Sharing Web Resources

The NAEYC website has a link for families. This link gave a wealth of information for families providing article on several different topics such as biting in children, sibling rivalry, and even on coping with tragedy. There is also a place for parents to search for NAEYC accredited programs in the areas and also provided tips for what to search for when looking at child care programs for children of different ages. This website is a great resource to provide for parents. I spent a lot of time reading articles that pertain to me as a parent. 

I signed up for the newsletter, however for some reason I have not received one yet. I read through some of the updates for federal developments. I was very interested in the update on the Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG). The last time there were changes to CCDBG was 1996 (http://www.naeyc.org/policy/federal/3_25_14). This amazed me that in almost 20 years we have not changed the standards or qualifications. The Senate recently passed a reauthorization bill which does have changes to health and safety requirements, eligibility, and training, but this bill does not provide the funding for the program (http://www.naeyc.org/policy/federal/3_25_14). It is important to contact our representatives to inform them of the benefits CCDBG has for our children and why this program needs these updates, but also still needs funding. 

Getting to know your international contacts-Part 2

This week I listened to a podcast by Irma Allen who is the chairperson of Swaziland Environment Authority which is similar to the United State's EPA. She is also a member of World Forum Nature Action Collaborative for Children. Mrs. Allen is very passionate about early child education, especially nature's involvement in classrooms. Nature is very important because in Swaziland there are no classrooms and the lesson plans are very dependent on nature. Mrs. Allen mentioned there is not always water available so when there is water they do water activities. This is extremely different than here in the U.S. because water play is part of every day play. I was extremely moved by a story she shared of a young man who spoke at a retirement party for a teacher. The man said he was an orphan was one of the first children of the her preschool and he learned to appreciate his country and the environment. I feel many of the children in our country are losing the appreciation for nature as more focus turns to technology. I wonder how this will impact the fight for recycling and saving our environment. This podcast made me ask how can children who have never climbed trees understand the need to save them, will children who never fished in creeks feel upset by their pollution, and will children who never play outside see and want to put a stop to littering? Without exposing children to nature and all it has to offer, can our children appreciate the need to protect our environment?

I explored the website http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/. I went to the link for the Mother Child Education Foundation (ACEV) of Turkey. There was an article about a panel held for working on gender equality in Turkey. This is an important issue in many countries and affects the education of girls. I also learned about a study that followed children who had been abducted into armed groups in Sierra Leone. These children were 10-17 years old when they were released and able to return home. This study will help to better understand the impact of toxic stress experienced in childhood later in life. Both of these are issues that most people do not even realize occur in the world and it is easy to live in denial that children face these circumstances every day. We need to do better educating people in the United States and exposing our children to information about other countries so our children today can continue the work of others helping children in other countries.

Sharing Web Resources

I reviewed the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and this week focused on the section Topics. I read the NAEYC's position on Common Core. This is a current issue and is controversial. While currently there are 45 states who have adopted the Common Core standards, there have been a lot of criticisms of these standards. While Common Core standards may not have a direct impact on preschools and children birth through 5, it is still important for early childhood professionals to understand these standards to better help children transition into school. 

This topic is very important for researchers to understand the impact Common Core standards on children and ensure the standards represent and maintain the current research such as understanding the need for child centered curriculum. Politicians have a major impact on states adapting these standards. They must also understand the research and ensure these standards are the best option for our children.

While this week I focused on the topic of Common Core, I also briefly read through some of the other topics on the website. There were so many other topics that I will be reading more thoroughly later. I have found such a great resource on current information through this website. 

Getting to know your international contacts-Part 1

Unfortunately, I have not received any responses to the emails I sent so I went to World Forum Radio and listened to a podcast by Barbara Jones. Barbara founded the Pine Grove School in Maine. She moved to southern California looking for schools that had a more modern philosophy. She saw an ad for a Montessori school and began working there. She received her Montessori certification in England. After seeing a school boarded up she waited for it to be on the market. Once it was available, she bought it and opened her school in 1985. The school follows the Montessori values. This theory was developed by Maria Montessori which believes children learn best in an environment that promotes hands-on learning. 

