Week 8 already! Wow!

During this course, I have learned so much about bias and how we must look into ourselves first before beginning to try to change the way others think, feel, and believe. One goal that I have for the early childhood field that is related to issues of diversity and equality is a growing awareness in ECE programs of the need for diversity training for employees. There can be little change until that happens, in my opinion.

One hope that I have is that, with ample training, more and more centers will become diversity-friendly. I feel most teachers WANT to do the right thing for their students. It is simply a lack of education and training that holds them back. I really hope this will begin to change soon.

I have greatly enjoyed learning from all of my colleagues. Your experiences, whether different or similar to my own, are a wonderful source of education and inspiration. Thank you!

Week 7 creative expression of diversity

Deep
Inside
Value                                         
Everyone

Regardless of

Sexual orientation

Intellect

Tint of skin

Years of age

We don't say those words in class!

Recently, I was in Dunkin’ Donuts behind a mother and her 3 -4 year old son. The boy was very friendly and talkative - told me his name, his mother’s name, his dog’s name. He even asked if I had children, where they were, etc.

The door opened and a man in a wheelchair rolled up to the next counter. The little boy’s eyes grew round as he inspected the newcomer. Suddenly, he loudly announced “Mommy! That guy has no legs!’’

 “Shhhh!” she said. “Mommy, I mean it” he shouted again. “NO LEGS!!!”

His mother was clearly mortified. She bent down and sternly made eye contact with him. “Stop saying that right this second or we are walking out that door with no Munchkins” she hissed.

The boy looked very confused but wanted a donut badly enough to keep quiet. He watched every move the man made. As soon as his mother got the Munchkins and they walked out the door, I could hear him quizzing her about the man, the wheelchair, and the missing legs. She rushed him to the car, barely answering his questions.

Speaking from the perspective of an anti-bias educator, I would have realized that the child was just curious. I would have used it as an opportunity to help him understand that there are differences in people, and that it is ok. I would have said something like “Yes, he has no legs and that is why he has a wheelchair to help him get around. It takes him places just like your legs do”.

Insisting that children be silent about people who are different from them can lead them to fear diversity and develop bias at an early age.

Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

 

1. Share some of the ways you noticed that homophobia and heterosexism permeate the world of young children including books, movies, toys, stores, culture of early childhood centers, and schools.

Most children’s dramatic play accessories are very gender-specific, and geared to portray heterosexual relationships only. Traditional children’s books show girls playing with dolls and boys playing with balls or trucks. The mother is doing the domestic work, and dad is off at work. Movies and television programs portray the typical family as having a female mother and a male father.

This just isn’t an accurate portrayal of real life anymore. There are more and more racially blended families, same sex parents, and both parents work outside the home these days. It would behoove all aspects of the media to evolve along with society.

2. How you would respond to a parent/family member who informed you they did not want anyone who is perceived (or self-reported) homosexual or transgender to be caring for, educating, and/or interacting with their child?

I would point out that I base my teacher choices on education, experience, and how well the candidate interacts with children, parents, and staff - NOT on his or her sexual preference. I would also point out that everyone who works with children is required to pass a CORI, and that discriminatory hiring practices are illegal, period.

End of class 7!

Good luck to all!

Wow, I can’t believe we have completed 7 of our courses already! Thanks to all of you for your ideas and support. We have had so many wonderful discussions…I’ll miss that. It has been great getting to know many of you.

My email address is ekb2004@comcast.net.

I am in the Teaching Adults specialization.

See some of you there…

Adjournment

When I think of the adjournment phase of team building, I picture a whole group of happy, relaxed people. The pressure is off, the goals have been accomplished, and now is the time to rehash how it all went – what worked well, what didn’t turn out so well, what would be changed if we did it again.

It’s a very enjoyable and meaningful phase, I feel.

I had that sort of ‘ending’ experience at the end of my BA degree. There were a group of us who had been in the same classes for the previous 3 years. During this time, we had all helped each other with the various assignments and had worked as teams with each other many times.  We all met up in the school chat room and basically relived the whole experience. We talked about how much we had learned from each other, how we would use what we had learned, and what our future plans were. It was a nice way to end a long partnership.

