Reflecting on Child Development

“Accept the children the way we accept trees—with gratitude, because they are a blessing—but do not have expectations or desires. You don’t expect trees to change, you love them as they are.” 
― Isabel Allende

I love this quote because it discusses the unconditional love we should have for children.


I would like to give a note of thanks to Mirla Aquino Fajardo  and Super Mami blog pages. Both blog pages shared some valuable information about child development. Keep up the good work and continued effort in the course.

Assessing Young Children

     Through my personal experience as an educator, I feel it is important to have assessments for children's cognitive, socioemotional, physical (gross and fine motor) development that are developmentally appropriate. I think if we start looking at assessments not as a test , but more as a measurement of glows or grows  for the child , we can help our youth develop more positively. We can develop planful activities to help strengthen their grows into glows.

    I chose to reflect on assessments in South Africa. From my research I find that assessments in school have been hard to come by because two reasons ,according to Amod & Heafield, "this is firstly due to the historical misuse of assessment instruments for the purpose of exclusionary practices and the perpetuation of an inequitable education system.  Secondly children in this country exist within extremely diverse socio-cultural and economic structures and this contributes towards significant emotional and developmental differences between young children." Amod & Heafield also state, "although there is still a place for the assessment of individual learners to determine the types of support structures that may be needed,  government expenditure on education is more suitably spent on upgrading facilities, reducing class sizes and improving teacher training. This will provide all learners with a better chance of reaching their full potential. "

Reference

 

Z. Amod, D. Heafield (2012). "Assessing Young Children in South Africa." Psychological Assessment in South Africa: Research and Applications.

Racism

When I was around 9-10 years old I grew up in a predominately White American neighborhood. The school I went to reflected the same thing. In fact, I was the only Black American in my classroom. I can remember one day a young White American boy in my neighborhood called me the n word. I really had never heard the word before nor been called one. I told my mom and she reassured me that I am more than that word and to just remain confident in the skin I was in. At school, I began to notice that I was the only one like me, so I decided to 'act out' and become the class clown. This was the only way I felt would make me feel comfortable in the situation I was in. I didn't stay in that area for too long, in fact, I think we moved to another town not long after these incidents happened. To get through these issues, I would think back to my mom's words of encouragement and eventually developed a positive attitude about myself. Also I learned to not let people's words label me.

Racism in Europe against blacks is growing. People with dark-skin or that are African American descent are becoming more targeted with violent hate crimes because of their race. To minimize the hate crimes in the area organizations, such as, Black European Women's Council, are working to get the legislation to create anti-discrimination laws. Also more public awareness campaigns and funds for those we have been victims to racism have been effective to help eliminate racism.

Nutrition!!!

I chose nutrition as my public health topic because eating a healthy meal is very important in a child's development. A child's body needs food for energy and to help the brain process and learn. I chose to look at nutrition in Africa. In Africa, the need for food is high and this is due to lack of agriculture and shortages on water supply. It has been a consistent problem to make sure children are supplied with nutritious meals each day. Emergency food supplies are given to vulnerable and orphaned children, but support is always needed through donations to the Aid for Africa, African SOLUTIONS TO AFRICAN PROBLEMS (ASAP), and any other charitable organizations. Seeing the area I work in, I do have some families that don't have much money, but through USDA, we can serve our children nutritious meals for breakfast, lunch, and snack. This will provide them with healthy meals needed to help function in a school day.

Jamaican Childbirthing Traditions and Rituals

For the most part, child birthing is becoming more like that of Western societies. However, some parts of Jamaica still obtain the child birthing and rituals of African ancestry. This includes using midwives or nanas for the delivery of the baby at home. The placenta and navel cord would be buried and tree planted which symbolizes the connection to the land and a mark of pride for that child as they grow up. Bible's are placed near the child and mom and child are to stay inside the home after delivery for sometime. This experience is much different than my own. My child was born at a hospital with medical assistance. Also afterbirth was not kept and buried. Seems as if there is more of a spiritual and land connection with Jamaica's childbirth rituals and traditions.

Becoming a 1st Time Mommy!!!

The birth of my son Kingston was truly a remarkable, unbelievable experience. His birth was totally unexpected because he was supposed to come October 17th, but my gift was given a little earlier on September 30th, 2011. My doctor called me early that Friday morning to come in and have my vitals checked at the local hospital. So I went and after testing, I was told your having your son today. So not ready, but longing to meet my little one, I was admitted into the hospital. Now because I was facing hypertension and at risk of the child and myself, a few hours later I was rushed back for a C-section. I can remember the doctor and voices around me saying "is this her first pregnancy" and "she's doing so good." Only one sign of pain and that was the tug of him getting yanked out of me and a cry. I was a mom!!! Birthing a child can impact a child's development because we have to go to measure to make sure the child is birthed in a safe and healthy way. If the birthing experience is done in a poor manner it can put the child and mom at risk.

