My Supports
I consider myself lucky to have multiple layers of support from many different sources in my life. My mother and father have been a huge positive influence on me with regards to my higher educational aspirations. They are only a phone call away when I am feeling discouraged or overwhelmed; just talking to them always makes me feel better. They also provide support in form of good advice and frequent encouragement. Without the consistent support from my parents, I probably would not have achieved as much as I have at this point in my life.
At work, I enjoy receiving constant feedback from not only the parents of the children in my care, but also from the Pastor of the church that my center is affiliated with. By listening to and incorporating this feedback, I can better refine and enhance my directing style and this provides me with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. I feel that without this type of support structure at my job I would not be as comfortable implementing what I need to do without knowing how my performance was impacting the business. On the other end of the spectrum, this same system of support provides me with feedback on issues that I need to review in order to make the appropriate corrections or changes. Being a daycare director means that my job cannot successfully be executed in a vacuum, I must have the support and cooperation of my staff.
As a member of the Early Childhood Directors Organization, the concept of support and togetherness is also understood and respected between myself and peers. We support each other for the greater good of learning and sharing knowledge about being effective early childhood leaders. The support structure from this organization is unparalleled in our field. Without support from my peers I feel that my knowledge and skills would stagnate and my capabilities would be hindered. Having the support of a group of like-minded professionals is essential to me.
One challenge that I would anticipate would be explaining to parents why my staff and I do what we do concerning their child. I know that my education and longevity in the early childhood field will help tremulously as I communicate my opinions, and I would have the support from my staff and the Pastor from the church.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
My Connections to Play
"Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity."
Kay Redfield Jamison
"Play is the highest form of research."
Albert Einstein
Some of my favorite childhood memories involve playing in and around the house where I grew up, and my ideal childhood connection to play would involve this very same environment. My father was in the military, and my mother was a stay-at-home mom, so my days were typically filled with unstructured and unrestrained creative freedom. I shared these experiences with my siblings, and had fond memories of playing with my dolls and pretending to play "school" in my garage with my brothers, sisters, and numerous neighbor friends. In fact, our house was the popular destination for all of our childhood friends and schoolmates; my mother often made homemade cookies for us and let us play freely as we saw fit. She also provided resources by sewing clothes for my dolls and checking on us periodically to see if there was anything we needed. My time during these days was often spent playing tether ball, swimming at the pool across the street, and riding my bike wherever my feet decided to pedal me that day, as long as I was back before the streetlights turned on. I also enjoyed reading and generally being content with the fact that my every need was met and I was allowed to enjoy myself with a minimal amount of supervision. We all came together for our nightly family dinners, and that bonding rounded out the balance between my free play and structured development.
In many ways, I feel my childhood play experiences are similar to those of the children of today, but there are also obvious differences between the two as well. Ask any four or five year old child today about the joys of riding a bike or of role playing with dolls or action figures, and you will most likely find similar enthusiasm. These toys serve the same purpose as they always have; they provided an outlet for a child's imagination to go wild and they promote creativity. A quick survey of my daycare children in this age range shows that swimming is also a popular form of play. And what childhood would be complete without playtime involving school friends or play dates with neighborhood children?
That being said, the world has changed in many ways since my childhood and the impact of technological advances has certainly had an effect on the concept of play. You are just as likely today to find a child happily engaged with swiping their fingers around an interactive learning game on an Ipad or smartphone as you would be seeing them learning their shapes and colors with their parents or in a structured daycare environment. The state of today's economy has also led to many situations where both parents must work full time, and many children are not exposed to traditional family meal routines and grounded home lives in their immediate environments. As the children of today are shuffled around more and more between hectic adult schedules and often become lost in the mix, adequate play time and bonding time between the children and their peers can become diminished.
As an early childhood professional, and drawing on personal experience, I firmly believe that adequate play should be one of the most important functions of one's childhood. By allowing the child to explore creative opportunities with as much or as little material as they are given, the child will learn early on to develop important life skills ranging from problem solving and logical reasoning, to teamwork and social interaction. This provides the foundation for a bright and curious mind that can transition into a healthy adulthood. As an added bonus, it will provide irreplaceable memories that will stay with the child forever, a fact that I can personally attest to. As quoted above by Kay Redfield Jamison, "Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity." I couldn't agree more.
"Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity."
Kay Redfield Jamison
"Play is the highest form of research."
Albert Einstein
In many ways, I feel my childhood play experiences are similar to those of the children of today, but there are also obvious differences between the two as well. Ask any four or five year old child today about the joys of riding a bike or of role playing with dolls or action figures, and you will most likely find similar enthusiasm. These toys serve the same purpose as they always have; they provided an outlet for a child's imagination to go wild and they promote creativity. A quick survey of my daycare children in this age range shows that swimming is also a popular form of play. And what childhood would be complete without playtime involving school friends or play dates with neighborhood children?
That being said, the world has changed in many ways since my childhood and the impact of technological advances has certainly had an effect on the concept of play. You are just as likely today to find a child happily engaged with swiping their fingers around an interactive learning game on an Ipad or smartphone as you would be seeing them learning their shapes and colors with their parents or in a structured daycare environment. The state of today's economy has also led to many situations where both parents must work full time, and many children are not exposed to traditional family meal routines and grounded home lives in their immediate environments. As the children of today are shuffled around more and more between hectic adult schedules and often become lost in the mix, adequate play time and bonding time between the children and their peers can become diminished.
