Sharing Web Resources

The section of information that is relevant to my professional development is the articles under the projects tab.  Listed there are topics that outline projects that of interest to me as an educator.  The project that resonated with me is Pathways to Early School Success which is known as Pathways it was designed to help community based early care programs to support young children and their families.  Its premise is to give children a solid foundation in school that will help them to succeed in the early grades and beyond.  It is relevant to me because one our child care sites is situated in a community that has seen its share of violence.  The children that attend have experienced various amounts of trauma along with emotional challenges.  Pathways framework has six area that have been shown to increase rates of school readiness and success by third grade that includes healthy births, health and development support for families, high quality child care and early education, continuity in early childhood experiences, and effective teaching and learning in K-3 classrooms.  The page also includes a video by Lisbeth B. Schorr who discusses some important points about Pathways project. 

The resource that has made me think more in depth on the issue of poverty is information under the state profile tab in early childhood.  In this section you can research the status of poverty in your own state.  I found detailed information about the level of poverty in my state 36% of families are considered low-income; 10% of the children in Virginia have no health insurance.  I was not aware of these statistics until I viewed this web page.  Any number when speaking of poverty children and families is too high.  I know there is election of Senate house seats coming up soon.  I must have a look at each constituent and vote accordingly.  I hope these legislators have some view about education in their campaign because it is imperative that children get the early education needed to establish a learning foundation. 

The article “Education and health have improve for US children, says annual report” adds to my understanding of how economist support the early childhood field.  In this article the economist states the increase is poverty is closely tied to the housing issue.  Skinner indicated the increase in housing cost and decline in affordable housing cause the increase of children living in poverty.  Economist suggest that there are differences in genes, culture, and effort that has cause an achievement gap; a solution to decrease the gap is to fight student hunger, adjustments to income and provision of health care for students( Kelly, 2014).

The most recent insight about the issue of poverty according to research indicates a two percent drop in the poverty rate.  The article mentioned there is a decline in three of the four Census regions, but there is no change in the South.  Any decrease in number related to poverty is worth it.  I am looking forward to the day where poverty no longer exists in the world not just in this country (U.S. child poverty rate falls, 2014). 

 

References:

Kelly, C. (2014, September 4). Education and health have improved for us children, says annual report. Retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2014/0904/Education-and-health-have-improved-for-US-children-says-annual-report

National Center for Children in Poverty. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nccp.org/

U.s. child poverty rate falls . (2014, September 16). Retrieved from http://nccp.org/media/releases/release_158.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 1

 

Blog update:  I have not had a response from an early childhood professional of the podcast I watched in week one.  The countries I have chosen to share insight involving poverty is Eastern Europe and Central Asia. 

The information I found interesting is it is focused on economic reform yet they paid less attention to monitoring and addressing social cost that affect children (Child poverty and, 2014).  Second, UNICEF created a monitoring project to gather and analyze data of the changes that were taking place since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 their interest was in the social conditions of the public and how it is affecting families (Child poverty and, 2014). UNICEF created a monitoring project at Innocenti Research Center called MONEE that is designed to serve as a database that obtains statistical data through direct collaboration with the National Statistical Offices of the countries in Central Europe and Asia(Child poverty and, 2014). 

Early on the changes in Europe caused political, economic and social reform (Child poverty and, 2014).  Leaders expected a transformation of economic prosperity but it was met with a decline in GDP, employment and family incomes along with deterioration of social indicators (Child poverty and, 2014). After a decade of economic growth and global improvements has brought about indicators of average well-being of children; the stark contrast emerged from those who have benefited and the children who were left behind (Child poverty and, 2014). To assess the situation and vulnerabilities of children in during the transition process UNICEF instituted the monitoring project (Child poverty and, 2014).  

 

Reference

Child poverty and child well-being in Eastern Europe and central Asia. (2014, September 20). Retrieved from https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/

Sharing Web Resources

The organization that I chose in Week 1 is The National Center for Children in Poverty.  This organization is a leading public policy center dedicated to promoting the economic security, health and well being of America (National Center for Children in Poverty, n.d.).  Research is used to inform policy and practice with the intended goal to ensure positive outcomes for the next generation (National Center for Children in Poverty, n.d.).  NCCP states 32 million children in United States are living in families who struggle to make ends meet; about forty-five percent of these children are living at the edge (National Center for Children in Poverty, n.d.).  The vision for the organization is to promote family-oriented solutions at the state and national levels therefore families will have economic security, strong, nurturing families, and healthy development (National Center for Children in Poverty, n.d.). 

http://www.nccp.org/

The current issue that caught my attention is the information about immigrant families that indicates seventeen million of this nation’s children have at least one foreign-born parent.  The other issue this organization provides information about is the poverty levels among families in the US.  Information on this site will allow you to research immigration and poverty statistics for each individual state in the union. 

