"Thanks for Your Support"

From the first Foundation class and to this communication course, I have learned so much from each of my colleagues. I just want to say Thank you all for your support, encouragement, written high fives, and the network system that we have formed to help us become better early childhood professions. Good luck to all as you start your specializations.

Adjourning and Team Development

Adjourning and Team Development

This week’s information on the five stages of team development and group communication has provided deeper insight for the teams that are brought together in the early childhood field. A team is formed between parents, teachers, specialty staff and administration to ensure that each child is getting the best care in the child development center. Last week I had to say goodbye to three of my infant families because they were moving up in the program. My co-teacher and I spent a year working with each of these families to prepare their infant for the Pre-Todd class. For a year we shared in their joys, worries, leaned on each other for support and as their child grew and achieved their development milestones we grew as a team. I consider the team that is formed between parents, students and teachers are a high-performing group. This group is the hardest to leave because of the time, effort, and memories that are made from giving your all to make it a high performing group.

How do you imagine that you will adjourn from the group of colleagues you have formed while working on your master’s degree in this program?

If anyone was to ask me what has been the most important thing that you have learned from earning your MA at Walden, I would say it is the value of networking with people in the same professional field. The early childhood field has many issues that only professionals in the same field can understand. I look forward to attending the graduation and meeting some of my fellow colleagues that have encouraged, supported, and motivated me during the program. The best way that I will adjourn from the group of colleagues that I have formed will to send a letter of thanks in their email, or on the blog and attempt to stay in contact through social media and emails.

Why is adjourning an essential stage of teamwork?

Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it is gives the team members a time to celebrate their achievement and success and also reflect on ways to improve the outcome of project in the future. I personally believe the adjourning phase of team development gives the members of the group a chance to reflect on the events of the project and grow professional and personally from it.

Conflict Resolution

I am currently having a conflict with one of my co-workers. It is so little I almost feel embarrassed to say how ever it is something that can continue to have a negative impact on the work environment. I have two badges and from   I let my co-worker use my badge from time to time to get her car into the parking lot. On this day I had left my badge at home and when she came into the classroom   I told her that I had left my badge at home and needed to use my old badge to get home. She caught an attitude when I asked her for my badge. She explained that I should have called her and told her to bring it to me and that she was angry that she had to walk and get it because she had left it in the car. At first I ignored her and figured she would leave it alone. An hour later she returned to my classroom with my badge and once again expressed her anger of the inconvenience. We have not spoken to each other since. In order to solve this conflict I need to be compassionate and use the 3R's. Sometime this week I will sit down and express my apologies for not calling her about my badge but I will give her an opportunity to let me know how she feels and I will do the same. This conflict is so small and out of respect for her and my job it is best if I am the bigger person and squash this petty beef.

The advice my co-teacher has given me about conflict resolution skills to not hold negative feelings, issues, and concerns in. It is best to acknowledge your issue and confront it in a positive and reasonable way then to ignore it and let something small grow into something big.

Similarities and Differences on Communication Evaluations

I asked my co-teacher and husband to evaluate me on my communication skills concerning verbal aggressiveness, comunication anxiety and listening skills. While both my hushband and co-teacher gave me similar scores and great feedback on my  the level of communication anxiety and my listening skills, there was a huge difference in their evaluation with my verbal aggressiveness. My co-teacher felt like I was on the low end of the spectum while my husband felt like I was on the high end of verbal agressiveness. I was able to understand the computer score of my verbal aggressiveness after reflecting on the comments of my husband and co-teacher. In the professional envrionment I am more consisous and considerate  of other people's feelings and view points while in my personal life I tend to be more agressive with trying to get my point across. This was defineltly a news flash for me. The information from this assignment has shown me that I am a great listerner, have low to mild communication anxiety and situational verbal aggressiveness. I look forward to working on my verbal aggressiveness and making sure that it doe not damage the quality of my communication skills. 

Cultural, Diversity and Communication

I learned at a young age, how to adapt my communication styles and dialect according to the culture that I interact with from receiving educational training in a majority white school but being raised in an African American neighborhood.   As an adult I am able to use this skill to communicate effectively with  the dominant as well as minority cultures in this country.  When I am around the dominant culture, especially in the professional environment I listen attentively, take my time and think about everything that I say, and do my best to use an intensive but proper vocabulary to prove my intelligence and competence in the early education field. When I am around my own culture, I believe I communicate more with my hands, talk faster and use more slang.  I tend to gauge weather my communication response is going to be formal or informal by the vibe of the person  and the environment of where communication is taking place. Regardless of what culture I communicate with I try my best to be pleasant by smiling, being respectful, and being a good listener.