As an early childhood professional, and drawing on personal experience, I firmly believe that adequate play should be one of the most important functions of one's childhood. By allowing the child to explore creative opportunities with as much or as little material as they are given, the child will learn early on to develop important life skills ranging from problem solving and logical reasoning, to teamwork and social interaction. This provides the foundation for a bright and curious mind that can transition into a healthy adulthood. As an added bonus, it will provide irreplaceable memories that will stay with the child forever, a fact that I can personally attest to. As quoted above by Kay Redfield Jamison, "Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity." I couldn't agree more.
Friday, November 8, 2013
 |
| My hero, my Dad |
 |
| My daughter, Tabitha, me, and my son, Erik |
 |
| Ms. Kitty Annette Cat |
Relationships are important to me because I need people and pets in my life which, in turn, are good for my physical, spiritual, and emotional health. We are all social beings and have the need to feel a sense of belonging. Relationships also cultivate shared experiences, socialization, laughter, and stimulation which sometimes inspire every emotion on the spectrum. What I think, feel, and actually do affects my relationships. I have a special relationship with both of my adult children. My daughter, Tabitha, and I work together as she is the assistant director at my center. Sometimes we do have issues with crossing that fine line of the employer/employee and mother/daughter relationship, but we have enough respect for each other to communicate our feelings and stresses. We both have a commitment to work through conflicts and disagreements in a respectful manner. My son, Erik, and I also work together but only on a part time basis as he is finishing his Bachelors Degree and has a few other jobs. My children and I have the same philosophy of life which includes our values and traditions, and it makes me proud that my children live what I have taught them. I would like to think that some contributing factors that aid in maintaining our positive relationships are that I listen to my adult children, give advice to them only when they ask, let them make their own mistakes, and yet I am still there to pick up the pieces as a "mother" when necessary. Another factor in our relationship is the humor that keeps things in perspective. We treat each other with respect, never taking each other for granted.
My dad is my hero; always has been, always will be. The relationship that I have with him is caring and respectful. He is my rock when I'm feeling overwhelmed with anything, especially school. My relationship with my dad validates my self-worth and has a huge influence on me. Because of my dad, I feel safe and supported which gives me the confidence to explore "my world" and finish my Masters Program. I want to think that I have instilled the same confidences in my two children that my dad instilled in me. The major factor in maintaining my positive relationship with my dad is healthy communication; we talk all the time.
The other picture is Ms. Kitty who, for the past five years, is my center's pet therapist and helps to sell the daycare to families. Research suggests that people who have animals live a longer and happier life. Some animals need a lot of social interaction and attention to be happy, and Ms. Kitty is one of those animals. She is such a people person and many of my daycare parents will stop to pet and talk with Ms. Kitty before picking up their child. I have a special relationship with Ms. Kitty as she makes her home in my office and follows me around everywhere I go. If a child is crying, she will rub her body next to them and the child will quite down. A frustrating issue during the day becomes better when Ms. Kitty sits on my desk in front of my computer "telling" me to slow down and smell the roses, or that its time to pet her! It is easy to maintain my partnership with Ms. Kitty; just feed, love, and talk to her.
One challenge I find when developing and maintaining relationships would be the concept of time management. These days, it seems as if everyone is busy juggling the day-to-day responsibilities of meeting obligations such as work and family life, and finding the time to manage other relationships or even creating new ones can be difficult. Another challenge would be that new relationships contain a lot of projection and fantasy. Disappointment can be experienced when the fantasy does not become reality. Things that can help to maintain a relationship are to take time to listen or to put yourself in the other person's shoes. With all the technology in our life, it is far easier to stay in touch with our relationships, but actually making the time to talk with someone face to face is critical in maintaining successful and meaningful relationships.
In my profession, establishing and maintaining healthy relationships is an essential part of the job. As an early childhood professional, I must stay involved with and current on the different family situations for each child in my care. When I self reflect on my own ability to maintain relationships, I sometimes draw upon my experiences listening to and guiding my own children with advice and care, and I translate those experiences into building blocks for successful communication with those families. By strengthening these relationships, I can develop a stronger sense of trust and work with the families to ensure the children are getting the most out of their early education as possible. I believe that the ability to relate to people and share experiences is important to my line of work.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Testing for Intelligence?
The progress young children make in all developmental areas is a continuous and ongoing assessment. Authentic assessments portray who the child is and what the child knows or does not know. One of the most comprehensive on-going assessment technique is the child's portfolio. This form of assessment should occur in a variety of settings, over a period of time, gathering data through many windows of opportunity which will give teachers and parents a tool to look back at what the child has done and see changes in his development.
"An individual profile integrates information from classroom assessments into a summary of a particular child's capabilities" (McAfee & Leong, 2011, p. 116). This summary can focus on one skill that a child might be having problems with or on the whole child. An individual profile helps teachers to know the children in their care, not only their strengths, but also their weakness, and their behaviors. One factor to take into consideration when interpreting assessments is the child's environment and cultural beliefs. "Different cultures also view concepts such as intelligence differently" ( McCauely, 2011, p. 2). Western cultures put emphasizes on the concept of IQ. Other countries see intelligence as the ability to perform certain skills that are necessary for family life and growth.
Assessment is important to understand if there are any developmental delays, or a disability, to understand a child's behavior, to plan the curriculum, and to provide a baseline to see where a child is at. Teachers must choose an appropriate, valid, reliable, and ethical assessment tool that can be used to assess one developmental skill or the whole child. I feel that children's assessments should happen at least twice a year so parents will understand how their child is developing and the teacher can understand what changes she might need to make for the child; assessment should bring about benefits for children.
