Saturday, December 22, 2012

Blog Assignment: What I Have Learned


One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds (any format and any length)


   My hope is to successfully create an environment for all children and families with a diverse background.  In this environment I want it to be enriched with anti-bias education and curriculum that promotes healthy and respectful relationships, equal opportunities, and social equity and justice for all children and families, including those of a diverse background.



 
One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length)

    My goal is to bring opportunities that reflect diversity, equity, and social justice in the educational setting that engages the developmental domains of all children by implementing strategies that foster these issues without being bias and prejudice in the early childhood field.



  
A brief note of thanks to your colleagues

    I would like to thank all colleagues for their continuous support as we journey through this program.  I am honored to have collaborated and communicated with such a professional group of individuals.  Thank you for your comments and sharing your personal and professional insights regarding issues on diversity in early childhood education, as well as your personal lives. I would also like to wish all of you continued success in your educational and professional goals. 




  Also, May you all have a happy, safe, and blessed holiday season!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: Creating Art



I AM

I am a girl with silky hair and blue eyes
I am a girl with braids and brown eyes

I am a tall boy
I am a short boy

I am poor
I am rich                                                                      

I am a girl who likes to climb trees
I am a boy who likes to bakes cakes

I am a woman who is thin
I am a woman is round


I am a man who is in a wheelchair                                                    
I am a man who uses a cane

I am single
I am of a strong family

I am man with no hands
I am a man with one seven fingers on one hand

I am a girl who is blind
I am a boy who cannot hear

I am an Indian in the trees
I am an African in the wild
I am a Chinese in the sea                                               
I am a Muslim in the city
I am a Caucasian in the park

I am a professional                                                                             
I am a slacker

I am a loud
I am proud

I am different
So please just respect me for being me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




                                                                








Saturday, December 8, 2012

"We Don't Say Those Words in Class"

A time when you witnessed an adult (or yourself) reprimand or silence a child after he or she pointed out someone they saw as different (e.g., "That lady talks funny," " That man only has one leg!" "Why is that man so pretty!"). Include what the child said and what the adult did or said in response. (Note: If you cannot think of a specific time ask a friend or family member.)
I remember a couple of years ago we were in the grocery store and my little niece was staring at a lady who legs had been amputated and she was in a wheel chair. She was staring so hard that she ran into the cups on an aisle in the store. I observed her eye action and body language and I scolded her and told her to “stop it”. I told her to stop staring because what she was doing was rude and disrespectful. I explained to her that we all are different and because we are different does not give others the right to judge or stare.

What messages might have been communicated to this child by the adult's response
My niece has being with many plenty of times after this incident and she has seen many people with disabilities and she does not show any reaction. She acts like the person is just like her, and in fact, we all are the same. I believe that this incident made her aware that her staring could upset and affect a person more. I believe that my response affected my niece in a positive manner because she realized an important lesson of treating people with equality and respect.

An example of how an anti-bias educator might have responded to support the child's (or classroom's ) understanding
An anti-bias educator would create an environment that supports a child’s understanding be explaining to the child that we all are unique and special and that we should treat all people the same. Over the past several we have displayed curriculum and materials that promote diversity within our educational settings. We have materials that promote disabilities so that children are aware that we all are different.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation


Your response to those who believe that early childhood centers should avoid the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families

I believe that early childhood centers should not avoid the inclusion of books that depict gay or lesbian individuals because now we live in such a diverse world. I believe that families consist of same parents because that is what today's families consist of. I rememeber last year when I had a family that consisted of two mothers and the other children asked why he had two mothers. He stated that one of the women was his mother and the other lady was his mama. I believe that children need to be aware of this diveristy and they need to be prepared to deal with the difference of family unit that exists in our culture now. I believe that teachers and parents should be sensitive towards these issues, but all types of families need to be introduced within the educational setting.


If you have ever used or heard homophobic terms such as "fag," "gay," "homo," "sissy," "tom boy," or "lesbo" as an insult by a child toward another child? Or, by an adult toward a child? Describe what occurred. How might these types of comments influence all children? (Note: if you have not had a personal experience, ask a family member, friend, or colleague)

I have never used these terms before, but I have heard people use these terms in an inappropriate manner. I remember people calling my cousin these words when he was younger. I remember when we was at my grandmothers house and one of my relatives called my cousin a sissy because he was playing with babydolls. This influenced my cousin to become a transgender a few years later. My cousin hid his sexuality from his family and friends for many years. My cousin endure emotional and verbal abuse from his family, as well as his peers from his classmates in school. The abuse and negative remarks that my cousin endured as a child did influence him, but he stated that it was his choice to be with men. I believe that negative influences can impact a child's development and cause them to become what people label them as.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Communication Finalé

Thank you all for your support and feedback as we complete this course. I have checked my next class and I have noticed that many of you are not in my next class. I am sad because I am so used to many of you. However, I would like to wish all of you the best as continue to exit this program. Good Luck to you all!

