Time Well Spent

During my time in the Early Childhood Studies program, I have learned so much thanks to my colleagues and instructors.  One of the most important learnings I have taken away from the program is the need to be an advocate for children.  Until I became involved with this program, I did not understand the magnitude of issues and challenges that children are experiencing around the world.  In one class, I remember reading about children from Myanmar who were child soldiers.  Much of the information I learned about the injustices regarding children were absolutely shocking and definitely made me understand the significance of advocating for children’s rights.  Another learning that has stuck with me is the importance of play based curriculum in our children’s classrooms.  I was researching the pre-kindergarten programs in my area during this class and noticed the emphasis on aligning with Common Core, which is nice when the children transition, however Common Core has an emphasis on college and career readiness, and unless learning through play experiences is being incorporated, the curriculum may need another glance.  Finally, I learned the importance of taking time to develop and understand my own personal identity, including biases and stereotypes that I may hold.  I thoroughly enjoyed learning about this topic and how to create a culturally diverse, friendly, and welcoming environment for children and families.

My long term goal would be to travel abroad in an effort to work with foreign communities who are trying to build and establish an educational infrastructure.  There have been so many countries in a state of unrest and outright war that many of the children do not have access to education.  I would love to be a part of rebuilding this and providing these communities with support and hope. 

            I would finally like to express my gratitude to my colleagues and instructor during this course.  I have learned so much from your thoughtful and insightful comments and posts to the discussion board and blogs.  I feel as if there is a wealth of knowledge being shared in every class I have taken and I truly appreciate your sharing that with me.  Best of luck!   

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI)

https://acei.org

ACEI is a charitable organization that acts as an agent of social change, tackling challenging societal issues in an effort to ensure that children around the world are supported, educated, and protected in such a way that they are capable of reaching their full potential (acie.org).  They also advocate for access, equity and quality in educational settings.  

After viewing this website, it did not offer specific job opportunities, but did offer two positions for an internship in the Washington DC office to graduate students.

Position responsibilities include:

·        Conducting online research and gathering data for the development of briefing papers and other resources

·        Attend meetings related to childhood education

Application Requirements:

·        Must be enrolled in a graduate program focusing on global education issues (specifically children’s education)

·        International experience working or living outside of the U.S. is preferable

World Organization for Early Childhood Education

http://www.omep-usnc.org

The World Organization for Early Childhood Education is an international, non-governmental, non-profit organization which includes members from more than 70 countries.  It consists of doctors, teachers, advocates, college students, administrators, and policymakers, to name a few, from around the world, who work to ensure the rights, wellbeing and education of children and their families all over the world (www.omep-usnc.org).

This particular website did not have any job opportunities, but did offer a membership package.  Through the membership package, a member supports OMEP projects, start OMEP groups, and attend international meetings. 

National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators

http://www.naecte.org/

NAECTE has many admirable goals which include:

• Promoting professional growth of the membership
• Advocating for improvements in EC teacher education programs
• Provide a communication network for EC teacher educators
• Assist in the interchange of ideas and information pertaining to research and practice
• Cooperate with other organizations, both nationally and internationally, who are concerned with the study and education of young children

Job opportunities

Preschool Head Teacher - Requirements Include:

• 3 years teaching experience (special needs and preschool age)
• Master’s degree in ECE or related field
• MA prek-2 license and/or EEC Lead Teacher Certification
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Experience with incorporating a variety of models and approaches to curriculum
• Ability to create a culturally diverse and inviting environment for children and families

Resources

The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) (2011). Retrieved from 

https://acei.org. 

National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (2014).  Retrieved from

http://www.naecte.org/

World Organization for Early Childhood Education (2010). Retrieved from

http://www.omep-usnc.org

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

 

National Center for Children in Poverty 

www.nccp.org

 

• I selected this organization because it is dedicated to supporting America’s low-income families and children.  They use research in order to advocate, provide resources, and solutions for some of our country’s neediest families.

 

There were currently no positions opened within the NCCP, however there are opportunities to become advocates for children of poverty through many of the projects the NCCP are working on, such as “Pathways to Early School Success and “Early Childhood QRIS, Quality Improvement Strategies”.