Communication Styles

The show I decided to use for this assignment was "The Modern Family"! I thought it was interesting that I gained more insight about the show from the non-verbal gestures and cues than when I decided to watch the show with the sound. From the non-verbal gestures I could tell there was three families, one with which include  a gay male couple on the show and I could determine the relationship title of the main characters such as mother, father, husband, wife, sister, and brother. I was intrigued to find that the man that played Al Bundie in , "Married with Children" was a main character in the Modern Family sitcom. With out the sound I assumed that his character was similar to the role that he played in Married with Children. With the sound I found out that I was someone what correct. Jay Pritchett is the name of his character in the Modern Family and he portrays a husband that is married to a younger woman with which they are expecting their first child together.

What I found interesting about observing the show with sound and with out sound is that I gained more information about the show without the sound than with the sound. I randomly picked an episode from season five and what I found was that I was confused about the pilot and extra characters of the show once I heard the characters speak. I am a committed Scandal fan and since I have been watching this show from day one I believe I could watch the show with out sound and still know what is going on. Observing the random episode of Modern Family has peeked my interest and if I have the extra time I believe it may be a show I decide to catch up on.

 It was amazing to learn firsthand how much non-verbal gestures influence how we interpret each other' communication signals. From this assignment I have learned how important it is to make sure that my non-verbal communication cues match my verbal. It can be a big mess in a person's professional and persona life if the verbal and nonverbal communication gestures are misleading!

Communication Role Model

Ms. Cathy Remes, my infant director is my communication role model. She had great listening and verbal skills. She does a great job at letting each of the teachers and staff in the center know what they need to do to provide the best care for the families that we interact with. The most significant communication skill that I believe Cathy Remes has is that she is easy to talk to and is a great conflict mediator. Mondays are a great transition time for parents, children and teachers at the center. Many of these people flood Ms. Remes office with issues and problems that need to be fixed. People may enter Cathy's office feeling upset, disappointed, or discouraged, but when they leave they are smiles and have solutions for their problems. I look up to Ms. Remes and hope when I have my own business to run I can handle it with just as taste and poise as she does.

Professional Hopes and Goals

Professional Hopes and Goals

My Hope…
One hope that I have in regards to working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds in the early childhood setting is to keep an open mind. I hope to grow from each family and continue to build a holistic appreciation from the information that I learn from each of them. I truly believe if early childhood professional show families that they are valued with their diversity than there is hope for future improvement of social justice and equity for all humanity.

My Goal….
A goal that I have for the early childhood field is to see more consistent formal training and education for all staff in how to positively interact with families of diversity. As diversity changes it is vital that all early childhood professional receive the tools they need to accommodate the families of diversity. New staff needs the training so they can have the confidence and skills to handle diversity effectively while current and experienced staff needs the training so they can stay up-to date with the new issues and trends that come with diversity. I would like to see mandatory training sessions giving to all early childhood staff at least twice a year.

“Note of Thanks”
I would like to take the time to thank each of my colleagues in this Perspective and Diversity class. I have learned so much from the touching personal stories that have been shared from both the Discussion and Blogs. I feel like I have grown not only as a teacher or student but overall as a person. It was nice to be able to relate to the different scenarios of oppression and sexism and realize how many different people use their personal struggles as motivation to make the world a better place. I also got a chance to see how genuine some people of the dominant culture can be in regards to helping to improve social justice and equity in diversity. Having the opportunity to grow, learn and network with each one of my colleagues has been a blessing. At times the colleagues in this class were my inspiration, motivation, and encouragement to continue to be the best teacher I can be. I thank everyone for their support and I wish everyone good luck on your future endeavors in school, life and in the early childhood education field.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

The country I have chosen for my family to have migrated from is Russia. There are several different things that I would do to make myself more culturally responsive to my family. One of the first things that I will do is to reflect, acknowledge, and let go of any biases or stereotypes that I may have about the Russia Family. The next thing I will do is to get background information on Russia’s culture, language, and proper Russian etiquette. Adding specific items such as Lacquer boxes, ballet costumes, Matrioska dolls and or photos of these items in various centers will begin my process of adding Russia’s culture to the classroom. This will be an on-going process and I hope to include the new family on this endeavor. I will ask my director about the primary and secondary language that the family uses. If the family is not fluent in English than I will see what I can do about a translator. Weather the family is fluent in English or not I will make it my business to learn greeting and other simple phrases of communication in Russian or whatever language they use other than English. The last thing that I will do is to set up a meeting where I can meet the family before the child formally begins daycare and make them fill welcome by letting them know that we are glad to have them in the center, answer any questions that they may have, get to know their expectations,show them that their culture is respected and we look forward to getting to working as a team to make sure that their child has the best early education experience .


