Research Around The World

What are some of the current international research topics? Some the current research topics of this week five are ECDVU Sub-Saharan Africa: Mission Statement, Early Childhood Australia a voice for young children and European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA).

 What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website? The new ideas about early childhood I had gain from exploring the international early childhood website. First I do know that all international early childhood website are different plus have surprising new insights facts. That involves about early childhood from different research or researchers that gave good facts about early childhood. I discovered that EECERA’s is an annual conference and is the largest early childhood research conference in Europe.

EEERA provides an exceptional forum network for scholar’s policy maker’s researcher’s practitioners and also encourage supports cross- national collaborations themed publications through its special interest groups called SIGs. All what EECERA is a leading international contributor to the development of research, policy and practice in the developing field of early childhood. So I gain a lot of facts from EECRA website in learning about, mainly about the largest connection involves a part of early childhood. Then next  international website I had gain from was about early childhood Australia this website from  Early Childhood Australia is the peak of early childhood advocacy organization, acting in the interests of young children, their families and those in the early childhood field.

Plus has many aspects of listing in wanting to find more about many different early childhoods Australia’s many roles in early childhood field. The last article about international was ECDVU Sub-Saharan Africa: Mission Statement the ECDVU means early childhood development virtual university. Now the ECDVU is supported by a range of international regional that local organizations include the employers of participants. The ECDVU is a unique training results oriented program that uses face-to face distributed learning methods. The learning methods involve residential seminars, web-based instruction, CD-ROM, print material support, a community of learners' strategy within and among cohort countries. The ECDVU program in Sub- Saharan Africa which has a country committees that has a nominations based on achieving inter- sectorial of multi- organizational representation evidence of individual commitment to child well- being and social development within the country.

What other noteworthy information did I find on this website? Well on the EECERA website the noteworthy information I find on this website in the links and partner of this website as the author would say, EECERA looks to like-minded organizations, institutions and research centers to offer mutual support and information sharing. EECERA does not automatically agree to reciprocal links arrangements. The Board of Trustees wants to ensure that such links and partners have similar aims and values and has formulated the following criteria. This website gives me more information to gather from then any other website was given to choose from this week five. It has the biggest connection to early childhood which I totally see because whatever I wanted to know about all I had to do is click on it to find out more different areas that was more important to me. I have gain more understanding from this website than any other of the website from this week the others websites was explainable in some areas but mostly the EECERA website had a greater aspect of many topics about early childhood in European early childhood education research association

1.      Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): Developed and maintained by the University of Victoria, Canada, this virtual university is the international gateway for early childhood research worldwide. Through the link below, you can access ECDVU’s Sub-Saharan Africa portal. The second link takes you to a list of current early childhood research conducted by students in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

Option 1: Share a positive example of the effects of research on children and/or families: Perhaps you can provide real-life examples of research benefits to children and/or families; maybe you are familiar with stories of people who have been positively affected by research; or you came across a published research article concerning children or families which you find exciting and would like to share with your colleagues.

If by all means I would do a research that benefits children and families, I would choose Parenting. I can say this in the area where I live at majority of the parents just don’t know how to be a good parent. I remember as when I was growing up as a child young or older children had to be in house when the street light came on. Not outside but inside the house I look at how time has changed so much. I just don’t understand why children can do more of what they want to do at a young age. It’s not all on the children because they only do what their parents allow them to do which most children think it’s great. But how I see how most parents are laughing at their children when they use profanity words at the age 5 and 6yr old. Never correct what the child is doing is wrong and that it’s not nice to talk like that using profanity words. There are so many parents’ that are too relax and with the lack of being a parent. Most parents are not teaching their children structure, respect others and yourself, plus values of an education.  When I was a reading tutoring one of my students siblings who I was trying to encourage to do his work so that he can pass the 4^th grade. The little boy looked up at me and then said he don’t care about his grades or going to the 5^th grade. Why should I care it’s not like the school is paying me any money. I was amazed from hearing what that little boy had told me but it all come from good parenting he had let me known so much in saying that. Most parents mix the relationship up of being a parent and more of being a child friend to be cool with the children or child. But I am happy I came up the old way I value everything in how I was raised from a child into an adult. I would love to do the research in parenting to give many parents who don’t know how to be a parents also for the parents who need help in the area. By doing this research I hope to gain skill on trying to give those parents who need help in parenting resources to improve in parenting skills.

My Personal Research Journey

The topic that I chose to research is Parent involvement. I chose this topic because getting parents involved in their child’s education is very important to me and I would like to know more way to do it.

 My experience engaging parents in their child’s education is terrible. I do good to get two to three parents come to open house, parent meetings, monthly parent participation day ect. I understand some parents can’t come due to work but I have asked if other times would work and still get nothing.