"The earliest known standardized tests were administered to government job applications in the 7th Century Imperial China. The tests, built upon a ridge "eight-legged essay" format, tested the applicants' rote-learned knowledge of Confucian philosophy and were in widespread use until 1898" (Standardized Tests, 2013). China may have the longest history of tests and examinations in the world. These tests are still used today to assess educational outcome, and the scores of these tests are factors for promoting children into the next grade. Children in China usually attend school for nine hours a day and have little time for unstructured, relaxed play.
As I was researching on how China assessed their children, I did not find very much information. Children were required to take tests to get into their school of choice. Parents put a lot of pressure on their children to excel in school. "Study pressure has led to an increase in stress, psychological problems, and even tragedy" (China's children too busy for playtime, 2007).
One difference I found between the education system in China and the education system in America, is that if a child is having a difficult time understanding a concept, he is called up to the front of the class and the whole class helps. In American schools, this would seem like a punishment for the child as it may label the child as a slow learner. Parents in China are more involved in their child's education than most American parents.
China's children too busy for playtime. (2007, May). China Daily. Retrieved from,
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-05/13/content_871182.htm
McAfee, O. & Leong, D. (2011). Assessing and guiding young children's development and
learning (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
McCauley, L. (2011). The development assessment of young children. Retrieved
from, http://www.priory.com/psych/assessyoung.htm
Standardized tests. (2013). Is the use of standardized tests improving education in
america? Pro Con. Retrieved from, http://www.standardizedtests.procon.org/
The progress young children make in all developmental areas is a continuous and ongoing assessment. Authentic assessments portray who the child is and what the child knows or does not know. One of the most comprehensive on-going assessment technique is the child's portfolio. This form of assessment should occur in a variety of settings, over a period of time, gathering data through many windows of opportunity which will give teachers and parents a tool to look back at what the child has done and see changes in his development.
"An individual profile integrates information from classroom assessments into a summary of a particular child's capabilities" (McAfee & Leong, 2011, p. 116). This summary can focus on one skill that a child might be having problems with or on the whole child. An individual profile helps teachers to know the children in their care, not only their strengths, but also their weakness, and their behaviors. One factor to take into consideration when interpreting assessments is the child's environment and cultural beliefs. "Different cultures also view concepts such as intelligence differently" ( McCauely, 2011, p. 2). Western cultures put emphasizes on the concept of IQ. Other countries see intelligence as the ability to perform certain skills that are necessary for family life and growth.
Assessment is important to understand if there are any developmental delays, or a disability, to understand a child's behavior, to plan the curriculum, and to provide a baseline to see where a child is at. Teachers must choose an appropriate, valid, reliable, and ethical assessment tool that can be used to assess one developmental skill or the whole child. I feel that children's assessments should happen at least twice a year so parents will understand how their child is developing and the teacher can understand what changes she might need to make for the child; assessment should bring about benefits for children.
"The earliest known standardized tests were administered to government job applications in the 7th Century Imperial China. The tests, built upon a ridge "eight-legged essay" format, tested the applicants' rote-learned knowledge of Confucian philosophy and were in widespread use until 1898" (Standardized Tests, 2013). China may have the longest history of tests and examinations in the world. These tests are still used today to assess educational outcome, and the scores of these tests are factors for promoting children into the next grade. Children in China usually attend school for nine hours a day and have little time for unstructured, relaxed play.
As I was researching on how China assessed their children, I did not find very much information. Children were required to take tests to get into their school of choice. Parents put a lot of pressure on their children to excel in school. "Study pressure has led to an increase in stress, psychological problems, and even tragedy" (China's children too busy for playtime, 2007).
One difference I found between the education system in China and the education system in America, is that if a child is having a difficult time understanding a concept, he is called up to the front of the class and the whole class helps. In American schools, this would seem like a punishment for the child as it may label the child as a slow learner. Parents in China are more involved in their child's education than most American parents.
China's children too busy for playtime. (2007, May). China Daily. Retrieved from,
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-05/13/content_871182.htm
McAfee, O. & Leong, D. (2011). Assessing and guiding young children's development and
learning (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
McCauley, L. (2011). The development assessment of young children. Retrieved
from, http://www.priory.com/psych/assessyoung.htm
Standardized tests. (2013). Is the use of standardized tests improving education in
america? Pro Con. Retrieved from, http://www.standardizedtests.procon.org/
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Consequences of Stress on Children's Development
Hunger is a part of everyday life. I grew up with a childhood like "Leave It to Beaver." My dad worked all day and my mom was a stay at home mom who make us breakfast, packed my school lunches, and make dinner every night. There was very little stress in my life. As I began my career in early childhood, I have seen many issues with children and their parents. The first three years of life are the most important for brain and central nervous system development" (Sessoms, 2013). Hunger can made a negative impact on a child's development mentally and physically. The two children that I am thinking about had major hunger issues as they were abused. The first child was a three year old foster child who was burned over the majority of her body and she wore a body suit especially made for burn victims. Her foster parents told me that she did not have food to eat on a regular basis and when they had her, she would always hide food in her clothes and room. This was a survival technique she used in case she would not get anymore food. "Children growing up in food-insecure families are vulnerable to poor health and stunted development from the earliest stages of life" (Hutchison, 2011). The child was small for her age and did not have enough fat or muscle on her. As a result of this, she was sick a lot because her body could not fight any illness she had. Unfortunately, this child was only at my center for a year and I do not know what happened to her or how she is getting on in life. Hunger causes emotional and behavior problems, limits social development, hinders physical development, causes children issues to adapting to environmental stress, and also effects the part of the brain that determines decision making. The second child was also an abused child, but less abused than her older brother and sister. She was a year old when she came to my center and was always hungry. Even after she ate, she was still hungry. She would eat so fast she would throw up and start eating again. Sometimes it seemed like she did not chew. Her coping technique was to eat everything fast in case someone took the food away from her or she may of felt like she was not going to get anymore food. She did this until she was five years old. Her foster parents ended up adopting her and kept in touch with me as my center played a big role in the first few years of her life. She is now an overweight pre-teen who still eats fast.
