Daily Supports



My Father and Stepmom



In my life support means having the confidence there is someone there to be a confidant, positive critic, and an emotional sounding board.  I am daily supported by my husband.  He provides me affirmation of love and encouragement.  I receive support from my father and stepmother through our morning conversations to discuss the day’s events and saying “I love you” and have a great day.  My staff in their consistent professional work in the office supports me. I also receive support from extended family and friends through open conversations and sharing of our life’s events.  My sons provide support to me by completing their chores at home.  It is so sweet to watch them grow.  My greatest support is my spiritual relationship with God.  I believe God provides me daily peace and wisdom over the affairs of my life.  I am supported by the words in the bible to move through life with a confidence that I am daily protected by God’s love.





Me and my husband



A challenge I may face soon is looking for another house.  My husband and I are starting to lose confidence in our current school district.  We have live in our house over fourteen years.  Because our sons are nine and seven, we would like to find the idea home in a great school district.  We are faced with the decision on where to live, how much to invest in a new home, what do we do with our current home, and the school district. During this time, my husband and I my must provide emotional support to each.  We need the practical advise of our parents, family, and friends regarding making this new major purchase.  We also need the support and advise of friends on finding a great school district.  I believe it is crucial to a person's well being to know they are daily supported. I believe it provides the necessary encouragement need to grow and development positively in every area of life.

My Connections to Play

Creative play is like a spring that bubbles up from deep within a child.

-Joan Almon

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.
-         Plato

I was an only child and because of this I was provided many toys for my toy box.  My mother insisted that I have a variety of dolls including Barbies, Paper Dolls, Baby Dolls, Doll Heads to style their hair and makeup, and ceramic dolls.  She also provided me with Hula Hoops, Jump Ropes, Jack Stones, Paddle Boards, and a host of board games.  Their was never a dull play moment in my whether it was Solitary play or Associative Play. I enjoyed play either in or outdoors. My parents insisted I experienced playtimes either with them, my family, or friends.  My parents gave me the freedom of pretend play and many opportunities to play freely.

In today’s society I don’t children experience play as freely as children years past.  Children’s play now is accompanied with some type of technology.  I can honestly admitted as a parent I invested in just about every product Leap Frog has introduced on the market from the Lead Pad for infants to the Leapster and then to the Lead Frog writing pad.  I felt during my children’s free time they could use these products to increase their learning.   I found over time even though they enjoyed these products, they wanted the bicycles, skates, balls and cars they could push to move around on the floor.  They truly wanted the simply toys.  I believe as a society we have moved away from the simple toys because we feel children need those toys that will be prepare them educationally.  As my children have continued to grow I become more conscientious of their need for fresh air and opportunities to play freely to gain those necessary social emotion skills to make them successful in life.

Reflective Relationships



Me, my step brother, sisters, step mother, daddy and my boys



Me and the love of my life Tony



Relationships are important to me because they provide love, support, and encouragement.  One of my most important relationships was with my mother; she passed away in March of 97.  It was her loving, honest and supportive personality that truly made me the person I am today.  My relationship with my father was also one of support and encourage. They are picture in my childhood web.  My have wonderful relationships with my good friends, my sisters and brothers, and extended family.  My most important relationship currently is with my husband Tony and our son’s Thomas and Timothy.  I cherish these relationships because my husband is my best friend, confidant, and love.  I cherish the opportunity to mother our sons and build a wonderful trusting relationship.





Me and two of my coworkers



I have found developing and maintaining relationships truly take work.  Relationships must be cultivated with communication and quality time.  I learned from the passing of my mother and other close family members that relationships are not to be taken for granted.  It is necessary to take the time to make a call or even a visit to say hello or I love you.


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me and my God Children

 

The special characteristic of the relationships I have that make some partnerships is trust.  For example, my husband and I are life partners.  We committed ourselves to each other over fourteen years ago. This commitment included building our lives together including parenting children.





My experiences with relationships/partnerships help me to be more effective as an early childhood professional because they cause me to be more sensitive to others feelings and needs.  It also helps me to be mindful of how I communicate with others as well as respect the thoughts and opinions of others. 











What I think of Child Development......