This topic is one that is very important to me. So, if any of my colleagues have any suggestions or advice for my topic and where they might like to see this research go or if there are any resources that you can share/offer please let me know I would greatly appreciate it. I wish you all the best with our class and if there are any resources that I can assist with during our time together in this class I will be more than happy to help.

Final Blog

When I first started this class I was not sure what I was going to learn and how it was going to affect my professional development. Now that we have come to the end and I am reflecting on my journey I realized the significances of learning about the international early childhood field for my professional and personal development have changed my mindset on educational development, training and strategic planning.

1.     Educational Development

a.       In learning about international early childhood field I learn that the professional that research and create programs and plan for child who live in some of the poorest areas must understand their community’s needs, families and understand the issues of poverty. In the past I learned about my students needs through surveys and speaking with parents. I realized to understand my students I need to understand what our community needs and what problems that are affecting the growth of families.

2.     Training

a.       In this course we were to connect with an early educational professional from another country. However, I was not able to and I did much of my study of International early childhood field through UNICEF’s where I learned about the effect of poverty and how counties are addressing the issues. Training is important to help develop and grow educators understanding of the needs of child so they can be successful in the future. Through collaboration of research and sharing personal experiences through POD cast, educators can gain the knowledge to better understand problems.

3.     Strategic Planning

a.       The UNICEF shared many stories countries taking action to create food plans to fight poverty and develop educational opportunities. I have learned by understanding your community and selecting educators who can help develop successful educational plans, effective plans can be put into play. Successful plans are delivered through trial and error. These decided educators, policy makers and educators are decided to making change and sharing ideas with the world to make the change they want to see.

One of my goals to continue my own professional development is to get involve through volunteer work and networking with programs that are fighting against poverty in different countries. Through hands on experiences I hope to gain more of an understanding of poverty and develop programs and events that can educate the community regarding current and past issues. Through my college’s replies and post I have learned that each state is fighting to create equal education in the early childhood education level. Because I now understand the progression that needs to take place in early childhood education I feel I can share and be a part of the change in many ways.

International contacts part 3

As I have yet to hear from my international contacts, I have continued to choose the alternative assignment. This week it focuses on the UNESCO’s website. Three insights I gained after thoroughly investing the website include the following:

UNESCO specializes in education on an international level including headquarters in Paris France and an additional 52 field offices. The field offices are located in Iraq, Guatemala, Brussels, Beijing, and Bangkok to name a few. Many are located in areas within Africa that I have never heard of. This struck me as amazing that UNESCO is reaching people everywhere to teach a main goal of the program which is to teach peace, decrease poverty, and about equal rights. Africa is a main area that the organization focuses on as well as gender equality.

One of the organization’s beliefs is that education is a human right for all people throughout life. UNESCO is the only organization in the United Nations mandated to cover all aspects of education and has been trusted to lead the Global Education 2030 Agenda. UNESCO will also launch International Literacy Day 2016 in September. It will mark the 50th anniversary of the event and will take place in Paris, France. The event celebrates the eradication of illiteracy put in place by the World Congress Ministers of Education.

Upon looking further into the website, I found information on how UNESCO is making an effort to educate about HIV and AIDS. As we proceed through this program, we have to stop and think about how important a child’s health is to their education. Through their process, UNESCO is focusing on three key aspects including building country capacity for the knowledge of HIV and AIDS, strengthening HIV and sexuality education, and advancing gender equality. I do not often think of this as an issue in education but it most definitely is. As an educator, I want to help keep our children aware and healthy. I think that UNESCO is doing an amazing job at making the public aware of the issues and putting forth the effort to educate about the lack of education in areas such as Africa.

In regards to my professional goals, I am very interested in the health and education of children and I was amazed to see how much UNESCO has done and continues to do in countries suffering from poverty.

Reference
Unesco. (n.d.). Education. Retrieved from: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

Sharing Web Resources

National Association for the Education of Young Children

www.naeyc.org

NAEYC is a national organization that's main purpose is to help educate young children. NAEYC's mission is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources(NAEYC, ND).

Once you join this information you receive many member benefits. Some of the benefits include journals, selected books, discounts on conferences and the ability to network and chat with other Early Childhood professionals. 

If you are interested in an international organization there is Global Fund for Children.

The Global Fund for Children 

Website: https://www.globalfundforchildren.org/

The Global Fund  for Children is an organization that focuses on helping children to pursue dreams lost because of their life situation. This organization is about allowing children to live a child's life. The Global Fund for Children's mission is We work to transform the lives of the world’s most vulnerable children. We pursue this mission by making small grants to innovative community-based organizations, and by harnessing the power of children’s books, films, and documentary photography to promote global understanding.