 

High Scope

http://www.highscope.org/

 

• I first learned about High Scope during last week’s application assignment when I was researching poverty, preschool, and the achievement gap.  High Scope was a research based preschool program, which examined the short and long term benefits of early childhood education.  Today, it is an independent, nonprofit research, development, training, and public outreach organization which serves both national and international communities who are dedicated to promoting high-quality early education experiences for young children. 

 

Job Opportunities

• Demonstration Preschool Teacher at High Scope
• Skills needed
• Be familiar with the High Scope approach and other applicable standards
• Supporting and planning daily educational activities
• Taking anecdotal records and notes
• Bachelor’s degree in Child Development with a preschool concentration
• 3–5 years of early childhood teaching and care giving and experience working with families
• Training in the High Scope Preschool Curriculum
• Elementary Research Associate
• Coordinate early elementary-level training, assessment and evaluation projects
• Assist in developing and reviewing elementary level materials, developing, planning, coordinating and implementing elementary assessment trainings and evalulation projects
• Seek funding and write grant proposals and project reports
• Must have strong knowledge of EC development and educational practices, assessment practices, research design, and statistical analysis
• Must be able to handle and direct multiple projects and meet deadlines
• Oral and written communication skills
• Doctorate in ECE or Elementary education
• 3-5 years K experience

 

Catholic Campaign for Human Development

http://www.povertyusa.org/  

• I selected this organization because of its selfless nature to help the less fortunate.  They not only aim to aid low-income families by providing them with knowledge about how to speak and act for themselves, but also provide education and understanding about poverty and the causes to others.  They work to break the cycle of poverty. 

Job Opportunities

• CCHD does not offer job opportunities, but does provide those interested with the chance to volunteer and advocate for those in poverty.  They use donations to provide funds for anti-poverty campaigns.

 

Resources

Catholic Campaign for Human Development

http://www.povertyusa.org/

 

High Scope

http://www.highscope.org/

 

National Center for Children in Poverty 

www.nccp.org.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

I am a resident of Howard County, in the state of Maryland.  I researched organizations and communities of practice that were related to poverty.  Poverty is the issue I am focusing on during this course hence the reason I selected these particular organizations. 

Local Organizations or Communities of Practice

• Howard County Community Action Council
• This organization advocates for the needs of low-income residents of Howard County.
• Howard County Community Action Council has a variety of job opportunities available
• Head Start Director: Responsible for the overall administration of the Head Start Program in Howard County
• Skills and Experience
• Considerable knowledge of family and child development, social services, human services programs
• Considerable knowledge of Federal, State and local laws, regulations and guidelines relating to Head Start
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with parents, co-workers, boards and commissions and other community groups
• Teacher
• Skills and Experience
• Experience working with preschool children in the three to four year old age range
• United Way of Central Maryland in Howard County
• Composed of local volunteers to assist residents of Howard County in need

State Organizations or Communities of Practice

• MD State Dept of Education Division of Early Childhood Development

·        Office of Childcare

o       Responsible for licensing, credentialing and subsidies for low income families

o       EXCELS Branch which provides voluntary quality rating improvement systems for child care centers, homes and public pre-k

·        Early Learning Branch

o       The Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR) assessment which provides data for students entering Kindergarten

o       Maryland's prekindergarten program (Pre-K): a state-funded program for four year-old children who are from families that are economically disadvantaged or homeless.

o       Judy Centers provide education programs and support services for children and families who reside in Title I school districts

·        Collaboration and Program Improvement Branch

o       Works to improve the accessibility, availability and quality of child care programs and services through the use of grants 

o       Houses:

§         Head Start State Collaboration Project

§         Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) Project

§         Contract management of the Maryland Child Care Resource and Referral Network in the Maryland Family Network

§         State ECAC and the RTT-ELC grant – Project 1 Local Early Childhood Advisory Councils (LECAC)

In order to perform in any of these organizations in any capacity, experience with children and working with low income families or families of poverty would be a requirement.  Positive communication skills among colleagues as well as the families and children with whom I would work would also be essential. 

Resources

http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/child_care/

http://www.cac-hc.org/CAC/cac_aboutus.htm

http://www.uwcm.org/main/

Reflecting on Learning

My most passionate hope for my future as an early childhood professional and for the children and families with whom I work would be to provide new perspective, appreciation, and even acceptance for the immense amount of diversity that there is in this world.  I would hope to correct misconceptions and help to create defenders of diversity.

