Consequences of learning about international early childhood.....

There are few consequences that arise from gaining more knowledge accept for the realization that you are only one person in a huge world of needs, the realization that you can not save every child, and the fact that there is always more to know. To me these are the consequences for learning about international early childhood education and development, as well as learning about how great the need is for change and understanding when it comes to children and how they should be treated and educated. When you learn about how great the need is it is easy to get frustrated when you realize that there are so many needs, and you as one person could in no way ever meet all of the needs of all of the people. It is upsetting when you realize that you can not be everything to all of the children that have needs. It is also overwhelming when you see and learn all kinds of new information, but to continue learning all of the many things there are to know would be impossible because there is so much information to learn and read through.

Even through these consequences and as overwhelming as they can be it only leads me to wanting to be as much as I can and positively impact as many lives as I possibly can. I has set my goals high, and I know I will someday accomplish them one step at a time. I want to be a voice for the children in my community and possibly become a voice for the children in my county, state, and maybe even in my country someday. I will do this. I will help to form policies that are conducive to the needs of children, and not harmful to them. I will find a way for the children and families who need it to obtain quality care for their children at a price that they can afford. They will be able to work, and not have to worry about where their kids are or what they are doing. This is something that I will do. Although there are many state and federally funded programs they do not help all who need it. The main problem that I see is that only the people who fit the proper standards and work hours. The parents who work nights, or weekends, and possibly holidays, do not have any options for care. This will change in my community, I will see to it.

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization website has a wealth of information available to the public. The Motto of the UNESCO is Building Peace in the Minds of Men and Women. Education is very important to this organization and they have at least one person focused on education at each of their 52 sites. UNESCO is a worldwide organization and have sites in several different countries. Aside from education they also focus a great deal on diversity, and equity. These are two things that although often talked about few actually act upon. UNESCO is making a difference in the lives of many.

This website had a great deal of information on many different topics and several different resources that can be of assistance to families, and professionals. The website also highlights many of the things that the organization does in the different countries, this ranges from teaching about the holocaust to providing and teaching many women how to use a cell phone.

This is a website worth reviewing and taking the time to view the many different resources that it provides. I have not had time to review all of the different areas of the website but will be looking at it one area at a time.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/

Sharing Web Resources...Looking Deeper at Zero To Three

After taking a closer look at the Zero to Three website I discovered a great deal of information on challenging behaviors. This is something that I am very interested in as I have a child with challenging behaviors, as well as many that i work with on a daily basis. I found this information under the behavior and development tab. Once that tab was opened it listed several different links that would give specific information on different types of behaviors and development. I chose the challenging behaviors link.

This opened up a page that gave some helpful information on what challenging behaviors are and gave a list of the most common behaviors that are categorized as challenging. They were aggression, defiance, inconsolable crying, children who are slow-to-warm-up, and sleep challenges. It also stated that no two children are alike and the same strategies are not always successful. At the bottom of this page there were links to a question and answer page as well as to a challenging behavior tips and tools page.

The question and answer link goes to a page that lists several questions that parents and caregivers have asked concerning behaviors that they have experienced. It also gives professional answers and insights into the behaviors that the caregivers are experiencing. Reading through these questions and answers i find the information to be very helpful, positive, and informative.

The Challenging Behaviors Tips and Tools link leads to a page that lists many different behaviors with links that can be opened. This page contains information on biting, sleep challenges, aggressive behaviors, colic, self control, and defiance. Many of the links include printable handouts.

Every time i research this website I find more and more useful information. I found many resources that i will print out and share with many of the families I work with. I also found some information that i will use for myself as well.

International Child Development

I was unable to establish an international contact for Child Development, so I have researched the Global Children's Initiative website. I have found many interesting things on this website about child development in many other places around the world. The Global Children's Initiative is committed to global work, and they strive to find the needs of the children and create ways to meet the needs. They have created many different programs throughout the world. They have several different links and resources available on their website that can be informational to all people who have a desire to help others, to learn about others, or research different ideas.