I learned there is steady rise of the demographics in this country.  I think officials must take action now towards increasing dual language educators in all school systems or an unknown percentage of children will not get fair properly educated.  The NCCP director states that children do better when their families do better.  The director contents that research has shown that a family’s low income can impede a child’s cognitive development and the ability to learn which could contribute to another host of problems for a child that includes behavioral, social and emotional problems.  So the NCCP next phase is to mutually reinforce relationship between family economic security and health child development.  They plan to accomplish this by helping policy makers understand and adopt evidence-based programs; reducing economic hardship and negative poverty on children, assisting service providers, supporting advocates to develop and implement plans that influence public policy and resource allocation, collaborating with researchers to deepen the understanding of impact on the health of a child, and aiding the media in telling the story of poor children and families living in America; yet shining the light on the power of prevention. 

 

 Reference

National Center for Children in Poverty. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nccp.org/

Establishing Professional Contacts

I like completing my blog assignment before either of the other two assignments.  At the beginning of the week I visited the World Forum Foundation website and sent emails out to six individuals within several minutes they were return to sender showing up in my email from the address I used.  It was too far into the week to wait for a response from the other emails.  I chose to do the alternate to part I using the podcast I listened to Susan Lyons podcast.  I found it challenging to access the audio because I had to initially subscribe to the digital downloads. Lyons stated she created a program called Innovative Teacher Project which is inspired by Reggio Emilia.  The projects mantra is quality work can happen in center based child care.  The program has weekly roundtable discussion Seminars and other resources that are related to children.  My suggestion to my colleagues is to allow enough time to explore the whole web site and make contact with early childhood professionals. 

The early childhood organization I chose to study is The National Center for Children and Poverty.  I am interested in how the organization uses young child risk calculator offering information about each state.  The site provides a demographic profile by each state; my state demographic indicates that there are 33% of the children living in poverty.  The information show that 55% of African American children live in low-income families in state of Virginia where I live.  This organization is interesting because I did not realize the circumstance surrounding poverty in my local.  I plan to return to this organizations site to find out what more I can find out involving Virginia. 

 

Reference:

Demographics of Low-Income Children. (2014, May 2). Retrieved September 6, 2014, from http://www.nccp.org/profiles/state_profile.php?state=VA&id=6

My supports

My Support

The factors within my daily environment that are supportive to me are my faith, my sister, my car, and my bank account.  My faith is how I begin my day reading God’s word helps me to put things into perspective; encouraging me strengthening me and giving the balance I need to get through the day.  My sister and I are daily support for each other praying and coming into agreement for a good day and asking for whatever we need to take place; we usually call to check on each other at least one time during our work day.  My car supports me in transportation to and from work without it, it would be difficult to navigate around the city because where I live public transportation is not available.  Finally, my bank account supports my need for food, shelter, clothing and payment of utilities used to maintain a residence.

The benefit of my supports is to get through each day.  I have noticed when I do not begin my day with listening to or reading the bible it seems like the day is chaotic and just a little off to me.  When this occurs I must withdraw myself and get some reading in for about fifteen minutes.  When my sister and I are apart it is stressful for both of us; a few months ago we traveled together to another city a few hours away from where we live for conferences for community college educators (work related for my sister) the catch was we were at different hotels.  My sister’s work paid for her stay at one hotel and she booked me at another one ten minutes away. The hotel she stayed at was the host hotel for those attending the conference only. We did not see each other until the conference ended we missed each other a lot because we do everything together; face time, phone calls and texting kept us in touch.  My car is a major benefit to me each day; recently I had some repairs on car which required them to keep it for several days.  It was agony without my car; I had to borrow my mother’s car which inconveniences her because she is left at home with no way to get around.  I chose my bank account as a benefit but, as I pondered the thought it should be my job that is the benefit because without the job I would not need the bank account.  My job supports me to live independently to support myself and not need assistance from any other monetary resource such as unemployment of state support. 

If I did not have the supports in my life in my life I would have some challenging days without reading or listening to my bible I would function but without words that I recite to uplift and encourage me it would be difficult at best chaotic  and strange.  I do not want to know what it would be like not to have my sister around me; it makes me emotional just having the thought.  Life without my car I know would change a lot; we would have to move because there is no public transportation available; we live in a rural area.  I have had a car since I was twenty and even the times when I get my car serviced is challenging being dependent on someone else’s things. Living unemployed and with no bank account would leave any person dependent on others for the basic necessities in life.  I was raised to be independent of others; however I was without a job fresh out of high school which was okay at the time but now I have to many things going on now that depend on me being employed and having a bank account.  Finally, I realize there are people who live day to day without any form of support and they survive and cope.  This makes things clear for me that I have come to rely on things and people. 