Resources:

The Global Fund for Children (2016). The Global Fund for Children's Mission. Retrieved from https://www.globalfundforchildren.org/about-us/

NAEYC ( ND). NAEYC's Mission. Retrieved from naeyc.org

Sharing Web Resources

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families: Learning about Ending Child Poverty Now

In the newsletter I received from Zero to Three, they focused on many different topics the one that is truly effecting preschool is poverty. According the (One of the resources in the newsletter) “Nearly 15 million children in America lived below the official poverty level — $23,834 for a family of four — in 2013, based only on cash income.” Child poverty is due to low wage, poor living environment and social issues. Children’s brains develop for birth to 5 the most because of the plasticity in their brain. However, with a lack of nutrition in a child’s brain does not develop the way it is supposed to. “…More than 1 in 5 children under age 5 living in poverty during the years of rapid brain development” (Ending Child Poverty Now) and without food child will physical and mentally starve.

 This week I will be exploring The Pew Charitable Trusts (PEW) website, these group of dedicated researchers are on a mission to help create high quality education for preschoolers. For the last 10 years PEW has helped congress and educators better understand the needs of the children through extinctive research.   The site is very simple and user friendly and has a section for research/analysis and a media center. They speak about poverty and crime in the research done to better understand the cause and effect of poverty. I choose this site because PEW is fighting for change by continuing research and helping policies to be passed.

Research and analysis

1.      The Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative in Colorado

a.       “In summer 2014, the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative partnered with the state of Colorado to incorporate the Results First approach into the state’s budget and policymaking processes.” (PEW)

The budget created through this partnership will help the state with research “…on adult criminal justice, juvenile justice, and child welfare programs and policies to inform agency and legislative budget decisions by July 1, 2015.” Through planning and budgeting state can learn about how to reduce crime and provide better education for people so they do not move in a negative direction. Crime and poverty have been linked together through research, by gaining knowledge of what have caused criminal activity researchers can look an environment and address issues in communities and break the cycle.

2.      Massachusetts’ Evidence-Based Approach to Reducing Recidivism

a.       “In March 2012, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo invited the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative to collaborate with the Special Commission to Study the Commonwealth’s Criminal Justice System. Through this effort, Massachusetts is laying the groundwork for a strong evidence-based approach to policymaking that can decrease criminal justice spending, reduce crime, and improve public safety” (PEW, 2014).

“Recidivism is one of the most fundamental concepts in criminal justice. It refers to a person receives sanctions or undergoes intervention for a previous crime” (National Institute of Justice). By understanding way people repeat an offence, we can gain the knowledge of when causes a children pick up on criminal behavior. For example, a child’s environment, health and safe of a child, can affect how their behavior. If a child is attending a low quality preschool, the school may not have the ability to provide the resources and have the education to help the student succeed in class because they do not know how to address the social issues that are affecting the child’s lives.  

Media

3.      Arne Duncan: How Pre-K Levels the Playing Field

a.       U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan wants every child — particularly disadvantaged children — to have access to high-quality pre-k programs. Listen to Secretary Duncan speak about leveling the playing field for children with pre-k.

In this media clip Duncan explains 60% of the low income children and 1/3 of middle class children go into kindergarten not knowing their Alphabet. This is information was a shock to me, but it is something that I believe. Rather this be due to poor preschools, no educational background or starting last in preschool, these number are going to affect the achievement gap. If children are not able to attending preschool they will behind and they will be struggling in preschool.  Through this research we can see a need for better educational plans, accountable on educator’s part and parents and developing high quality centers.

4.      Wendy Kopp: All Children Deserve an Exceptional Education

a.       “Teach for America Founder and CEO Wendy Kopp believes all kids deserve an exceptional education. Listen to Kopp speak about how starting earlier with high-quality pre-k can ensure school success and a love of learning for children” (PEW, 2011).

Closing the achievement gap is important, but setting the foundation for children to graduate high school is greatly important. Through the researcher shared preschool set the foundation for a successful educational path. Children who do not read fluently by the third grade are four time more likely to drop out of school and not graduate high school. Create high quality preschool help support the movement to close the achievement gap.

5.      Pre-K Now: Marking a Decade of Pre-K Milestones

a.        “A decade of pre-k policy wins has made a Pre-K-12 education system within our nation's reach. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Teach for America CEO and Founder Wendy Kopp, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, Harlem Children's Zone President and CEO Geoffrey Canada and Pew Center on the States Managing Director Susan Urahn talk about why we must re-imagine public education as a system that begins, not with kindergarten, but with quality pre-k and builds on that foundation to raise performance in later grades” (2011).