The Global Children's Initiative is launching a program in Brazil to create stronger policies for the children and families in Brazil, as well as to educate the people of Brazil on the importance of understanding Child Development. The Global Children's Initiative will be working with other local agencies to achieve their goals. Some of the things they will be doing is "building a scientific agenda and community of scholars around early childhood development, synthesizing and translating scientific knowledge for application to social policy. This will include working with the center's longtime partner organization, frameworks institute, to effectively communicate the science of child development in the Brazilian cultural context. Strengthening leadership around early childhood development through an executive leadership course for policy makers. Translating and adapting the Center's existing print and multimedia resources for a Brazilian audience" (retrieved from the Global Children's Initiative Website).

Zero to Three....

I was very excited to see that the zero to three website has recently updated their series of podcasts. I did have an opportunity this week to review some of them and they are very interesting to listen to and would be very informative for parents. This is a series that i would like to share with the families that i work with. I have not found any controversial information. All of the information that i find is relative to the young children and their families, and is mostly researched based.

An area of the Zero to Three website that i would like to bring attention to is the Public Policy tab. This is a resource area for government officials and anyone who has any part in creating public policies for young children. This area gives a great deal of research based information to better inform policy decision makers to better make decisions for our children. This area is simple to use and straight to the point. It lists what the goals are of the Zero to Three organization and gives a great deal of resources for people to go to in order to find our research based information about infants and toddlers. I think that more of our politicians and public officials and public policy makers need to know about these resources that are available to them.

I am constantly referring to this website in my day to day life, and i think that there is something different that catches my eye each time. There is a lot of information and many resources available through this one website and i am familiarizing myself with it more and more each day.

How does poverty affect the children of the world?

I have learned through this weeks assigned readings, as well as from researching a variety of different websites, and from reading disscussion posts from other students the many different ways that poverty can affect children here in the United States, as well as the ways that poverty affects children in other areas of the world. For children here in the United States poverty can affect test scores, how far children remain in their educational institution, how many children will attend college, behavior, illness, attentivenes, as far as many other things. There are also many programs in the United States that try to combat poverty as well as try to positively impact the possible affects of the poverty. Some of these programs are WIC, Healthy Families, Medical, Cash Assistance, free lunch, and many others that i do not know about.

I found a great deal of interesting research on the Chilhood Poverty Research and Polity Centre website located at http://www.childhoodpovery.org/. This website gives information about how many children are in poverty in several different countries as well as information about birth and death rates, official statistics, and possible reasons for the poverty. I learned that China has the greatest population, and that they have done many things that have reduced poverty in the past. The website also states that although poverty has not gone up, the reduction rate has slowed over the past 10 to 20 years due to some of the things they were doing to reduce poverty have been done less and less. I also learned that India is doing great things in order to reduce poverty, but they are still struggaling with getting thousands of children into basic primary schooling. India also struggles a great deal with illness and disease such as HIV/AIDS which adds to the poverty level. I also read about Mongolia, and how a large part of the population lives in poverty and that it is very difficult for the poor population to recieve proper medical attention and many times proper nutrition.

It is very sad learning about how many people live in poverty and how many different types of poverty that there are. I unfortunately am considered as living in poverty because the amount of my income is not enough to care for my children since my husband was laid off his job 2 years ago. Unlike many people who live in poverty in other countries my family and I still have a roof over our head, we can get free or low cost medical care, and my children get the proper nutrition that they need. It is also sad that i am considered poverty level when i have a BS degree, work 40 or more hours per week, and am able to provide for my kids as well as i do. I will not go into the problems with our economy. I just wanted to give a little peek into what poverty in the Unted States can look like. I know that when we look at poverty in other states atleast i picture the very small frail children that we see on telivision, or families that live in fort like dwellings made of grass and mud. It is very sad to know how little some children have, and how much some of them overcome in order to provide for their families.

A Closer Look at Zero To Three:

For this assignment I have subscribed to the Zero To Three website at http://www.zerotothree.org/. Of the many different online resources i have used in the past, or currently use this is my favorite. There is always a large amount of current information but it is also regularly updated. The main thing that i like about this resource is that there is information for parents and families as well as early childhood professionals. This website is also well organized and easy to navigate to the topics that you wish to read or hear about.