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Adjourning Stage

The hardest good-bye for me is when I graduated from college. The young women that took classes with were so respectful, honest, and passionate about success and providing nurture to the children, families, and the people that they interacted with. The communication between us was awesome, there was no arguing, only real communication. We brainstormed, shared ideas, and took those ideas an turned them into successful projects. We had some very amazing moments and expereinces that allowed us to grow and mature into professionals. We all had strenghts and weaknesses, therefore we always knew what the other person was capable of doing in a project or assignment. We all had equal roles, no one one was better than the other person. We knew the times when each person should step in and become a leader. I trusted these women, because trust was gained. Our environment was built on mutual trust, repect, and motivation. On our last day, we did a lot of number and address changing and there was alot of tears and hugs. When I adjourned from this group of women it was a sad day, but we did reflect on our happy days and we knew our relationships was built on a positive and respectful foundation.









Adjourning lets you know that you have successfully acheived a personal or professional goal. It means that you made it to the end, which is a good thing. Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to communicate with some very intelligent and passionate women and men. These individuals have shared their strenghts and weaknesses in life and in their work experiences. They have empowered and motivated me when I wanted to take a different path. Although we are online colleagues, its going to be hard not interacting with my colleagues, because reading the posts and blogs makes me feel that I know these individuals personally and we are having face-to-face conversations. We only have three classes to go after we exit from this course and its going to be hard because I have dedicated myself to this Master's program, but the adjourning stage will be a happy time for me because I have completed a personal and professional goal, as well as my colleagues completing their courses and obtaining a degree.





Saturday, October 6, 2012

Conflict Manangement

I recently had a disagreement with a colleague on a child’s potty training skills. The colleague felt that the child who was three should still be in pull-ups, but the parent was not putting the child in pull-ups at home. I told the colleague that this process was hurting the child and that the child needed consistency in his potty training. Therefore, we came up with a strategy that benefitted the child and caused less tension in the classroom. We sit down with the parent and came up with a solution that allowed the child to wear pull-ups at school and we would take the child to the restroom. We were open and listened to the reasons of how the child was confused from wearing underwear at home and pull-ups at school. In the situation, I could have used the cooperative strategies, but escapist strategy would only have been the second option. We were responsive, respectful, and reciprocal to each other, but more important to the well-being of the child.



I asked my colleague about how she deals with conflict and effective communication; she stated that she listens to the cons and pros of the conflict. She stated that she knows that the parent is always right, but she believes that her job is to provide nurture and safety that meets the developmental needs of the child. She also stated that you have to talk through a problem when a conflict arises. She does not believe in violence, therefore she always believes in respectful means of communication. She stated that when communication is equal, then it will be effective if an issue of conflict arises within an educational setting.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Communication Evaluations

My evaluations were consitent of those of my former co-worker and husband. I was not suprised with any of the outcomes. I was suprised that being to empathetic could lead to being too trust-worthy. This can either be a negative or positive perspective.

On the Listening Skills Profile I was labeled in Group 1. I am empathetic and concerned with the emotions of others. This listening relationship helps you to build relationships, but it can infer with proper judgment because you tend to be very trusting of others.


On the Communication Anxiety Inventory I ranged between 21-33. It reported that Ifeel comfortable communicating in most situations and feel confident in anticipating such encounters.

On the Verbal Awareness Scale I was moderate. I maintain a good balance between respect and consideration for others viewpoints, and the ability to argue fairly by attacking the facts of a position rather than the person holding the positions.


Reference

Rubin, R. Palmgreen, P. & Sypher, H.E. (Eds) (2009). Communication research measures:

A sourcebook. Communication Anxiety Inventory, Verbal Aggressive Scale. New York:

Routledge.



Rubin, R., Rubin, A.M., Graham, E.E., Perse, E.M., Seibold, D.R. (Eds) (2009).