The video “Pre-K Now: Marking a Decade of Pre-K Milestone touched my heart because Pre-K is in dire need or change and reform. So many of the speakers started speaking and the change that can be implemented now because we have some much research that have been conducted. One of the statements that that hit me the most state… if we want to prepare a child for life, we have to take advantage of their nib minds between birth and five-year-old. This statements reminds me that sometime educators are limiting and not pushing our students to the next level in learning.

International contacts

For my blog this week I want to talk about a serious matter which I have seen a significant increase in. The topic that I am speaking of is neglect. Neglect is being a growing topic in our center and we take is very seriously. As an educator we are mandated reporters and sometime parents can be bothered by this because they do not understand it, one of the first things we tell the parent is we want our children to be safe.

Neglect can come in many forms, it can be seen and observed as well. Children do not have choice where they live or who their parents are, so it is important educators be the voice for students and help provide a healthy environment for the student. The four types of neglect occasional inattention, chronic under stimulation, serve neglect in a family context and

Occasional Inattention

According to Jack Shonkoff (2010)this is when a child who gets regular attention is not knowledge sometime. Shonkoff suggest that this type of neglect is not bad but can actually help with the brain development of a child (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2010). The benefits of occasional intention is children learn to self sooth and explore the environment which build brain development, stated Nathan Fox, who is a child development specialist.

Chronic Under Stimulation

 This type of neglect is damaging to children and can have long term negative effects on children brain development. This types of neglect is more frequent. Adults do not interact with the child. The children who experience this type of neglect are usually ignore and parents may use T.V., electronic and other devices to entertain a child. The social development in a child’s life in important and helps develop the social and emotional development.

However, if provide a learning environment which offers high quality education. Children have the chance to change their behavior and develop health social, emotional and cognitive skills early enough to make change in their life.

Serve Neglect in a Family Context

This type of neglect can be categorized as more visible. Children in this category will be encountered with being ignored, not feed enough, poor hygiene and not having the basic needs that help them to develop. According to Brenda Jones-Harden(2010), states that neglect in the US is a huge problem because of the harmfully effects.  Neglect is a common type of harm that children which effects the brain development of a child. During this stage educators, have to seek out more help for the child and create more strategic strategies to implement to help the children that has suffered this type of neglect.

Serve Neglect in an Institutional Setting (SNIS)

                SNIS is a type of neglect that effect children in group home care, orphanages, transitional care or ware house types of living arrangements. Linda Mayes (2010) one of the speaker’s share that these types of home for children are more frequent then what people think. Dr. Philip Fisher (2010) explains this types of care is the worst of the types of neglect, although they may be cared for, because they different people caring for them, which alters the child development. Children need to have consistently and they need to know they are loved and are going to be cared for.

Reflection

                Neglect is a hard topic for anyone to speak about especially when it comes to children. This podcast was insightful and helpful for me to better understand they types neglect.  In the past seven years, my mother open a transition home for women and children and I have worked with her every step of the way.  I uploaded a spare of the moment video (at family gathering sorry for the poor video) of my mother to talk about one of her residence who had a child that experience serve neglect in a family context and serve neglect in an institutional setting. After many years of this treatment he was placed back with his mother and shared his fear of hunger and his siblings suffering hunger.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX5dVarkfp0&feature=youtu.be

Reference

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2010). Global children's initiative.

Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/

International Contacts

              In the Zone to Three website is an amazing site that supplies information that is relevant for parents and educators because the information that is found focuses on the brain development of the child. This week the focuses was on Early Language Literacy Development. Literacy development is so important to develop from birth because language will help children communicate their thoughts, feeling, ideas and needs. Although children can communicate their emotions through nonverbal gestures, language is a key point to communication and a child’s success in the future.

            The article brings up three points that pike my interest: One, during the first three years the brain develops traumatically by developing the ability to learn, speak, think, and reason; Two, many low income children are already behind in communication skills and language; Three, “the literacy gap hinders our nation’s ability to create the workforces needed to compete in the global market” (2011, p.1). These areas are a huge concern to me as an educational professional because a strong foundation in language helps students in their future.      

“Studies also show that children from low-income families are both spoken to and read to less frequently than their middle-class peers, which hinders their ability to develop literacy and language skills. This leads to the widening achievement gap or “language gap.” (2011, p.4).

This is an interesting statement made in the article because one side I can understand why children from low income may not have a higher vocabulary then other children who have more resources and may have parents that are more involved with their education. However, this statement feeds into many myths and stereotypes of low income parents. The literacy gap in America seems to be getting wider and I have started wondering “what does the literacy gap look like in my community?”

            Washington state Office of Superintendent of Public Instructor website help teachers to understand the educational requirements for students in different grade levels. They help educators to better align their educational keys points to help students develop the skills they need to meet.