I was unable to load the website childhoodpoverty.org, but I have learned the extent of poverty. It is important to change our views of poverty and understand that families who may appear middle class can actually be suffering from food instability (Laureate Education, Inc., 2013). The family may be making rent and utilities, but not have enough left for food. Living without food or not getting enough to eat can affect kids in the classroom. We can have the best classroom environment and a child-centered curriculum, but if a child is hungry they will not receive the full benefit. This is important to remember as teachers. 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2013). The Effects of Poverty on the Early Childhood Communit5y[Video]. Retrieved fromhttps://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4745165_1%26url%3D

Sharing Web Resources

I have signed up for a newsletter from National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), however I have not received it yet, so this week I chose to review the organization's policies and focused on NAEYC's A Call for Excellence in Early Childhood Education. This policy outlined the importance of high quality education and described the goals for all early education programs. NAEYC makes it clear that the responsibility for improving early childhood programs does not rest with one group or level of government. In order to provide our children with the education they deserve we must work together to achieve the high quality education and environment to have the best short- and long-term results. 

NAEYC states the principals needed in order to achieve the goals and included was the need for equality for all children regardless of family status, income, disability, gender, national origin, ethnicity, or race (http://www.naeyc.org/policy/excellence). Diversity is also needed to ensure programs respect each family's culture differences and are flexible to the needs of the child and family (http://www.naeyc.org/policy/excellence). 

This supports the importance of educating teachers and administrators on the importance of being respectful to every family's culture and traditions. With the changing demographics in our country, classrooms are going to be diverse. To be able to provide the best for our children, teachers must be prepared. It is the responsibility for every level of government and early childhood professionals to ensure our children have the best chance for success later in life which can be achieved through increasing the quality of our early childhood programs.

NAEYC. (n.d). A call for excellence in early childhood education. Retrieved 
         from http://www.naeyc.org/policy/excellence. 
. 

Getting Ready—Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

I emailed a representative for UNICEF in Brazil, Sarah Klaus with the International Step by Step Association in the Netherlands and Mrs. Eva Hammes-DiBernado with the German National Committee for Early Childhood Education. The email address for Sarah Klaus does not work and I have not heard back from any yet, so I may have to move to the alternate assignment.  I will still try to connect with others because I was very excited about discussing issues and trends in other countries.

I chose to to study the NAEYC because this is an organization that I would like to join. I want to learn more about their mission and involvement in the early childhood field. I did sign up for their newsletter.

I would love to get any tips from those that have been able to connect with professionals in other countries.

My Supports

My support comes from my family especially my husband. He listens when I need to vent and he recognizes the fact that I sometimes need a break from the kids. My siblings are also a major source of support. I am lucky to have a close relationship with my siblings so I frequently call my brothers and sisters for advice and even sometimes just to vent. My daughter is also supportive by helping me remember to slow down and appreciate the little moments. I sometimes get so caught up in daily chores and can get frustrated easily. My daughter teaches me to slow down and enjoy the little moments of reading together and letting her "help" (which really means double the work) with laundry and dishes. I only have these days where she wants to be helpful and always play with mom for so long so I need to appreciate each day. My church family is also a major source of support especially as I prepare for my husband to be gone with training and then deployment. I have so many offers to help if things break and mowing the yard. If I did not have this support system in place I would be more stressed and be struggling to maintain all the responsibilities in my life. 

This summer I will be facing a unique challenge. My husband will be deployed when i give birth to our second child. My daughter will be almost 2 so I will need a lot of help. I will need physical help with baby-sitting and support during labor. My sisters will be in the delivery room with me while my dad watches my daughter. I will need a lot of help around the house because I will not be able to do landscaping outside. Luckily I have several people who have agreed to take care of the mowing the whole time my husband is deployed. I will also need emotional support while caring for a newborn and toddler and also dealing with separation from my husband. During this time my family, friends and church family will be very supportive for help with the children and the house. Without these people I would not be able to keep my household running. Acknowledging the fact that I can not take care of everything and everyone all by myself is important for me to reach out and accept help. Without these supports I do not know if I will be able to get through this deployment with my sanity and house intact.