A quote regarding children that truly touched me is the following:

"No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure." - Emma Goldman, author

Testing for Intelligence

I believe it is important to assess the whole child to determine his or her developmental level.  One of the qualities I appreciate regarding the Head Start/Early Head Start program is its commitment to assessing the total child.  The assessments include hear, vision, speech, developmental domains including social-emotional, cognitive, language and literacy, approaches to learning and gross motor skills.  The program also requires dental assessments as well as complete physicals.  By requiring these screenings and assessments be completed administrators and teachers can better understand those areas needing assistance and improvement.  These assessment and screenings also allow teachers to individualized instruction as well as discuss with parents how learning can be extended from the classroom environment to home.

The use of assessments for instruction and learning has become a great area of interest for me.  As preschool education has continued to evolve in the U.S., child advocacy agencies such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children has placed a focus on assessing children’s learning.  Because of this growing focus, I have become interested in how children are assessed in eastern world countries such as China.

As I research China, I learned there is not a high focus on preschool learning and children generally began school at age 6 or 7 years of age.  According to Joseph LaVoie at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, “The primary use of assessment in China is for screening and placement, but mostly the latter. For the Chinese, the test score is important, because it indicates the child' s level of intellectual functioning or determines the school that the child will attend. Factors other than test scores, such as developmental history or current life circumstances, are not considered in placement or screening decisions in China.  However assessments have continued to evolve in China.  Now, student assessment has been divided into two parts: the first part was called “assessment of general quality in learning” and focused on assessing students’ development in a) moral performance, b) civil awareness, c) learning aptitude, d) ability in communication and cooperation, e) physical well-being, f) aesthetic literacy. The results of assessment were to be reported by qualitative descriptions and rating grades. The second part focused on the assessment of students’ achievement in: a) knowledge and skills, b) methods and process, c) emotion, attitude and value. China also has focuses on assessing students’ abilities in understanding, analysing and problem solving; Relate closely to students’ daily experience and the society; Use more open-ended items rather than multiple choice and closed items; and adopt open-book tests if possible. A rating scale such as “excellent, good, medium, pass and fail” was recommended to grade students’ achievement instead of the popular percentage marking scale (Lingbia, G., 2007).

Reference:

Lavoie, J. (1990). School based assessment research in the People’s Republic of China. University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Lingbaio, G. (2007). Assessment reform in China:  A respond to the international trend in the new century. Retrieved June 10, 2011 from http://xypj.cersp.com/GLB/LUNWEN/200701/3223.html

Consequences of Stress on Children’s Development

My husband and I were foster five years.  We were blessed to have a wonderful little girl live with us for over two years and her older sister for a year.  These children came to us because of their mother’s addiction to drugs.  Because of her addiction, the younger child was exposed to drugs during the pregnancy. The older child was exposed to drugs in her living environment as well as hunger and a very chaotic living situation.  Even though the young boy lived with us off and on from birth to age four and the older sister for a year, the Department of Family and Children Services felt it was best to reunite the children with the mother.  We continued to foster a relationship with the children and their mother. Even though we were happy the children could be with mother, we were sad to see their living conditions.  It is evident the children live in an environment that lacks structure and there was limited food.  We offer assistance and resources to the family from time to time.  However we have resolved that this mother of three must learn to be self-sufficient and parent her children successfully on her own.

There are children in the U.S. that are experiencing hunger and chaotic situations do to parents being substance.  Recently I saw a news story where children were in the home while parents were creating the drug methadone. I could only image the everyday lives of these children.  There home was evidentally not well care for and the parents look as if they had not properly cared for themselves. Children that are in these types of situations usually experience various levels of maltreatment.  There can be brain development and cognitive issues from birth.  Also, these children may also experience physical or mental abuse that could leave them depressed and withdraw socially.  There may also be some learning deficits. It is sad to know children experience such negative things in the very important developmental years of their lives

Nursing Mothers

Before becoming a mother, my husband and I decided that breastfeeding would be the form of nourish for our future baby because of the nutritional and health benefits.  I also felt as a future mother it would be a great bonding experience for me and our baby.  After having our both of our sons, I found it to be a wonderful experience because it did add to our bonding experience.  It was also amazing to see the changes the breast milk undergo as the boys got older to fit their nutritional needs.  I breast fed for up six months of both of their lives and then stopped because of the demands of my job.  However I encourage future mothers if comfortable to definitely allow that experience for their baby. 

The World Health Organization recommends mothers worldwide to exclusively breast feed infants for the child’s first six months to achieve optimal growth, development and health.  Afterwards, babies should be given nutritious complementary foods and continue breastfeeding up to the age of two years or beyond.  As I research breastfeeding around the world I found some very interesting traditions.  In most African countries women that do not breastfeed are frowned upon.  Nursing in public is acceptable; women uncover in public places without issue feed their babies.  Also, women are encouraged to nurse children up to age two.    In the country of Ghana, if a mother does not publicly breastfeed a crying baby it is assumed the baby is an orphan.  I found most interesting that breastfeeding in public in the United States is still not quite accepted because of how women’s bodies are perceived. 

