Final Blog Assignment

Learning about international early childhood field has been an enlightening and rewarding experience. Although I was unsuccessful with talking with an international early professional, I was able to gain great insights from international websites. One of the things I learned about early childhood is that, there is still a struggle for children and families all over the world to gain access to high quality learning. In reviewing websites like UNICEF and UNESCO it affirmed that children globally are affected by poverty and lack resources to quality education. Although there continues to be gaps and disparity in early childhood care all over the world, many countries have designed organizations and programs for under privilege children and their families. I have gained an enormous amount of knowledge about families who face these difficulties.  As a professional I can better identify with these issues when dealing with children and their families.

It was a pleasure knowing all of my colleagues each of them inspired me in their own way. I enjoyed reading their discussions, blogs, and their ideas and insights weekly. I hope that my colleagues continue to pursue their careers remembering what they learned through this journey. It is my wish that each of my colleagues remember to take a look back and reflect about early childhood globally so that they can always continue to help children and their families.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/

http://www.unicef.org/index.php

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

The Early Childhood Care and Education (UNESCO) website is a very informative place where professionals, parents, advocates, and policy makers can gain insight. One of the issues the website touches on is early learning is important all over the world. Many countries are participating and expanding their early childhood education systems. As a professional it important for me to recognize that inequalities not only affect children of the United States but all over the world as well. Recognizing this deficiency in the system will benefit me working with families who migrate from outside the U.S.

One of the things I found through my educational journey is quality childcare is an extension of quality teaching. UNESCO suggests that professionals should always make room for new material, come together with professionals in the field, and create personal assessment for professional growth. Evaluating and assessing our professional goals is essential for growth.

A meeting organized by UNESCO was designed to address some of the inequalities and inequities that have affect childhood programs and finding resolution to these issues. An important factor that affects Early Childhood Education is inequities and inequalities. As professionals it is vital that one understands the barriers that affect children and their families from obtaining quality early learning. Therefore, being aware of the stereotypes, cultural differences, and inequities that bring negative impacts to early childhood learning is important for professionals so that that are able to possibly break down some of these barriers.

 

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

 

 

 

 

 

Sharing Web Resources

Through my continued journey in early childhood education there have been many resources that I became fond of. I have signed up for two newsletters for two websites, National Black Child Institute, and UNICEF; unfortunately I have not received any newsletter as yet. Both organizations have great information and updates on the topics of early childhood programs. I scrolled through the UNICEF website and I came across an article that touched on access to education for the children of Guinea. Unfortunately many of the children in Guinea don’t have access to quality education. As a result, actress Mia Farrow has dedicated her time and efforts advocating for children to have the opportunity to education. In Guinea, there is a lack of financial investments in the education systems, resulting in over crowded classes, and deplorable learning environments. The article affirmed to me that the topic of early childhood education and issues on equity not only affects children in the United States but all over the world. Although in the United States there is room for improvement, children have more opportunities to attend school. Even though accessibility to education affects children all over the world its great knowing that there are advocates pushing for quality education.

http://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/reforming-education-in-guinea.html

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University is a great place for professionals, advocates, and families to learn about new developments in early childhood. The center has developed a global initiative that has three main objectives. The first one is making sure policy makers are educated about the underlining behaviors and health in children. The second initiative is creating multidisciplinary research in selected countries to promote better understanding globally on healthy development. The third initiative is to build leadership areas in low income areas to allow these areas the opportunity to contribute to the global initiative for the betterment of children.

As part of the global initiative the center has launched a program in Brazil called Nucleo Ciencia Pelia Infancia. The program is designed for advocates and professionals to created better policies for the children of Brazil. The organization has been productive in getting healthy development for children across countries. Zambian early childhood development project is another way for the organization to bring awareness to the importance of healthy development to countries across Africa.  I appreciate that there is an organization that continues efforts to raise awareness globally on early childhood healthy developments.

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative

Sharing Web Resources

Throughout my educational journey in early childhood, I have been studying several organizations. There are so many organizations that I find helpful like the National Black Child Development (NBCD). One of the things I found interesting about the NBCD, is that they have created a cultural competency tool for professionals to use to insure their curriculum is relevant to the children they are serving. As a professional it is important that I meet the needs of the children and families I work with by providing appropriate methods based on their specific needs.