Weather a family is from Russia, China, or right here in the United States it is our responsibility as early childhood professionals to make sure that they feel respected, valued, and comfortable in their new environment. Just for the little bit of information that I researched for this assignment I found out how amazing and rich Russia’s culture is. I look forward to sharing this information with everyone. I think it will be exciting to plan activities supporting some of Russia’s holidays such Christmas which is celebrated on January 7 ,International Women’s Day and Cosmaunant Day which celebrates Russia’s immense contribution to space. I hope the time and effort that I spent adding Russia’s culture to the classroom will make the family feel welcome but also show other families, and the children in the class that we can all learn special things from one another. The translator if needed will decreases communication issues between the family and myself which will enhance our partnership. While I believe bringing the Russia culture into the classroom and the translator is important, the meeting with the family prior to the child starting daycare is also vital. This meeting is the best way to make sure that the family and I , the teacher get off on a good start. I hope from the meeting the family will learn that I am sincere about making sure that their child gets the best early childhood education which includes their Russian heritage. The meeting will help me to prepare for a great year of learning about a different family and culture and will also help me to become more comfortable with welcoming families from around the world altogether.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.

I did not realize until taking this class how many different times in my life I have experiences bias, prejudice, and oppression because of my race, gender, and social class. I believe one the most profound incidents of bias, prejudice, and oppression that has taken place in my life were when my grandmother was force to retire. After over 30 years of work my grandmother was told that there was going to be a massive layoff in her department and it would be in her best interest to retire. She initial thought her boss was looking out for her best interest until she learned after a luncheon with former co-workers that the department did not experience any layoffs and two new, younger employees were hired to do her position as a case manager in the hospital.

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

This incident was a clear demonstration of Ageism. It was more profitable for the company to let my grandmother retire and hire younger, less experience people to do her job than to keep her there. I would think that a company would value the dedication and hard work that comes from an employee that has been working for the company for over 30 years. My grandmother’s right to work in a career that she loved was diminished by the lies of her boss.


What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

As a teenager I was confused, upset, and angry by this incident. My grandmother raised me to believe that as long as you work hard, you will be valued and always have a job. I was upset and angry because I remember the long hours my grandmother worked the extra effort she put to make sure that everything was done to perfection and her flexibility with the many changes in the hospital. It was a slap in the face in my opinion the way they got rid of her.

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

If a person is capable of meeting each of the job requirements and qualifications, I do not believe they should be asked to set down from their position because they are over 60. These people can be great mentors to the new employees and in many companies tend to be the glue that keeps everything together. The company’s greed and lack of respect and value for the elderly would have to change to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

About a month ago, I went to an early childhood development workshop with some of my co-workers. I arrived at the workshop early, placed my belongings on the desk and went to the restroom. When I returned to the class room to get in my seat, I saw that my belongings had been moved to the end of the row and Sarah, a Caucasian co-worker was sitting in my seat. I said, “Hey what happened? Why do you move my stuff? She grins and said, “Oh I didn’t think that you were coming back any time soon, you know yah are always late? I simply smiled said thanks for saving a seat and decided it would be best to address the issue after the workshop.

I feel the microagression was of the racial context. Sarah was applying the stereotype that African Americans are always late and felt it was ok to move my things. I felt disrespected when my things were moved and offended that she felt like it was ok to make that comment to me. I also questioned my sensitivity to the situation. I did not know whether I was over thinking the situation or if I truly should have been offended. I felt better after I spoke with Sarah and explained my feelings. Punctuality is not a cultural trait and I work really hard to try to be on time for events.

