Joyce Latson

Joyce Latson
Because I Care...

Saturday, June 29, 2013

A Note of Thanks and Support

The past eight weeks has shown me how little I know about the early childhood field. I feel that I have grown in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of my purpose, what is expected of me, and what I am able to do. I take this opportunity to express my thanks to Walden University for allowing me into this course and making available all the resources that will help me become a better person as well as professional. Thanks to Dr. Kien, for guiding me through this course and asking the right questions to draw out answers I needed to build on. Dr. Kien, you are a great instructor and valuable asset to Walden University, God bless you. Finally to my fellow Colleagues, if I were in the classroom alone just me and all the resources; I would have failed the course. Group 1, I do not have words enough, to express my appreciation for you. All of the examples, experiences, and insights shared has helped me immensley in my career. Thank you so much.

If ever, I can support you in anyway, do not hesitate to contact me. I plan to keep this blog updated throughout the rest of my career as a journal, so I will always remember the value of reflections; the importance of interconnections and resources, and the passion that motivates me to continue. Much success to all of you.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Examining Code of Ethics

The NAEYC and DEC code of ethics represents a high level of standards and core values in the field of early childhood education. They ensure the purpose and focus of the work done by caregivers, educators, and policy-makers remain vibrant as they carry out day-to-day tasks. Because all of the ideals are valid and appreciated, it was not a simple task to choose only three. However, here are the ideals that are most meaningful to my profession.

 
Ethical Responsibilities to Children

a.       To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity and their contributions.

b.      To work with families to provide a safe and smooth transition as children and families move from one program to the next.

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

d.      To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.

 
DEC

Professional and Interpersonal Behavior

a.       We shall demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all our professional activities in order to inspire the trust and confidence of the children and families and of those with whom we work.

b.      We shall strive for the highest level of personal and professional competence by seeking and using new evidence based information to improve our practices while also responding openly to the suggestions of others.

c.       We shall build relationships with individual children and families while individualizing the curricula and learning environments to facilitate young children’s development and learning.

 
These ideals are significant because I want above all else for the children I work with to be safe and healthy. I want the work done with and for them to be effective in preparing them to transition successfully into elementary school. It is paramount that families are involved with the development of their children at and away from home and that as professionals we continue to seek improvements and research what is best for early learners. It is important that lessons plans and activities are relevant to the needs of each individual and most of all, it is important that children have fun, parents are happy, and educators teach with passion.

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Resources for Early Childhood Field


Course Media: "The Resources for Early Childhood"
Five early childhood professionals discuss their preferred and trusted resources.
Position Statements and Influential Practices







 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.

Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being


 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 media segment on this webpage

 World Organization for Early Childhood Education http://www.omep-usnc.org/

 Association for Childhood Education International http://acei.org/
Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.

 Selected Early Childhood Organizations

National Association for the Education of Young Children http://www.naeyc.org/

 The Division for Early Childhood http://www.dec-sped.org/

 Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families http://www.zerotothree.org/


 Harvard Education Letter http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85

 FPG Child Development Institute http://www.fpg.unc.edu/

 Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/


 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/

 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/


 Voices for America's Children http://www.voices.org/

 The Erikson Institute http://www.erikson.edu/

 National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies
http://www.naccrra.org/ (Newsletter: http://capwiz.com/naccrra/mlm/signup/ )

National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/
(Newsletter: http://nieer.org/resources/newsletter/index.php )

 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

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Words of Inspiration and Motivation


This week has been very emotional for me. It was truly a week of reflection and self-evaluation. I was moved with compassion as I read the history of various early childhood contributors and it impacted their lives. Through their hearts, I saw a reflection of my own and I loved what I saw because the end result is good. Children, well nurtured become adults who give back. Here are a few quotes from contributors that were meaningful to me. I hope you are able to glean from them the essence of the early childhood profession as I did.

Marion Wright Edelman is an American activist for disadvantaged children and the President of the Children's Defense Fund. She quotes:

  • Never work just for money or for power. They won't save your soul or help you sleep at night.

  • You're not obligated to win, you're obligated to keep trying to do the best you can everyday.

  • We must not, int trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.
Janet Gonzalez-Mena is a writer, consultant in early childhood education, and former community college instructor with experience as an early childhood education practitioner.

 “Part of being who you are has to do with feeling your feelings, which means you'll have a wide range of emotions--not just constant sunshiny happiness.”


Louise Derman-Sparks, Professor Emeritus support Families, Pacific Oak College, CA

"I had a built in passion that it was important, to make a real contribution to the world; and to fix all the injustices that existed in the world, and I wanted to do that through teaching."

Sandy Escobido, Deputy Field Director, Los Angeles Preschool Advocacy Initiative, California Community Foundation.

"We, in the early childhood field, have an opportunity to shape a child's life for the better."

Raymond Hernandez, MS Ed. Executive Director. School of Early Childhood Education, University of Southern, CA.

"Passion comes from wanting to make a difference...I truly believe I'm not here to save the world, I'm here, just to make a difference in the community that I'm working and to me making a difference may sometimes mean helping one child to be able to be successful in the classroom."

Renatta M. Cooper, Program Specialist, Office of Child Care, LA County Chief Administrative Office.

  • "I always felt I owe the families my best"

  • "I had a child, his father died...I had no idea how to support a family through this but I knew I needed to learn."
Leticia Lara, LCSW, Regional Manager, Outreach and Professional Development, Zero to Three.

"What are my values, my beliefs, my ideas that lead me to action? What do I do so naturally that perhaps seems natural to me but challenging to others."