better.

                Finally, I would like to thank all of the early childhood professionals I have worked with this semester for their guidance, support, and consideration.  I wish everyone the best in the continuation of their professional journey.

International Research

 

                According to the European Early Childhood Education Research Association or the EECERA, current early childhood research focuses on topics such as how do teachers and children interact during certain times, the differences of ratings between teachers and caregivers on school readiness, and parental influence on a child’s ability to engage in storytelling.  These topic papers were included in their most recent journal.  The focus of these topics is similar to the kinds of topics being researched in America.

                A new insight that I gained is the concept of catalytic leadership, in which new early childhood professionals demonstrate leadership by being innovative and implementing change.  Honestly, I have never heard of this concept; however, as previous “new professional”, I remember entering my school setting and trying to change things that I did not think was working.  I also know that it can be difficult for new professionals to feel that they can be leaders. 

                I also learned that the EECERA develops special interest groups comprised of professionals from different countries that focus on a specific topic.  These professionals meet regularly to discuss research and development about their topic hopefully, to inform and develop position statements or policies.

 

Link:  http://www.eecera.org

Research- Uplifting Stories

                If I had the time to research any topic with unlimited resources, I would have a difficult time choosing the topic to research!  In the field of early childhood education, there are so many areas in which we need more knowledge or more up-to-date knowledge.  One of the sectors of early childhood is the sector of health, which seeks to provide for children’s health and well-being.  Although, I am not trained medically in any way I believe that I would like to look for a cure for childhood cancer like leukemia.  Cancer is such a horrible disease that in most cases there is no method of prevention.  Sadly, in most cases there is not a consistent cure and most treatments i.e. chemotherapy can be as dangerous as the disease itself.  According to the National Cancer Institute (n.d.) approximately 10, 400 children under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer, of these approximately 1, 545 children will die from the disease.  I find this startling, horrible, and unimaginable!                  

                Although, organizations like the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital are working to find a cure and bring about better treatments for cancer they have not found a solution yet.  Although, I have never personally worked with children that have cancer I can only imagine how horrible it would be.  Cancer means a lot to me personally, because my mother died of cancer.  I saw its affects and the effects of the standard treatments for it and I know there has to be a better way.  If a “real cure” for cancer were to be found, I think it would have many meaningful, positive contributions for children, families, and society in general.  First, it would stop the disease so that children would not get sick and their families would not have to watch them get sick.  Second, families would not have to grieve the loss of their child (ren).    Society in general would be spared the future economic cost of these losses and would be assured that there was a way to defeat a major disease. 

                I realize that I probably will never be the one to cure cancer.  However, a cure does need to be found.  I believe that finding a cure would have a very positive affect on many lives.

References

The National Cancer Institute. (n.d.) Childhood cancers fact sheet.  Retrieved from                                                          http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/childhood

Research and Me?

I am interested in language development: how it works, why it works, what does it mean the whole kit-and-caboodle.  For my research simulation, I have decided to focus on the subtopic of how does language affect social development.  I have chosen this particular focus because this year I have a child with a speech delay.  “Bob” is beginning to be able to produce single words; however, he cannot combine sentences into words.  In the beginning of the year the other children in the class appeared to shun, “Bob” I believe due to his inability to verbally communicate with them.  I am interested in learning more about the extent that these two areas of development are intertwined.  I have learned that conducting literature reviews can help shape your focus and inform your hypothesis.  I have also learned that it is important to become familiar with the different paradigms available because they are the models so to speak, of how our beliefs line up.  As I begin developing this simulation, I am not sure what to do after the literature review.  How should I frame my hypothesis?  I would also like help with knowing what steps to take to begin collecting data, should I use qualitative or quantitative methods?

Early Childhood Internationally

The education of young children is an important concept throughout the world.  Unfortunately, the international early childhood community faces many of the same issues that we do.  These issues include poverty, equity, and excellence of care and education for children and young families.  Knowing that these issues affect children around the world has changed me both personally and professionally. 

            One personal consequence of this knowledge for me is that I no longer believe that I am doing my duty or fulfilling my role as early childhood educator if I do little to nothing to help children around the world.  For many years, I thought that if I was the best teacher possible to the children that I had I was making a difference.  While this is true, it is not the full story.  As we have learned in our course all children, deserve the best experience possible.  As an educator, I should be finding ways to stand up for children not just in my classroom but also around the world and early childhood education itself.  I am not sure how I can carry out this mission but I am committed to trying to do something about it.

