Sharing Web Resources Week 6

I chose to explore the Military Family Projects which then lead me to Reach Out & Read (http://www.reachoutandread.org/interstitial/?ref=%2f ). This three-year project will be working “with local medical clinics, hospitals, and community health centers to establish the early literacy intervention” (Forman, n.d., p.1). They will be working with children and families in poverty. This program has also provided “Home Again” books to military sites for families. This is a great program that is targeting specific low-income communities. I chose to research behavior and development because my job is to help childcare providers teach children social emotional skills which can affect behavior as well as development. There are support articles for coping with challenges (setting limits, divorce, traumatic experiences, and fetal alcohol disorder), building relationships, and early development. This is a great resource for those raising or helping raise their grandchild or grandchildren. I have not received my October newsletter yet so I searched access. The site took me to the article Expanding Access to Early Head Start. This article discusses the strategies being made to expand the Early Head Start programs. New information on the Zero to Three website included a response to President's 2014 proposal, a new journal that is available to purchase, and the 2013 federal policy agenda. The website just confirms the importance of high quality early care and education and the steps that must be taken to fulfill this. Zero to Three expands on many topics so that the whole child along with their supports is taken into consideration. This website has resources for policy makers, educators, and families. It makes sure that everyone who could possibly work with children can benefit from this website. References Forman, J., (n.d.). William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable trust funds reach our and read (PDF file). Retrieved from http://www.reachoutandread.org/FileRepository/Kenan_Press_Release_April_2013_FINAL.pdf Clervo, L., (2013). The President’s budget proposal: a groundbreaking moment for our nation’s babies. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/press-release-presidents-budget-proposal.html http://www.zerotothree.org/

Sharing Web Resources 2

Under the Care & Education tab there is a section called School Readiness Interactive Birth to 3. This is a great tool for educators and parents that encourage early learning experiences. Now that I work in an elementary school, I am constantly hearing the term school readiness. I am going to share this tool with my supervisor since she is in contact with so many families. I am also going to share the tool with our principle and staff so that we can share it with our families. As a professional, I will be using this tool as I have many three years old in my classroom come this fall. As I keep investigating the Zero to Three website, I have begun to understand just how important education is for those children. I think that many times society feels that children from birth to three are so young and often think, “what could they possibly be learning?” This website has really opened my eyes to the world of education from birth to three years old. I hope that as an educator I can begin presenting the importance of educating children in this age bracket. When looking around the website there is a tab called Public Policy. Within this tab there is information about federal, state, local, and community policies. My favorite find was the Zero to 3 Policy Pocket Card. Found at http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/policy-toolkit/5x12-card-trifold-final-12-1-10.pdf This is a great way to advocate for young children. This demonstrates the importance of informing our local policy makers. In the search bar for the site I typed in neuroscientist and economists and many articles came up that had very good information in them. I learned about the Rally4Babies which is a petition that you can digitally sign that supports early childhood education to start from birth. There is also a video that you can view. It is a very enlightening video, I personally enjoyed viewing it. Zero to Three. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/

Poverty in India

I researched poverty in India from the Childhood Poverty website and here are some of my findings. In one case study it talks about a seventeen year old named Banwari who lives in a village in what is called the Tonk district. He is a part of a family of ten that includes his six brothers and they own a farm in which they grow crops to make money. Because of the size of his family, the farm does not produce enough to support all of them. Banwari had to drop out of school because his family could not afford to pay and also because his father became ill and he needed to get a job to help support the family. While Banwari wanted badly to go to school so that he could make more money, his family needed him to get straight work because without the income the family would probably become homeless. I had heard plenty of stories about children having to drop out of school and work to help the family out with money. My grandfather had to drop out of school in the 8th grade to help his mother and father with the farm and animals. Another case study I read was about Nanuram, who is a twelve year old who also lived in the Tonk District with his father, mother and two siblings. One thing that I have found out from reading is that these children have to pay for school even in their young ages. I think that this is so unfair that getting an education is based on how much money your family makes. Nanuram started selling ice cream at the age of ten with his uncle, who had been doing so for some time. Nanuram would make money from selling ice cream and give the majority of the money to his mother. The rest of the money he used to get clothes made for him. Nanuram also had to deal with the fact that his father was an alcoholic and sometimes abused his mother. He blames his father’s drinking and frustration on their poor living conditions. Children should not have to bear the burden of working and trying to help keep the family from being in severe poverty. This child has a lot to deal with but he seems to have a strong will to get his family out of their current situation. The last case study was about sixteen years old, Laxmi, who is the most educated girl in the Tonk district. She is also the first girl to learn how to ride a bike. Laxmi has a daily routine that includes getting up extra early to get ready for school. Once school is out she comes home and makes tea for her family with water that she hand pumped. She then studies and goes to bed to start the routine all over again the next day. Laxmi has 3 siblings and their family is better off than a lot of the other families in their village. She was married at the age of ten to a young boy that lives in another village in the Tonk district. Even though Laxmi is married she still continues to go to school. Laxmi wants to continue her education and become a teacher. Having an education gives Laxmi self-confidence. She still lives with her parents until her husband is able to get a job with the police force. Even though her family is not one of the richest they do the best they can and have instilled in their children the importance of education.