I hope to have much the same adjournment phase with my colleagues here at Walden. I would also like to make plans to stay in touch after we graduate. I am friends with a few on Facebook, but would definitely like to add more.

Conflict resolution at work

I had a teacher and an assistant who squabbled constantly about who was going to be responsible for all of the work in the class. The teacher felt that she had seniority so should not have to do any of the menial tasks. The assistant felt that she was being treated like a slave by the teacher. They couldn't agree at all and so NOTHING was getting done! it was a mess.

I sat down with them and let them both have a chance to speak. This was not easy, as they quickly moved into disagreement, blame, etc. However, I kept the conversation on point and slowly they began to relax and listen to each other. Once the anxiety had dissipated, they began to work cooperatively.

We ended up with a plan to try changing jobs every week so everyone (me included...I have enough to do as director, but wanted to make it fair and equitable for all) has a turn doing every job. We've agreed to meet again in a month and decide whether we need to come up with another plan. Stay tuned...

Communication Week 2 Make-up post

I decided to look for a random show on television for this assignment. I flipped around and came up with a show called The Good Life. It was on one of those ‘oldies’ tv stations, and kind of looked like what we used to call Afternoon Specials back in the 70’s. I watched the first part with the sound off.

It started with a teenager, walking into a middle school. He seemed to be sad. He walked along with his hands in his pocket and a frown in his face, hardly looking left and right.

A woman came out of an office and seemed to call this boy. He looked up, surprised. By the smile playing around her mouth and her bright eyes, I could tell she had some kind of good news or maybe a surprise of some kind for him.

When he walked into her office, she showed him a piece of paper and he grew very excited. His eyes were wide open and he had sort of a flushed face. He got a big smile on his face, so it was obviously good news. They were both smiling and happy. She shook his hand and seemed to be congratulating him.

I turned on the sound to see what was going on. Sure enough, the boy had entered a writing contest. He didn’t think he had a chance of winning because he didn’t have training and wasn’t a ‘fancy’ writer. He wrote from the heart, though, and that is what made the judges vote for him. The woman was his English teacher and the prize notice was what she had shown him.

My assessment of what was going on turned out to be quite accurate. If I had been able to hear, I would have been able to make out the finer details.

It actually was a pretty good movie  :  )

Communication quiz

The quizzes we took this week focused on listening styles, verbal aggression, and communication anxiety. I asked a co-worker and my son to take the same quizzes (about me, not them) and then we compared answers.  In many ways our opinions were similar. However, I feel that I look and act very nervous when communicating with a group. I think I tend to blush and sometimes stammer. My other test-takers, though, indicated that they viewed me as being very comfortable communicating in group situations. I guess my body language shows a higher level of confidence than I really possess - I was happy about that.  :  )

Insights:

1.      I have learned that the messages we think we are conveying are sometimes perceived quite differently by other people. Therefore, it is important to get our true meaning across in communication.

2. I have learned that body language and facial expression are equally as important in communication as the spoken word is. Therefore, we need to be aware of our body language, as well as the body language of others when we are communicating.

Communication style

My communication style definitely varies with different groups. If I am speaking with the staff at my center, I tend to be very definite in what I say. I want them to listen carefully and follow my direction. At home with my children, I communicate in a similar style but also can relax and joke around. It’s a lot more casual. If I am speaking with someone from a different culture, I am much more tentative in my speech – I want the other person to take control of the conversation. I tend to ask a lot of questions and try to convey a feeling of goodwill.  I want them to feel comfortable with me, and understand that I am a respectful and receptive communicator.

Right off the bat, these strategies for communication come to mind:

When listening to someone, don’t talk to other people, look around the room, check text messages, or interrupt!  Let the person finish speaking, listen carefully to what they are saying, and make eye contact with them while they talk.

Pay attention to your facial expressions and body language. Either can give messages that reveal more than you want to, or that may be misleading and / or confusing.