Thank you to both my professor and colleagues during this course.  I have learned so much from other's experiences and am looking forward to implementing many of the ideas and suggestions shared.  Best of luck to my fellow anti-bias educators!

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

When viewing the UNICEF website, I chose to look into the area of East Asia and the Pacific.  I chose this area because it includes the Philippine Islands which not only happens to be the homeland of my grandparents, but also recently suffered the devastating effects of Typhoon Haiyan.

When reviewing the website, two specific regions of the area were front and center.  They include the Philippine islands and the country of Myanmar. 

The Philippine islands were hit by Typhoon Haiyan on November 8, 2013 and are still recovering from the disaster. Some of the challenges that children in this area are facing include large-scale displacement, separation from families, damaged infrastructure (including schools), sickness and disease as well as malnutrition (http://www.unicef.org/).  These experiences will have an enormous impact on children’s emotional wellbeing and development as many of them are not even having their basic needs met.  According to Cooper, Masi and Vick (2009) negative early experiences have a tremendous impact on children’s emotional development and mental health.  Many children are suffering from the emotional and psychological impact of the crisis and psychosocial support services have been provided to them (http://www.unicef.org/).  Many steps are being taken to assist the children and families in the Philippines.  A back to school campaign has over 400,000 students back in a classroom; UNICEF and its partners are immunizing people against diseases and restoring access to clean water and sanitation (http://www.unicef.org/).    

Myanmar is another region in East Asia that is experiencing many hardships.  One of the hardships is extremely poor nutrition.  One of Myanmar’s biggest development challenges is the issue of malnutrition.  One third of all children in Myanmar less than 5 years old are stunted due to malnutrition; stunting is responsible for nearly 15% of child deaths each year in Myanmar. (http://www.unicef.org/).  Malnutrition in this are is due to poor hygiene practices, inadequate food and water supply, lack of basic health services and unsuitable feeding practices for young children (http://www.unicef.org/).  These challenges have a huge impact on children’s well being in this area as many of them are suffering and even dying due to malnutrition.  Due to this challenge, children are not developing and they are experiencing stunting.  Stunting is a form of growth failure and is a direct result of poor feeding practices and food quality and typically occurs before birth (http://www.unicef.org/).  Children who suffer from stunting appear to have typical proportions, but are much shorter than their peers who are well-fed (http://www.unicef.org/). 

            Reading information about the challenges faced by children in other areas of the world is always an eye opener for me.  While there are many challenges faced by children and families in the United States, those faced by children in third world nations such as Myanmar are simply shocking.  One challenge I did not go into detail about is Myanmar’s use of child soldiers.  While the government and other agencies are taking steps to release these children “back into civilian life”, they have still suffered a great deal of emotional and psychological trauma that many adults have a very difficult time coping with.  This has influenced me as an early childcare educator because it demonstrates a huge need for adults to be advocates for children’s rights.  I provides a passion and a need for one to do something, to help support those who do not have a voice.

Resources:

Trustees of Columbia University, The. (2010). National Center Center for Children

Children in PovertyPoverty (NCCP). Retrieved

from: http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_882.html

UNICEF (2011). Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html    

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

Levin and Kilbourne (2009) described the topic of sexualization of early childhood as distressing.  I agree with their description.  After reading some of the scenarios described at the beginning of the introduction, it was certainly worrying, but not surprising.  Both the media and popular culture encourage the sexualization of childhood, which ultimately is detrimental to the development of young children. 

            I have worked with ten year olds for nearly a decade.  The amount of mature content that these children were aware of originally shocked me, but it became the norm because it occurred year after year.  One particular story that stands out in my mind happened about five years ago.  I had a great group of boys in my classroom who absolutely loved to play soccer during recess.  They had great cooperation with one another and were developing their skills.  One day, I noticed that a group of girls were sitting on some recess equipment that the boys used as their goal post.  They would scream and laugh when the boys kicked the ball towards them.  A few days later, talk about “boyfriends” and “girlfriends” came up.   Eventually, the boys completely stopped playing the game that they loved during recess and spent their time with the group of girls, being completely inactive, just standing around.  Word eventually spread to the teachers that two of the students were holding hands and had plans to kiss.  We met together to discuss the issue and decided to tell the children that they weren’t allowed to have boyfriends and girlfriends in 5^th grade.  The boys went back to playing soccer and the girls stopped following them around, but the ten year olds were not children anymore, they were modeling adult behavior, which was completely inappropriate for their age. 

