Saturday, November 27, 2010

Stress and Child development

Poverty

I had a very close friend who grew up in poverty. She came from a family of 12 where she was the youngest. She never received new clothes or anything new. Everything she owned was handed down from one of her siblings or someone else. As for food, her family always had bread and rice and they were never allowed to have seconds. My friend would always spend the night at my house whenever possible. When we would eat dinner, she always over ate and ate quickly. Sometimes I would catch her just staring out in space. I remember when we were in middle school, my friend's grades were very poor. Also, she was dating a grown married man who was always buying her things. When I think back, I now realize that it was child abuse, but I’m sure as a young neglected teenager she did not look at it that ways because for the first time in her life someone was paying attention doing things for her.

I believe poverty, neglect, and chaos pushed my friend toward a early path of destruction filled with sex, alcohol and drugs, and prison and as a result of this she never developed properly cognitively or emotionally/socially.  


The region that I chose was Africa. Africa has some of the poorest countries in the world. As a result, famines and diseases are killing many of the children and families. Part of the reason for poverty in Africa is due to poor land,  a poor supply of natural resources, and an inadequate government.

  

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Child Development and Public Health

Malnutrition is the topic that I chose to research. Malnutrition is when a person does not consume enough food or enough of the right foods in order for the body to receive an adequate of amount of nutrients. Some of the causes of malnutrition consist of poverty and uneducated parents and some of the symptoms are respiratory problems, depression, immune problems, fatigue, irritability, and many more.
As an educator, nutrition and malnutrition is very important to me because I know that in order for students to develop properly and be successful in class, they need to have a balance diet and some of them are not receiving a well balanced diet. Additionally, many of these children do not consume fruit or vegetables unless they are at school. They are consuming too many sweets and processed foods. They are also drinking too many soft drinks and not enough water. As a result, students are not getting the nutrients that they need to grow and develop adequately. Furthermore, school-aged children are unable to think quickly or critically, pay attention, or concentrate in class.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, over 4 million children die annually and over half of the deaths are due to malnutrition. Malnutrition is not only a major issue for Africa, but for many third world countries and it does not have to be. Some of the causes of malnutrition come from poverty and a lack of some of the basic necessities. Malnutrition can be resolved if countries, families, and communities would work together.
All of the information that I learned was very informative. This information will be valuable to me when I open my own childcare facility. I will be more conscious of the types of foods that I will offer the children that are in my care. Lastly, I plan to educate my children's parents on benefits of a good nutriental diet in addition to the negative effects of a poor diet.


Saturday, November 6, 2010

Childbirth in My Life and in Africa

I chose to write about my own birthing experience because it was a very a unique experience.
When I gave birth to my 18 year old daughter, it was a very traumatic experience for me. My pregnancy was a difficult one because I was sick the entire time. I was diagnosed with something call hyperemesis which caused me to vomit daily to point of dehydration. Therefore, I spent a great deal of time in and out of the hospital and emergency room. Then, about 8 months into my pregnancy I was admitted into the hospital while attending one of my weekly check-ups. It was determined that I had developed a condition called toxemia which caused my head to hurt, my feet to swell, and my blood pressure to rise at an alarming rate. So shortly after being admitted to the hospital, I was told that I would be having an emergency C-section the next morning. As a result, my daughter was delivered at 32 weeks. She weighed 3 lbs. and 1 oz and had to stay in the hospital for 8 weeks. Leaving my baby in the hospital was one of the hardest things that I ever had to do. However, some nights I would spend the night and when I could not spend the night her father or someone else in my family would. Every morning and for every feedings her father and I would be there to feed and talk to her so that she could hear our voices and bond with us. The day she came home was the happiest day of our lives. My daughter is currently very healthy and has never had any medical problems other than her premature birth. My story is proof that premature babies can grow to be healthy and normal and have a successful life when put in a stable, loving, and supportive environment. My daughter has been successful at everything she set out to do because she has always had a lot of family support. For example, she walked and talked early, was singing songs by memory by age two, won a couple of beauty pageants at age three, and reading at age four. I can go on and on with her accomplishments to date, but I will stop here. I just wanted to reiterate that premature children can be successful depending on the severity of their condition at birth, their environment, and their support system.
 
On the other hand, in some parts of Africa, premature babies are not so successful. Many of them are born to parents who live in unhealthy and unstable conditions. Furthermore, many of them are not even born in a hospital or healthcare setting. According to the World Health Organization, 17.5 percent of births are premature with a low survival rate due to the lack of effective care (U.S. Global Health Policy, 2010). I consider myself very fortunate to have had my child in a country and hospital that has some of the best doctors who provide good, quality care. If it weren’t for the high tech equipment, machines, and doctors I know my child would not have survived. My daughter’s weight dropped to 2lbs before she eventually went up to 4lbs. Therefore, I know without have effective care she would not have survived.