The main topic that cought my eye as i was researching this site for this assignment was the wealth of information provided for difficult behavior issues. Alot of parents that struggle with difficult behavior will often wonder how to handle the behavior as well as if their child is the only one that acts up. I am also the mother of a child with difficult behavior and it is often very embarasing when i find myself in public situations with a child that is acting out. This information was very helpful to me.

Because there is so much information available through this website i have yet to view it all. I will be listing to several of the webcasts that are posted and know that each will offer information that is valuable and current.

My Supports

The definition of support that i am choosing to use is from thefreedictionary.com. It states that support means to hold in position so as to keep from falling, sinking, or slipping. I have many supports that assist me daily throughout all of the things i do. 


The first type of support is mainly for emotional and social support. I receive most of my support from my husband, but also receive support from my children and other close family members. I also have friends that support me when i need it. They support me by helping me complete my daily tasks, by being there for me emotionally when i am struggling, and by listening when i need to talk. 


The next type of support that i receive is from the electronics that i use to complete my many activities. I use my phone to keep in contact with the people that support me. I also use my phone as an alarm clock so that i am on time to the many commitments that i have. I use my computer to complete my education, get my homework done, and keep in contact with loved ones. I also use it as a source of information for the things that i need to find out.


Another type of support that i receive is by the appliances that i use. My stove helps me to cook so that i can provide food for myself as well as my husband and children. My washing machine helps me to wash clothes in a timely manor so that i may have more time to spend with my husband and children. I also use my vehicle to transport me to places quickly so that i may accomplish the many things that are on my to do list.


These are definitely not all of my supports, but the ones that quickly come to mind. I am used to having things that support me in my life and daily activities. Without these things i would have to learn to do things differently and my life would be drastically different than it is currently. I would be lost without my cell phone as i am sure many of us would also be. I use it to keep in touch with people, but also to schedule activities, and wake me up in the morning. I know there would be ways of going through life without of these things, but i like to have all of the things that support me.

My Connections to Play

Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.

Joseph Chilton Pearce

Contemporary American scholar

Do not…keep children to their studies by compulsion but by play.

Plato

Greek philosopher

427–347 BC

When children pretend, they’re using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of reality. A stick can be a magic wand. A sock can be a puppet. A small child can be a superhero.

Fred Rogers

American children’s television host

1928–2003

My Cabbage Patch Dolls, or my moms pots and pans were my favorite toys to play with along with my imagination.

When I was younger my mother supported my play by allowing me to play with household items, and by never hindering my imagination. There were times that i remember her having tea parties with me and my dolls, or helping me make a fort in the living room with sheets and blankets. She allowed me to explore with not only toys, but all of the things that i chose to play with. 

Play today is in some ways the same, but in many ways different than the play that i engaged in when i was younger. I remember playing outside in my front yard, or around the neighborhood for hours at a time. That is something that is not done as liberally as it used to be, mainly for safety reasons. There are also many manufactured toys that it seem every child feels that they need to have. When I was younger i did not have many manufactured toys. When i did i treasured it. I don't feel that children take care of their toys are treasure the things that they are given.

I feel that play has always been an important part of my life, and because of that i feel that i must teach others about the importance of play. There are so many ways to encourage learning, and to engage children by offering activities that they enjoy. Play is something that should be encouraged, not hindered, and all children should be given the opportunity to play.

Relationship Reflection:

Relationships are very important to me, as they should be to everyone. There of course are different types of relationships that i have formed throughout my lifetime. I have some close family relationships, relationships with friends that are closer than some family, everyday relationships with friends, acquaintances, relationships with my coworkers, relationships with the families of children i care for or children i have cared for in the past, relationships with each of my children, a relationship with my husband, and a relationship with God. All of these are important to me, but all are different. My most valuable relationship would be the relationship i have with God. My most valuable relationship with another person would be the one between my husband and i. He completes me and makes me whole. He is my rock and the love of my life. I enjoy the relationships that i have with each of my children, and i am thankful for the ones that i have with family and friends.

Each relationship that i have has had up's and downs, but they have become stronger because of these experiences. The relationship that i have with my husband is a positive one, im not saying that it has always been easy, but the trials that we have gone through has made us closer. Some things that contribute to our relationship would be good communication, compromise, and trying to look at things from the others point of view. Understanding myself and my feelings helps me to try and understand his feelings. The same is true with my relationship with my children. They are all very different and enjoy different things. I do my best to let each of them know that i am here for them no matter what, i will love them no matter what the situation, and even though i dont like it when they do things i don't approve of i encourage them to be open and honest and we will work through every situation. Communication is very important when building any relationship.