My observation experiences this week has made me more sensitive the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes on people. It has also let me know that even as a minority we are all guilty of slight microagression weather it’s for ableism, religionisms, racism, or classism. As a child my grandmother use to tell me that stick and stones will break your bones but words will never hurt you. I now realize that is not true. Verbal microagression cause just as much harm if not more harm to a person’s self-esteem, pride, and confidence. The goal that I have for my self is if in doubt to ask questions instead of making assumptions about people.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

It was nice to see my colleague’s definition of cultural and diversity aligns with the information that I have learned from this course. Ms. Cathy - culture is a way or belief in which one is raised, while diversity is a blended group of people& with different perspectives, beliefs, and culture values. Mr. Eric believes culture is a form of tradition and values that people hold in high regard. Diversity is a wide range of culture, ethnicities, religion, personalities, and other things that makes each person and or people unique. Ms. Suzanna feels that culture is a person's music, art, dance, their language, ethical background, customs, religion, language, and history of where they come from and where they live now. She also feels that diversity covers the melting pot of people which includes a variety of backgrounds, education, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and race.

Each of my colleagues from work said that culture had something to do with beliefs, traditions, and customs of people. I was pleased to hear different aspects of diversity to include parenting styles, ethnic groups, sexual orientation and ethnic groups.

Some of the main aspects of cultural and diversity that was omitted was the political, economic status, class, and gender components. I believe these components may have been brought up among friends and family but co-workers may not feel comfortable discussing their political or economic status in reference to its influence on cultural and diversity.

Thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity has influenced my own thinking about these topics because it shows the importance of broadening everyone’s view on culture and diversity. It seems like everyone is familiar with surface culture but the true power struggle and issues that are associated with culture and diversity comes from deep issues like gender, sexual orientation, political association and parenting styles. I learned so much from talking to my colleagues and it was also enlightening to get a different perspective than my own.

My Family Culture

The three items I would choose during such an catastrophic event would be the family bible which has been passed on for six generations before I received it, the most recent group people of my family, and the crusade blanket that my mother made when I was a child.

The best way to explain to others what each item means to me is to tell of their value and significance. The family bible is important because not only is it a trace of my family history but doing the desperate times that would be present doing a major disaster, the scripture provides hope, strength, wisdom, and courage for my family and others to lean on. The most recent picture of my family is significant because it serves as a visual representation of my family culture and a memory of when all of the family was in their own culture and together. The crusade blanket is more of a childhood family memento but will begin a family tradition. This item is value because I can teach each of the members to crusade to add a piece to the blanket and to continue to pass it on to the future generations. This blanket will represent our culture in the United States, the culture in the new country and a reminder of the family to make it during difficult times when the family returns to America.

I would be devastated if upon arrival I was told that I could only keep one personal item and had to give up the other too. Trying to make a decision on which items to let go would be difficult but I believe the item I would keep would be the family bible because of the inspiration that it provides and the strong sense of family history and culture that it provides.

This exercise made me think about what is really important in my life and family. I realized just how much I rely on faith to keep me going during life's challenges. I also realized how much of my family history is preserve during mementos and photos which ensures the continuity of my culture.

When I think of Research ….

One of the main insights that I have gained from taking this course is the different types of research designs that can be used to collect, process, and analyze research data. I was amazed to learn that the quantitative and qualitative research approach can be compared to gender roles. The Quantitative research process is thought to be more of a masculine approach because it deals with control, experiments, and numeric expressions. The Qualitative approach is thought to be a more feminine approach because the typical data collection process consists of survives interviews, and observations which give broader perspectives of research. Consider that men tend to like to be in control and women tend to like detail and different approaches I believe there is some truth in the gender roles of the quantitative and qualitative research approach.

When I first begin this class I thought of the nature of research as a difficult and daunting task. I now understand that research is not necessary difficult if each step of the research process is completed thoroughly. Research consists of a chronological process where each step builds upon one another. I currently see research as a process take takes time and a lot of work but not hard work. This class has taught me how to work smarter not harder with completing the research process.

I have learned several lessons with planning, designing, and conducting research in the early childhood field. When planning research in the ECF it is imperative that informed consent is provided by each of the parties that are involved with the research. This goes all the way down to asking children that are a part of experiments, interviews, and surveys if they want to participate in the research study. Taking children out of their natural environment can have negative effects on the research data and results. I learned that observing children in their natural school or home environment provides a way for the researcher to get more realistic results and minimize the emotional and mental risk of the children in the research study. One of the most important lessons that I learned about conducting research is the value of setting aside personal biases, and serotypes to make research valid and fair.

One of the challenges I encountered in the beginning of the research process was getting current research on infants and empathy. Most of the research I found was in the 80’s and late 90’s. After talking to other early childhood professionals I was referred to other sources about infancy empathy that was more current. The next challenge that I ran into was being able to observe the infants when they were active so I could observe the empathy behavior through their social interactions. This challenge was handled by being able to move to another infant classroom when the other infants in one classroom were sleeping. Fortunately for me I didn’t run into a time when all of the infants in each of the four classrooms were sleeping.