            A professional consequence of this knowledge is that I am more aware of how important the concept of equity and excellence is.  Many children and families simply do not have access to quality programs.  Professionally, I feel that I should be advocating for ways to improve and increase access to early childhood programs for children around the world. 

            Finally, as we have studied the concepts of quality I have been asking questions of my program and center about where our responsibility to quality ends.  My program is a wonderful program, which has earned many wonderful accolades.  However, our concern for quality stops at our front door.  My questions to administration includes questions like should we not be concerned about the programs next door, down the block, and even across the state?  It is not the programs I am concerned about it is the children and families that they serve.  Unfortunately, my state is not a state known for wonderful early childhood programs.  Although this is improving, we still have a long way to go.  I see it as my and my program’s responsibility to strive to improve the quality rating for all children.  How we would do, this is up for discussion but at least the question has been raised.

            There is an old quote that says, “It takes a village to raise a child;” well listening to our presidential candidates we know our economy is a global economy.  Therefore, I believe that our children are global children. What affects one group affects others, if not all.  I believe that the early childhood field should work together more cohesively around the world.  I believe that information should be shared more frequently and with more concern to all parts of the world.  We should focus our efforts as a field on improving access to quality education for all children, not just the select few. 

UNESCO and Professinal Development

 

 

                UNESCO early childhood education website offers information about programs designed to improve the care and education practices around the world.  UNESCO believes that the years of early childhood lay the foundation for all learning and development.  UNESCO advocates for early childcare and education programs that attend to health, nutrition, security and learning in the hopes to provide for children’s holistic development because they realize that all areas of development are critical to the life and well-being of the child.  UNESCO organized the first World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education, which ended in the adoption of the global action agenda for early childhood named the Moscow Framework for action and Cooperation: Harnessing the Wealth of Nations. 

                UNESCO believes that early childhood is more than a preparatory stage assisting the child’s transition to formal schooling.  UNESCO recognizes that early childhood also takes place in the contexts of social development, gender equity and poverty reduction.  They aim to support early childhood policy development that builds a solid foundation for a child’s lifelong learning. 

                UNESCO follows the 1990 Jomtien Declaration for Education of All that states that learning begins at birth.  Participating countries committed themselves to expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.  Governments were encouraged by UNESCO to expand equitable access to quality early childhood services, which has not been steadily implemented in the United States.  UNESCO believes that a policy of universalization with targeting for specific groups can minimize inequity where governments aim for universal access.  I believe that UNESCO would be supportive of implementation of universal childcare based on rigid standards.

                UNESCO aims to enhance and broaden the quality of care and education for all children.  UNESCO believes that high quality care, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds provides motivation, confidence and academic development.  UNESCO advocates for learning materials and programs to be culturally and developmentally appropriate. UNESCO also advocates for the adequate training and development for early childhood professionals so that they can be the professionals they need to be.  UNESCO also recognizes that active involvement from parents and communities and relevant play and learning materials ensure that early childhood services remain relevant to the needs of the children.

                UNESCO also advocates for the coordination of early childhood services. UNESCO recognizes that the early childhood field is comprised of many different sectors and that sometimes there is not enough coordination or cooperation between services.  UNESCO advises that these sectors could be brought together into one ministry, department, or use coordination mechanisms, which can help to target and blend services from different organizations. 

                UNESCO believes that children and the early childhood years are critically important to the life of the developing person.  UNESCO advocates for quality improvement, access and equity, and coordination or higher levels of cooperation between early childhood sectors.

Global Children's Initiative

The Global Children’s Initiative



The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University was founded in 2006. In order to discuss and concern children around the world The Center on the Developing Child developed the Global Children’s Initiative with three broad objectives:

1. To reframe public discourse about the early childhood period

2. To support innovative, multidisciplinary research and demonstration projects

3. To build leadership capacity in child development research and policy

With these objectives in mind The Global Children’s Initiative focus on early childhood development by assessing quality in early childhood programs, piloting assessments to measure child development and expand effective interventions to improve preschool around the world. They also work to ensure child mental health by increasing their efforts to provide services. The Global Children’s Initiative also works to find ways to help children in natural disasters.