There have been times that i have tried to build or keep ongoing relationships with people when it just doesnt work out. There are several reasons for this to happen, and even though it was hard at the time i have learned from my experiences. Relationships take time, and as we grow and our lives change sometimes we dont have the time to devote to relationships that we once had. When this happens we will begin to not have as close of a relationship with the person that we once had. There can also be an event that happens that causes disagreements, and sometimes they can be worked out, but sometimes they can not. Sometimes although both parties try and resolve the issue the relationship will never be the way it was before the incident. I have learned that you need to understand the feelings and beliefs of others and do your best not to be disrespectful of them. You also need to have an honest and open communication in order for the relationship to be long term and positive.

My experiences with relationships will contribute to my work as an early childhood professional. I have had both good and bad experiences and have learned from the mistakes that i have made. I strive to be open with the families that i work with, and through my actions let them know that i sincerely would like to form a relationship with them so that together we can work as a team and act in the best interest of the child/children. I let the parents know that they can tell me anything. I accept input in all aspects of my classroom including room arrangement, lesson plans, activities, goals for their children, and anything else they would like to give me their input about. I let them know that i am here to work with them, and that i will help them with all that i am able to.

Thank You to all of my classmates:

I wanted to say thank you to all of my classmates of EDUC 6160. It has been very inspirational reading many of your blogpost's as well as reading your post's in the discussions. I have learned and grown a great deal during this class, and know that this is only the beginning of this journey that we are all on. Thank you for the many words of encouragement as well as feedback during this class. I hope to have more classes with you all.

Favorite Quote About Children....

"A person's a person, no matter how small"
By Dr. Seuss


This is and has been one of my favorite quotes for a long time. In just a few words so much is said. If you just sit and think about the many different meanings that this quote can have it can be mind boggling. What it makes me think of is that children need to be respected and treated like a person, like they have value no matter how old they are. It means that children should never be treated like property, or treated like they do not have feelings or an opinion, or even like they don't matter. Children should be lifted up and treated like the miracle that they are, and should be given the best opportunities possible, and loved like they should be.

Testing For Intelligence?

Should children be asesed and tested, and if so what should be assesed, tested, and measured? This is a question that i have found to be highly debatable, often with strong emotions attached to it. Here is my point of view:

I think that children should be assessed informally by their caregivers, educators, parents, and physician so that if there are any areas that the child is delayed or any areas that there are suspected disabilities or special needs the child can be formally assessed, and the problem can be focused on early in order to detur any major delay's in the future. I feel that children should be measured according to the averages that all children develop. Even though a child may be on the lower average there may be no special need or delay detected, but with basic informal assessments there would be an idea of possible delay's and the parents and caregivers would know what the child needs to work on.

Violence...

The topic i chose was violence, specifically violence in the home. This is something that i experienced as a young child that i knew was wrong, but did not know how greatly it affected me until later in my life. I was a very quiet, obedient child. I was very shy and had some trouble making friends. My parents divorced when i was extremely young due to abuse in the home, and unfortunately my mother continued to have abusive partners. I always hated my mother's boyfriends, even before things became violent. I never wanted anyone to ever be at the house, and didn't really realize why. This included anybody, male or female, and i didn't even want other children at my house. I really didn't want to interact with children at school either. This is how it affected me. I swore that when i became an adult i would never be with a man who was abusive. Unfortunately my first husband was abusive. I put up with it for a while. I hid it from others for as long as i could. I tried to tell myself he didn't mean it, and all the things you always hear people say. Then i looked at how my children were becoming. I thought they didn't know, but by the things they were acting out i realized they did know. As soon as my eyes were opened to the reality i was living i quickly left my husband and have moved on with my life. My children have unfortunately been affected, however it is no where near as severely as it could have been if i would have continued to stay in the abusive situation. There are many places that feel a husband has the right to keep his wife in line, and treat her whatever way that he sees fit. I thank God that i live in a place that offers a great deal of resources to the abused as long as they choose to seek the resources and get out of a bad situation. There are many people that will continue to endure the abuse because they feel they have no choice, there are some that will lose their life to their abusers, and children that see the abuse and are helpless to their situation. It is a sad circle, and i hope that others will realize that there is a way out.