In another article by Zero to Three called Early Literacy states that we need to challenge our idea of what does early literacy look like and mean for toddler and infants. The writer explains that “by focusing on the importance of the first years of life, we give new meaning to the interactions young children have with books and stories” (Schickedanz, 1999, p.1). As we educate our young children we must start focusing on the on the key principles of language and work on language skills with parents and educators.

Reference

http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/policy-toolkit/early-literacywebmarch1-6.pdf

Establishing Professional Contacts

Blog Assignment Part 1: Establishing Professional Contacts

For this research project we were encourage reach out to a list of educators, however many of the email address were invaded or the educator did not respond. So I will be using the recommended alternative blog assignment. The Global Fund for Children (GFC) is addressing education in a new way in some of the poorest communities around the world. GFC has designed an organization that everyone can get involved with. GFC  “… find[s] and invest in grassroots organizations that enable the most vulnerable children in their communities to thrive. Our strategic support helps our grantees achieve their vision, become sustainable, and reach even more children in need.”

Children do not have an option to choose where they live, however, if they have a chance to be educated and mentored they can change their future. One of the most vital keys to the organization being successful, is the communication that flows through out website, employees and volunteers. I listened to the podcast How Social Media Has Changed Donor Behavior, and What Your Organization Can Do About It. The presenters Julie Dixon and Denise Keyes of Georgetown’s Center for Social Impact Communication, focus on rising funding through the Vortex method. The focusing on the need of the people, the donors need to understand the environment which needs attending, to help the donor to understand how their funds can help make an impact.

The strength of commitment is import not only for the donor, but through relationships. The power of giving should be shared with others and the successful share through media clips and monthly newsletters with call for action. By focusing on the activities that individuals can be involved with allows donors to get involve in a way that fits them best. By using social networks to have a strong harvest communication in the organization, empower the community and helps the story of the organization to be constant and strong.

Tips for Part 2, Expanding Resources

The two website I will be exploring are Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families and Pre[K]Now: A Campaign of the Pew Center on the States. I choose these two site for different reasons, but one of the main reasons I choose them was because I wanted to learn more about how to help parents and community member information that can make a change in their homes and in their individual children’s lives.

The Zero to Three site focuses on “ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development.” Whereas the Pre[K]Now focuses on how “State lawmakers play a major role in advancing the quality of Americans’ lives, from helping to protect the air we breathe and water we drink, to educating our children.” (Pre[K]Now).Although they seem similar they are going to give me new perspectives on how to help parents be aware how to help children have a health start in life and help child and parents who may have not.

My Supports!!!

      

My Supports (wk6)

My fiancé and daughter are my true supports. They are my source of enjoyment, entertainment, and companionship. My daughter helps me with chores around the house. My fiancé' whom is my best friend helps me with the yard work and repairs, he typically grills us dinner.  He also helps pay the bill1s.  I constantly have a honey-do list for him. We have been together for 9 years, and without him, I really don’t know what I’d do.

My other supports are my phone, which allows me to keep in contact with my family, and friends. It is also is my camera and my alarm clock. My car gets me wherever I need to go, and my computer helps me to keep up with family, friends, school, advertise, etc. I am very grateful to have been born into these times with things like washers and dryers, dishwashers, baths/showers, and curling irons!

 I have chosen the challenge of being deaf, because my father has hearing aids for damage suffered in the military.

The deaf culture is fairly isolated. It is a smaller community that bonds strongly.  I would need the support from my family if I were deaf. Raising my daughter if I were deaf would have been more challenging, because I wouldn’t hear them cry, or speak, or cry out if in trouble. They sell products to the deaf community, such as flashing lights for cars that lets them know if there are emergency sirens, for example. There are flashing lights for phones and for smoke detectors. There are beds sold that vibrate and flash for an alarm. I would not be able to enjoy movies except when they have ones with close captioning, and then only at the limited times when that service is provided.  They have interpreters for phone calls, in church services, and even at concerts. I think that being able to text has to be one of the best technological inventions for both the hearing and the deaf.  There are cochlear implants, but many in the deaf culture are against them for various reasons. These supports such as texting, flashing lights, and close captioning are ones that I benefit from even though I can hear.
It is very difficult for the deaf to communicate with the speaking population, because those who can read lips only are able to understand a small percentage of the words, and not very many speaking people can use sign language. Not very many hearing people take the initiate to try and communicate with the deaf.

 

Some in the deaf culture are for public school inclusion and some are against. There are interesting arguments both for and against printed on this page: http://www.zak.co.il/d/deaf-info/old/inclusion. One letter includes a very interesting but sad description from the point of an interpreter: the student she signs to has no one to communicate with but her.  Another letter states the belief that inclusion hides bad teachers.
The only real benefits to being deaf that I can imagine are that it would be peaceful and quiet.  I would not hear the irritating noises like barking dogs in the night, airplanes, horns blaring, snoring, whining, or angry people arguing.