As a result of this course I realized that early childhood professionals have a critical toile in the research process. Most early childhood professionals observe daily patterns of the behavior and development of children. This information can be used to help researchers develop positive ways to improve early childhood education.

Research Around the World

Research that Benefits Children and Families

" Research on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome " 

 

As an early childhood professional I learn on a daily basis how research impacts children and families in a positive way.  Placing an infant on its back to rest was one of the first safety techniques that I learned as an infant teacher.  This simple technique has helped saved thousands of infants from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, (SIDS). SIDS is defined as the sudden death of infant between the ages of birth to 12 months. In the case of SIDS many infants die while sleeping because of unsafe sleeping environments.  The Back to sleep public health campaign has taught families all around the country and world safe techniques to use when putting a baby to sleep. Placing an infant on the back with a firm mattress, and removing blankets and soft toys from the crib are a few of the strategies that researchers have suggested to prevent SIDS. Since the campaign began in the late 90’s the SIDS rate has fallen nearly 50%.  

While the spread of safe sleeping conditions initial reduced the rate of SIDS, the rate has begun to plateau. Researchers are currently working to figure out how to continue to decrease the SIDS rate.  New information has put African American, Native American, and premature infants at particular high risk for falling victim to SIDS.  The information that researchers have done has saved many lives but their work is far from over.  I look forward to learning new insights from the researcher’s information safe that will continue to benefit children and families. 

Rental, Margaret (2014). SIDS and Babies. Retrieved from

http://www.parenting.com/article/sids-and-babies



 

My Personal Research Journey

The subtopic I've chosen for the focus of my research simulations is, "How daily exposure and interaction with infants and their peers enhance social development  during infancy".  This subtopic was chosen for several reasons.   Out of each of the three subtopics I found the  most information on this  social development and infant interaction. It also intrigued me to be able to build upon Vygotsky’s theory on the importance of social interaction and how children learn from their environment. While the internet and other forms of technology has advanced society in several ways, I also feel that it isolates people and decreases the use of positive social skills. Socialization teaches and I believe emergent social skills begin during infancy.

I hope to find  social patterns during my observation that proves the interaction between infants and their peers gives infants a chance to learn from on another,  build positive  bonds and social skills.  I'm both  excited and a little nervous about the information that I will learn from this research. The information from the research chart has given more confidence about my ability to complete a quality research paper because it gives step by step instruction on what to do! I'm open to any resources, insights, or questions that you may have that will help me during this research journey!

Final International Blog Assignment

Establishing an international contact broaden my perspective of the issues and trends that are in the early childhood field. Poverty affects the quality of education all around the world. In developing countries such as area in India and Africa the effects of poverty on education are worst. Malnutrition, diseases, and civil conflict make it difficult for children to go to school. Children often have to sacrifice education to work and help provide for their family.

Learning about these issues made me value the human rights that exists in the United States. As an African American woman I’m more grateful to live in a country where I have a chance to gain from all the as much educational knowledge as I like. As an early childhood professional I’m motivated to enlighten others about foreign issues in an effort to help others gain a better appreciation of rights, education and the quality of life that exists in this country.

It was interesting to see the different standards and value that other countries place on education. Countries such as Japan, China, and even Canada have a more unified and higher standard for education. As a result it’s harder to become a teacher but the benefits and salary are worth the work. This realization has given me a better understanding on why the education system in the United States has fallen in quality and also ideals of hope for reform and improvement in our schools from Pre-K- 12. I look forward to gaining ideals and experiences from other countries that have a strong education system. I will use this information to enhance the quality in my classroom and other centers.

Out of all the information that I learned I was most impacted by the dedication of the different humanitarian groups in other countries. Groups such as UNICEF, or the United Nations Children’s Fund provide resources to help different countries with food, immunizations, shelters, and education. Their advocacy has inspired me to learn more about what I can do to make a difference not only in the United States but in other countries as well.

One of my grandmother’s quotes to me as a child was, “Get outside of your 9 dots”! As a child I didn’t know what that meant, but as an adult I interpret that quote to mean, move outside of your comfort zone of thinking, working, and helping others. Establishing an international contact has allowed me to get outside of my 9 dots and realize the wisdom that can learned from different countries.