Sharing Web Resources

I chose the Zero to Three Organization, whose link is: http://www.zerotothree.org/. I subscribed to their newsletter but I have not received it as of yet. Zero to Three is a nationally known nonprofit that provides knowledge and know-how to nurture early development for parents, professionals, and policymakers. Their mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. I haven’t received the newsletter yet but I did look into their podcasts and watch one of the videos. They were talking about the emotional life of young children and how hard it is for parents to understand that children have a lot of emotions. They talked about how parents know that children have hungry cries and tired cries but they also talked about how babies experience sadness and anger. My job is to train childcare providers on teaching children social emotional skills and also understanding when a child expressing their feelings. I really enjoyed reading this because it just let me know that my job is needed in the world. We have to teach children social emotional skills just like we would teach everything else to them. I also found on their page Journals from 2001-2012 and I will be reading some of them for future assignments and also to better my understanding of the issues that they tackle. Here is also a link to their podcast with videos that I will be watching throughout this course to learn more about this organization: http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/funded-projects/parenting-resources/podcast/

Making Connections & Expanding Resources

I was unable to contact any professionals for other countries. I sent out emails to various people and I hope that sometime during the semester they will respond. I would love to be connected with other countries on the early childhood field. I am going to study Zero to Three Organization because I have used resources for them for papers and they have really good information. I was an infant teacher for 2 year and then I became a preschool teacher so this age range is interesting to me. I subscribed to their sites newsletter and hopefully it will give me some good information.

Sharing Web Resources

I chose the Zero to Three Organization, whose link is: http://www.zerotothree.org/. I subscribed to their newsletter but I have not received it as of yet. Zero to Three is a nationally known nonprofit that provides knowledge and know-how to nurture early development for parents, professionals, and policymakers. Their mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. I haven’t received the newsletter yet but I did look into their podcasts and watch one of the videos. They were talking about the emotional life of young children and how hard it is for parents to understand that children have a lot of emotions. They talked about how parents know that children have hungry cries and tired cries but they also talked about how babies experience sadness and anger. My job is to train childcare providers on teaching children social emotional skills and also understanding when a child expressing their feelings. I really enjoyed reading this because it just let me know that my job is needed in the world. We have to teach children social emotional skills just like we would teach everything else to them.

I also found on their page Journals from 2001-2012 and I will be reading some of them for future assignments and also to better my understanding of the issues that they tackle.

Here is also a link to their podcast with videos that I will be watching throughout this course to learn more about this organization: http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/funded-projects/parenting-resources/podcast/

My Supports

The first person I choose was my mom, Rose, because she is my ultimate support through EVERYTHING throughout my life. I know that she is one person that i can call on at anytime and she alwasy seems to have the right answer. She encourages me when I want to quit. I definetely do not think that i would be as far as i am in my education if it wasnt for her support.

The next person is my fiance Marcus. He has also been a daily support when I have long and hard days at work. He also gives me that extra push need when im uncertain about if I can accomplish things.

I guess my other daily supports would be my co-workers and my team at work. We have each others back and when someone needs help i know that i can go to them for guidance. My other support is my phone because without it I would be lost. I use my phone for notes, emails, and reminders all day, so yep its a daily support.