Hunger is a major issue is India. "In the Indian providence of Madhyer Pradesh, 60 percent of children are malnourished-the highest percentage in the world" (Gordts, 2012). Mothers are very young, uneducated, and give birth to underweight babies with weak immune systems. These mothers do not breastfeed, feed their babies with buffalo milk, and use water that is contaminated. The government has developed more that fifty programs targeting the the poor to alleviate poverty, which in turn could alleviate hunger. They have also developed the National Food Security Act to provide food and nutritional security for the poor. The problem is that many of these programs have corrupt people running them and the poor usually end up with nothing or contaminated foods. They are now handing out wheat flour that is fortified with iron and micro-nutrients for warding off diseases such as anemia.
Gordts, E. (2012, May). India child hunger: 25 million children suffer from nutritional and starvation. Huffington Post. Retrieved from, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/15/india-child-hunger_n_1517098.html.
Hutchison, E. (2013). Affects of hunger: The brain. Retrieved from, http://www.30hourfamine.org/2011/11/affect-of-hunger-the-brain
Sessoms, G. (2013, August). How does hunger affect children. Retrieved from, http://www.livestrong.com/article/242730-how-does-hunger-affect-children
Hunger is a part of everyday life. I grew up with a childhood like "Leave It to Beaver." My dad worked all day and my mom was a stay at home mom who make us breakfast, packed my school lunches, and make dinner every night. There was very little stress in my life. As I began my career in early childhood, I have seen many issues with children and their parents. The first three years of life are the most important for brain and central nervous system development" (Sessoms, 2013). Hunger can made a negative impact on a child's development mentally and physically. The two children that I am thinking about had major hunger issues as they were abused. The first child was a three year old foster child who was burned over the majority of her body and she wore a body suit especially made for burn victims. Her foster parents told me that she did not have food to eat on a regular basis and when they had her, she would always hide food in her clothes and room. This was a survival technique she used in case she would not get anymore food. "Children growing up in food-insecure families are vulnerable to poor health and stunted development from the earliest stages of life" (Hutchison, 2011). The child was small for her age and did not have enough fat or muscle on her. As a result of this, she was sick a lot because her body could not fight any illness she had. Unfortunately, this child was only at my center for a year and I do not know what happened to her or how she is getting on in life. Hunger causes emotional and behavior problems, limits social development, hinders physical development, causes children issues to adapting to environmental stress, and also effects the part of the brain that determines decision making. The second child was also an abused child, but less abused than her older brother and sister. She was a year old when she came to my center and was always hungry. Even after she ate, she was still hungry. She would eat so fast she would throw up and start eating again. Sometimes it seemed like she did not chew. Her coping technique was to eat everything fast in case someone took the food away from her or she may of felt like she was not going to get anymore food. She did this until she was five years old. Her foster parents ended up adopting her and kept in touch with me as my center played a big role in the first few years of her life. She is now an overweight pre-teen who still eats fast.
Hunger is a major issue is India. "In the Indian providence of Madhyer Pradesh, 60 percent of children are malnourished-the highest percentage in the world" (Gordts, 2012). Mothers are very young, uneducated, and give birth to underweight babies with weak immune systems. These mothers do not breastfeed, feed their babies with buffalo milk, and use water that is contaminated. The government has developed more that fifty programs targeting the the poor to alleviate poverty, which in turn could alleviate hunger. They have also developed the National Food Security Act to provide food and nutritional security for the poor. The problem is that many of these programs have corrupt people running them and the poor usually end up with nothing or contaminated foods. They are now handing out wheat flour that is fortified with iron and micro-nutrients for warding off diseases such as anemia.
Gordts, E. (2012, May). India child hunger: 25 million children suffer from nutritional and starvation. Huffington Post. Retrieved from, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/15/india-child-hunger_n_1517098.html.
Hutchison, E. (2013). Affects of hunger: The brain. Retrieved from, http://www.30hourfamine.org/2011/11/affect-of-hunger-the-brain
Sessoms, G. (2013, August). How does hunger affect children. Retrieved from, http://www.livestrong.com/article/242730-how-does-hunger-affect-children
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Child Development and Public Health
Nutrition and malnutrition are ongoing issues all over the world. The longer I am involved in the early childhood field, the more concerned I am about nutrition. I create the menus for my center and have to make sure they are healthy and child friendly. I cringe when I see all the wasted food, especially when I introduce something new. Last week we had veggie burgers that actually had bits of carrots, peppers, and potatoes that could be seen in the burger. My younger children ate them without a problem, my four and five year olds asked many questions and were very cautious about these burgers. At the end of lunch, there were a lot of veggie burgers to throw away. I know that I have to offer new foods to children at least three different times before children get to know the new foods. I will not give up on the veggie burgers, but I did give up on brussel sprouts. Good nutrition is important for children to learn at an early age because it lays a foundation for healthy eating later in life.