I have the privilege of not only being a teacher, but also a mother to two sweet, wonderful children.  One of which happens to be a seven year old girl.  A couple of years ago, she happened to watch an episode of Hanna Montana and became infatuated with the show and actress/singer.  At first, I didn’t think much of it as there were no curse words and the content wasn’t vulgar.  After watching a few episodes of it, I noticed that it included girls who were mean and catty toward one another as well as glamorized images of a young girl that was dressing like an adult, not to mention singing about issues much too mature for my five year old.  I encouraged my daughter to watch other television programs, which she did, but she still liked Miley Cyrus’ songs.  Miley Cyrus certainly is not someone I would like my child to idolize and I have learned to be more selective with the television shows, movies and artists that I allow her to listen to and watch.

Another issue arose recently about my daughter asking to get her ears pierced.  While I didn’t think it was a big deal, it was a big deal to my husband.  He didn’t feel that she should have to alter her body in the name of beauty.  Since I had my ears pierced as a child, I didn’t share his attitude, but I respected his feelings.  We agreed that when she is old enough to take care of them on her own and if she still wants to do it, we will support her.  Simple things such as make up or piercings didn’t register as issues of sexualization, but that is probably because I have become desensitized due to many years of media and pop culture advertisements.

This is clearly a problem for young children when their sense of self worth depends of society’s view of beauty and manliness.  One way to combat this is through the use of anti-bias education.  One of the values of anti-bias education is the understanding that everyone is unique, special, and beautiful because of their differences.  Being able to accept differences and show tolerance towards those who are unlike oneself will combat society’s ideals.  Also, providing materials in the classroom that are developmentally appropriate for children to play with and do not promote sex or violence would also eliminate some of young children’s exposure to this type of media.

From working with older children, I have seen this issue as a problem, however I did not realize, until I read the article that this has to also be discussed with young children.  On occasion, I will have a child in my classroom that seems much more immature than the other children and it will actually be refreshing to have a child who is indeed a child on every level.

Resources:

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

 

When experiencing any conflict in my personal life, it is difficult to separate it from my professional life.  The same would apply if I was the victim of stereotype and bias in my own life. 

One of the consequences that would be present for the children and families with whom I work would include lack of focus and commitment to the task at hand.  In my own experience, when I am dealing with conflict in my personal life, it is very difficult to be as focused and dedicated to my teaching as I am on a regular basis.  I am not fully thinking about the curriculum or the students, but instead thinking about finding a solution to the conflict.  I would anticipate that if I were experiencing an “-ism” in my own life, it would make it extremely difficult to be a productive and effective educator.  Dealing with an “-ism” in my own life would be emotionally trying on top of a career that already requires a great deal of energy.  Children and families would not be receiving the best care and education for their child during this time. 

A second consequence that would be present for the children and the families could be my own feelings of distrust or dislike for those who are targeting me.  While I’m not sure what my feelings would be about being the target of an “-ism”, I feel that one response would be to generalize the group that is targeting me and to be distrusting of members in that group.  This could apply to the children or families with whom I work if I would begin to behave differently around certain groups of children or families.  My actions could have devastating effects of the relationships I have built with the families and children.  If I showed a biased attitude toward the children or families with whom I worked, it would serve no one and only perpetuate the “-ism” that I would already be experiencing. 

After considering this, I feel extremely fortunate to have not been targeted by an “-ism”.  However, I am well aware that this is not the case for many people and I can only imagine how difficult this experience would be for an individual.  This further emphasizes the importance of anti-bias education in our society.   

Observing Communication

For my observation, I observed my childcare provider interacting with the children in her care, including my own 22 month old son.  When I arrived at the home daycare, another family was just dropping off their child.  She greeted each child by asking “how is your day?” while helping them to take off their jackets.  While she was talking with the parents, she instructed each child to go sit on a specific color of the parachute she had placed on the floor and surprisingly, each of them did immediately.  As I was about to leave and was saying good bye to my children, my son began to get upset.  She quickly picked him up and comforted him by holding him close to her and offering words of reassurance, “it’s okay, it’s okay.”  She followed up by using toys and books as a distraction while I left the daycare.    

I noticed that my daycare provider had a very established morning routine with the children and the parents.  This included her welcoming the children and the families while providing them with comfort and reassurance when they were upset. 