Sharing Resources

Zero to Three Baby to Big Kid Newsletter


The Baby to Big Kid newsletter is written for the intended audience of parents or families. However, I was thrilled with their mini-article on how to use the toilet and found it helpful for my development as a professional. The article was written in very easy-to-understand terms, which would help parents to understand the very complicated process of potty training. It helped me because it showed me a different way to describe this process to parents.

I did not see anything in this issue or the previous one that explained how economists, politicians, or scientists contribute to the early childhood field.

The organization website has great tips on supporting children and families who live in poverty. One of their tips is to remember that children are children and they need the same stimulation, support, and love as all other children maybe even more.

Children and Poverty

According to the Childhood Policy Research and Policy Center, about 600 million children live in poverty across the globe. To me this is an overwhelming number; however, I guess that it is true given economic conditions around the world. Poverty can be highly damaging to young children due to malnutrition, food insecurity, or a simple lack of the right kind of stimulation. Some experiences that should occur during early childhood may not be made up later, which causes children to miss these windows of skill development.


CHIP’s goals are to understand the causes of poverty, reduce poverty by two-thirds, and raise the profile on childhood poverty. CHIP aims to inform and guide policy in order to reduce poverty. CHIP recognizes that knowledge about poverty and its affect on children varies between countries. CHIP also seeks to determine which policies are effective in helping children because not all policies do.

Doing the research for our application this week, I was surprised by the level of poverty in my local community. However, worldwide there is far worse. In my opinion, it will take radical social and policy change to eliminate poverty. As teachers, we need to be advocates for our children and families.





NOTE: I have re-contacted our international contacts but have not yet heard from them.

Baby to Big Kid

From Baby to Big Kid


I chose the newsletter for Zero to Three, Baby to Big Kid, which focuses on the time of development from 24 to 30 months specifically. This week they have many subjects about development and other issues during this period. For instance, they have a development chart which lists what toddlers are doing and what parents can do to connect with their toddler to help in this developmental instance. As an example, they list that toddlers use their bodies to move from place to place and parents can help by limiting television time and “get moving” with them by going on neighborhood walks. They also discuss activities for bonding and how important it is for parents to know their children. They recommend that parents read their child’s favorite stories and spend time talking with them. They also describe memory skills and note that children during this age can actually remember events from up to three months earlier, which I did not realize. In this issue, they also provide descriptions for stages of early writing, which I think is important for parents to know so that they will not be pushing writing too early.

In this current newsletter, I did not see any response to changing demographics and diversity.

Professional contact update: I have not heard from my overseas professional contacts. I will inform everyone as soon as I do.

Global Connections and Issues

Part 1

Hello, for part one of our ongoing blog assignment I chose to contact the Reverend Arko-Nunoo from Ghana.  I chose him because the continent of Africa has always held a special place in my heart although I have little to no cultural ties there.  To the best of my understanding Ghana has had several political turmoils throughout the past years like other African countries and I would like to see how early childhood education is handled there.  I would really like to know if their early childhood issues match ours or are they different.  I, also, contacted Dina Aijanova from Kazakhstan to find out nearly the same issues.  As of yet, I have not heard back from either contact.


Part 2 Expanding resources
I chose the review the website for the National Childcare Resource and Referral Agency; primarily, because although I have heard of the CCR&R agencies for my entire career I have never really been sure of what they do.  They act as a resource for early childhood educators, providers, state agencies, and parents and attempt to inform them of current issues, legal decisions, policies, and proceedings in the early childhood arena.  According to their website, a pressing issue throughout the United States for families is the rising cost of child care.  When I begin to receive the newsletter I will include more in depth information.

My Supports

Daily Environment: Fortunately, I am blessed to have server factors available in my daily environment that are supportive to me. One factor, of course is my schedule. I am a schedule and routine oriented person so my schedule keeps me on track and allows me to know what is coming next. It has been pointed out to me that I need a schedule and a routine just like the age group that I teach. I also have emotional supports in the form of co-workers and friends who give me encouragement when things become difficult. If I were to lose either of these supports, I would not be able to function very well. Without either of them, I am certain that I would feel lost.



A development that would be a great challenge to me would be if I were to lose my hearing or sight. I do not think that I could handle losing my sight due to so much of what I do is based on the ability to see; however, I know that no one has ever wanted to lose their sight it just happens. To make these conditions more manageable I would need a great variety of supports. Physical supports that I would need would include things like a walking stick or Seeing Eye dog, keeping obstacles out of the way. I would also need emotional and social supports. I would need a friend as well as faith to help me learn to accept the condition as my new life path. I would also need training to help me to develop and fully learn how to manage this new condition in my life.