As a preschool educator, I believe it is important to continue to encourage women to breastfeed.  Within the National Association for the Education of Young accreditation, centers seeking this accreditation are encouraged to provide a designated location for mothers to nurse there infants during the school day.  This aids in ensuring a child’s nutritional well-being and growth. 

Reference:

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2011). Health accreditation Standard.  Retrieved May 14, 2011 from http://lms.naeyc.org/icohere/custompages/naeycsearch/search_framer.cfm

World Health Organization. (2011). Exclusive Breastfeeding. Retrieved May 13, 2011 from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2011/breastfeeding_20110115/en/index.html

My Personal Birthing Experience and Birth Experiences Around the World

I have had the memorable opportunity of giving birth twice to two boys 21 months apart.  My labor process with my oldest son started while I was viewing a movie in the theater and was later induced at the hospital.  This birth was a little stressful because of the induction my labor pains were more pronounced.  I labored for 12 hours and after five pushes he was out. The most memorable part of his birth was the fact of him having an ABO incompatibility.  Basically, I have O+ blood my son has his father’s blood type and this led to him developing jaundice. I was never educated on this possibility.  He spent five days in the hospital and then came home.

My second son’s birthing process went very quick.  I woke up with a sharp cramp and my water breaking at 3:30 a.m.  I took a bumpy ride with my husband driving to the hospital during a storm. I received an epidural at 6:00 a.m. then I felt an overwhelming need to bear down.  I called for the nurse to let her know what was happening with me. She stated it would probably be a while before I delivered, I insisted she check me. She did and found my youngest son was crowning.  Consequently, I had a nature childbirth @ 6:05 a.m. and my epidural had reach my knees. * Special Note - I was stilled charged for the epidural.  I chose my birthing experiences because they were two of the greatest days of my life.

I feel that the birthing process should be approach with great care.  There are so many things that can happen during this time that could negatively affect the mother and baby.  These affects can have impacts on child development such as if there is an injury that occurs during birth.  These injuries could include brain injury from lack of oxygen during prolonged deliveries or a broken bone.

As I research births around the world, I found interesting information regarding several countries:

In the Netherlands, mothers are encouraged to see midwifes and give birth naturally. If the birth experience goes well mothers is release from the hospital two hours later.

In Germany, mothers are encouraged to see midwifes, can not be fired from their job once pregnancy is confirmed and can take a total of fourteen weeks off with pay, 3 years without pay.

In Japan, mothers attempt to avoid epidural because of Japanese belief the pain experienced prepares mothers for the challenging role of motherhood. Also fathers are not permitted in the birthing room if he has not had prenatal classes.  Mothers must also live with her parents for a month after the baby is born and stay in bed with the baby for 21 days.

This research experience is so interesting because of the focus placed on utilizing nurse midwives.  Nurse midwives are highly regarding over doctors in other countries.  Also I found it very interesting in Germany the job protection that is offered to expectant mothers.  In the U.S., traditionally mothers are only given six weeks off after giving birth and must use vacation or sick time to cover this time.  This can sometimes be a hardship on families.

Code of Ethics in the Early Childhood Profession

I have a very high respect for the NAEYC Code of Ethics.  My current preschool program requires our teacher staff to review and sign that they have read, understand and agree with this Code of Ethics.  As I was rereading this code of ethics, two ideas I found significant to me were:

• Respect the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of each individual (child, family member, and colleague)
• Recognize that children and adults achieve their full potential in the context of relationships that are based on trust and respect

 I believe we must show respect toward the children we provide educational services for each day by showing them care.  This includes providing them with a safe and loving environment, a daily schedule that is structure yet flexible, and a classroom setting that promotes learning.

The third idea I found significant was within the Division of Early Childhood from the Council of Exceptional Children.

• We shall engage in ongoing and systematic reflective inquiry and self-assessment for the purpose of continuous improvement of professional performance and services to young children with disabilities and their families.

I believe in being a life long learner and feel educators at every level of education should dedicate themselves to evolving with their professional.  By doing this children are offered well-prepared individuals that will work in the best interest of the children and families that are served.    Moreover parents of children with a special need that work with educators that are experienced and knowledge are able to feel less anxiety regarding their child’s experiences in the classroom.