One of the issues NBCD campaigns for is childhood obesity and better nutrition for black children. Teaching children how to have better nutrition at a young age is important for children to continue to have healthy eating habits throughout their lives. This information has made me more aware of this growing problem. Children need to learn that eating healthy can be fun; finding new ways to create healthy meals that children have fun eating is something I will make more efforts to achieve.

Another thing that I found interesting about NBCD organization is that they offer the public, politicians, and people of all professionals the opportunity to attend conferences and come together to discuss the betterment of children and ways to share research for early childhood programs. The organization continues to support programs for children from pre k- 3^rd grad as well as the continued support for all children in all grade levels. As long as there are organizations that bring together families, education advocates, politicians, and other professionals there is hope for early childhood to thrive.

http://nbcdi.org/

 

http://nbcdi.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DRAFT-CCIT-June-2012.pdf

 

Getting To Know International Contacts

Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s (CHIP) is designed to explore the differences and gaps in poverty internationally and to initiate commitment to fight against childhood poverty. While researching CHIP, I came a across information on poverty in India. The numbers of children living in poverty are enormous. About 62 million children under the age of five live in poverty and are considered malnourished. India has the largest amount of children who are working and out of school. It is hard to fathom, that children are forced to work at a very young age to support themselves and their families. Unfortunately this large amount, consist of mostly girls.  Unfortunately gender inequality continues to have affects on many young girls in India. As a result, many young girls do not have the same opportunities given to young boys. This results in uneducated girls, who are faced with poverty from generation to generation.

Although the issue of poverty continues to affect many children in India, their are three types of programs that are currently working to assist children living in poverty, rural employment creation and infrastructure development programs; self-employment; and food subsidy programs. Programs like these are developed to help children and their families in poverty. Although there have been great strides to prevent childhood poverty, the struggle continues.

 

http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=countryo

Sharing Web Resources

As I continue my journey in early childhood education I decided to subscribe to National Black Child Development Institute newsletter. The organization for the last 40 years have focus its attention on black children and their families and making their lives better in regards to health, education, and their well being. The NBCDI focuses on giving children and families a chance to better themselves and to be a positive part of society.  One of the things I found interesting about the NBCDI is a new program they introduced called Parent Empowerment Project (PEP). PEP is a program created particularly for low income parents. The programs teaches parents how to empower their children to have high self esteem, positive parenting techniques, and increased knowledge of community resources. Organizations such as NBCDI although may be geared towards black children and their families, can benefit other ethnic groups as well.            

http://nbcdi.org/

Getting Ready—E stablishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

This week’s assignment is to make contact with two professionals from another country and to make efforts to study an organization of my choice. Honestly, I have made a late start to contacting two professionals outside of the United States. Therefore, I have not been successful in making contact with a professional as yet but I have not lost hope. I am hoping to make contact with the professionals I have emailed but if I don’t get a response I will have to use alternate for Part 1 of my blog assignment. The website I decided to sign up to is Harlem Children’s Zone and National Black Child Development Institute. Both organizations focus not only on education for young children but provide resources for parents, scholarship information, conferences, as well as health information.

 

My Supports

Having a strong support system is very important to remain sane in today’s hectic society. I don’t know what I would do without the support of my family, friends, and supervisor. On the days when I want to pull my hair out and scream “Calgon take me away”, I can have comfort in knowing that I can depend upon friends and family. My husband keeps me laughing, even on those days when I want to cry. Seeing the humor, in my everyday routine and challenges helps me get through many difficult days. Another, person that is very supportive in my daily environment is my sister; I couldn’t ask for a better sister, she is the epitome of what a sister should be and the best aunt to my children. She is there when my children and I need her and offer breaks when stress sets in.  The support of my children keeps me grounded and keeps things in perspective. They allow me to visualize the smaller things in life and keep me on my toes. They are so many other people that support me, too many to name them all. However, I can not forget my supervisor, I am so fortunate to have a supervisor who is supportive and appreciate the hard work I do. She's always there to remind me, how important my hard work is and to be proud of my accomplishments.

            I am lucky to have a great support system in place in my daily environment. My experience as a social worker, I am able to witness many people who have no support in their lives and this makes it difficult for them to thrive daily. Without my support system, life for me would be miserable and I would probably be an angry person, feeling hopeless. If I was to ever loose my support, my stress level would increase and I would feel sort of lost. Nevertheless, although support is important to me, I am aware that nothing is promised, therefore, it’s also important for me to rely on myself as well. Years ago I experienced losing my mother who was a big part of my daily environment. Although difficult, I had to learn how to live again without her support; I have finally conquered this challenge.