Communication research measures: A sourcebook. Listening Styles Profile. New York:

Routledge.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Cultural Diversity in Communication

Based on what you have learned this week, share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified

I believe that I can use the strategy of listening. I believe that I can be more attentive and open-minded to learn more about their cultures. I can listen to what the person is saying without interruption. I will try to select all of the important information, so that I can get a better perspective of the person and their culture.

The second strategy that I can use is being of aware of my own emotions and understanding the meaning of other cultures and their emotions. I can be more aware of my own emotions, dispositions, and nonverbal skills, because I do not want to offend someone because of my body gestures. I am very sensitive; therefore I show a lot of eye contact to let the person know that I can relate to them and the diversity of cultures, however in many cultures that would be offensive.

The third strategy is learning. I believe that I can learn more about another culture, even before the conversation or communication process begins. This will help alleviate stress and tension; it will make the communication process more engaging.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

COMMUNICATION STYLES

Television Off-
The television show that I normally do not watch is Hollywood Heights. From watching the television show with the sound turned off, I could see that the characters did not get along with each other. I could tell from the show that the characters Adrianna and her dad were had a hard time talking to each other. Her dad appeared to be in her face and she was crying. He was being aggressive and pulling on her arm.
Adrianna seemed to be very sad, and the father seemed to take control of whatever they were talking about.



Television On-
I was on track, but I misrepresented the emotions of the characters. Adrianna was crying, but when I listened to the show with the sound on she was crying because she was pregnant and her dad was telling her he supported whatever decision that she made.
Yes, because I am not familiar with these characters or the plot of the show. I didn’t know that a aggressive touch meant that I am supportive of you and your decisions. I was not familiar with the behaviors of the characters, so this cause me to misjudge or misrepresent what the characters were actually discussing .




I learned that sometimes a person’s nonverbal cues may not match their verbal cues.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

COMPETENT COMMUNICATION

The person that exhibits competent communication is my father. My father is a Warden at a prison as well as a youth advisor for our church. When he speaks he is very calm and relaxed. He is open in his communication process. When he communicates, he speaks clearly and listens modestly. He does not interrupt people when they are speaking. He does not judge people in a negative behavior when he is speaking because of his authority. He stays on point of the conversation and does not use negative gestures while he is speaking. He uses the appropriate tone or communication skills for adults and children. My father communicates with people with respect and understands that we live in a diverse society. I would love to model my father's communication skills because of the way people respect what he is saying and they are attentive while he is speaking.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Professional Goals and Dreams

We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.” I hope that the knowledge that I have gained from this class has prepared me to create a cultural diverse classroom, so that children who come from diverse backgrounds can feel welcomed and so that they can feel appreciated as they experience their own culture as well as learn about other cultures. My goal as an early childhood professional, I would like to be a part of the change in how we view diversity, equity, and social justice within the early childhood field. I would like to make sure that all children and their families feel free to be themselves and they all receive the same rights and respect like any other culture. I would like to thank all of my colleagues for the support and encouragement that you have given me over the past several weeks. I have learned so much from you all and you have showed that you are passionate about your educational goals. We are a diverse group, but we managed to be respectful and passionate toward each other when discussing personal and painful moments of diversity. I wish all of you success as you continue to move forward in your goals and dreams of being professionals in the early childhood field.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Welcomng Families From Across the World


                                                IVORY COAST



The name of “your” family’s country of origin

Ivory Coast

At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family

1.     I would learn the history of the Ivory Coast through extensive research, because I want to be familiar with the basic traditions, values, and environment of the country. I would also have to find out the families language preference to see if need to include a language specialist in my entry process, however since the family is bilingual, I do not have to use a language specialist, and English is a language that is spoken in their home.  
2.     I would learn about the cultures of the Ivory Coast through reading books, classes, and workshops.  To become more familiar with the family, I would communicate with them through emails, newsletters, or via satellite to get a better understanding of their culture, and to see if the information I have read reflects what the family tells me.  I would listen to the parent’s perspective on what culture is for them.

 3.    During my communication process with the parents, I would find out what do they want for their children while being in our program.  I would find out what are their goals, and the care and education practice that best meets their child’s needs. 

4.    Before the child enters the program, I would ask the parents if I could observe the child and family culture through internet or through web cam.  But if the family is already settled within the community, I would do consistent home visits with the family.  I believe that I can read about the culture of a family, but observation is a key aspect of truly experiencing a different culture.