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The challenge that I chose, was one  `that I would like to face sometime in the future and that would be: Having A Baby! I know that throughout a pregancy I will need support in so many different ways. I would first need my fiance to help me to get pregnant lol. Then I would need a doctor for monthly visits and to ensure that everything goes well for me to deliever a healthy baby. I would also need my mom there to help with with whatever I might need and to keep the baby so I can get some sleep sometimes HA HA. I commend single parents that have raised baies on thier own because without a support system, im sure I could do it but it would be much harder.

My Connections to Play

Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.

Fred Rogers
American television personality
1928–2003

Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.

Kay Redfield Jamison
Contemporary American professor of psychiatry

Play energizes us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities.

Stuart Brown, MD
Contemporary American psychiatrist

In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.  ~Friedrich Nietzsche

You're never too old to do goofy stuff.  ~From the television show Leave it to Beaver, spoken by the character Ward Cleaver

 

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/playing.html#DzVqyhYVeolbMAk4.99

 

Toys from the 80’s

  

 

 

 

 

These are all toys that I had and loved as a child. I still have some of these toys in my moms storage.

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I played a lot as a child with my cousins because my sister is almost 7 years younger than me. We played outside a lot as children. Making up games, playing hide and go seek, running races, skating and just any kind of sport you can think of. We played outside after school, once we finished our homework or course. We started going to summer camps at about 12 because we wanted to go on field trips. In our family there was a time for work and a time for play and we got plenty of both. My mom and grandmother made sure that we lived a great childhood full of play and fun. I enjoyed my childhood and I am still a child at heart. I think that all adults should have fun in their lives. We can get so caught up in working and responsibilities that we forget to have fun. Sometimes I have to take a break in my hectic life and go be a kid again and have fun. Like one on the quotes I picked says. “We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” You have to make time for fun no matter hectic life gets. I think play is being robbed from children today because parents have so many other things that they put ahead of their children’s happiness. We have to let children be children.

 

 

 

 

 

Relationship Reflection

 

This is a picture of my mom, Rose, my little sister, Tyria and me with wax figures of President Obama and First Lady Michelle in Washington, DC. As you can see the relationship I have with my mom and sister is very fun and exciting. My mother has always been there for me and my sister. First as a mom and then as a friend. I know that because of the relationship I have with my mother that I am who I am today. She is such an encouraging person and loves me no matter how many mistakes I have made. I'm also there for her when she needs encouragement and strength. My sister is such a smart girl and I try to encourage her so that she will be all that I know she can be.

This is a picture of my father, Vaughn, and my little brother, Vaughn III. My relationship with my father was not always good but what's important is that it is now. Not all relationships start out good but that doesn't mean that they cannot get better. My little brother is such fun to be around. I was my dad's only child until four years ago but I am so glad to have this little guy in my life now. He is more like a son to me than a little brother and I have him over my house and buy him things all the time. 

Relationships are so important. Children and adults need nurturing relationships in order to grow and prosper. Nurturing and dependable relationships are the foundation of forming a bond with people. Don take relationships for granted because you might not get a second chance to make a lasting impression.

Childhood Quotes & Note of Thanks

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I would like to thank everyone that commented on my blogs and discussions. I really enjoyed reading posts from everyone in the class. Seeing how even though we are doing the same assignments, we do them in different ways, is exciting to me. I also learned that there are people who are just as concerned about the well-being of our youth as I am, from my classmates and from the professionals in our videos. We have all shared wisdom and personal aspects of our lives through our blogs and I will always feel a connection to you guys because of this class and the things I have learned. I also thank Dr. Terry Davis for answering questions and concerns in a timely manner, because I have taken online classes were the teacher are not as supportive. Thanks for you all for the support!!! I hope to see some of you in future classes!!!

School-Age Assessment

I believe that everything about a child should be measured, physical, mental, cognitive, etc. Yes of course all children are different but there has to be a standard level that can be used for measuring. There is a program called Ages and Stages tells parents and caregivers where a child should be in relation to their age. Now this is not to say that if your child is not doing everything that is at the level displayed that they are delayed but it does give a guide for things that you should look for children to be doing around that time. Ages and Stages is a guide for what is developmentally appropriate for children from birth through adulthood. It talks about things such as when children, should start holding their head up then to when they should be walking and other developmental aspects. Ages and Stages measures the physical, social and cognitive skills of children and gives a baseline for where children should be developing. Like I said before do not think that just because your child is not writing as well as others in kindergarten that something is wrong but if the child is approaching the end of kindergarten and not progressing, then help is needed. We have to have some sort of guide for figuring out what developmental area that a child is exceeding or lacking in and use that for benefit.