Try not to be judgmental. We all have our own beliefs and feelings about things - that individuality should be accepted and respected.

Communication

My son Jake is a great communicator, which is kind of interesting as he is actually very shy. He presents his ideas clearly and factually. There is rarely drama of any kind with him. He listens well and thinks about what he hears before replying. He is willing to consider opinions and ideas that may be different from his own.

I admire him for those excellent communication skills.

His brother, father, and I all tend to be loud, dramatic, and somewhat pigheaded. This can lead to arguments, with everyone trying to be heard at one time. Stressful! Jake usually listens calmly in the background during these episodes. When he speaks up, however, we all stop talking and listen attentively to him. Generally speaking, his observations and opinions are well thought out, and a solution or compromise is quickly found.

Last week of EDUC-6164-1 Perspectives on Diversity and Equity

One goal that I have for the early childhood field that is related to issues of equity, diversity, and social justice is a growing awareness in ECE programs of the need for diversity training for employees. There can be little change until that happens, in my opinion.

One hope that I have is that, with ample training, more and more centers will become diversity-friendly. As always, I feel most teachers WANT to do the right thing for their students. It is simply a lack of education and training that holds them back. I really hope this will begin to change soon.

I have greatly enjoyed learning from all of my colleagues. Your experiences, whether different or similar to my own, are a wonderful source of education and inspiration. Thank you!

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

 I was at the beach with my niece, Cara, who has Down Syndrome. All of the children were surfing on small rafts. The waves were powerful, causing the children to lose their grip on the rafts over and over. Every time this happened to someone, nearby children would grab the runaway raft and give it to its owner. Fun!

I did notice some of the children occasionally stared at Cara, but that happens. What bothered me more was that no one would hand Cara her raft when she lost it. They would stop the raft from floating away but come all the way around her to hand it to me.  Then they would go back to the group, often giggling nervously. I could see that Cara, who is extremely aware of others, was perplexed and hurt that they were avoiding her and laughing. I was embarrassed for her and annoyed that the children were turning her fun day at the beach into a cruel experience.

However, I knew these kids weren’t trying to be mean. They were just uncomfortable with an unfamiliar situation and didn’t know how to react.

I started to joke around with the kids to ease the tension, which helped. The next time someone brought Cara’s raft over, I said to her “Ok, here comes your raft, get it quick!”  As the boy handed her the raft, I mentioned to him that she kept losing her raft because she didn’t know how to stay on like they did. I asked the crowd at large if they would show her how they stay on their rafts so well. All of them eagerly volunteered to show her. Soon they were having a great time showing off, and even helping her back on when she’d lose her grip. She greatly enjoyed the attention  :  )

I believe that involving the children in helping Cara turned this into a more equitable situation. The children went from avoiding contact with her and giggling about it to helping her - and that was a positive change for everyone.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggression

An acquaintance of mine decided early on that he wanted to be a doctor. He got excellent grades all through high school, did volunteer work at the local hospital, became an EMT, etc. while the rest of us were screwing around at the beach. He was determined to win a scholarship to Harvard, and he did!

Once he was finally away at college, he put a social life and / or relationship on hold and studied, studied, studied through 4 years of medical school. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University – a tremendous accomplishment!

My mother in law, who is 83 and lives in the Baltimore area, was visiting recently when my friend came over to chat. I was telling her about his recent graduation from Harvard and she said “ I think it’s wonderful that they have that affirmative action program so everyone has a chance to get a good education” Suddenly, I realized that she just assumed that he had been given a scholarship to Harvard because he is black! I was so embarrassed!  Luckily, he has a great sense of humor. He just winked at me and continued chatting politely with her. Personally, I felt like kicking her under the table...

She’s really a nice person, though, and I believe she thought she was giving him a compliment – or at least congratulating him on his good luck. In reality, however, she was giving him a microinsult. She was minimizing all of his efforts and accomplishments by implying that opportunities had been handed to him because of his race.

The experience has helped me to see how easily and often anyone can be affected by discrimination, even in the smallest of ways, and when you would least expect it! That is why we must be super aware of what we’re saying or doing at all times, in order to treat others fairly.