I imagine myself breaking a leg, and thinking how in the world I would be able to work, take care of my children, or do my everyday routines. I would have to really become more dependent on others which frighten me because I would have to wait on others, and ask for help, something I don’t like doing often. The support of my husband would definitely come in handy, who couldn’t use a good laugh, I am sure my children would be happy to be my little assistance, my sister would probably bring me meals, and chauffer me around, and my supervisor would ask me “ is there anything I  can do for you”. Even though I am very independent, I do understand how important, my support system is and how fortunate I am to have them.

My Connections to Play

Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” Kay Redfield Jamison (professor of psychiatry)

It is in playing, and only in playing, that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self.” ~ D.W. Winnicott (British pediatrician)

 

As I searched to find pictures of my childhood games, I got a feeling of nostalgia. What great memories I had playing hopscotch and double dutch (jump rope) in the summer. I remember getting up really early so that I would have time to go outside and play all day during the summer. Both my parents encouraged me to play and all of the games shown above were taught to me by my older siblings.

Today, children are more absorbed in television, video, iPods, iPhones, laptops, etc. Children of today’s society do not play as much as the children when I was growing up. When I grew up, we played games that were traditional but we also created our own games. What children of today don’t realize is that play doesn’t cost anything. Play is free of charge; therefore parents don’t always have to find extra curricular activities that cost for their children to play. When I was younger my friends and I would collect our few coins put it together, gather blankets, and have a picnic. Now children have to be entertained by movies, electronics, and high tech technology resulting in their brains not free to create. Play, played a large role in shaping who I am today and those memories are imbedded in me forever. Even as an adult, I still love to play, I play with my children, I play cards with friends, I go skating etc. Play keeps adults vibrant and allows us to not take life so seriously all the time. 

Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” Kay Redfield Jamison (professor of psychiatry)

It is in playing, and only in playing, that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self.” ~ D.W. Winnicott (British pediatrician)

 

As I searched to find pictures of my childhood games, I got a feeling of nostalgia. What great memories I had playing hopscotch and double dutch (jump rope) in the summer. I remember getting up really early so that I would have time to go outside and play all day during the summer. Both my parents encouraged me to play and all of the games shown above were taught to me by my older siblings.

Today, children are more absorbed in television, video, iPods, iPhones, laptops, etc. Children of today’s society do not play as much as the children when I was growing up. When I grew up, we played games that were traditional but we also created our own games. What children of today don’t realize is that play doesn’t cost anything. Play is free of charge; therefore parents don’t always have to find extra curricular activities that cost for their children to play. When I was younger my friends and I would collect our few coins put it together, gather blankets, and have a picnic. Now children have to be entertained by movies, electronics, and high tech technology resulting in their brains not free to create. Play, played a large role in shaping who I am today and those memories are imbedded in me forever. Even as an adult, I still love to play, I play with my children, I play cards with friends, I go skating etc. Play keeps adults vibrant and allows us to not take life so seriously all the time.

Relationship Reflection

It is important from the time we are born to have positive relationships in our lives. Throughout my life there have been many relationships that shaped who I am today. There are people that came into my life for a reason and those who remain by my side today.

The first person that comes to mind when I think of a positive relationship is my dear father. He just visited me and I truly enjoyed the moments we spent together. My father brings a sense of comfort to me and what I learned from him is how to deal with people of all walks of life.

Another person that comes to mind that provide me with a positive relationship through my life would be my mother. Having a mother is one of the best experiences I have encountered in a relationship. My relationship with my mother taught me how to deal with conflict and over come obstacles in order to move forward in a positive light.

Another person that comes to mind is a friend whose friendship taught me to love everyone unconditionally, including myself. Through this friendship I learned to be selfless with others and I learned to love myself.

My relationship with my current supervisor is a rewarding experience. I love the way I can express myself with her and her door is always open. She is never above taking suggestions from me or hearing my opinion. Although she is my supervisor she makes me feel like her equal and for that I appreciate her. When she offers constructive criticism I accept it as a way for me to become better because that’s way she delivers the message to me.

There are so many positive relationships I could name, the ones above are just a few that came to mind. It’s important to have positive relationship because these relationships allow for wisdom to share with others. With all of these positive relationships, what all of them included were communication, understanding, and selflessness. All of these things mentioned are important to maintain and have positive relationships.