Breastfeeding....

Breastfeeding is something that is very important to me, and i have strong feelings when it comes to mothers nursing their children. Although there are alternatives to breastfeeding, nursing is important to children in more than just nutritional ways. A bond is created between a mother and child when the child is nursed. Children that are nursed are always held when they are fed and this reduces the possibility of choking or other things that can happen when young children are left alone with a bottle. And Nursing is much more healthy for the young child with all of the benefits that breastfeeding offers.

In other countries, even third world countries breastfeeding infants is much more common than it is here in the United States. There are several reasons for this. Some reasons for this are that it has always been common practice and it is more widely accepted, in poor countries there are no available alternatives to nursing your own children, and when children are breastfed there is less chance of infection and disease.

I will use the information i have learned in order to encourage other mothers to breastfeed their young children, and give them the necessary information to know the benefits of breastfeeding. I will also let them know that there is a great deal of help offered to assist mothers with breastfeeding. While i was nursing my children i was given some information that caused me to not continue nursing my children that i later found out that was not correct. I would have liked to continue nursing my children and am sorry that i listened to the sources that i did. 

Some sources that were helpful while doing my research for this blog are:

http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1405

http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/

http://www.llli.org/

http://www.breastfeeding.com/

http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=4&tax_level=2&tax_subject=257&topic_id=1357

http://www.007b.com/public-breastfeeding-world.php

http://www.breastfeed.com/nursing-mothers-life/nursing-facts

A Personal Birth Experience....

I have given birth to 4 children, and have had a different experience with each one of them. Not all of them were good experiences, and i would have to say that each one was an adventure. For this assignment i think i will tell you about my last child, and how he arrived to this world.

With this child i had gone through labor 3 times before, and knew pretty much what was going to happen. I felt contractions start coming on early in the day and knew i would be having him sometime that day. I had plans to go to lunch with a family friend who had already drove 2 hours to come to my house. I didnt want to cancel the plans that we had. I called my mom, also 2 hours away, and told her that i would need her to come out because she was the one that was going to help with my other children while i was in the hospital. I got everything ready to go to lunch with the family friend, and we went out. The contractions were still very mild, but i let him know that if they began to get stronger or more regular i would have to hurry up and go. All of my labor's have been very short, this is the only one that i felt coming on so mildly. Lunch was a little uncomfortable, but not too bad. On the way back to my house the contractions began getting stronger. We arrived to my house, and my mom was already there, looking a little frazzled, but doing ok. I told our family friend goodbye, and told my mom that we would have to go soon. I called my husband at work and told him that he needed to come home as well. My husband was not yet home when i decided we needed to go ahead and head to the hospital. My step dad watched the kids so we could go. My mom became very worried that she would not be able to find the hospital, or drive me on base (it was a navy hospital) so i had to drive. It is very uncomfortable to drive when you are having contractions by the way. We got there and went in. They began monitoring me right away, and called my midwife to let her know i was there. The contractions quickly got stronger (more like what i am used to) and my husband arrived shortly after. I was given my own room and admitted. The baby was ready to come. While they were monitoring me the midwife got very worried, the baby was not doing well. His heart rate dropped every time i had a contraction. They put a monitor into the skin on his head (yes, while he was still inside) and several people were watching the monitor outside of my room. All of a sudden they all rushed in and said they had to take him out now. One of the nursed got on each side, another prepared the area for the baby, and a third physically pulled him out while i pushed the best i could. The cord was wrapped around his neck, under his arm, then around his chest. This is what was causing his heart to stop. After he was out he was doing very well. We did not have any extended stays at the hospital, and he is now a strong and playful four year old boy.

I chose to use this example because it was my last birth, and while they were all pretty dramatic, this one is one of the better experiences that i've had.