Culture and Diversity

I asked my cousin, who is 24 and in the Army, what culture is. He said it is your family traditions – how you celebrate the holidays, what you eat, what church you attend. As for diversity, he said that diversity refers to the presence of assorted races of people, not just whites.

I asked my fiancee’s 83 year old mother what culture is. She was born in France, grew up in Paris during the Occupation, and moved here as a war bride. She said culture is knowing who your ancestors were, how they lived, what was important to them. She said diversity is many people trying to live together in one world.

I asked my 82 year old neighbor what culture is. He is a widower who is living with his son and 4 grandchildren. He said it is finding out what is important to you about your family and about life..and then teaching your children and grandchildren about it.

I noticed that my cousin's answers were focused on the surface aspect of culture - the holidays, food, clothing, etc. However, the older people (my neighbor and fiancee's mother) seemed to recognize and appreciate the deeper culture i.e., extended family relationships, values, Intergenerational relationships.

On the whole, the answers were brief. I think a lot of people aren't really sure what exactly culture and diversity mean. Before entering this degree program, I probably wasn't either. I now know that culture has a lot more subtle aspects to it. Yes, there are the special foods and traditions..but there are also many values, ideas, beliefs, and roles that are related to culture.

Perspectives on Diversity and Equity

If I had to quickly move to another country and could only take 3 small things, I would bring:

1. My mini laptop. It has my friends and family in it. Once there, I would search every bit of that country until I found internet. So much of my daily interaction is conducted online these days that I could be in Siberia and, as long as there was internet, still remain in contact with everyone I care about.

2. My engagement ring. It reminds me of the good times in life to look forward to.

3. My Ipod, so I could listen to familiar music no matter where I was.

I would be pretty sad if I had to give up two of the items. I would choose to keep the laptop because it would do the most to keep me in touch with my old life in this country.

In doing this exercise, I learned that interaction with the people I care about  is more important to me than possesions are. Also, that people who immigrate to a new country must feel much like their former lives and friends have been stripped away. That loss would be extremely difficult to overcome.

Building Research Competencies Week 8

I have to say that I just dreaded this class. I am not a ‘facts and figures’ kind of person, hate dry reading, not a fan of research...

In some ways, it was every bit as horrible challenging as I thought it might be. I hated the endless reading, forgot the meanings of terms, mixed up the answers on worksheets, panicked about the applications, and resigned myself to getting a lousy grade. In the end, though, it all came together and I did well. Yay!  I am very grateful to the awesome (and patient!) Dr. Ferrari. She really helped to guide me and relieved a lot of my anxiety with her explanations and good humor!  :  )

One of the big lessons I learned is how important it is to carefully follow all of the steps necessary to ensure equity and validity in your research. This includes recognizing and addressing our own personal biases. You can’t achieve accurate, unbiased results without a lot of effort and skill. Also, I learned that when conducting research on children, it is vitally important to make sure parents are in agreement with their child’s involvement – and that children are not coerced into doing anything that may be physically or emotionally harmful to them.

Before this class, I didn’t really give research much thought, and didn’t consider it to have much to do with my own job. However,

I have learned that research is extremely important in the early childhood field, partly because research results are the basis for most, if not all, policy-making and program funding.

I’m pretty sure the end of this class means we are halfway thru our MSECS degree. Hooray for that and thanks to all of you who are on this path with me. Your comments and advice, here and on the DB, have been great!

Research Around The World

The website that I visited was early Childhood Australia. There is an extensive research section (Research Practice Series) in the RIPS listing. There were over 25 resources listed, covering a wide variety of current international research topics, such as child development, literacy, and diversity. The information was easy to locate and read – a helpful resource for child care professionals.

I was surprised to find that many of the issues discussed on the website are also issues that we deal with here in the US. One of the more noteworthy topics was about early childhood reforms, and how different states rate in the implementation of them. Another focused on how teachers in the US teach math; it was very interesting to read some opinions about US teachers that were a little less than stellar!

