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.

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.

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

 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.

Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

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 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/

 WESTED
http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm

 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/

 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/

 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.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067

 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/ )

 Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/ (May have to use http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/ )
(Newsletters: http://zttcfn.pub30.convio.net/child-development/from-baby-to-big-kid/ and
http://capwiz.com/zerotothree/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

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."











     

 

Personal Childhood Web

In my family, I am number seven of 11 children born to Ezekiel and Esther Houston. My Dad was the oldest of his 13 siblings and learned to be a very hard worker. He married my mom at age 24, left all his family and friends; moved from the south to the north and settled down in Indiana. When he found work and a place to stay, he sent for my mother to join him. My dad was a great family man and disciplinary. He showed his love by going to work everyday to make sure we had everything we needed. As a child, I saw him take on tasks that were very challenging, yet he stuck with it and never quit. My dad's amater mata was, "I'll either fix it or tear it up trying." Rarely did he ever tear up anything. He would tell us, "If you want something in life, go after it."

My Mom was the oldest of her siblings. Her mother died when she was two years old; she was raised by her grandmother. Her grandmother taught her to be a good leader and she demonstrated those skills very well in our home. She married my dad at the age of 18, left her family and friends, moved north to be with her husband. Together for 31 years of marriage, they took on the task of raising a family and nurturing their children to be responsible, productive adults. My mom hated debt and would tell us, "Save your money, if you only have a dollar; save a nickel." Both my parents loved the Lord with all their heart and taught us to live by what we believe and let our deeds back up what we say. Today, because of them, I strive to live a life of excellence and integrity.

There is only one other person, I remember strongely, that had a great impact on my life and that was my Bible lesson teacher-Mrs. Nancy McDuffie. Mrs. McDuffie made learning the Bible fun. It was not so much of what she said, but what she demonstrated that taught me to be concerned for others. There was this one time when I was 7/8, I had three older sisters and they all had these pretty skirts. Well, I had pretty dresses but no skirt and that bothered me, I wanted a skirt. So in Bible class Mrs. McDuffie asked everyone what they wanted and I blurted out, "a skirt!" Well, the following Sunday, she handed my mom a package, surprisingly to me, there lay the prettiest blue skirt ever, and it happened to be-just my size. To this day, I look for opportunities to do something good for someone else.

Do it well or not at all

"Do it well or not at all" this is the statement written at the top of every page of my mother's sunday school book. Mom held fast to this in everything she did and in all she taught us to do. For instance, if we were folding clothes and she didn't like the way it was done, she would reach over and toss it back at us without saying a word; we just knew to do it over again.

My parents were devout christians and rarely deterred from reading to us or having us read Bible stories. In saying that, the story most meaningful to me was and still is Cain and Abel. There was a comment directed to Cain,  "if you do well, will you not be accepted; if you do not do well sin awaits you. It desires you but you must master it." (Genesis 4:7) Over the years, this comment has shaped how I evaluated my outcomes and for the most part guided my choices.

Getting Start

Hello Everyone

I hope getting started with blogging was easier for you than it was for me. I am still struggling with it. I pray the old addege, "practice makes perfect" is true. Happy Mothers' Day to all of you!