Lastly, being able to have positive relationships will enhance my connection with children and their families. Having knowledge and experience of positive relationships, I will be able to give families and staff some of the tools that helped me maintain the positive relationships in my life. At the same time, realistically it is not always easy to have positive relationships and it takes work from all parties, knowing this I will be able to offer staff and families support through any challenges that they may face.

When I think of Child Development

"It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength". Maya-Angelou


"In the final analysis it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings". Ann Landers




http://www.quotesby.net/Maya-Angelou


http://quotations.about.com/cs/inspirationquotes/a/Children1.htm

Testing For Intelligence

I remember watching an episode of the television show “Good Times” and the family’s youngest son Michael received a low score on an aptitude test. Surprised that their son who always got good grades failed the test, Michael parents went to the school to find out why their son got a low score. To make a long story short the test given was created by those who were well fortunate and probably more educated. Therefore, the cultural differences made a difference to the children who took the test because they came from a lower social class, lower income homes, and had fewer opportunities. The test was unrealistic to children who grew up in different environment where they may not have had the same culture, customs, educational opportunities etc. The test was a generalized test based on middle and upper class America. How can a child pass a test of that caliber if they are experiencing different things in their natural environment? For example, children who attend school in middle class areas may have more access to books. On the other hand, children in poor communities may not even have access to books in their class rooms. I mentioned this to say that in assessing children the child as a “whole” should be looked at. In the real world academic achievement does not assess children as a whole; character, morals, custom, and cultural differences, all play a role in how children learn. So I do feel that assessment test should be geared not only towards academics but social and cognitive development as well.

Up until recently this system of creating test not targeted towards the community the test is given in, affected children in countries such as Jamaica. Prior to the new development of teaching, Jamaica’s text books were primarily written by Great Britain. This created a disparity to the children who are natives of Jamaica and their culture and history being different from that of Great Britain. As a result, children were tested on information that was not geared towards their own history and culture, making it difficult for them to relate to the information taught to them. In order for children of Jamaica to get proper education to move forward in the world, should they be tested based on high industrialized countries like Great Britain which is a far presentation of their environment? Many of these children performed poorly on assessment test leading them to drop out of school. It is my opinion that children are able to test better when they can relate to the information given to them.

Retrieved from http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/727/Jamaica-EDUCATIONAL-SYSTEM-OVERVIEW.html

Consequence of Stress on Children's Development

When I was a child growing up in my native country of Panama, I remember there was a night of chaos I would never forget. I was between the age of four or five when there was a fire in the building across from mine. As a child seeing this blazing fire and people hurrying to get there most important items, made me have a feeling of anxiety. Seeing my family pack their things up, afraid that the fire could possibly reach to our building frightened me. I remember standing outside with all our essential belongings watching as people ran for their lives. Fortunately, our building didn’t catch on fire and we were able to go back to our apartment. However, that chaos certainly was the beginning of my fear of fire. I was afraid of fire for many years growing up.  The sight of a match being lit or stove being turned on, terrified me. I strongly believe that things that children experience in early childhood can definitely impact their lives tremendously.

No matter where you are from, chaos exists everywhere and affects the lives of many children. For the children of Sierra Leone, chaos and violence is nothing new for them. For a decade in Sierra Leone, children were force to become murders of innocent people and victims of violence. For many years war rebels kidnapped and force children to do violent acts towards their own people. Although, the war has ended, the consequences of violence remain for many of these children. Violence has not only impacted the children of Sierra Leone mentally but physically as well. Many of these children lost their hearing, limbs, eye sight, and were brutally damage as a result of the war. The children of Sierra Leone still suffer the impact of the war, although the country continues to move forward toward peace.

http://www.unicef.org/protection/sierraleone_34552.html

Child Development and Public Health

A public health topic that I feel is meaningful to me is children having access to clean healthy water. Ninety percent of our body is made up of water. Water is important for children to grow healthy. It is essential for children to have access to healthy water not only to keep their bodies clean but to nourish it as well. Clean water keeps our children’s teeth healthy, cleanses the liver and kidneys, hydrates our children when their outside in the heat playing, etc. I find that in the United States we may be fortunate to have easy access to water. On the contrary, it is scarce and limited in other parts of the country. 