5.    After I have received and processed the information that I have read and the insights that I have gained from the parents and my observation, I will create an environment that is cultural responsive to the needs of the child and their family.  For example, in communicating with the parents, I found out that music is a very important to the child and the family culture; therefore I would include various drums in the setting.  Also in the educational setting, I will include appropriate and learning material of the child’s culture.  My goal is make sure the child and family have an easy transition into my program.

A brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you and the family

I hope that each statement will prepare me in providing the best care to the child so that the child can receive a cultural and individual developmental appropriate education.   Many children from the Ivory Coast do not attend school to age 6 and usually they are males; information like this will help me prepare for the incoming of the child and their culture  These statements will prepare me to have a responsive and open relationship with the child and the family.  Through these statements I have acquired education about a child and their culture that will benefit the developmental outcome of the child. 

 Reference

Saturday, August 4, 2012

THE PERSONAL SIDE OF BIAS, PREJUDICE, AND OPPRESSON


“Prejudice is the reason of fools”
French Philosopher and Writer
What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.
Prejudice is an attitude, opinion, or feeling formed without adequate prior knowledge, thought, or reason (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010). The incident of prejudice that I witnessed was when my husband called one of his clients and stated the company name, and who he was and that he was on his way to her home in an hour. She asked him was he black and he stated yes.  She then told him that she did not want a “nigger at her house.  The lady was prejudice toward African Americans and she made it known through her attitude and conversation over the phone.  He then called his supervisor and they said for him not to approach her property and he didn’t, instead a Caucasian male had to go to the lady’s house.

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?
This incident diminished equity because, this lady attitude showed that Caucasians are dominant and many of them will never respect African Americans, perhaps age is the reason for prejudice, but it is still no excuse to make another human being feel unwanted and demeaned by hurtful words. 

What feelings did this incident bring up for you?
It was very hurtful, because in 2012 you do not think that people would still talk that way to people, but they do.
What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?
Personally, I am striving professional and personal for social equity, but in this case the lady would have to make the effort to eliminate her negative views, attitude, and behavior toward people.  Furthermore, for greater equity, we must learn to treat everyone with respect.

Reference
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Practicing Awareness of Microagressions


Describe at least one example of a microaggression which you detected this week or remember from another time.

 I have not been out lately because, its summer time so the only people that I engage in any conversation or activity is my family.  However, last year I did experience microaggression when my husband and I were buying our first home.  We went into an area that is known for the dominant culture, but when we pulled up into their office space the man greeted us at the door, and he boastfully told my husband, I know you must be a dope boy because of your truck and the rims on your truck.  Of course, my husband and I are try  to be respectful and calm in all situations, so we held our peace, although we felt insulted.   The man said, “Oh I was just joking”.  Then when he was asking us questions about our income, my husband told him  his income, and he asked do we receive any additional income, and again we said no, and he asked us so you all  do not receive any government checks and we said no again. So, after we felt the prejudice, we said excuse us for a minute and we went and got back into our automobile.  As we were exiting the premises, a young man came to the truck and asked was everything okay, and we told him about the attitude of the older gentlemen and he apologized for his negative behavior.



In what context did the microaggression happen?

People feel that when black people have rims and nice cars we must be drug dealers.  It is like we can’t work hard and buy whatever we choose.  People judge people based on their own assumptions creating racial conflicts among people.


 What did you think and feel when you observed the microaggression or when you found yourself as the target of a microaggression?

Until this week, I was not just focused on the term microaggression.  However, I have gained insights on microaggression and the forms of microaggression.  When I experienced microaggression last year, I was insulted and upset.   On the other hand, I know that people look at other people and they are quick to judge.  People can be ignorant and judgmental, you can either play into their ignorance or you can choose to ignore them.


In what ways did your observation experiences this week affect your perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people

I believe that people have attitudes and behaviors of discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes.  However, you have to prepare to deal with these negative circumstances.  I believe that I am more able and willing to deal with people and their negativity.  I am in the Early Childhood Field and I want the children that I educate to feel respected, because I know that I have to be a positive role model for those young children.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

PERSPECTIVES ON DIVERSITY AND CULTURE


Interviewees’ definition of culture and diversity


Whitney (African-American Pre-med student/sister-n-law)

Culture is the way of life of a group of people.

Diversity is a group of characteristics that separate culture into distinct groups in which they exists



 Kanayo (Nigerian accountant/Son’s godfather)

Culture is the sociological genetic makeup of an individual in regards to their environments, experiences, and education.