 I was surprised to read an article about how to minimize stress in young schoolchildren. Once the novelty of being in ‘real school’ wears off, the first year of school can be exhausting and difficult for young children!

Overall, I found this website to be well-organized and full of useful information for early childhood professionals.
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

I’m not sure whether or not this fits into the category of ‘uplifting stories’.  Still, I am very glad to see that Dr. Andrew Wakefield has finally admitted that his study linking autism to childhood vaccines was a fraud.  The ‘results’ of that bogus British study have really done long-lasting damage to public health in the UK and the US.

     One of my duties as a preschool director is making sure all of the children in our care have the recommended (in many cases, required) vaccines. Ever since Dr. Wakefield’s ‘findings’ became well known, many of our parents have been hesitant to get their children vaccinated. The fear of possibly causing Autism has led some to leave their children unvaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella. “Vaccination rates dropped sharply in Britain after its publication, falling as low as 80% by 2004. Measles cases have gone up sharply in the ensuing years. In the United States, more cases of measles were reported in 2008 than in any other year since 1997, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” (Retracted autism study, 2011). This is a dangerous situation - it wouldn’t take much for previously controlled, life-threatening diseases to begin spreading again- with devastating consequences.

I hope all of those parents who did not vaccinate their children because of Dr Wakefield’s claims will now rethink that decision. Here is the link to the CNN artcle:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/01/05/autism.vaccines/index.html

Retracted autism study an 'elaborate fraud,' british journal finds. (2011). CNN Health, Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/01/05/autism.vaccines/index.html

Building Research Competencies

The topic I decided to research is the value of play time as a scheduled component of the school day in public school systems.  My interest in this topic is both personal and professional. I live in Gloucester, Ma, the oldest fishing community in the United States. People here depend on making a sustainable living from the ocean. Due to serious government over-regulation and fishing quotas, my town is suffering financially. As more and more budget cuts become necessary, our city leaders begin looking at what can be eliminated from school programs. Sadly (but predictably), our local public school administrators seem to feel that play time takes up valuable teaching time.
I broke this general topic up into three subtopics:
I'd like to see if I can find studies that show the benefit of play in the school day.

·         What areas of development are enhanced by daily play?

·         Are children who experience daily play better students?

·         Does daily childhood play decrease the incidence of adult obesity?

I am a little bit confused about a final topic for research because I think all three sub-topics combined are relevant to the question re: benefit of playtime at school. However, at this time I believe I will concentrate on "children who experience daily play are better students" .Would love to get any advice/input from fellow students on this! Thanks!

Anyway, right off the bat I can see that I am going to have trouble sifting through the scads of stuff on the internet to find relevant information for my research. In chapter 2 of our textbook, the authors pointed out that this tends to be an area of difficulty for many beginning researchers. Whew!


                               

Last blog post of Issues and Trends in the Early Childhood Field (EDUC - 6162 - 1)

Some of the consequences of learning from my international contacts:

1. I am now aware that other countries share the same issues and trends that we do. For example, both of the countries that my contacts were from have poverty and equity issues that affect the education and care of young children.

2. It is extremely difficult to set national standards for early care and education, because special interest groups control politics. What should happen is not always what does happen.

 3. Lack of funds for quality programs is a constant problem. Early childhood professionals across the globe have to deal with budget cuts and reduction of services. Both of my international contacts were experts at 'making do' and providing the best possible programs with the totally inadequate funding they had to work with.

One of my professional goals is to remain as aware as I possibly can of what is happening globally in the early childhood field. I have a good start on this with some of the websites I have gotten from my classmates in this course. Thanks to you all!

Getting To Know Your International Contacts

I asked Jill, my contact in Ireland, to answer this week’s questions. Jill works at Saplings Westmeath. There are five Saplings schools, each located in a different area of the country. Saplings schools are for children who have been diagnosed with Autism. Jill has been employed with Saplings for 6 years.

• What issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live and work?