For instance, in Haiti clean healthy water is difficult to find for many of the poorer areas of the country. Many of the poor communities suffer with contaminated water resulting in cholera which an infection in the small intestine. We may see a simple solution such as boiling the water to remove the toxins but believe it or not, poor communities may not have access to charcoal to boil water, leaving families no choice but to use the contaminated water. The effects of contaminated water consumed by children have large consequences on their health, resulting in hospitalization and even death. Non profit organizations such as United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) assist many communities with chlorine tablets which cleans contaminated water. The tablets are provided for the many communities who neither can afford to buy the tablets or have access to them.

This issue has inspired me to want to do more to help those families who don’t have the means to have clean water. As I proceed through my career I always want to look beyond the issues of the United States and look to other countries, as many of our children in the United States migrate from other countries. It is important for me to be aware in what is going on around the world which can help the children I serve and their families.

http://www.unicef.org/wash/haiti_56775.html

Childbirth In Your Life and Around the World

When I had my son about 20 years ago I was a young mother who was scared of what child birth would feel like. I remember it was on a Tuesday evening on August 6, 1991 when I felt a gush of water that flooded my feet. I knew something was soon to happen. I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance with my mother by my side to support me. Things happened fast, my son's father didn't have the chance to make it to the delivery room because he was out of town. The baby wanted to come and was not waiting for anyone, not even dad. I was dilated and ready for delivery by the time I got to the hospital. Once the delivery room was prepared and it was time to give birth, I was overwhelmed with pain. I was told to push several times and finally my son was born six pounds fifteen ounces. I was filled with so many emotions I cried and cried my new baby boy was born healthy. He reminded me of a little frog when I held him close. After having my son I went through a period of detachment. After all, motherhood was a new experience for me. I knew I loved my son but I felt some what disconnected. As I gained more experience as a mother and with the support of my family, I can honestly say it was one of the most beautiful experiences I ever had. I have two children and both births are memorable but having my son was the first time giving birth therefore my emotions and experience was not the same as when I gave birth to my daughter. When I gave birth to my daughter it was ten years later, I was an experience mother and new what to expect, and thus it was a different experience. I personally feel that birth is definitely part of child development. My personal opinion is that child development begins from the time there is conception.

I recently read an article named Birth and a Vision: Lamaz Childbirth Education in Kenya, East Africa written by Jennifer I. Carroll. Years ago in Nairobi, Kenya when women gave birth, it was done in the home. A pregnancy in Kenya is view by family and the community as a blessing from God. The women in the family normally took care of pregnant woman with an elder woman, who attended the woman’s needs through birth. Today elder woman who attend pregnant women are called Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA). In recent years child birth in Nairobi, Kenya hospitals now have access to Lamaze class and men are more supportive during the birthing experience. Although stricken with poverty, unemployment, and struggling economy women still use TBA's to give birth in their homes because giving birth's in home is less costly. However, births in the urban areas of Kenya, women are not as prepared or informed about giving birth. The Lamaze program was setup to inform and educate women throughout their pregnancy.

In the United States many women who don't have health insurance have access to free clinics that provide services while their pregnant. Medicaid paid by federal government and states often help pay for hospital costs and medical visits for low income women. The financial difference I believe plays a large role in the development of children. Poverty, uneducated woman, and limited support during pregnancy are a prevalent comparison of the differences with the United States and Nairobi, Kenya.

If you’re interested in the article, you can find here
websitehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1595210/pdf/JPE130027.pdf

Examining Codes of Ethics

DEC (Code of Ethics)

We shall demonstrate our respect and appreciate for all families’ beliefs, values, customs, languages, and culture relative to their nurturance and support of their children toward achieving meaningful and relevant priorities and outcomes families’ desire for themselves and their children.

This ethic code will be important to me because it is important to not only respect the children you work with but their families as well. Embracing their belief system, language, and customs will enhance children learning experiences and allow them to develop healthy.

NAEYC (Code of Ethical conduct)

I-2.9----To participate in building support networks for families by providing tem with opportunities to interact with program staff, other families, community resources, and professional services.

This ethic code is important to me because coming from a social work stand point; I know how important it is to network and get acquainted with community resources in order to assist children and their families more efficiently. Knowing what the community offers I would be able to pass on this information to children and their families.

I-1.3-----To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.