Diversity is just the differences in all aspects of individuals live

           
Deanna (Caucasian real estate agent/Aunt in law)

Culture is how we interact with people who we have family relationships with that unite us together.  We have favorite recipes and music that represent our culture.

Diversity is what separates us from other people cultural ways.




Which aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the answers I received—and what are some examples?

Culture relates to the beliefs, artifacts, the values, and other things that bind people together (Smidt, 2006). We have discussed to some degree each individual definition of culture.  For example, we have discussed that culture is the way of life.  Culture is something that brings us together and culture does relate to a sociological agent.  Also an example of culture is many view the food and music that we share in our family as being a part of our culture. For example diversity is the differences that separate us.


Which aspects have been omitted—and what are some examples of such omission?

I feel that each person gave their own opinion of culture, but as we have learned, culture is complex.  For example, people of the same culture are quite different, depending on their individuality, their family, their gender, age, race, ethnicity, abilities, religion, economic level, social status, where they live and where they came from, sexual orientation, educational level, and even appearance, size, and shape (Gonzalez-Mena, 2008). 


In what ways has thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity influenced my own thinking about these topics?

From engaging in conversation from each of these people, I learned a lot about how important culture is to them and how they each deal with the cultural diversity of the world.  They each shared an experience on how their family culture has gone through changes as they learned to adapt to the ways and beliefs of people and their cultures.  I learned that all of these people valued their own culture, and in fact that culture is a way of life that may in fact make us come closer together.  I also learned that despite these three people ages, gender, income status, religion, education, and race them all had the same perspective on culture and diversity.


References
Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2008). Diversity in Early Care and Education. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Smidt. (2006). The Developing Child in the 21st Century. New York: Routledge.








Friday, July 6, 2012

MY FAMILY CULTURE


We live in a society where everything is digital and computer based, however many people still value momentums that has been important through family generations. I cherish the jewelry and my wedding ring, but I believe that some things can be replaced or upgraded.  The three items that I would choose to take with me into another country are family pictures, my grandfather war medal, and my great-great grandmother’s necklace. Each three of these objects are very important to my family history and culture.  They are items that have been in my family for many generations.

I chose pictures of my family because pictures hold detail of life and memories.  Many of the pictures in my family are pictures that represent the joy, struggles, and heartache that my grandparents and their family members endured in their lives.  They are pictures of pain and joy.  Of course, the pictures of my immediate family which include my husband, children, parents, and siblings are very meaningful and they are items that I want to have as keepsake items.

I chose to keep my grandfather’s war medal, because my grandfather was such a positive inspiration to me.  He died when I was very young, but his services to our country and my family were some of the most proud and memorable moments that I hear about him from older people in my family.  I also know that the medal were very important to my grandmother, therefore I want to continue to treasure this item.

I also chose my great-great grandmother’s necklace because when I turned 21 it was given to me by my grandmother.  It was very important to my grandmother, because I did not get a chance to even see a picture of her, so that is the only memory that I would have of her. My great-great grandmother was killed and this is one of the few pieces of memories that are in my family that belonged to her.

If I was told that I could only keep two of these items, I would be very sad and I would feel like I am losing a piece of my family’s history.

From this exercise, I realized how important my family culture is to me and the items that are a part of my family culture is very special. These are items that I want to be a part of my children and their family’s life’s.  I also realized that as a family culture, it is my job to keep those cultural traditions alive so that my children can learn about their family identity.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Blog Assignment: When I Think of Research...


I have gained insights on how to design a research.  I have learned that research takes time.  It has to be prepared and cannot be thrown together.  The whole research process takes a considerate amount of time and patience.  When I first began this class, my concept of this class was that we would be doing a research paper.  I had the wrong conception of this class.  I have gained insight on qualitative and quantitative research design. I gained insights on mixed methods designs, direct observation, equity, which has power doing the research, making sure ethics are in the early childhood research process. I also gained insights on case study, interviews, and anecdotal record as I implement research in this field. I also gained insights on consent in the research process in regards to young children. From this, I gained a better concept of research and I feel that this class was a starting point for me as I pursue my educational and professional goals.

My nature of research has changed, because now I am more prepared to plan, design, and conduct research.  I understand now that it is a process that involves professionalism and respect.  I understand that there are four major paradigms which include positivism, interpretivism, structuralism, and poststructuralism.  I believe that I can better relate to interpretivism.