This is the link for Ages & Stages: http://www.healthychildren.org/english/ages-stages/Pages/default.aspx

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I looked for assessment of children in Africa and I couldn’t find anything close to ages and stages but I did find that they assessed children’s participation in a family setting.

Here is the link and summary I found from Save the Children website:

An assessment of child participation in the family in South Africa

This publication (65 pages) intends to explore child participation, specifically in the family setting in South Africa and compare levels of participation in different cultural and religious contexts. It shares details on the methodology and findings from a systematic, informative assessment of children’s participation in the family. Save the Children Sweden commissioned an assessment in order to explore the wide range of cultural and religious practices that may impact on levels of participation in families in South Africa, to identify factors that hinder or enhance children’s participation. Possible links between the level of child participation in the family and the disciplinary practices used in the home were also explored during the assessment which was undertaken by the Community Agency for Social Enquiry (C A S E). The assessment includes a literature review, a site based survey in 6 geographic sites (involving 1200 interviews with children of different age groups and adults) and focus groups with children and adults in 2 out of the 6 geographic sites. Key findings from the literature review are shared in this report and include: reflection on children’s constitutional rights in South Africa, as well as consequences of State signatories to the UNCRC and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child; lessons learnt from similar research on children’s participation in families in the South and Central Asia region; and research into corporal punishment in South Africa.

http://www.case.org.za

Stress on a Child's Development: Violence

I picked violence even though I was not exposed to it as a child, as far as I can remember. However I do feel as if it is an important subject. I am a part of an organization called NOVA, which is Network for Overcoming Violence and abuse, so this subject is near and dear to my heart. NOVA is a network of public and private agency partners connecting a community of trained adults to children and youth exposed to violence — for trauma counseling, parenting support and other family assistance (NOVA 2012). I am a part of this organization not just because it is my job but because I care about the welfare of our children and know the damaging effects of what this exposure can do to them. I am a CSEFEL Specialist (center on social emotional foundations of early learning) at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN as a part of their Community Health & Well Being division. My job is to train childcare providers on dealing with and identifying children that have behavior problems or that have been exposed to domestic violence. I train them on teaching children social emotional skills and dealing with children that have behavior problems. I am the support system for teachers so that their teaching can go beyond school work and teach children ways to deal with problems faced in their lives.

The Network for Overcoming Violence and Abuse (NOVA) is a Shelby County system of care being initiated in Memphis neighborhoods in the Raleigh-Frayser and Hickory Hill areas that connects children exposed to violence and abuse - and their families - to counseling and other support services. Too many families in our communities - and far too many children - have experienced the trauma that comes with seeing or experiencing violence of all kinds. The good news is help is available.

NOVA is a response to the problem of trauma that happens after exposure to violence. NOVA offers all the help that children and their families need to put the hurt behind them, to heal, and to live their lives with hope. Real hope.

Get more info at: http://www.shelbycountynova.net/about.htmls

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I found an article on violence in Iraq and its impact on the children that witness it.

Children of war: the generation traumatized by violence in Iraq

Growing up in a war zone takes its toll as young play games of murder and mayhem

Michael Howard in Baghdad

The Guardian, Monday 5 February 2007

 

 

Iraqi boys in a refugee camp in Baghdad play with toy guns. Photograph: Namir Noor-Eldeen/Reuters

The car stopped at the makeshift checkpoint that cut across the muddy backstreet in western Baghdad. A sentry appeared. "Are you Sunni or Shia?" he barked, waving his Kalashnikov at the driver. "Are you with Zarqawi or the Mahdi army?"

"The Mahdi army," the driver said. "Wrong answer," shouted the sentry, almost gleefully. "Get him!"

The high metal gate of a nearby house was flung open and four gun-toting males rushed out. They dragged the driver from his vehicle and held a knife to his neck. Quickly and efficiently, the blade was run from ear to ear. "Now you're dead," said a triumphant voice, and their captive crumpled to the ground.