 

http://globalhealth.kff.org/Daily-Reports/2010/January/05/GH-010510-Preterm-Births.aspx

Saturday, October 30, 2010

The End of One Class and 9 More to Go!!

One class down and nine more to go!! It is hard to believe that the end is near for one class of the EC Masters program. It has been a long 8 weeks, and I am happy to have made it to the end. I want to thank all of my classmates who have shared this journey with me and wish you all much success in the next class. See you there!!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Examining the Codes of Ethics

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

I – 1.3 is important to me because I realized that all students do not learn at the same pace and that every student is going to enter a school or facility at different levels and with different strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, professionals must respect a child’s individual qualities and abilities and then build and strengthen them in order to help the child reach his or her fullest potential. 

I-1.5To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and development and that respect their dignity and their contributions.

I-1.5 is also very important to me because in order for children to learn they have to feel a sense of safety and security within a school or facility. Also, it is the provider’s responsibility to ensure the safety of the children that they serve. There have been numerous reports regarding people leaving children in a daycare vans or neglecting and abusing children in a facility. This type of behavior is inappropriate, and it makes the public and parents uncomfortable with sending their children to daycares. Therefore, as professionals, it is our job to make the public and parents feel confident and comfortable with leaving the children at our daycare facilities. 

I-2.3To welcome all family members and encourage them to participate in the program.

Finally, I-2.3 is important to me because I am aware of the fact that children who have parents and family involved in the educational experience are usually successful in school. Therefore, my facility will have an open door policy, and I am going to welcome all families with open arms. Also, it will be mandatory for my parents to volunteer a minimum amount of hours, each month, in order for their children to be in my program.  

Enhancement of Children’s and Families’ Quality of Lives

4. We shall advocate for equal access to high quality services and supports for all children and
families to enhance their quality of lives.

Ensuring that all children have equal access to a high quality education and services is another priority for me because many times the poor students receive poor quality programs and in order to close the achievement gap all students need to have access to a quality education.


Evidence Based Practices
1. We shall rely upon evidence based research and interventions to inform our practice with children
and families in our care.

Finally, it is my belief that all facilities should be required to use research based teaching strategies and interventions in order ensure that students are getting a quality education. Many schools are still using old and out-dated practices and as a result, children are not learning and developing at their fullest potential. 


References


The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved October 23, fromhttp://www.dec-sped.org/








DEC Code of Ethics

Professional and Interpersonal Behavior

5. We shall use individually appropriate assessment strategies including multiple sources of
information such as observations, interviews with significant caregivers, formal and informal
assessments to determine children’s learning styles, strengths, and challenges.

Using appropriate and a variety of assessments is very important. Teacher's must assess a student's prior knowledge before delivering instruction in order to determine what they already know  in order to build upon their previous and current knowledge. In addition, it is also important to determine a child's learning style in order to deliver instruction with the strategies that they will need or methods that best suit the child.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Early Childhood Resources

National Center for Children in Poverty
http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_882.htmlThis is one is my favorite resources because it provides a wealth of information about early     childhood development and the overall development of all children in poverty. The website allows you to choose your state and then research your state's profile for demographics and family economical security.  You could also view projects and news articles (current and old) in early childhood.
            

Early Childhood
http://www.earlychildhood.org/This website is a good resource for early childhood professionals who are looking to learn more about the field. There's information about different careers, early childhood program rating systems, programs standard and competencies, and community resources for young children and their families. 


The Learning Tree and Great Kids by Stanley Greenspan
http://stanleygreenspan.com/
Both of these books provide effective information, tools, and strategies for asssisting you children with developmental problems or disabilities, and assuring that children have the qualities and skills needed for successful development.  


Other Resources

Position Statements and Influential Practices
Global Support for Children’s Rights and Well-Being
Selected Early Childhood Organizations
Professional Journals
  • YC Young Children
  • Childhood
  • Journal of Child & Family Studies
  • Child Study Journal
  • Multicultural Education
  • Early Childhood Education Journal
  • Journal of Early Childhood Research
  • International Journal of Early Childhood
  • Early Childhood Research Quarterly
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Social Studies
  • Maternal & Child Health Journal
  • International Journal of Early Years Education

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Words of Inspiration and Motivation from the People on the Video

“Passion comes from wanting to make a difference.”

Raymond Hernandez, MS Ed.


“It’s important to make a contribution in the world and to fix all of the injustices in the world through teaching.”

“Teachers should have the passion to make sure that all children are taught in environments and in ways that truly nurture their ability to grow and develop to their fullest ability.”

Louise Derman-Sparks