Jill: When I first came to Ireland from the US, Ireland was in the midst of a national push to deal with an increasing incidence of Autism in Irish children. New schools were opening everywhere, and the Irish government was throwing tons of money into any programs that were geared towards Autism. I was living in Boston at the time and working with Autistic children at the New England Center for Autism (formerly the Efficacy Research Institute). I came to Ireland because I wanted to be on the cutting edge of this new mission to help Autistic kids. I wanted to help set up programs, and collaborate with other teachers. The first year was GREAT!! And then, suddenly, Ireland’s economy tanked. As the government scrabbled to right itself, they started making cuts. And the deepest (and fastest) cuts went to health workers and educators. We all took cuts in pay.....and any upcoming projects were all put on hold...indefinitely.

·         What opportunities and/or requirements for professional development exist?

Jill: Again, due to the economy, any and all professional development opportunities have been shelved for the time being. We do try to conduct our own in-house trainings, usually using online videos or other resources on the web.

·         What are some of your professional goals, dreams, and challenges?

Jill: As unrealistic as it may sound, I dream of living and working in a society that doesn’t deal with adversity by immediately cutting services to the people who need them the most! That is the biggest challenge for all of us who work with children in this country, I’m sure. Trying to make progress with our  Autistic clients, helping them get services, medication, or treatment, offering them a secure and stabile environment –it’s all so much harder than it needs to be because of the budget cuts. The fact that we’re able to help as much as we are is testament to the devotion and self sacrifice of teachers in Ireland. Just think what we could accomplish with adequate funding – THAT is my dream!

Sharing Resources

The website I chose to write about in the beginning of this course was http://www.zerotothree.org/. I really like the website because it has many different tips and articles about the care and education of young children. Quite often, the infant and toddler age groups seem to get overlooked when it comes to available resources for teachers, so it’s great to see a website devoted solely to early childhood professionals who work with those specific age groups.

The website has many different areas, such as Behavior and Development, Maltreatment, Care and Education, and Public Policy. Included under these headings are articles, helpful hints, resources for more information, and links to related subjects. For example, the Behavior and Development page contains articles on Brain Development, Early Childhood Mental Health, Nutrition, Temperament and Behavior, Sleep, etc. Also included are interactive tools, parent handouts, charts, Tip Sheets, a FAQ page, and power point slide shows.  Under the Public Policy heading, I found an article that definitely added to my understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education. It is an article called Building a Strong Infant-Toddler Workforce. The link to the article is http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/policy-toolkit/professional-development-final-for-web.pdf .  It outlines the need for  collaboration between states to create and sustain an integrated professional development system that:

• Fully incorporates infant-toddler workforce preparation and ongoing professional development based on widely accepted, evidence-based competencies
•  Is aligned with and articulates into college degree programs
• Includes alternative pathways to credentials
• Connects the various service delivery program types
• Provides appropriate compensation

Also, I was unfortunately not very surprised to learn that compensation for infant-toddler professionals is much lower than that of other fields. Out of 770 occupations surveyed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 18 have lower average wages than child care workers, whose mean wage is only $9.73 per hour  :  (

More from Nepal...

My contact in Nepal informed me that gender discrimination is alive and well in that country...and that it is apparent in all aspects of life.

In fact, there is a wide gap between women and men when it comes to adequate access to health care, nutrition, education - or even basic participation in decision-making for themselves or their children. Sadly, infant mortality is much higher for girls, and illiteracy is far more common among women than men. Many rural women live in severe poverty, without any means of improving conditions for themselves and their families. Within households women often have less to eat than men. Insufficient calorie intake for the women leads directly to chronic malnutrition in the infants they nurse.
 
Lack of economic opportunity has resulted in many of the most productive members of households to migrate and leave the villages. As a result more and more women have been heading households alone and taking on the burden of sustaining the rural economy. In fact, women constitute more than 60 per cent of the agricultural labor force but have little access to land, production technology and training.

Given the extraordinary effort involved in simply surviving in Nepal, it is no wonder there is so little push for girls to acquire education.