Then a moment of stillness before the sound of a woman's voice. "Come inside boys! Your dinner is ready!" The gunmen groaned; the hapless driver picked himself up and trundled his yellow plastic car into the front yard; the toy guns and knives were tossed by the back door. Their murderous game of make-believe would have to resume in the morning.

Abdul-Muhammad and his five younger brothers, aged between six and 12, should have been at school. But their mother, Sayeeda, like thousands of parents in Iraq's perilous capital city, now keeps her boys at home. Three weeks ago, armed men had intercepted their teacher's car at the school gates, then hauled him out and slit his throat. Just like in their game.

"That day they came home and they were changed because of the things they'd seen," said Sayeeda as she ladled rice into the boys' bowls. "The youngest two have been wetting their beds and having nightmares, while Abdul-Muhammad has started bullying and ordering everyone to play his fighting games. I know things are not normal with them. My fear is one day they will get hold of real guns. But in these times, where is the help?"

The boys live with their widowed mother and uncle in a modest family house in al-Amil, a once peaceful, religiously mixed suburb in western Baghdad that is yielding to the gunmen, street by street. Similar tales of growing up in the war zone are heard across the country.

Parents, teachers and doctors contacted by the Guardian over the past three months cite a litany of distress signals sent out by young people in their care - from nightmares and bedwetting to withdrawal, muteness, panic attacks and violence towards other children, sometimes even to their own parents.

Amid the statistical haze that enshrouds civilian casualties, no one is sure how many children have been killed or maimed in Iraq. But psychologists and aid organisations warn that while the physical scars of the conflict are all too visible - in hospitals and mortuaries and on television screens - the mental and emotional turmoil experienced by Iraq's young is going largely unmonitored and untreated.

In a rare study published last week, the Association of Iraqi Psychologists (API) said the violence had affected millions of children, raising serious concerns for future generations. It urged the international community to help establish child psychology units and mental health programmes. "Children in Iraq are seriously suffering psychologically with all the insecurity, especially with the fear of kidnapping and explosions," the API's Marwan Abdullah told IRIN, the UN-funded news agency. "In some cases, they're found to be suffering extreme stress," he said.

Sherif Karachatani, a psychology professor at the University of Sulaymaniya, said: "Every day another innocent child is orphaned or sees terrible things children should never see. Who is taking care of the potentially enormous damage being done to a generation of children?"

There are well-founded fears, he said, that the "relentless bloodshed and the lack of professional help will see Iraq's children growing up either deeply scarred or so habituated to violence that they keep the pattern going as they enter adulthood".

The country's overstretched hospitals cannot cope with psychological trauma and many of the best doctors have either fled the country or been killed. The problems are compounded by the stigma that psychological and psychiatric care carries. "They don't bring their children in for treatment, fearing they will be labelled as mad," Dr Karachatani said.

The field is left to small local and foreign NGOs and to hard-pressed Iraqi psychologists, who are not immune to bloodshed. In December, Harith Hassan, one of Iraq's most prominent child psychologists, was shot dead as he drove to work. A regular commentator in the Iraqi media known for his ruthlessly honest comments about the Iraqi mindset, Dr Hassan had worked with victims of trauma. And he had been determined to wean Iraqi youth from their obsession with the gun.

Impact of Domestic Violence on Children

Impact of Domestic Violence on Children

Public Health: SIDS

I picked the topic of SIDS because I had a little cousin whose death was caused by it. I had heard of SIDS before but it wasn’t until this happened that I really looked into it. SIDS is the sudden and unexplained death of an infant who is younger than 1 year old. There are many factors that could possibly contribute to a child dying of SIDS but the real cause is still questionable. There are things that you can do to prevent a baby from succumbing to this horrible disease.

The following have been linked to a baby's increased risk of SIDS:

·         Sleeping on the stomach (Back 2 Sleep)

·         Being around cigarette smoke while in the womb or after being born

·         Sleeping in the same bed as their parents (co-sleeping)

·         Soft bedding in the crib

·         Multiple birth babies (being a twin, triplet, etc.)