DEC Code of Ethics

The following codes of ethics are meaning to me as an early childhood professional. They help define who I am as a PK teacher and my roles and responsibilities I have for the children and families I serve. They help shape me into the ever changing professional, educator,advocate, and mentor I am today.

We shall support professionals new to the field by mentoring them in the practice of evidence and ethically based services.

We shall use individually appropriate assessment strategies including multiple sources of information such as observations, interviews with significant caregivers, formal and informal assessments to determine child ren’s  learning styles, strengths, and challenges.

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

References

The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from

http://www.dec-sped.org/

My Personal Collection of Resources

The following links are helpful for families to use to prepare preschool children for school. Each one provides      insightful information and resources to use in preparing for school.

·                   www2.ed.gov/parents/earlychild/ready/edpicks.jhtml

·                   http://parentsknowkidsgrow.org/schoolreadiness

·                    http://ccfc.ca.gov/Help/atp.asp

The following links are useful for behavior management and self-discipline strategies to use inside the classroom and home.

·                      http://consciousdiscipline.com

·                       www.loveandlogic.com

Early Childhood Studies Collection of Resources

• 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, fromhttp://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, fromhttp://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf

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• Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.

• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.

• Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title

 Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

• Websites:

• World Forum Foundation

• http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us

• This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment 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/

• Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.

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/

• 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/

Professional Journals

• 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

Early Childhood Contributors

Here is a little information about Dr. Lilian Katz and her work that she has contributed to the field.
According to Dianne Rothenberg, Dr. Katz has demonstrated leadership in the field of early childhood education in the United States and around the world in so many ways (Rothenberg, n.d.).
). She has her hands all over the Early Childhood field which includes over 150 publications, including articles, chapters, and books about early childhood education, teacher education, child development, and parenting education (Rothenberg, n.d.). She has also held leadership postitions with  early childhood journal publications, NAEYC, and Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children.

Reference
Rothenberg, D. (n.d.) A Brief Biography of Lilian Katz. Retrieved September 25, 2013,  
  from  http://ecap.crc.illinois.edu/pubs/katzsym/intro.html
  

An Inspirational Quote

I chose this quote because it closely relates to how I feel about early childhood education.

In the video interview, "The Passion for Early Childhood, "Louis Derman-Sparks says,"Early childhood education gave me the passion to make sure children are taught in environments and in ways that truly nourish their ability to grow and develop to their fullest ability"(Laureate Education, Inc. 2013).

Personal Childhood Web

A good support system is very important to have and is what shaped me into the young woman I am today. I would like to commend the following people:

1. At the top of my list would be God. Without Him nothing I have accomplished would mean anything. I was taught to have faith in God and that He will ALWAYS supply our needs and wants. I believe knowing and trusting in God helped shaped me into the young lady I am today.

 

2. Next would be my mom. She has always been there to provide me with love and care. I never knew the struggles she encountered as a single mom because she always made sure I had everything I wanted and much more. She would offer me encouragement when needed and allowed me to make mistakes and build my own character. As a grandmother now, she offers these same things to my son and much, much more. It's been great to have a mom and glam-ma like her.

3. My grandmother Nanny. She has been that soft voice I always wanted to hear. She showed me how to be a kind and loving person. I can remember during the holidays, going over and helping her set up for the family arrival. I always looked forward to seeing Nanny’s house decorated for the holidays in unique ways. I love her craftiness and meek spirit!

4. My sister Tishia would be next. Although we were raised in different homes because we only shared the same father, we learned to overlook that and get to know each other for who we are and not whose womb we were birth from. We have become best friends and this has been very helpful in my adulthood. I can remember in our younger years going on family vacations together and building childhood memories. Her laugh has always been memorable.

5. My great grandmother Gran, has always been a strong, virtuous little lady. Even today in her 90s!!!As a young girl I can remember going over to her house and spending the night. She had the most comfortable bed I ever slept in. I can remember her instilling in me morals and beliefs as a youngster. She loved taking me to Vacation Bible School and also memorizing important bible verses. I know she was persistent in me learning “The Lord’s Prayer.” She most defiantly has been important in both my youth and adulthood.