It is important to understand that research is a tool and, as with all tools, it is simply a matter of learning how to use it (Naughton, Rolfe, & Blatchford- Siraj, 2010).  I learned that you have to plan a research before you can just do research on a topic. I learned that you have to be knowledgeable about an issue before you can begin planning.  The design of the research should be ‘what’ and ‘how ‘of research, deciding whether the research will be experimental or non-experimental, the time, place, and persons of the research, the sampling process, and choosing methods of data collection and analysis.  In conducting research you have to be ethical and be prepared for the challenges that you may face. You must also make sure that the data collected is honest a will be beneficial to the early childhood field.

A challenge for me was the understanding of independent and dependent variables, as well as many of the terms that were outlined in the text.  I met those challenges by looking deeper in the text, by breaking the definitions down to basics.  I also encounter challenges with my research question.  I met this challenge by reading the text and gaining a better understanding of formulating a research question and revised my research question.  I also met challenges with the support and guidance of Dr. Davis through his evaluations and comments and by listening to the comments and suggestion of my colleagues.

My perceptions of an early childhood professional has modified because when I began this class I was not unaware of the planning, designing, and conducting research.  Now, I have a better understanding of research which has increased my knowledge in this field of study.  The fore, through this class and understanding of research I have enhance my professional growth over the past weeks.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement in this class. I wish you all success as you continue to climb the ladder toward your educational goals.

Reference

Naughton, G. M., Rolfe, S. A., & Blatchford- Siraj, I. (2010). Doing Early Childhood

Research: International Perspectives on Theory and Practice 2nd Edition. New York:

The McGraw Hill.












Saturday, June 2, 2012

Research Around The World


The website that I chose to explore is http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/. The Early Childhood Australia website focuses on social justice, quality and equity for children ages birth to 8years of age.



Through exploring this website, I found many research topics in the early childhood education field. Research shows children who parents who talk less, means that through encouragement the child will talk more. A University of Sydney study has found children with well below average language skills performed almost as well as their normally developing peers just four months after their parents made a few simple changes in the way they interacted with them. (http://sydney.edu.)  I was very surprised on this research, because I thought that the more the parent talked the more the child language skills and speech will increase.

From reading the focal points of the articles, they have issues related to the budget; and how the government is dedicated to the educational sector of early child care and education.  The website also discussed research topics that include:

1. Learning and teaching through play

2. Respecting diversity: Articulating early childhood practice

3. Children’s Resilience:  Working with the Early Years Framework

4. Discovering letters and sounds

5. Aggression and young children

6. Babies: Good beginners last forever



Basically from browsing some of the research articles, it seems that this country is also dedicated to early care and education.  They are also dedicated to meeting the developmental needs of the child by doing research and observations on how to better meet the individual needs of the child.  ECA like many organizations is also focused on maintaining a budget that reflects early care and education.



I was not surprised of the issues that affect Australia, because it seems that the entire world has child development and well being of the child as a high priority.



Resources


http://sydney.edu.au/news/84.html?newsstoryid=4447

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Research that Benefits Children and Families


Option 1

I found an article that discusses the benefits of research toward Head start and Early Head Start programs.  Many people view these programs as baby sitting jobs, but research shows a different perspective.  National Family and Child Experiences Survey data shows that HS graduates, by the spring of their kindergarten year, were essentially at national norms in early reading and early writing and were close to meeting national norms in early math and vocabulary knowledge (National Head Start Association).  Head Start and Early Head Start are programs that provide young children educational and health benefits.  Many of the children who attend these programs reap high quality benefits. EHS children had a higher cognitive, social, and emotional score than the children in the control group.  They also had children who were good health care compared to the children who were not enrolled in the Head Start Program.   There was also research that showed that Head Start programs were credited for lowering childhood obesity.  The children in EHS programs were more likely to have had their immunizations. Research shows that HS is a wise investment for society (National Head Start Association). Children in Early Head Start and Head Start also benefits from economic and law enforcement benefits.  Along with improving the health of its children and families, HS benefits its children and society-at-large by reducing crime and its costs to crime victims (National Head Start Association).


Many of us aware of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs in our state and community, but sometimes we are unaware of the benefits of these programs.



Reference

National Head Start Association (NHSA)(n.d.).Benefits of Head Start and Early head Start Programs. Retrieved from http://www.nhsa.org/files/static_page_files/399E0881-1D09-3519-AD56452FC44941C3/BenefitsofHSandEHS.pdf