My Connections to Play

These quotes speak of my childhood. As a child, play was my life. It was what I did all day. It was fun and I enjoyed doing it. My sister and I are very close in age. There are 2 years between us. We were always playing with each other, making up games, playing board games, running around, and pretending. Our job was to play.

Our parents encouraged play every day. I remember being outside for hours on end. Both our mom and dad played with us. They encouraged us to use our imagination. They provided us places inside and outside of the house to play. Our front yard was the place to play. All our cousins would always play in our yard since we all lived on the same street. We didn’t need much to have fun.
We would turn our yard into many different kinds of adventures-  doctor’s office, school, ice cream shop, stores, or a race track to name a few. My sister and I would bring our cabbage patch dolls to join in the fun. Our dolls were our children, and students. We were the parents and the teachers or  whatever we thought of at that moment.

A couple of the toys that come to mind when I was a child that I played with all the time were Barbie's and cabbage patch dolls. I would play with these all day.

Today’s play is much different than my own that I experience. I see less children playing outside. I see and hear more of children playing video games, watching television, or using some other electronic devices. Many of these electronic devices are learning centered. I see fewer children having the freedom to just play and enjoy.

　
　
               My Relationships

　

　
　
　
　
　

This week as we reflect on relationships and their importance we were asked to reflect on our personal relationships. Relationships are important to me because they make life fun!!! In the pictures I uploaded are the two most important relationships in my life: my heart, my soul, and my motivation. My fiance' is my best friend and soul mate for life. I wish my mom was still here to share as we had the best relationship before her death in 2008.

My Fiance makes me laugh, smile,and full of love!!!! My daughter is my heart! She inspires me and challenges me in ways that no one else or thing can. Finally, my love for Jesus and my relationship with him is my purpose in life. These are just a few of the relationships that I maintain that makes my life even on its worst day, better. These relationships define who I am.

These relationships require maintenance and development. For example, my fiance' and I have been together for 8 years. We got together at a very young and have endured a lot together. It took time and real love to grow to the place we are in now. Our relationship is positive because we love each other, we care about each other, and we want each other to be happy. We both try to do the right thing , we try to fix mistakes, and we try to forgive.

In regards to the relationship with my daughter I have to approach that relationship in a totally different manner. I try to encourage her , show her , teach her , and be there for her. In return my daughter gives me back honesty, unconditional love, and perspective. I try to make sure our relationship is positive because I know the importance of a mother’s love but I also know I am not perfect.

Over time I have learned that you have to find out what is necessary to maintain a relationship based on the individual needs. For example, different people require different things and you have to be open and understanding to that. In other words, treat people how you want to be treated, based on their individual needs. It takes work and a one sided friend is not a friend. What can turn a good relationship into a partnership is the ups and downs of the relationship. For example, when you have a relationship where you can be yourself, where respect is given and received, as well as when you have a good chemistry you have the makings of a great partnerships.


I can take my experiences in my past relationships and use them in building positive relationships with my staff, coworkers, parents and students. I think the same characteristics that it takes to cultivate a relationship in my personal life will work to develop relationships in my career. I also believe when working in early childhood education it is even more important to cultivate family like relationships because you are a big extended family.

Young children that attend early childhood programs every day see their teachers and school as their family and I want them to have positive family relationships. I have even noticed over the years that my parents can be just as needy as my students when it comes to needing friends and positive relationships. I believe in our society now due to facebook, cellphones, and email we are a little disconnected from actual face to face contact. I welcome the relationships and friendships because that is beginning of how trust can be developed and it is very important for people to trust you when you are dealing with their children. I believe a key attribute of a successful early childhood professional is their ability to foster and cultivate positive relationships.

When I Think Of Child Development

The quote I selected is “As in the focus of a magnifying glass, play contains all developmental tendencies in a condensed form and is itself a major source of development.” By Lev Vygotsky, Mind in Society.

Vygotsky recognized the value of play as a tool for learning and development for the children.  According to Vygotsky, “the influence of play on a child's development is enormous”. Children satisfy certain needs during play and it is essential for us to understand the characteristics of these needs.  In play, children create an imaginary situation with rules of behavior.  He believed that children should be given opportunities to play in order for each child to develop his/her imagination and conceptual abilities.  (Vygotsky, 1978)

He also argued that play leads to development through culturally planned activities. Play begins as recollections and reenactments of real situations but through their imagination, children achieve an elementary mastery of abstract thought. The development of social rules and language skills are consciously acquired through play too.