Recalling this time in my life and comparing it to infant development helps to point out that everything a child experiences in his or her life affects them in some way. As a parent i cant help but wonder if the time that he was in distress has affected him in some way. Would he have been different if his delivery went smoother, if he wasn't losing oxygen to his brain when his heart stopped those few times? I also have to wonder what could have happened if i wasn't at the hospital yet. What would have happened then? They are so many things that can affect children both positively and negatively. Everything that they experience affects them in some way.

Code of Ethic's that are meaningful to me...

These are three of the code of ethic's either stated by NAEYC or the DEC. Although all of the ethic's standards stated are very important, these are the ones that are most meaningful to me.

1.) To recognize and respect the unique qualities, 

abilities, and potential of each child.

This is important to me because all children are different, and they all come from unique families and have dealt with unique situations. It is extremely important that we see the uniqueness in each child.

2.) To work with families to provide a safe and 

smooth transition as children and families move from 

one program to the next. 

Many times we focus on what we do with the child and their family while they are in our care. We must also think about the child and the family once they are no longer in our care, and help them to move on to what is next for them in their life. This is important to me because it is often overlooked, and is something that i think many people need to improve on.

2.) We shall build relationships with individual children and families while individualizing the curricula 

and learning environments to facilitate young children’s development and learning.

This is similar to my #1, but adds individualizing the curriculum to meet the needs of each and every single child. It is very important to realize the needs and goals of each child as an individual, as well as the group when planning the environments as well as the activities that will be available.

Book's that have been Great Resources to me...

 - The New Strong Willed Child, by Dr. James Dobson

 - Raising Boys, by Steve Biddulph

 - The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun

 - I have a New Family Now:Understanding Blended Families

Quotes by Janet Gonzales-Mena and Stanley Greenspan

"Part of being who you are has to do with feeling your feelings, which means you'll have a wide range of emotions--not just constant sunshiny happiness."
Janet Gonzalez-Mena


"The moment I decided to follow instead of lead, I discovered the joys of becoming part of a small child's world."  
Janet Gonzalez-Mena

“We really need to change that historic dichotomy of cognition on the one hand, emotions on the other hand, and realize that our emotions are the fuel that gives rise to social behavior but also to different levels of intelligence,”

Stanley Greenspan

“If you do a little bit of looking at books with your children and inspire them to be curious about the pictures and ... what the word means, but don't get into very structured systematic teaching at too early an age, ... and you also interact emotionally and have fun with pretend play ... then you have the best of both worlds.”

Stanley Greenspan

Quotes (From video segment)

"There's more to life than just what's in their neighborhood" By Raymond Hernandez in regards to parents realizing their potential.

"My passion comes from wanting to make a difference" By Raymond Hernandez.

"I'm not here to save the world, I'm here just to make a difference in the community where I'm working" By Raymond Hernandez.

"You care about them enough to help them transition to what's next, and what's best" By Renatta Cooper.

"It opens up the world to you" By Renatta Cooper

"Were not there yet" By Renatta Cooper.

"Families need support" By Leticia Lara.

A Child That Has Touched My Life......

I work in a state funded program and because of this i work with low income children and their families, as well as many foster children. I have had many experiences that make what i do on a daily basis very fulfilling, but there is one particular child that has truly touched my life.


This child began in my class shortly after he turned 2 years old. He was in his third foster home and his current foster parents did not know how long he would be with them. When he started he was very quiet, didn't interact with the other children, didn't speak much, and didn't want myself or the other teachers to hold or touch him. It took a great deal of encouragement to get him to play with the toys/materials, and to come to the table for meals or any other activities. We worked with this child daily on his social skills, his verbal abilities, and just getting him comfortable around us. He slowly began to open up, and every now and then we would catch him playing and laughing with the other children. Now this little boy comes in with a smile on his face, hug's the teachers, plays with the other children as well as the toys. He participates fully in small and large group activities and has a large vocabulary. The way he has grown, and the child he has become has really opened my eyes to how important the little things we do as caregivers really is. 

My All Time Favorite Children's Book.....

 I have always enjoyed books by Dr. Seuss, but Green Eggs and Ham has always been my favorite. I enjoy the rhyming words, the persistance, then at the end the willingness to try something new and actually LIKING it. The illustrations in this book are well done, and there are many activities that can be done along with this book to encourage literacy and a love for books.