I personally have not seen anyone malnourished, only in pictures and on television. I have seen what food insecurity does to children because of some the foster children that have passed through my center. I had one foster child who had food withheld from her as punishment and in turn, she would shove everything in her mouth as fast as she could, making herself throw up. I "raised" her in my center from the age of twelve months to five years. We had to constantly monitor her while she was eating and just give her a little food at a time. Her foster family was in the process of adopting her and were very helpful as they had the same problem at home. By the time she was four, we tried a new technique with her eating habits. From the age of three, my teachers let the children serve themselves and pour their own milk, so of course she filled her plate full. We taught her to slow down her eating by putting her fork down after taking a bite and when she swallowed everything, she could pick up her fork and go for another bite. This helped quite a lot. I had another foster child that never knew where her next meal was coming from so she hid her food. Her foster parents would find cookies and crackers in her pockets when they picked her up from the center. They even said that they found a whole loaf of bread under her pillow one morning. I do not know what became of this child, but the other girl I wrote about is happy, healthy, and still eats fast.
Nutrition is important to me because of all the children that I have been exposed to. Parents think that their little roly-poly child is so cute, but after a few years, this child is very overweight and has a difficult time participating in activities with other children. These are the children that come in the center in the morning eating hash browns or cookies. There was one five year old in my center that was so obese that he could not cross his legs when he sat down, so my teachers had to make sure there was extra space in front of him so he could sit with his legs straight out in front. Situations like this are very sad. Obesity leads to a lot of physical issues and hurts a child's self-esteem.
"Malnutrition is directly responsible for 300,00 deaths per year in children younger than 5 years in developing countries and contributes indirectly to over half of all deaths in children worldwide" (Shashidar, 2013, p.1). The Horn of Africa experiences many droughts during different years which leads to malnutrition for a large population of people. World Wide aid workers help to treat malnutrition by giving out "ready-to-eat foods" which they call therapeutic foods. These foods produce the greatest weight gain in the shortest times. Some of the foods offered are items that contain vegetable fats, dry skimmed milk, powders that can be cooked as porridge, and biscuits. Toxic stress, which includes malnutrition, for these children give them a greater risk of developing cognitive, behavioral, and emotional issues. "In the Horn of Africa, some 566,000 children are currently facing severe malnutrition and their survival is at risk" (Early Childhood Development in the Horn of Africa, 2011, p. 1). Clean water is also a problem for the countries in the Horn of Africa causing diseases complicated with the malnutrition.
Nutrition and malnutrition is not just in the poor countries, it is also in the United States; in our own city. I am grateful that I provide two nutritious meals and a snack to all the children who come through my center as I know that some just eat junk food at home. The food bank here in Wichita, Kansas has a program that my director's organization supports that is called "Food 4 Kids." Teachers in the low income schools identify children who has food insecurities knowing that this child will probably not have food during the weekend. A backpack is given to a child on Friday after school with easy to open foods that he can eat over the weekend. Some children depend on these backpacks or would be forging for food elsewhere. My surprise is how many high school students receive these backpacks with food. Like the commercial with the snicker bar who turns the "divas" back to regular people, these backpacks help keep children's hunger at bay.
Shashidar, H.R. (2013). Malnutrition. Medscape. Retrieved from,
http://www,emedicine.medscape.com/article/985140-overview
Early childhood development in the Horn or Africa. (2011). Relief Web. Retrieved
from, http://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/early-childhood-development-horn-africa
Nutrition and malnutrition are ongoing issues all over the world. The longer I am involved in the early childhood field, the more concerned I am about nutrition. I create the menus for my center and have to make sure they are healthy and child friendly. I cringe when I see all the wasted food, especially when I introduce something new. Last week we had veggie burgers that actually had bits of carrots, peppers, and potatoes that could be seen in the burger. My younger children ate them without a problem, my four and five year olds asked many questions and were very cautious about these burgers. At the end of lunch, there were a lot of veggie burgers to throw away. I know that I have to offer new foods to children at least three different times before children get to know the new foods. I will not give up on the veggie burgers, but I did give up on brussel sprouts. Good nutrition is important for children to learn at an early age because it lays a foundation for healthy eating later in life.
I personally have not seen anyone malnourished, only in pictures and on television. I have seen what food insecurity does to children because of some the foster children that have passed through my center. I had one foster child who had food withheld from her as punishment and in turn, she would shove everything in her mouth as fast as she could, making herself throw up. I "raised" her in my center from the age of twelve months to five years. We had to constantly monitor her while she was eating and just give her a little food at a time. Her foster family was in the process of adopting her and were very helpful as they had the same problem at home. By the time she was four, we tried a new technique with her eating habits. From the age of three, my teachers let the children serve themselves and pour their own milk, so of course she filled her plate full. We taught her to slow down her eating by putting her fork down after taking a bite and when she swallowed everything, she could pick up her fork and go for another bite. This helped quite a lot. I had another foster child that never knew where her next meal was coming from so she hid her food. Her foster parents would find cookies and crackers in her pockets when they picked her up from the center. They even said that they found a whole loaf of bread under her pillow one morning. I do not know what became of this child, but the other girl I wrote about is happy, healthy, and still eats fast.