Getting to Know International Contacts

CENTRAL African Republican Conflict Podcast, By Suzanna Beukes

The political crisis in Central African Republic has escalated to a complex humanitarian emergency.  Millions of people have fled their home due to the brutal violence of the terrorists groups.  UNICEF’s Humanitarian campaign has raised nearly 2.2 billion dollars. This money will be used to provide food, shelter, and medicine for the refugee families and children. Without this help it’s estimated that over 75,000 children will suffer from sever malnutrition.  Even with the money, access to the remote country of Bouar proves to be a challenge for humanitarian groups such as UNICEF.  UNICEF has partnered with other humanitarian groups to get the resources to the families and children that need it.

Insights from the UNESCO website

From 2/17/14- 2/20/14 UNESCO hosted a mobile learning in service for teachers in Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Senegal. This in service provided teachers with different strategies on how to use mobile technical devices such as telephones to enhance classroom instruction. The benefits, challenges, access, and questions of online security of mobile devices were also discussed in the workshop. As technology continues to increase in our society my professional goal is to learn how to use different gadgets such as I-pads, tablets, and even cell phones to provide additional learning opportunities for the children in my class.

2-20-14 was “World Day of Social Justice”! Part of UNESCO’s vision includes the universal recognition of human rights to help build a better world. Massive global poverty, wide spread social inequalities, and severe environment destruction are just a few of the social ills that plague our world. UNESCO is doing its parts to promote social justice by setting up global partnerships that are based on rights, democratic negotiation, and the delivery of global public goods. I truly believe everyone is entitled to a quality education. My professional goal towards social justice is to learn more about different cultures and resources so I can be more responsive to the families of different nationalities.

UNESCO was created in 1945 and since then has worked to show that education plays a critical role in human, social, and economic development. While they have many programs to promote international education the program that was most impressive to me was the “Lifelong Learning Systems”. In this program UNESCO helps countries implement and improve education system ranging from early childhood education to post-secondary education.  As an infant teacher I realize the importance of early childhood education and the systems that follow it. Knowing the importance of each of the educational systems my professional goal consists of receiving the latest training and information so I can provide quality learning opportunities for the children and families in my center and throughout the community.

Sharing Web Resources National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies http://www.naccrra.org/(Newsletter: http://capwiz.com/naccrra/mlm/signup/ )

·         Follow some of the outside links that you have not yet explored. Where do they lead? Some of the outside links of the “Child Aware America” website that I chose to follow was the Crisis and Disaster resource segment. These two links led me to information about resources that can be used to help parents, caregivers, school professional, and referral agencies during traumatic events. I was happy to find many of the informational links were in Spanish and French.  Children, The, Kid power: Helping Children Regain their Emotional Safety After a Tragedy, and Mental Health America: Talking to Kids about School Safety were other links that offered further early child education support.

• If you receive an e-newsletter, follow a link related to one of the issues you have been studying. What new information is available?  One of the issues that I’ve been following is the lack of infant and toddler programs in our country. Over the last three weeks I’ve been following the Office of Administrating for children and Families to see if any changes were in place to improve this issue. I’m excited to report that Tuesday 2/11/14, The Administration for Children and Families has begin its webpage for Early Head Start and Childcare partnerships.  As an infant teacher this is exciting to me because it will expand high quality early learning programs to over 100,000 infants and toddler.

The following items are found on this website

• overview of the Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships Initiative
• Learn more about the President’s Early Learning Initiative
• Learn how to apply for ACF Grants
• Explore resources to develop successful partnerships between Early Head Start (EHS) grantees and family child care
• View a toolkit on blending and braiding early childhood program funding streams

·         The issue this week concerned overcoming barriers such as awareness, accessibility, and responsiveness with in the early childhood field.  The newsletter featured an article that talked running a high quality early childhood center. Some off the key components were encouraging family involvement, maintaining an enriching curriculum, and promoting safety in and outside of the child care facility.  Under the article was links to different ways a teacher can promote each of these standards.

·         Equity and Excellence was reflected in the “Cost of Childcare “segment. An article comparing childcare costs to college tuition was found in the newsletter. Marcikrivean states 12,000 is spent annually on an infant’s childcare expense.  It turns out that the monthly average of childcare for an infant costs more food for a family of 4.   The expensive cost of quality childcare explains why middle income families lose out. They don’t qualify for state and federal funded programs like Head Start but they can’t afford 12-17,000 childcare expense. In many cases families have to decide work or childcare.   Childcare in the United States is by no means equal and many times the level of excellence depends on the how much the families can afford.