·         Premature birth

·         Having a brother or sister who had SIDS

·         Mothers who smoke or use illegal drugs

·         Being born to a teen mother

·         Short time period between pregnancies

·         Late or no prenatal care

·         Living in poverty situations

Most deaths due to SIDS occur between 2 and 4 months of age. African-American infants are twice as likely and Native American infants are about three times more likely to die of SIDS than Caucasian infants. More boys than girls fall victim to SIDS.

International Look at SIDS

I researched the comparison of SIDS in other countries versus the USA and I found that in 2005, the U.S. rate ranked second highest (after New Zealand) among 13 countries in a research study. The lowest SIDS rates among these countries were in the Netherlands and Japan.

International SIDS Rates, Ordered from Lowest to Highest SIDS Rate in 2005

Even though there had been a decline in the rates of infants dying from SIDS, the number is still too high. We as a society must work on so many different factors to help reduce this number significantly. We have to try and decrease teen pregnancy, making sure that mothers are taking care of themselves when pregnant and putting our babies to sleep on their backs. There are many other factors we can work on but it will have to be a worldly effort. Education is the key to success in any situation and we need to get the word out more, so that we can save the lives of our babies.

References:

Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The changing concept of sudden infant death syndrome: diagnostic coding shifts, controversies regarding the sleeping environment, and new variables to consider in reducing risk. Pediatrics. 2005

Committee on Fetus and Newborn. American Academy of Pediatrics. Apnea, sudden infant death syndrome, and home monitoring. Pediatrics. 2003

Childbirth In Your Life and Around the World

My Birthing Experience:

I remember it like it was yesterday even though it was over 4 years ago almost. We were sitting in Popeye’s line getting some food and I heard low crying in the back seat. I turned to see what was wrong and my friend was crying and I forgot to mention that she was 9 months pregnant!! She told me she thought she was in labor, so we finished getting our food and rushed off to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital and they started getting her a room and hooking her up to IV’s and monitors. The next day we woke up to her being in pain and the baby was coming!! I remember being grossed out by the blood and other stuff but I continued to watch. Jahbari was born and I got to cut the umbilical cord because her mom was frozen solid. I don’t think I will ever watch another live birth, even though it wasn’t that bad and it was a great experience. I had watched plenty of birthing shows on TLC but nothing could have prepared me for the real thing. I got to hold him and feed him and even stayed the night with her again. I chose this example because I do not have children of my own and I don’t remember my birth. The only impact I can see that birth has on development is for a premature baby or from maybe the mother having certain conditions such as high blood pressure or maybe some type of disease. These factors can cause a baby to have developmental delays or damage.

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Childbirth Traditions Around the World: China

 by Leah M. Brown

According to Chinese custom, a husband should carry his bride over a pan of burning coals when entering his home for the first time to ensure she will pass through labor successfully.

Once pregnant, a woman guards her thoughts. It is believed everything she does and sees will influence her unborn child. According to old Chinese tradition, what affects a woman's mind will also affect her heart and connect with the baby in utero. A pregnant woman reads good poetry -- she doesn't gossip, laugh loudly, sit on a crooked mat, look at clashing colors, or lose her temper. Many Chinese women will read beautiful stories before drifting off to sleep. And, sex is absolutely forbidden during pregnancy.

There are many ancient taboos regarding the food Chinese women eat during pregnancy. It's believed that if a pregnant woman eats food that's not properly cut or mashed, her child will have a careless disposition. Or if she eats light colored foods, the baby will be fair-skinned. Many also believe that no construction work should be done in the house of pregnant women because hammering and sawing could lead to a miscarriage or fetal deformities. Also, pregnant women should never attend funerals and to scare away evil spirits, Chinese women may sleep with knives under their bed. For the same reason, a piece of paper cut to resemble a pair of scissors is sometimes hung from bed curtains and tiger skins are hung over the bed.

Many believe it is unlucky to throw a baby shower for an unborn baby. In China, the parties come after the little one arrives. The expectant mother's own mother buys the child's entire layette. A month before the baby is due; the maternal grandmother sends a package of clothing for her expectant daughter called tsue shen, or hastening the delivery. There is a white cloth inside the package with which to wrap the newborn. The maternal grandmother waits three days after the baby arrives before she visits the newborn bringing all her clothes and baby equipment.