She was also interacting with the children on their level, by speaking to them directly and not looking down on them.  She also had materials in the welcome area for the children to explore while she was waiting for the other children to arrive.  It was clear that she had spent time reviewing routines and following directions because of the way the children responded to her instructions. 

It was clear by the communication interactions I observed that the children’s feelings were always considered.  The children responded very well to the daycare provider and were comforted by her actions and words when they were upset. 

I have learned a lot about communication from watching my daycare provider.  I have learned that I need to have more patience with children as well as taking the time to speak with them on their level.  This allows children to feel that they are being listened to.  Throughout the week, this week, I have made an effort to do these things with my own children.

Creating Affirming Environments

Emotion Board

           There are several elements that I would include in my own Family Child Care Home.  In the media segment, Adriana Castillo shared her own home child care.  One thing from the media segment that I would like to include in my own home child care would be the welcome area.  In Adriana’s welcome area, she included a sign in book for the families to provide information about their child for that day as well as a poster of each of the families with whom she worked (Laureate Education, 2011).  This welcome area would allow the early childcare provider to have a record of important details about each specific child as well as allowing each child to recognize him or herself as a part of the center.  One adjustment I might include in my own personal center would be to create another poster or bulletin board, in the welcome area, where the child would have to answer a simple question pertaining to our curricular area.  For example, in Adriana’s center, they were studying about emotions.  I would create a bulletin board with a variety of emotions and attach each child’s picture on a magnet or Velcro.  They could then move their picture to show how they were feeling that particular day.  The welcome area not only served as a place where the families could share, but also as a place where they could see themselves in their environment (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010).

 

                Another aspect that Adriana included in her environment was a “rest area” (Laureate Education, 2011).  This was a place that was comfortable and allowed the children to adjust to their daycare environment.  Adriana Castillo shared that many of the children experienced separation anxiety (Laureate Education, 2011) and this rest area provided them some comfort while they were experiencing the emotions of leaving their parent.

 

Culture Share

               As far as anti-bias elements, Adriana Castillo provided many materials that contributed to an anti-bias environment.  One element that I would place in my own home child care would be the family culture share area.  I thought this was another wonderful way for the children to see themselves reflected in their environment while learning about the cultural diversity of their peers.

Cozy Reading Area

                In my free play area, I would be sure to provide an assortment of anti-bias materials.  I would include an library area with comfortable seating and lighting where the children could read.  Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010) described the importance of including a variety of diverse books that represented not only cultures of children in the center, but also of the greater society.  I would work to build a classroom library of books that represented these things as well as books that portrayed stereotypes and bias to use as a teaching tool.

Music Center

                I would also incorporate a music and movement corner of the center where children could explore a variety of instruments and sounds from different cultures.  In order to represent each child’s home culture, I would ask each family to provide or recommend music to place in our music center.  I would also find video representing dances and movement to a variety of music for the children to enjoy.  Using technology, such as the popular game, Just Dance Kids, may also be something I would incorporate here. 

                 

Dramatic Play Area

                 Another area I would want to include would be a dramatic play area.  In this area, I would include clothing representative of my children’s cultures as well as materials such as scarves and cloth for the children to create their own unique style of dress.  In this area I would also ask families to donate empty food containers from their home to represent a variety of different foods that are eaten.  I would also include dolls with various skin, hair and eye colors as well as different physical abilities to reflect various racial and ethnic backgrounds.  I thought the skin colored bean bags from the media segment were a wonderful idea that could aid in anti-bias learning but could also serve many other purposes.  

                 I would also use the idea presented in both the media segment and the course text about decorating the classroom with photographs of the children and their community.  This would serve as another way to represent our community diversity while allowing the children to develop a sense of comfort in the classroom. 

               Overall, I feel that the most important aspect of the childcare center is that each child feels that his or her culture and family is being represented equally and that each child feels safe and comfortable in the setting.  In the media segment Adriana mentioned that she is still learning and changing although she has been practicing early childcare at her setting for four years (Laureate Education, 2011).  This is a very important point as we continue to learn and grow as early childhood educators.    

Resources

Derman-Sparks,L., & Olsen-Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and

ourselves. National Association for the Education of Young Children. Washington, D.C.

(NAEYC).

Welcome to an anti-bias learning community ( Laureate Education, 2011). Retrieved from

     https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=

     _419753. course media.