·         All parents want to know that their child is safe while they are at work. I ran across an article on the website that explained parent’s frustration on the difficulty of finding quality daycares because of waiting Lists, lack of online information and overloaded inspectors.   When trying to find a quality early child care center it’s recommended that  parents stop by unannounced, for random visits and inspections, volunteer in the day care to get to know the staff and watch them interact with her children and call state of  licensing department to see if there were any complaints lodged against the day care. The unfortunate fact is even with doing all of this, children can still be at risk and many times the parents won’t know until something traumatic happens. This article made me realize the importance of background checks and accountability in early child development centers.

Getting to know International Contact

CENTRAL African Republican Conflict Podcast, By Suzanna Beukes

The political crisis in Central African Republic has escalated to a complex humanitarian emergency.  Millions of people have fled their home due to the brutal violence of the terrorists groups.  UNICEF’s Humanitarian campaign has raised nearly 2.2 billion dollars. This money will be used to provide food, shelter, and medicine for the refugee families and children. Without this help it’s estimated that over 75,000 children will suffer from sever malnutrition.  Even with the money, access to the remote country of Bouar proves to be a challenge for humanitarian groups such as UNICEF.  UNICEF has partnered with other humanitarian groups to get the resources to the families and children that need it.

 

Insights from the UNESCO website

From 2/17/14- 2/20/14 UNESCO hosted a mobile learning in service for teachers in Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Senegal. This in service provided teachers with different strategies on how to use mobile technical devices such as telephones to enhance classroom instruction. The benefits, challenges, access, and questions of online security of mobile devices were also discussed in the workshop. As technology continues to increase in our society my professional goal is to learn how to use different gadgets such as I-pads, tablets, and even cell phones to provide additional learning opportunities for the children in my class.

2-20-14 was “World Day of Social Justice”! Part of UNESCO’s vision includes the universal recognition of human rights to help build a better world. Massive global poverty, wide spread social inequalities, and severe environment destruction are just a few of the social ills that plague our world. UNESCO is doing its parts to promote social justice by setting up global partnerships that are based on rights, democratic negotiation, and the delivery of global public goods. I truly believe everyone is entitled to a quality education. My professional goal towards social justice is to learn more about different cultures and resources so I can be more responsive to the families of different nationalities.

UNESCO was created in 1945 and since then has worked to show that education plays a critical role in human, social, and economic development. While they have many programs to promote international education the program that was most impressive to me was the “Lifelong Learning Systems”. In this program UNESCO helps countries implement and improve education system ranging from early childhood education to post-secondary education.  As an infant teacher I realize the importance of early childhood education and the systems that follow it. Knowing the importance of each of the educational systems my professional goal consists of receiving the latest training and information so I can provide quality learning opportunities for the children and families in my center and throughout the community.

Sharing Web Resources

National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencieshttp://www.naccrra.org/(Newsletter: http://capwiz.com/naccrra/mlm/signup/ )


The Providers section of Childcare Aware of America has information about child care licensing, training, and how to start a child care business, staff it, and maintain a quality childcare facility. I found the Leadership Matters webinar to be helpful in teaching early childhood professionals how to be leaders in their schools and community. 

The Disaster preparedness allowed me to reflect on VCU's current emergency plan. While I feel my center has a plan that promotes safety in the case of an emergency, I do believe there this site provided areas where we can improve on. I look forward to talking with my colleagues and supervisors to see different things we can add to our emergency plan for safety and improvement.   

The Take Action segment gave information of how early child professionals can get involved with local and national leaders and explain the importance of quality child care.  Our observations and opinions are the best information for researchers, economist, politicians, and neuroscientist because we deal with children and education on a daily basis. As the site said, "Every voice counts"! It's truly are job to show people in different professionals the importance of early childhood education.

The Don't cut Child Care and Background Check Campaigns were just a few of the advocacy efforts that were made by Child Care Aware of America. While I'm very aware of the constant battle of  trying to save child care by explaining its value, I was taken by surprise to learn that there is no national safe guard to ensure that care providers don't have a criminal background.  Nearly 11 million children are left in the hands of people who may or may not be criminals. As a parent this frighten me, and I will be joining the 2014 Background Check Campaign.