All of us have varying needs and abilities and most of us have at least a few supports that help us cope with the extreme condition that is life.

Connections to Play

My Connections to Play




Quote one

Children do not play for a reward-praise, money, or food. They play because they like it.

~Francis Wardle (2007)



Quote two

Mostly, we need to honor the innate capacity for learning that moves the limbs and fills the souls of every healthy young child.

~Joan Almon (2002)



Pictures of common play items









Who supported my play?

When I was a child, my mother encouraged play. She always made time to play with me and followed my lead no matter what else was going on. Even as a young child she made me feel that, what I was doing was important whether it was pretending to fish or playing in the sand, because she made time for it and participated in it.



Children’s Play

I think that play has changed from when I was a child. Back then, we used many imaginative items. Although we had toys, we did not have to have a specific toy for everything. My favorite play items were found or natural items that I pretended were something else. I do not know if children can do this now.

Play now

As I grew older, I continued to play and still do as often as I can. While the format and schemes of play has changed, it is still important to find ways to escape, refuel, and contemplate new ideas.

Relationship Reflection

Having relationships is extremely important in this world. I have been very fortunate in having meaningful relationships with family and friends. The most important relationship that I currently have is my relationship with God. He is the one that knows me better than any other and even in my faults, He loves me anyway. I strive to maintain and even improve this relationship by trying to follow His word and living life.

Another important relationship that I have is with my sister and brothers. We are all very close and although we do not see things the same way most of the time, we are capable of being there for each other when we are needed. Our mother passed away two years ago and as horrible as that experience was in some ways it brought us together like never before.

Another important relationship I have is with my children, my students. It is amazing to me the light, love, honesty, and creativity that young children are able to show I look forward every morning to their laughter, brilliance, and comedy routines. I feel that I have such a great relationship with my children because they know that I will be there for them and they trust me to do the right thing by them.

I am also blessed to have a close relationship/partnership with my assistant. We are honest, open, and there for each other. My assistant, Mrs. Patti, feels the same way that I do about the children in our room and education in general.

Again, relationships are very important. I believe that all relationships require time, honesty, compassion, and some sort of shared interest to be successful.

Quotes and Thanks

There are so many wonderful quotes about children and children's development that it was difficult to pick just one.  The first quote I chose states 'Only a child can appreciate the value of a raindrop or find beauty in a puddle" - Unknown.  I chose this quote because it is so true.  Children, especially young children see beauty and wonder in things that most of us adults have forgotten about long ago, which is why I love my job as a teacher because I get to experience that wonder again through their eyes.  The other quote I chose goes along the lines of "The primary purpose of being four is to be four.  Of secondary importance is to get ready to be five" - Jim Traverse.  I agree with this quote wholeheartedly.  As teachers, parents, families, we sometimes worry too much about children being ready for the next stage that we forget that they are enjoying and being challenged by the stage they are in now.

To all of my classmates, colleagues, and of course our professor I would like to say thank you for this semester.  Studying child development has been a challenging yet rewarding experience this semester.  I know that I would not have benefited as much from it without your feedback.  I would also like to thank Dr. Kathleen Bergen for her wonderful, easy-to-understand yet rich in information text that I am sure I will use as a reference for years to come.

Children and assessment

Children and Assessment




In our educational climate today, I feel that too much emphasis is put on assessment. Although, I certainly feel that knowing what children can do is important I feel that standardized testing may not be the best measure of their knowledge or ability. For instance, children can have a bad test due to lack of sleep, illness, family stress, or other issues going on in their personal lives. Under these circumstances, children may not perform well on the test. I also feel that most standardized tests do not take into account cultural differences although in some states this is improving. I feel that America needs to place more focus on formative assessment and look at assessment before, during, and after instruction.

China is growing as a major world economy and the children of China are being educated as such. However, from the research that I have done recently in China the ministry of education is moving more toward formative assessment and placing less emphasis on standardized testing.