I find that it is essential to understand and recognize children’s unique qualities and build off of them. As a parent, I would want my own children’s unique qualities to be encouraged; therefore I would want the same for someone else’s child. Allowing children to embrace their unique qualities enables them to become leaders instead of followers.

COLLECTIONS OF RESOURCES

   Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, 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.pdf
  
  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.

Global Support for Children’s Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
  
• Websites:
  • World Forum Foundation http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the 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.

Note: Explore the resources in Parts 3 and 4 in preparation for this week’s Application assignment.

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/

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

Additional Resources

http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/ect/

http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v13n2/index.html

http://www.parent.net/child-education.html

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

"One little sparkle makes a difference." Herman Hernandez

"Its not all about you, you got to take your ego out of it
to think about what's best for the child, and care about
them to help them transition." Renatta M. Cooper

"The more that children have a solid grounding and understanding
about who they are and where they came from , the more they learn
to move with grace and confidence among communities different
from their own, and the closer we get to building a world of respect,
curiosity, sharing, and humility". Janet Gonzalez -Mena, Dora Pulido-Tobiassen

Personal Childhood Web

Normally most of us don't often think about the people who influence and nurture us as children. Growing up there were so many people who influence me in my life. Without them I don't think I would be the woman I am today.

Let me start off with my mother Claudia who was not only my mother but a powerful positive influence in my life. As a child, I remember my mother being this strong force who believed that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. My mother taught me to strive even when the going gets tough. Whenever I would get discourage my mother would always help me to see the positive in a negative situation. My mother is no longer alive but those lessons she taught me I still use to this day.

My father Danny is one of the most generous loving human beings I have ever met. My father would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need. Although my parents divorce when I was eight years old, my father maintained a close relationship with me. My father treated me like gold and whenever I spent time with him, he always made me feel special. The thing that stands out the most to me about my dad was I never had to tell him what I needed, he always knew exactly what I needed and he always delivered whether it was emotionally, mentally, financially, etc. My relationship with my dad taught me what stability is,what giving to other means, and loving others.

My grandmother Ruthie, was one of my favorite people growing up. My grandmother was the matriarch of my family and the community. Everyone knew my grandmother and whenever they had a problem or wanted help,my grandmother was there with her arms open. My grandmother was the person I went to when I felt I couldn't go to my parents. She gave me unconditional love and taught me right from wrong. I see my self becoming the matriarch of my own family, now I see how big a job that is.

I was the youngest child in my household which wasn't always easy. Lorraine is my big sister who took her role as a big sister seriously. I remember my sister baking cookies with me, and combing my hair,and taking me to the library. I can't remember a time when my sister did not get me a birthday gift. If no one gave me a gift, I knew I could count on getting a gift from her.

Last but not least my home economic teacher Mrs.Worrell was one of my favorite teachers I had in school. Mrs. Worrell was just cool. She was a teacher but to us students she was human. As a child it was amazing to have a teacher who listen to me and made me feel important and that I mattered. Mrs. Worrell worked beyond her work duties. I remember one time she took the class to a museum on a Saturday. She was the first teacher who taught me that we are all human and age should not be a barrier between children and adults.

Imagination

I remember when my son was about three years old we were shopping. While shopping, there came a point where, we had to cross a street. I looked to my son and said "let me have your hand". He had his little hand clenched while I tried holding it. He turned to me and said "wait I have to put my toys in my other hand". The thing that tickled me was, the toys in my son's hands were imaginary. I obliged and allowed him to switch the toys from one hand to the next so that we could cross the street. I remember telling my son who wanted to bring all his toys, that he could not bring them because he may loose them while he was shopping. Well I guess he said to him self, I can't bring them physically but they are coming. My son is now 20 years old, and is an intelligent beautiful writer. Allowing him to have an imagination, helped him to be the expressive person he is today. It is important that children are allowed to expressive themselves and utilized their imaginations this shapes who they will become.

My favorite Kids Magazine

One of my favorite kids magazines growing up was and still is "Times For Kids". Its the most awesome way of getting children to learn about the news all over the world, in a colorful and interesting way. Every week my teacher would give the class, "Times For Kids", and I would learn something new and exciting about people and things all over the world.  

Love This Quote

"Bitter are the tears of a child: Sweeten them.
Deep are the thoughts of a child: Quiet them.
Sharp is the grief of a chld: Take it from him.
Soft is the heart of a child: Do not harden it"
Pamela Glenconner