Boys in uniform waiting for the school bus

Sharing Web Resources

I have been studying the Zero to Three website http://www.zerotothree.org/ This website covers such issues as Public Policy, Behavior and Development, Care and Education, Maltreatment. The Maltreatment section focuses on child abuse and neglect. There are assorted resources for caregivers and parents in this area of the website, including a rather alarming list of the various ways children are impacted by trauma. That link is http://www.zerotothree.org/maltreatment/trauma/trauma.html

The Public Policy section focuses on different states and communities, regulations and laws, politics and how lawmakers support efforts to care for and educate young children. For instance, in Kansas, The Children’s Initiative Fund has designed an accountability system that includes a unique component: Alignment With Priorities. Essentially, this component is responsible for tailoring the goals of the organization so they are always in sync with current political focus. Since the Cabinet is a political entity, this is necessary to ensure continuous funding.

I am particularly interested in the Care and Education articles. This section focuses on:

·           Core information about how children develop school readiness skills and how parents and care givers can nurture and support these skills in young children.

·           Video clips that show children learning these skills through everyday interactions with their parents.

·           Parent-child activities which provide fun ideas for helping children develop school readiness skills.

·           Frequently asked questions that offer answers to common questions about learning.    

The specific areas of development this area of the website focuses on are language and literacy, self confidence, thinking skills, and self control. I work in the toddler room at my school, so I really enjoy articles that address this age group.

In the ‘What’s New” section, I learned about new Infant/Toddler Early Learning Guidelines from the National Infant and Toddler Child Care Initiative. The link to that information is http://nitcci.nccic.acf.hhs.gov/resources/ELG_fact_sheet_2010.pdf

The Zero to Three website is a comprehensive assortment of extremely valuable articles, tips, links to related sites, and information for anyone who is involved with the care and education of children from birth to three years

Global Poverty

For this assignment, I spoke with my early childhood contact in Nepal. I wasn’t able to establish contact with the other one, who is in Ireland.

                                                      Poverty in Nepal

Ellen: Can you tell me what the poverty level is like in Nepal?

Nancy: It’s hard. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. We always hear there has been progress made towards alleviating poverty. However, I don’t see any progress here in Kathmandu. Over 30 per cent of Nepalese live below the poverty line, which is measured to be US $12 per person/per month. Most of the people live in rural areas where it is difficult to reach and help them.

It’s a complex problem because there is a definite caste system. You are either upper caste or lower caste, and if you are lower caste, you really have no possibility of improving your life.

Ellen: Do many of the lower caste children attend school?

Nancy: Unfortunately, poverty-stricken families are very often obliged to send their children to work rather than to school. Because of this, the poverty cycle continues into the next generation...and on and on it goes. I was recently told that one quarter of the children in Nepal are engaged in some kind of family or wage labor.

Ellen: Do you work with any of these children?

Nancy: No, sorry to say. The children who attend my school tend to be from upper caste families only. I’ve noticed there isn’t a lot of sympathy on their parts for those less fortunate, either. It’s sad.

Ellen: Do you try to instill empathy in the children you work with?

Nancy: No. We’re not allowed to interfere with the ways things are. We are told that quite strongly during training. The school organization controls what we teach, period. We either comply, or leave.

Ellen: What are your thoughts on that?

Nancy: I need this job. It pays well. However, during the summer, I will be volunteering in an orphanage here in Kathmandu. In that way, I can help make a positive change for some lower caste children. I’ll tell you more about that later but have to get to school now.

Ellen: Sounds great! Thanks for the chat!

I always enjoy chatting with Nancy and this time was no exception. I was surprised to find there were such clearly defined castes there. It must be really hard to work with children and not be able to work on empathy - to see them dismiss others as being beneath them.

I am looking forward to hearing about her work at the orphange!

                                                            Nancy

                                                             Schoolgirls in Nepal

Sharing Web Resources

Zero to Three website,  http://www.zerotothree.org/ , is a comprehensive collection of helpful articles, links, and information for those who wish to learn more about and promote the health and development of infants and toddlers.