References





(2009) “Assessment and curriculum reform in China: EFL education at the tertiary level”

http://www.aare.edu.au/08pap/che08574.pdf

Poverty in Childhood

Poverty and Children’s Development




The early childhood years are critical times for development and growth. Poverty, which is living below a certain amount of income, is a particular stressor for children and families. Children that live at or below the poverty line may not have access to quality education, nutrition, or medical care. In the United States there are several programs designed to help children who fall in this category. One is the Medicare/Medicaid program, which serves under income children and provides them with access to quality medical care. Another program is Head Start, which serves low-income children and families with the hopes of giving them an equal “head start” as they enter their school careers. The United States has developed these programs to give children necessary aide; however, they do not always act as an equalizer.

A friend of mine was listed in the poverty status as a child. While we were in school, he received free breakfast and lunch daily. Our school also provided him with clothes and supplies through some type of aide program. Although my friend technically lived in poverty, he was fortunate in the fact that he did not know he did. He had two wonderful, caring parents who gave him a lot of affection and care while he was growing up. My friend only had three school outfits but they were always clean. When he entered high school, he got a job and starting helping his parents. As he grew, he just accepted that he was not able to do things that other children did. My friend is now a college graduate and has a decent salary working for a distributing company.

In other parts of the world, unfortunately children may not be so lucky. The slums of India are over-crowded with little to no modern amenities like running water and electricity. According to The Economist (2007) many families live in a “home” that is no larger than 90 square feet with only a single water tap exists for every ten homes. While there is plenty of work in this area the jobs do not pay well. Children are sent to school but only sporadically. However, there are new programs like the Rural School project, which is attempting to get more children in schools by building more schools in rural areas. Thirty-eight percent (380 million people) of India’s population live below the poverty line.

Public Health Measures

Today, there are many public health measures such as vaccinations, that help to prolong the lives of children.  Sudden infant death syndrome is "a situation in which a seemingly healthy infant, as least 2 months of age, suddenly stops breathing and dies unexpectedly while asleep" (Berger, 2009, p. 153).  The death of a child to SIDS must be horrible for expectant parents.  There are many suggestions that children should sleep on their backs while being in a cool room and not have too many loose blankets.  In England, in the 1980s a study was done by the Briton Medical Journal examining rates of SIDS to different ethnic groups.  The study found that children who co-slept with their child had a lower risk of SIDS than children who slept along due to the fact of the mother's close proximity and contact.  While SIDS cases continue to happen though out the world rates have been declining.  Parents and caregivers should be vigilant to keep a check on baby while baby sleeps during the night and never put baby to sleep on their stomach. 

Reference

Blarajan, R., Raleigh, V., and Botting, B. (1989). Briton Medical Journal. 298 pg. 716-721.

Birthing Experience

A Birthing Experience




The birthing experience that I am going to discuss is the birth of my youngest niece, who just turned twenty in March. I chose her birth because it was the first one that I was old enough to remember. My sister was several days past her due date and on Thursday, March 12, she began having contractions but they were not consistent. Our family is very superstitious so having the baby on Friday the 13 was not an option so her doctor put her to walking laps around her house. She was admitted into the hospital and gave birth to my niece at 11:50pm after ten hours of labor. When my sister saw, my niece my sister and her husband named her and my sister told the baby that she had been waiting for her. I believe that birth has an affect on child development because it is literally the beginning of life. If a child experiences complications at birth, they may lead to a lifetime of complications.

In China, births do occur in the hospital but many births occur at home. All Chinese women are expected to give birth un-medicated because it shows their strength and readiness to become mothers. Chinese births and pregnancies are heavily influenced by culture. The expectant mother is traditionally helped by other female family members but does not have visitors typically until a few days after the birth of the baby. Expectant mothers are also usually required to stay indoors for one month after birth to let their bodies recover. In the United States, some mothers do not get that option and only a few days after birth life resumes as normal.

Work Referenced

Kartchner, Robin, and Lynn Clark Callister. Giving birth: Voices of Chinese Women. Journal of

Holistic Nursing. Vol 21. Pg. 110-127.

Codes of Ethics

The NAEYC and DEC Codes of Ethics act as a blueprint for how early childhood professionals should manage their behavior.

NAEYC Codes

1-1.1 To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.

This ideal is important to me because we must grow our knowledge base if we want to offer our children and families the best education possible.

1-2.2 To develop relationships of mutual trust and create partnerships with the families we serve.

This ideal is important to me because we must trust families, but more importantly they must trust us in order for their child to have the best experience possible. I believe this trust is built through open, honest, and frequent communication.