Children in pretend play show more about what the already know and can do than they do in any other activity. (Sandra Schmit, The developing child in 21^st century).  Play can also help to create the zone of proximal development.

References

Vygotsky, L. (1978). The Role of Play in Development (pp. 92-104). In Mind in Society. (Trans.

M. Cole). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

 The Developing child in the 21^st Century by Sandra Smidt, Routledge

Note of thank you

I would like to give my sincere thanks to my fellow classmates in group one for their comments given and information/knowledge sharing with us. In fact, I would like to thank you for everyone for the continuous hard work and submitting their work on time so that we can give our comments and review.
Of course, most important of all, I would like to thank you Dr. Nagel for her support, detailed information and references provided. She also corrected our work by also providing additional information or references and explanation so that we can understand better. Her dedication to Early Childhood and her dedication to us as students are much appreciated.

Testing for intelligence

To learn at their best, students must be engaged and motivated. Substantial research shows that students who feel both valued by adults and a part of their schools perform better academically and also have more positive social attitudes, values, and behavior. Plus, they are less likely to engage in drug use, violence, or sexual activity. After-school programs can promote academic achievement, but their success requires targeted investment, stakeholder commitments, focused academic support, quality programming, and a process of continual improvement.
Schools and communities committed to educating the whole child engage students in the learning process and provide opportunities that connect them to the community. Students who are engaged and connected to their schools demonstrate increased academic achievement, attendance rates, and participation in activities.
Ensuring that each student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged requires us to continually ask questions and examine evidence related to implementation. ASCD’s indicators of a whole child approach provide a guide for continual school and community improvement and serve as a definition of what a whole child approach to education truly requires.
Pupils at Italian schools are tested on average about one test per subject per term, which goes towards the continual assessment of their performance, but does not count all that much. But for serious, GCSE-type, make-or-break exams, from the age of 13 to 18 Italian students enjoy a long exam holiday, all the way up to the maturita exam which they take at the end of liceo, the senior schools in the Italian system. On the other hand, the continual assessments can be rigorous, and if students at the top high schools score less than six out of 10 in two or more subjects they run a serious risk of having to take the year again.
References:
http://www.wholechildeducation.org/

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

Throughout the first ten, critical years of a child’s life, the attention that children receive from their parents affect them for the rest of their lives during these years. In the case of a child who was raised in a stable, secure home, for the rest of their lives, they will find that they naturally gravitate towards successful choices in their marriage, social life and career.
My best friend in high was sexually abused by her stepfather. I remember when she started homeschooling. I was so upset. I was too little to understand what was really going on with her. I remember going home crying for hours. However, it was just a few months that I found out why she started homeschool. He took her out of the public school system so that he was able to sexually assault her even more. She messaged me on social media the other day and told me everything that happened to her and how important our friendship was to her and that I only the person in school at the time she could really trust and I did not laugh at her. I realized you never know how much you can really mean to someone just by being kind and showing love. I never would have thought this was going on with her. Her mother was the sweetest person. She told me that she still have anxiety and nervous problems. I remember her having a speech problems when we were in school and students laugh at her. It is so true that a child’s early home environment has a profound effect on his well-being. Beginning in infancy, a problematic home environment can disrupt the brain’s stress response system, reduce the quality of caregiving a child receives, and interfere with healthy development.

                                      Family Value(s) in China

Chinese family values have undergone many changes. There are some aspects of the Chinese culture that are still the same. For instance the father is still the maintainer, provider and protector of the family. He may still have a final say in the important matters concerning his children but no longer does the man of the house enjoy absolute control over his family members. The children of today’s Chinese family are more or less free to choose the career they want to pursue but are required to consult their elders for advice.
When it comes to marriage we find the Chinese to have an elaborate wedding celebration culture. The wedding events include many ritualistic practices. Although they have been toned down over the years they have been retained to a certain degree because they are meant to honor the institution of family.
he father of the house is also responsible for housing and educating his children up until the time of their marriage. Once married the children move into their own homes. Traditionally married couples would also stay with the parents of the groom for a short while before moving out into their own homes.
A unique phenomenon of the Chinese family is the one child policy that has been enforced by law in the country. This policy was introduced as a means of controlling the rapidly growing population and to control the draining of the country’s natural resources.
In the rural areas the families are given some exceptions especially if their first born is not a boy. The one child policy geared towards controlling the population outburst has had widespread effects on the marital relations between couples along with the status and prospects for women in society.