Nutrition is important to me because of all the children that I have been exposed to. Parents think that their little roly-poly child is so cute, but after a few years, this child is very overweight and has a difficult time participating in activities with other children. These are the children that come in the center in the morning eating hash browns or cookies. There was one five year old in my center that was so obese that he could not cross his legs when he sat down, so my teachers had to make sure there was extra space in front of him so he could sit with his legs straight out in front. Situations like this are very sad. Obesity leads to a lot of physical issues and hurts a child's self-esteem.
"Malnutrition is directly responsible for 300,00 deaths per year in children younger than 5 years in developing countries and contributes indirectly to over half of all deaths in children worldwide" (Shashidar, 2013, p.1). The Horn of Africa experiences many droughts during different years which leads to malnutrition for a large population of people. World Wide aid workers help to treat malnutrition by giving out "ready-to-eat foods" which they call therapeutic foods. These foods produce the greatest weight gain in the shortest times. Some of the foods offered are items that contain vegetable fats, dry skimmed milk, powders that can be cooked as porridge, and biscuits. Toxic stress, which includes malnutrition, for these children give them a greater risk of developing cognitive, behavioral, and emotional issues. "In the Horn of Africa, some 566,000 children are currently facing severe malnutrition and their survival is at risk" (Early Childhood Development in the Horn of Africa, 2011, p. 1). Clean water is also a problem for the countries in the Horn of Africa causing diseases complicated with the malnutrition.
Nutrition and malnutrition is not just in the poor countries, it is also in the United States; in our own city. I am grateful that I provide two nutritious meals and a snack to all the children who come through my center as I know that some just eat junk food at home. The food bank here in Wichita, Kansas has a program that my director's organization supports that is called "Food 4 Kids." Teachers in the low income schools identify children who has food insecurities knowing that this child will probably not have food during the weekend. A backpack is given to a child on Friday after school with easy to open foods that he can eat over the weekend. Some children depend on these backpacks or would be forging for food elsewhere. My surprise is how many high school students receive these backpacks with food. Like the commercial with the snicker bar who turns the "divas" back to regular people, these backpacks help keep children's hunger at bay.
Shashidar, H.R. (2013). Malnutrition. Medscape. Retrieved from,
http://www,emedicine.medscape.com/article/985140-overview
Early childhood development in the Horn or Africa. (2011). Relief Web. Retrieved
from, http://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/early-childhood-development-horn-africa
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Childbirth In My Life and Around the World
I had two birthing experiences, both very different. The first time I gave birth was thirty four years ago and I had no clue was was going to happen. I lost my mucus plug and did not even know what a mucus plug was! I was in labor for twenty-four hours in a military hospital, the doctor had to break my water, and I was in pain. I choose not to marry the father as I knew it would not work out, and I had the support of my parents. Finally my ten pound son came out with a broken collar bone, pneumonia, and tore me up pretty bad. It took an hour for the doctor to "put me back together." Then my son was in intensive care because of his issues, so I did not get to see him very often. Three days later we were both still in the hospital and I developed a super high fever with an infection and did not get to see my son for three days. It was scary, so I was told, as I almost died. God had a plan for us, both my son and I got better and we went home after spending seven days in the hospital. My second birth was twenty eight years ago with my daughter, again in a military hospital, and was a piece of cake. My husband, now ex husband, was in the military and deployed out to sea. I knew more of what was going on this time around as I was older and had the support of many military wives. I had also started my career in early child development and that helped out tremendously. I was in labor with my daughter for only twelve hours and she popped right out, all eight pounds, no pain medicine needed. I guess I should thank my ten pound son who "stretched" me out enough for my daughter to slip on out. I was healthy and running around the day after, and went home in two days. The only sad thing about this delivery was that my husband was not there. In fact, he did not receive the message about his new daughter that went to his ship until three days later when they pulled into port. When my daughter was born, we were stationed in Charleston, South Carolina and I did not have any family around as they lived in Texas. Sometimes I think back and say to myself, if I knew then about what I know now about child development, I would have been supermom! I do feel very blessed that both of my children were healthy and happy. Every once in a while my daughter and I will talk about pregnancy and the medical advances that have come about. She is still in awe that I did not know what the sex of her brother or her were, it was a surprise. Back in the "olden" days, sonograms were only done if there was a problem with the pregnancy.
I researched the birthing practices of Somali which wraps around the Horn of Africa. Becoming pregnant right after marriage is expected and a woman's status is enhanced the more children she has. When I think of the cost of having children, I shudder and thank my lucky stars that I had military insurance for both of my birthing experiences. My son cost $23.00 and my daughter cost $3.40 for the birth and hospital stay. Women in Somali have a strong support network and even have a party before the birth as a sign of support. This reminds me of my support system with my daughter as all of the wives who had husbands deployed on a ship stuck together. Births usually take place at home and a midwife is in attendance. In Somali, the mother and infant stay indoors for forty days, which is know as afatanbah. During afatanbah, the mother wears earrings made from string placed through a clove of garlic, and the baby wears a bracelet made from string and malmal, which is a herb, in order to ward away the Evil Eye. Myrrh is burned twice a day in order to protect the baby from ordinary smells of the world, which are felt to have the potential to make the baby sick. When the forty days are up, there is a big celebration as this is the first time the mother and infant are leaving the home. I could remember wanting to go out in public as soon as I could to "show off" my babies. Breastfeeding is the primary form of infant nutrition and mothers will breastfeed for up to two years of age. Camel's milk is considered to be the most nutritious of animal milk and infants, including newborns, are often offered liquids in a cup. Wow, I have seen three year olds walking around with a bottle. At the age of six months, mothers in Somali start feeding their children solid foods. Diapering is not common in Somali. When the baby is awake, the mother will hold a small basin in her lap and then hold her baby in a sitting position over the basin at regular time intervals. Somali mothers claim that within a short period of time infants are trained to use the "potty." I know some four year olds that are not totally potty trained yet and the caregivers are usually the people who potty trains the children. I am sure that Somali women do not go to the "office" and are stay at home moms, so they spend most of their time with their children. One insight I gained is that the people of Somali believe in the Evil Eye, evil spirits, and take precautions. In the U.S. we have our children baptized at an early age or some other type of ritual to protect our children.