1-3A.2 To share resources with co-workers in meeting their professional needs and in their professional development.

This ideal is important to me because we must collaborate with each other and help each other to grow.

DEC Codes
1. We shall demonstrate in our behavior and language respect and appreciation for the unique value and human potential of each child.

This ideal is important to me because we must model respect for children at all times and remember that their thoughts and feelings are as important as our own.

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

This ideal is important to me because as teachers we must be willing to share our knowledge with new professionals. As we engage with them in the mentoring process we will grow and learn as well.

3. We shall demonstrate our respect and concern for children, families, colleagues, and others with whom we work, honoring their beliefs, values, customs, languages, and culture.

This ideal is important to me because it shows that we are all worthy. No matter how different we are we are all important. This is something we must model for our children.

Additional Resources for Early Childhood

Dr. Carol Marchel
Center for Pedagogy
Winthrop University
marchelc@winthrop.edu

Mayesky, Mary. (2007) Creative Activities for Young Children (8th ed.) NY Thomson Delmar Learning.

South Carolina First Steps
http://www.scfirststeps.org

Resources for Early Childhood

NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://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, from http://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, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdfTurnbull, Part 2: 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-usThis link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the video on this webpage
World Organization for Early Childhood Education http://www.omep-usnc.org/Read about OMEP’s mission.

Association for Childhood Education Internationalhttp://acei.org/about/ Click on “Mission/Vision” and “Guiding Principles and Beliefs” and read these statements.

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations
National Association for the Education of Young Childrenhttp://www.naeyc.org/
The Division for Early Childhoodhttp://www.dec-sped.org/
Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Familieshttp://www.zerotothree.org/
WESTEDhttp://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
Harvard Education Letterhttp://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
FPG Child Development Institutehttp://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm
Administration for Children and Families Headstart’s National Research Conferencehttp://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//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
Institute for Women’s Policy Research http://www.iwpr.org/index.cfm
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.preknow.org/
Voices for America’s Children http://www.voices.org/
The Erikson Institute http://www.erikson.edu/

Inspiring Quotes

T. Berry Brazelton states "Parents are the experts on their child's behavior" and "Each practitioner is the expert within the context of his/her practice setting." I find both of these quotes inspirational because they remind me what context we work in. As much as I know about education, I still have more to learn, but parents are already the experts on their children. Their bond gives them a knowledge about each other that I as a teacher will never have about their child. keeping this in mind helps me to remember my place.

Louise Durman-Sparks states "The preschool years are critical." I find this quote to be inspiring because it shows me that the work that I do is important. It validates my career choice to hear that someone else views what I do as "critical." I feel that we all need that validation sometimes.

Sandy Escobido states that our job provides us with "The opportunity to change a child's life." I think that this quote again reflects how important our work is. I think that it also serves as a reminder to remember the responsibility and accountability that we have since we are working in such an important, critical, and sensitive field.

Personal Childhood Web

My personal childhood web includes many great influences. The most influential person from my childhood has to be my mother Linda Starnes. She made me feel important and loved when I was a child. She taught me how to be myself and that we should never give up. I know that I gained my love for learning and reading from her. When I was a child she read to me from anything she had available. I come from a very large family, full of cousins, and they would all come to my house to hear my mother tell stories. When I decided that I wanted to be a teacher she supported and encouraged me like no other. When I got my first teaching job I think she was more excited than I was. My mother passed away almost two years ago and I know she would still be proud, especially for me going back to school to earn my Masters. Another great influence that I had when I was little was my kindergarten teachers Mrs. Walters and Mrs. Jenkins. They were everything good teachers were supposed to be. I still remember, after all of these years, the first field trip we went on was to our local zoo. It was getting time to go and I did not get to see the tigers. Mrs. Jenkins knew that tigers were my favorite animals and walked me to see them just the two of us before we left. At the time I did not know that she was mirroring for me how as teachers we have know our children individually and sometimes a little special attention can mean the world to a child.

Children's Compassion

A few months ago I was observing the preschool children at my center and some of the older children were teasing a child and telling her that they did not want to play with her. A younger child came to her and asked her what was wrong. The older child said "they are being mean to me." Before I could step in the young child told all of the older children they were not nice. The younger child then told the child that she "would be her friend." To me this shows that sometimes children are more compassionate than others.