References:


Berger, K. S. (2016). The developing person through childhood (7th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

 "The First Two Years: Cognitive Development"

Globerove. (n.d.). Retrieved May 28, 2016, from http://globerove.com/

Child Development and Public Health

I choose immunization because this topic is important to many in several different ways. First, immunizations have continued to keep the spread of disease low. They have also lowered the amounts of deaths and saved lives over the years. However, I have had a couple instances at my years at Head Start where parents that are against “Immunization” for religious reasons. I had a student in my classroom two years ago that stayed sick all the time and it was a big concern for me. I spoke with the parents and informed my center director of the situation and she documented  all the comments and concerns. She also called the school nurse and informed them of the situation but that was the parents choice. Whatever, bacteria or viruses this student had needed medical attention. In the article Should Any Vaccines be Required for Children, the scientists and disease experts contend and claim, “anti-vaccination studies are often faulty, biased, and misleading.”  Obviously, educated individuals like them would be much convincing than say your neighbor. If parents would take the time to view both sides of the argument, they would open their eyes to all the advantages that vaccines bring to their children. I personally feel like it is important to get your children immunizations. I can not see how some parents go without. I understand the different religions. We are all unique in our own special ways but truth be told. If it was not for immunization we probably would not be here.

Vaccination for Child in China

Every child deserves to benefit from lifesaving vaccines. The world has the resources to resolve and dramatically improve immunization programs in even the poorest of countries. I feel like good health is the foundation upon which individuals and families build long, healthy lives. I real problem occurs when we start talking cost and how these vaccines are stored. The article Vaccination for Children in China it stated, “ In 2014, 4 children died and an additional 70 became ill due to improperly stored vaccines. The  government insisted that the vaccines were safe but admitted that the manufacturer of the vaccines and the provincial Center of Disease Control and Prevention had violated the regulations.” After researching about immunizations I feel this will impact my future work by paying closer attention to immunizations that are brought in by students and keeping up with the current information from DHEC.

Options for Vaccinations in China

Types of vaccination	Disease
Imported vaccines	Pneumococcal disease, rabies
Joint venture vaccines that are produced outside of China but packaged in China	Hepatitis B, pentaxim (5 in 1 for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Hib),
Local vaccines	Japanese encephalitis, varicella, MMR, hepatitis A, DTaP, BCG

The Rotavirus vaccine and Typhoid vaccine are currently not available in China. (as at June 2013)


References:

Vaccines ProCon.org. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2016, from http://vaccines.procon.org/

Vaccination for Children in China. (2012). Retrieved May 14, 2016, from http://www.expatmedicare.com/vaccination-china

Birthing Experience

The first birthing experience that came to mind was of course the birth of my daughter. It happened 6 years ago, but everything that happened that day and night and following day is still fresh in my head.

Halyn was born  April 14, 2010 at 4:14. She wasn't due until the first of May, but signs of pre eclampsia caused me to be induced three weeks earlier. I remember on April 14, I had a doctors appointment for an ultrasound and was told we need to go ahead and induce me. The doctors were concerned that my daughters lungs wasn't completely developed. I had to be at the hospital at 7:00pm so they could start the Pitocin. Then after a few hours of medication I still haven't dilated any. My blood pressure continued to rise which was very scary. The doctors continued to monitor me then came in and told me they were going to prep me for a C- section. Then, right before they  were getting ready to take me back they checked one last time and Halyn was almost out. Apparently she didn't want me cut! She came out blue with the cord wrapped around her neck. Needless to say I didn't get to hold her right then and there but after she was ok it was the best moment of my life.

 

I was fortunate to have my family members in the room while I delivered. My sister videoed  and took some photos. My mother in law was there watching her first grand daughter come into the world. I really felt supported and safe. It was a hard few hours of labor and the pain from the contractions vanished as soon as I got that swell of emotion of seeing the baby on my belly that had been in my belly for so long. She was beautiful and amazing.

I chose this story because it was the one I remembered the most. Just writing about it brings back so many memories! 

I chose to look at stories of women in Nepal and their birth experiences. I had heard that Nepal has one of the highest maternal death rates during childbirth. I found a fascinating news story done by a Nepalese woman who herself was pregnant. Her news story was about how different her experience being pregnant was with that of her poorer sisters in the countryside. I was saddened to learn that even though money and support has been given to the elders of the villages, much of it never makes it to the women in the form of skilled birth attendants to assist the mothers. I also learned that complications during the birth are normal in Nepal which is why so many women are dying when they give birth. These types of births can also be traumatic for the unborn baby. Lack of oxygen to the brain, poor blood flow, infection, and stress can all cause infirmity in the baby when it is born. 


There were not many similarities between my birth and the one of the poor mothers in Nepal. The only thing I saw that was the same was how much we all loved our babies. I also noticed that perhaps we all have a fear of dying during childbirth, but for the poor women in Nepal, that fear is very real and very possible without the proper medical care.