Resources

Listed below is a wonderful list of resources for families, educators and advocates.  Additional resources:
Office of Head Start – Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge  - http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc
Teachings Strategies - http://www.teachingstrategies.com/
Parents as Teachers - http://www.parentsasteachers.org/
Children's Advocate: Article on "Preschool builds schools readiness.  http://www.4children.org/issues/2000/september_october/preschool_builds_school_readiness/

Part 1: 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://www.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. 

Part 2: 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://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php
  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 International
  http://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 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/main/about.cfm
• 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/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/
     

Part 4: 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

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

“My passion comes from wanting to make a difference…I’m not here to save the world.  I’m just here to make a difference in the community I work in.”

Raymond Hernandez, MS Ed

Executive Director

School of Early Childhood Education

University of Southern California

The preschool years are critical…they are the first most fundamental period when children are noticing who they are.

                                                                                    Louise Derman-Sparks

                                                                                    Professor Emeritus

                                                                                                                Pacific Oaks College, CA

                                                                                   

“The wonder of children + the wonder of learning require wonderful curriculum & teaching.”

                                                                                    Susan Bredekamp, Ph.D.

National Center on Quality and Teaching and Learning

"No matter how appropriate and comprehensive a curriculum, it will remain simply a book on a shelf unless it is used to plan the program and to serve as a focus for staff development."

Diane Trister Dodge

Teaching Strategies

                       

My Personal Childhood Web

I don't think I have enough space to display pictures of all those that have influenced my life. However I share with you my follow classmates and professer 10 people that mean the world to me.  The large black and white picture is of my parents.  They are the first loves of my life.  They told me I could do anything I set my mind on.  I have always been very tall and my parents made me feel so good about my height.  I share my wedding picture with my maternal and paternal grandmothers.  These ladies provided me great wisdom of being a wife and mother.  They shared great stories of their childhood.  They also encourage me to be a woman of intergrity and to follow my dreams.  There is another picture of my parents with their best friends, my God-parents.  My God-parents mean the world to me.  They just like my parents and grandparents encourage me in my education and in my growth as a woman.  They made me feel as loved as my parents.  I included a picture of my nursery school graduation because it was through the Mr.and Mrs. Thomas and their wonderful nursery that my interest for preschool education was peaked.  Finally, the bottom picture is of my aunt and uncle.  My sweet aunt Rochelle operated an inhome daycare for over twenty years and was a foster parent.  It was through her love of children that the seeds of preschool education was watered in my life.  This is just a few people that make up my web of encouragement and love.  I am thankful for all of the support I was given and continue to receive.

My favorite children's is Brown Bear, Brown Bear...What do you see?

I use this book for a one month theme of lesson plans. The children were introduced to colors, numbers, rhyming words, animal sounds etc.  At the end of this unit, I had one of my three year students to invite me to sit down to read the book. He read the to me from cover to cover.  I know much of it was from my repetition reading the story and his memory,but it was the most fulfilling moment of my life.  I knew then without a shadow of a doubt I was purposed to work with preschool age children. (smile and misty).

Welcome to Holland! (An inspiring story/poem)

During my time as a Preschool Director, I was given a beautiful poem from a parent in my program that had a child diagnosis with Downs' Syndrome that I will forever hold dear to my heart.  Here is....

Welcome to Holland

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this…
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Michelangelo David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!" you say. "What do you mean, Holland?" I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy. But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven't taken you to some horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you must go out and buy a new guidebook. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." The pain of that will never, ever, go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss. But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.

Written by Emily Perl Kingsley

This very special poem embodies my experience as the mother of a child with Autism. I am able to share my wonderful experiences with my son in hopes of inspiring other parents of children diagnosis with a special need.    I am enjoying Holland!!!

My Favorite Quote

One of my favorite quotes that is truly meaningful to me regarding children is "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." - Benjamin Franklin

I believe teachers must be intentional when planning for classroom instruction.  They must consider children's  developmental levels, ages and cultures.  They must design the classroom to invite learning and promote a trusting relationship between themselves and the children.  They also must be willing to immerse themselves into the learning of their children; initiating conversations and being actively involved in the classroom.

I think I did ok

I am really nervous on whether I setup my blog correctly.  I have never been a blogger.  I do suscribe to social networks but this is a first.  However even though I am nervous I am excited to read other people's post and blogs.  I am also excited to learn some new and interesting things.  Happy blogging!

Vanessa