The website is divided up into four learning sections- Behavior and Development, Maltreatment, Care and Education, and Public Policy. Click on any of these headings and you will be taken to a page dedicated to that subject. Included are articles, helpful hints, resources for more information, and links to related subjects. For example, the Behavior and Development page contains articles on Brain Development, Early Childhood Mental Health, Nutrition, Temperament and Behavior, Sleep, etc. Also included are interactive tools, parent handouts, charts, Tip Sheets, a FAQ page, and power point slide shows.

On the right side of the Home page is a helpful feature called Find It Fast. Simply select a key topic from a pull down menu (for example, Challenging Behaviors), click on it, and that page opens up without your having to sort through the different sections to find it – very handy, indeed. Located directly under this is another highlight of this website - the Download of The Week. This week’s offering is The Magic of Everyday Moments™ 24 to 36 Months, and is an additional resource containing in-depth information on how children grow and develop from 24 to 36 Months. Included are assorted tips for parents on nurturing their children's healthy development through everyday routines and interactions. Also very informative is the video one can access directly on the home page. Entitled A Window to the World: Promoting Early Language and Literacy Development, the video illustrates how early language and literacy development directly contribute to a child’s success throughout life.

I recommend this website to the parents of toddlers at my center, and often get positive feedback from them.

Early Childhood professional contacts in other countries

I was fortunate enough to have fairly easy access to two people in the Early Childhood field who are working in other countries. I got their names through the advising office at the University of Massachusetts, where I got my BA.  I emailed them and received quick replies- both were happy to answer any questions I might have. I began by asking them what led to their current work in other countries.

The two Early Childhood professionals I made contact with are in Nepal and Ireland.

Nancy B works as a teacher at the Lincoln School in Kathmandu, Nepal. Their website is http://www.lsnepal.com/index.php Nancy works with the Pre –kindergarten class. She is an assistant teacher. Nancy is from Boston, Ma. She first heard of Lincoln School when she saw a ‘help wanted’ ad in her local newspaper. Intrigued, she contacted the hiring agency. Nancy was interested in working with children from another country...and .Nepal is about as far away from Boston as you can get!

My other contact person, Jill C, lives in Westmeath, Ireland. She is a teacher at the Saplings school. Sapling schools are located across Ireland. They work exclusively with Autistic children. This is their website: http://www.saplings.org/schools .  Jill was living  in Cambridge, Ma. and working with autistic children when she went on a vacation to Ireland in 2008.  While there, she met her future husband. Jill moved to Ireland in 2008.

I am looking forward to learning more about Nancy and Jill and the work that they do!

The website I chose to  share is http://www.parentingtoddlers.com/ . It is a very detailed collection of helpful articles, links, and information for those who wish to learn more about and promote the health and development of infants and toddlers. It is updated on a monthly basis, with news articles, ideas, learning activities, and information links.

My Supports

I tend to think of supports as falling into one of  two categories; physical or emotional.

Physical: In order to survive, I must have certain supports such as:

• A vehicle
• Money
• Appliances
• Stores
• Food
• House
• Computer

Emotional: In order to survive happily I depend on:

• My husband, who is a good listener  :  )
• My children
• the YMCA, where I can work the stress out, sometimes
• Computer, where my online friends are
• Music, another good stress-buster

Obviously, the physical supports make my life easier. If I didn't have a car, home, job, computer, I could still survive but it would be a much less comfortable life! Same with my emotional supports - they aren't absolutely essential to my survival but I would be lonely, less motivated, and probably very depressed without them.

My 23 year old niece has Down Syndrome. Her support needs are a bit different. If I had Down Syndrome, I would need much more custodial assistance; help with dressing, someone to cook and clean for me. I would need a driver, and someone to handle my money. I would need many things explained to me. Someone would need to accompany me everywhere, to keep me safe. Someone would have to live with me, help me keep myself clean, pay my bills and take care of all paperwork, make sure I got my medication, etc. If I were on my own, I could easily get hurt, sicken, or even die due to neglect.

Socially, I would need help staying healthy, happy, and challenged. If I didn't have these supports, I would become very depressed and isolated. This, too, could lead to illness and even death.