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.