I had two birthing experiences, both very different. The first time I gave birth was thirty four years ago and I had no clue was was going to happen. I lost my mucus plug and did not even know what a mucus plug was! I was in labor for twenty-four hours in a military hospital, the doctor had to break my water, and I was in pain. I choose not to marry the father as I knew it would not work out, and I had the support of my parents. Finally my ten pound son came out with a broken collar bone, pneumonia, and tore me up pretty bad. It took an hour for the doctor to "put me back together." Then my son was in intensive care because of his issues, so I did not get to see him very often. Three days later we were both still in the hospital and I developed a super high fever with an infection and did not get to see my son for three days. It was scary, so I was told, as I almost died. God had a plan for us, both my son and I got better and we went home after spending seven days in the hospital. My second birth was twenty eight years ago with my daughter, again in a military hospital, and was a piece of cake. My husband, now ex husband, was in the military and deployed out to sea. I knew more of what was going on this time around as I was older and had the support of many military wives. I had also started my career in early child development and that helped out tremendously. I was in labor with my daughter for only twelve hours and she popped right out, all eight pounds, no pain medicine needed. I guess I should thank my ten pound son who "stretched" me out enough for my daughter to slip on out. I was healthy and running around the day after, and went home in two days. The only sad thing about this delivery was that my husband was not there. In fact, he did not receive the message about his new daughter that went to his ship until three days later when they pulled into port. When my daughter was born, we were stationed in Charleston, South Carolina and I did not have any family around as they lived in Texas. Sometimes I think back and say to myself, if I knew then about what I know now about child development, I would have been supermom! I do feel very blessed that both of my children were healthy and happy. Every once in a while my daughter and I will talk about pregnancy and the medical advances that have come about. She is still in awe that I did not know what the sex of her brother or her were, it was a surprise. Back in the "olden" days, sonograms were only done if there was a problem with the pregnancy.
I researched the birthing practices of Somali which wraps around the Horn of Africa. Becoming pregnant right after marriage is expected and a woman's status is enhanced the more children she has. When I think of the cost of having children, I shudder and thank my lucky stars that I had military insurance for both of my birthing experiences. My son cost $23.00 and my daughter cost $3.40 for the birth and hospital stay. Women in Somali have a strong support network and even have a party before the birth as a sign of support. This reminds me of my support system with my daughter as all of the wives who had husbands deployed on a ship stuck together. Births usually take place at home and a midwife is in attendance. In Somali, the mother and infant stay indoors for forty days, which is know as afatanbah. During afatanbah, the mother wears earrings made from string placed through a clove of garlic, and the baby wears a bracelet made from string and malmal, which is a herb, in order to ward away the Evil Eye. Myrrh is burned twice a day in order to protect the baby from ordinary smells of the world, which are felt to have the potential to make the baby sick. When the forty days are up, there is a big celebration as this is the first time the mother and infant are leaving the home. I could remember wanting to go out in public as soon as I could to "show off" my babies. Breastfeeding is the primary form of infant nutrition and mothers will breastfeed for up to two years of age. Camel's milk is considered to be the most nutritious of animal milk and infants, including newborns, are often offered liquids in a cup. Wow, I have seen three year olds walking around with a bottle. At the age of six months, mothers in Somali start feeding their children solid foods. Diapering is not common in Somali. When the baby is awake, the mother will hold a small basin in her lap and then hold her baby in a sitting position over the basin at regular time intervals. Somali mothers claim that within a short period of time infants are trained to use the "potty." I know some four year olds that are not totally potty trained yet and the caregivers are usually the people who potty trains the children. I am sure that Somali women do not go to the "office" and are stay at home moms, so they spend most of their time with their children. One insight I gained is that the people of Somali believe in the Evil Eye, evil spirits, and take precautions. In the U.S. we have our children baptized at an early age or some other type of ritual to protect our children.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Examining Codes Of Ethics
Ethical Responsibilities to Children
"Childhood is a unique and valuable stage in the human life cycle" (NAEYC, 2005, p. 2).
This statement is meaningful to me because my vision of early childhood education is for all children to receive high quality care regardless of their socioeconomic status, culture, language, gender, or disability. High quality care will support every child's needs in fostering developmentally appropriate curriculum, nutritious meals, social-emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Being aware of the diversity that each child brings with their culture and language is important to me because I feel that everyone needs to be respected. I strive to support all children in a clean and safe environment. It is imperative for all early childhood professionals to "...support equity through responding to the needs of individual children, their families, and larger society" (Darragh, 2010, p. 16). I also support children's holistic development.
Professional Development and Preparation
"Professional development is viewed and valued as an ongoing process guided by high standards and competencies for professional performance and practice" (The Division for Early Childhood, 2009, p. 2).