Chinese women will often drink a strong herbal potion to ease the strain of labor. Custom dictates that women not fear the laboring process, since birth is considered a women's career to the ancient Chinese. Chinese women traditionally labor in an armchair or futon. Once the baby is born they will often pray to the goddess who helped them conceive with an offering of sweet meats and incense.

Thanks for the Support

I have enjoyed reading the blog posts and discussion responses from everyone. Seeing how even though we are doing the same assignments, we do them in different ways, is exciting to me. I have enjoyed the resources that we have gained not just from the class but from your blog post. I also feel a connection with my classmates because they shared some personal things about their lives with me.  This is my first time having a blog and I have really enjoyed it and enjoyed reading others. I never understood really what a blogs purpose was but now I see that it is a way for people that like the same things that you do, to connect with you. I also love the feedback my classmates give when they read my blog post because it makes me feel like the things I post excite other people. I did not get to read all of the resources that we were given but it is in my plans to print and read them at a later date. I have gained a vast amount of knowledge from the assignments to the resources each week. I also learned that there are people who are just as concerned about the well-being of our youth as I am, from my classmates and from the professionals in our videos. We have all shared wisdom and personal aspects of our lives through our blogs and I will always feel a connection to you guys because of this class and the things I have learned. I also thank Dr. Kein for being there and answering questions and concerns in a timely manner, because I have taken online classes were the teacher are not as supportive. Thanks for you all for the support!!! I hope to see some of you in future classes!!!

Code of Ethics

NAEYC Code of ethics- I-1.1—To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.

This is basically one of my professional goals in a nut shell. As I continue my education I feel as though I am making myself an even greater asset to the early childhood field. I am constantly looking for more opportunities for growth and not by just going to graduate school but also going to trainings that my job provides and reading any material that pertains to early childhood. My long term goal is to open a childcare center that will provide quality education to children and that is why I am getting as much knowledge as I can before I take that step. I feel that the more knowledge I have the greater need there is for me to be involved in the field of early childhood.

DEC- Code of Ethics- Professional Collaboration

1. We shall honor and respect our responsibilities to colleagues while upholding the dignity and autonomy of colleagues and maintaining collegial interprofessional and intraprofessional relationships.

2. We shall honor and respect the rights, knowledge, and skills of the multidisciplinary colleagues with whom we work recognizing their unique contributions to children, families, and the field of early childhood special education.

3. We shall honor and respect the diverse backgrounds of our colleagues including such diverse characteristics as sexual orientation, race, national origin, religious beliefs, or other affiliations.

4. We shall identify and disclose to the appropriate persons using proper communication channels errors or acts of incompetence that compromise children’s and families’ safety and well being when individual attempts to address concerns are unsuccessful.

I teach my providers that building a relationship with the children as well as co-workers is the foundation of becoming a successful professional in the early childhood field. If you and your co-workers or the people you collaborate with cannot have a respectful professional relationship then you cannot move as a team in the direction needed for growth in the early childhood field. We need collaborations in the early childhood field to make the goals we have a success. The saying “It takes a village to raise a child” is true and we have to be respectful in order to be a team. Even if you have ill feelings towards a person, you still have to show them respect professionally. All people should be treated equally and respect should not be based on race, education level, sex, or etc.

NAEYC- Code of Ethics- I-1.3—To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.

It is very important that each child is treated fair. Even though we teach children as a class, it is important that we remember the individuality of each child and give them special attention when needed. We cannot assume that every child should be learning on the same level just because they are all in the same classroom. We have to make sure that each child gets what they need individually, so that they all can flourish and grow into their own individual person. Children come from some many different backgrounds but none of that should matter when it comes to thier education.

Course Resources (Add'l)

·       ''Why Can't They Just Behave?'' And Other Silly Questions Parents Ask

By Laurie Prusso

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=497

  

·       Approaches to Managing Children's Behavior

By Sandra Crosser, Ph.D.

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=508

·       http://www.timewithkids.com/child-development-articles

·       Is My Baby Developing Normally? Advice for New Parents

By Geri Fox, M.D

http://www.childdevelopmentmedia.com/is-my-baby-developing-normally-advice-for-new-parents/

·       Brain Development in the Toddler (Ages One to Three)

By Richard Brodie

http://www.childdevelopmentmedia.com/brain-development-in-the-toddler.html

Course Resources

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://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.
  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://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.

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/
• 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/

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