I found each of the segments of this website to be very enlightening and I look forward to learning more information about the issue and trends of early childhood programs in the near future! 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

Getting to know Your International Contacts

The website that I researched was (http://www.unicef.org/). I received a plethora of information about how the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF partners with different groups to help children and families all around the world. It’s one thing to hear how war, natural disasters, and poverty effects children and another to see it.   From reviewing several articles in the UNICEF, I learned how the conflict in the Central African Republic has left children increasingly vulnerable to recruitment in armed groups and the work that has taken place to help over 500,000 Mongolian children get immunization for measles and rubella, along with the initiative aims to improve nutrition security and fight under nutrition in Asia.The UNICEF website educates viewers on what's going on around thw world and offers an opportunity to help. Knowledge defintly is power and learning about what's going around the world motivates me to do my part globally.  

 I would like to introduce Janine Di Giovanni, who, for the past 30 years, has been reporting about the human cost of conflict. An award-winning author and journalist, and currently Middle East editor for Newsweek magazine, Ms. Di Giovanni has been covering conflicts since the 1980s.

 

 The Podcast #88: 'Beyond School Books' talks about how a recent surge of violence in Jonglei State, South Sudan has caused displacement and interruptions in basic social services, including education. Listening to the podcast gave me a greater appreciation for being a woman in the United States and being able to have the opportunity to get a quality education. Around the world, girls are often denied their right to education – and therefore the opportunity to reach their full potential. The situation for girls’ education is especially dire in countries that are affected by conflict. Giovanni spoke about meeting girls that have the desire to learn because they understand that education will give them the power to escape their circumstances but realize because of their gender they aren’t given the opportunity. I learned that conflict only increases the effects of poverty, gender discrimination, and poor education. 

News Room - Media News Room - Congress to vote on new spending bill Wednesday, increases funding for early childhood education | Our Nations Leading Voice For Child Care

News Room - Media News Room - Congress to vote on new spending bill Wednesday, increases funding for early childhood education | Our Nations Leading Voice For Child Care

Sharing Web Resources

National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencieshttp://www.naccrra.org/(Newsletter: http://capwiz.com/naccrra/mlm/signup/ )

The National Association of Child Care's website is  known as Child Care Aware of America. The main  focus of this website is to ensure that all families have access to quality and affordable childcare. This objective is achieved by providing training, resources and best practices to Child care Resources and Referral agencies along with offering childcare and parenting information and resources to families.  The organization's influence in promoting national policies in the Early Childhood Education field  is what attracted me to the website. I'm amazed each week at the different bills, and legislative laws that are passed in reference to education in the early childhood field. Congress voted on a new spending bill on 1/14/14 for increased funding for early childhood eduction. This information is something I would not have known about if it wasn't for the  Child Care Aware website.     This weeks news letter spoke about setting the stage for the young children in 2014.  Setting the stage for the children in 2014 con sit of improving the quality of childcare, increasing early head start child care partnerships, making preschool available for all and  empowering parents. The information on empowering parents was great food for thought in reference to this weeks topic of  the changing demographics and diversity in families. A proposed plan of increased  maternal, infant and early childhood home visiting programs will help ensure that all children are healthy and prepared for school and life . I look forward to reviewing next week's information to build my knowledge on early childhood resources, and the politics in education.

Establishing Professionals Contacts and Expanding Resources

EDUC 6162-Issues and Trends in the Early Childhood Field

Part I: Establish Professional Contacts:

I made an effort to contact 5 international early childhood professionals.  My original plan was to establish professional contacts in officials in Canada and Mexico. I thought it would be interesting to learn about Canada’s early childhood field because I believe it may be similar to United States’ ECF. I was interested in Mexico because I thought the information would allow me to relate more to the Spanish immigrants and multicultural families. I emailed Yvonne Dionne, the Canadian contact Monday 1/6/14 and haven’t gotten a response. Xinnena Barrientos was contacted also on 1/6/14 and there hasn’t been a response. Dominique Hudicourt a Haiti early childhood professional was contacted on 1/7/14. Red De Educacion was emailed on 1/8/14 and Juan Sanchez was also contacted on 1/8/14. I will continue to check my email to see if they are any responses to my emails in the near future.

Part II: Expanding Resources:

The Early Childhood organization website that I chose to research on was National Association of Childcare Resource and Referral Agencies.  (http://www.naccrra.org/).   I chose it because I believe the information from this website will help me as a teacher and a parent. As a teacher I will be able to provide more resources for the families in my classroom. As a parent I can use the knowledge from this website to help my son be success as he progresses in school. I would like to know more about the politics and reforms associated with the Early Childhood Field. This information will help me provide useful information for members of the community of Richmond!