I am here to make a difference to children, families, the community, and to the profession of early childhood education. Professional development and preparation is important to me because I am a lifelong learner. I am committed to exploring new trends and be an advocate for children and their families. I will always improve on my professional practice with ongoing child development classes, find time to reflect on my decisions, and support my staff and peers. I use my professional knowledge to mentor others in this field. It is important to me to be aware of exceptional children and I am learning more about inclusion. When exceptional children are put in an inclusion classroom, all the children have a chance to interact with each other creating a sense of belonging to the class. It is important to me that all children feel safe and have a feeling of belonging in my center.
Ethical Responsibilities to Families
"We are committed to enhancing the quality of children's and families' lives by promoting family well-being and participation in typical life activities" (The Division for Early Childhood, 2009, p.2).
It is imperative that I foster a partnership with families in my center so they will develop a mutual trust and understand that they can have a dialog with myself or any teacher in a comfortable setting. I provide as many opportunities as I can for family participation through programs such as "Star of the Week," Open House, Ice Cream Social, the Rodeo, conferences, different field trips, and other activities. Connecting families with resources and providing support is an important part of my job as a director. It is my responsibility to respect and support all families in my center with their child rearing decisions and values.
References
Darragh, J. (2010). Introduction to early childhood education. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education, Inc.
NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved
from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
The Division for Early Childhood. (2009, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved from
http://www.dec-sped.org
"Childhood is a unique and valuable stage in the human life cycle" (NAEYC, 2005, p. 2).
This statement is meaningful to me because my vision of early childhood education is for all children to receive high quality care regardless of their socioeconomic status, culture, language, gender, or disability. High quality care will support every child's needs in fostering developmentally appropriate curriculum, nutritious meals, social-emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Being aware of the diversity that each child brings with their culture and language is important to me because I feel that everyone needs to be respected. I strive to support all children in a clean and safe environment. It is imperative for all early childhood professionals to "...support equity through responding to the needs of individual children, their families, and larger society" (Darragh, 2010, p. 16). I also support children's holistic development.
Professional Development and Preparation
"Professional development is viewed and valued as an ongoing process guided by high standards and competencies for professional performance and practice" (The Division for Early Childhood, 2009, p. 2).
I am here to make a difference to children, families, the community, and to the profession of early childhood education. Professional development and preparation is important to me because I am a lifelong learner. I am committed to exploring new trends and be an advocate for children and their families. I will always improve on my professional practice with ongoing child development classes, find time to reflect on my decisions, and support my staff and peers. I use my professional knowledge to mentor others in this field. It is important to me to be aware of exceptional children and I am learning more about inclusion. When exceptional children are put in an inclusion classroom, all the children have a chance to interact with each other creating a sense of belonging to the class. It is important to me that all children feel safe and have a feeling of belonging in my center.
Ethical Responsibilities to Families
"We are committed to enhancing the quality of children's and families' lives by promoting family well-being and participation in typical life activities" (The Division for Early Childhood, 2009, p.2).
It is imperative that I foster a partnership with families in my center so they will develop a mutual trust and understand that they can have a dialog with myself or any teacher in a comfortable setting. I provide as many opportunities as I can for family participation through programs such as "Star of the Week," Open House, Ice Cream Social, the Rodeo, conferences, different field trips, and other activities. Connecting families with resources and providing support is an important part of my job as a director. It is my responsibility to respect and support all families in my center with their child rearing decisions and values.
References
Darragh, J. (2010). Introduction to early childhood education. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education, Inc.
NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved
from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
The Division for Early Childhood. (2009, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved from
http://www.dec-sped.org
Friday, August 2, 2013
Growing My Collection of Resources
1. Child Care Lounge
http://www.childcarelounge.com/child-care-articles.php
2. The Future of Children
http://www.futureofchildren.org
3. 6 habits of Highly Effective Bosses (Book)
by: Stephen E. Kohn & Vicent D. O'Connel
The book, 6 habits of Highly Effective Bosses, has many useful ideas that can be used when dealing with parents; mentoring, coaching, and empathy are just a few chapters to explore.
"To 'listen' another's soul into life, into a condition of disclosure and discovery, may be the greatest service that any human being ever performs for another."
-Douglas Steere
Position Statements and Influential Practices
·
NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally
appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth
through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
·
NAEYC. (2009). Where
we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May
26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
·
NAEYC. (2009). Where
we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26,
2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
·
NAEYC. (2009). Where
we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved
May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
·
NAEYC. (2003). Early
childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an
effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved
May 26, 2010, 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, fromhttp://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf
Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
·
Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong,
J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action
guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.
Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title.
Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title.
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:
·
o World Forum Foundation
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
o World Organization for Early Childhood
Education
http://www.omep-usnc.org/
Read about OMEP's mission.
http://www.omep-usnc.org/
Read about OMEP's mission.
o Association for Childhood Education
International
http://acei.org/
Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.
http://acei.org/
Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.
Selected Early Childhood
Organizations
·
Administration for Children and
Families Headstart's National Research Conference
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
Selected Professional Journals
Available in the Walden Library
Tip: Use the A-to-Z e-journal list to search
for specific journal titles. (Go to "How Do I...?", select "Tips
for Specific Formats and Resources," and then "e-journals" to
find this search interface.)
·
YC
Young Children
·
Childhood
·
Journal
of Child & Family Studies
·
Child
Study Journal
·
Multicultural
Education
·
Early
Childhood Education Journal
·
Journal
of Early Childhood Research
·
International
Journal of Early Childhood
·
Early
Childhood Research Quarterly
·
Developmental
Psychology
·
Social
Studies
·
Maternal
& Child Health Journal
·
International
Journal of Early Years Education
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