The challenge I have chosen to imagine is accepting a job offer in a college in California.  The supports I could need emotionally would be deciding whether to accept the position, practically I would have to consider moving; where would I live; packing to move if I accept the job and physically finding a company that will pack and move me across the country.  I must have my family to help me decide the pros and cons of the move; I would also want to know if my mother and sister are willing to move with me.  This thought adds another emotional factor; how would my brother feel about the move and distance we would be away from each other.  I believe if they know this is a career move that I want for myself they would support my decision.  Practically moving would give a chance to purge getting rid of things I no longer need this could be a benefit to me.  Physically, I would want a company who are willing to help pack; I would research and call some businesses in the area to find out fees and what would the job entail.  I feel the benefit of these supports would help me make the soundest decisions that best fit me.  My emotional support is uncompromised I definitely would have problems if they did not exist to keep me grounded. Most people have some form of supports that allow us to be who we are and function each day yet we never consider the repercussions of if they did not exist. I also realize there are individuals who function with minimal amounts of support but they still set out to accomplish challenges. 

My Connections to Play

“Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul.” Friedrich Froebel (founder of the concept of kindergarten)

 

 

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct.” – Carl Jung

 

 

 

 

“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.” – Mr. Rogers

My grandmother supported play when I was younger by allowing my siblings and I to explore the outdoor space of our back yard for long periods of time.  She let us use old pans that were on longer useful to her in play to create cakes from mud.  We were use to watching her bake cakes and pie on the weekend for dinner; then on Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday she baked multiple cakes, pies and cookies.  I loved making cakes using mud; I realized now I was recreating what I had observed my grandmother doing for many years I was learning the process from my perspective as a child.  I was developing my cognitive skills of adding ingredients, motor skills digging up the dirt and stirring to incorporated make believe ingredients.  My social and language skill were developing from the communication that occurred between my siblings and any other neighborhood friends who joined use in our master creations.  

 

 

I feel play is different from play that I engaged in when I was a child; play today for children is now planned I have over heard parents talking about getting together for play dates with their child's friends. Families usually meet at someones house or the park; when I was a child friends just showed up at your house to play they would knock on the door and ask my grandmother if we come out to play.  In school free play has been converted into gym where there are planned physical activities for students; for younger children the time is shortened and there is more emphasis on academics than for children to have opportunities to make believe.  The interest of child involved play now consist of wii's, game boys, nintendo's , and computer/tablets.  Children are no longer choosing to go outside for physical activity; they are opting to sit with game systems.  I think children's lack of physical activity could be linked to the increase in juvenile diabetes among young children.  

 

 

Rushton & Juola-Rushton, 2008 research indicates that play stimulates brain development this is why it is important for educators to craft child-centered learning environments that stimulates the interest of children and optimizes the brain's ability to understand, absorb and retain information.  The role I think play has had in my life was in my career choice.  I mentioned in a previous class that use to pretend to be a teacher; i find it interesting that the role I occupied during my play time was an educator.  I think my play spilled over into my real life which indicates to me make believe for children could be a prelude to what they will become later in life.    

 

 

Reference

 

Rushton, S., & Juola-Rushton, A. (2008).  Classroom learning environment, brain, research, and the no child left behind initiative: 6 years later.  Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(87), 87-92.    

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because I need some to talk to sharing my ideas, hopes and dreams with; relationships are support sometimes we need our egos stroked and then other times we may need a smack on the back of the hand.  I think of it as a checks and balance keeping me in line when I may to far to either end of the spectrum good or bad. (bad side never happens)  We are social beings we were not created to alone Adam had Eve

The people I have positive relationships with include my sister, mother, brother, his wife, my nephews, and several colleague. The relationship with my sister is positive because I share the most with her about my ideas, hopes and dreams she understands and can occasionally give me insight to my thoughts which helps me with making decisions. 
My mom does the same sometimes she usually finds out things after I have shared them with my sister. 
My brother checks on us to make sure we are okay.  He is always there to support me when I need help with my car.  He always volunteers to come look at it when he discovers there is a problem. 
My sister in law is wonderful she puts up with my brother.  My relationship with her has developed over the years initially we were not close because I felt like she took my brother away.  But today we spend time talking since they host a lot of the family gatherings.
My nephews are wonderful handsome young men they bring the hugs when you need one. 
My colleagues we talk about happening at work and sometimes we problem solve together.  But our conversations are not limited to work we also discuss family life as well. 

Each of these relationships has been developed through constant contact via family gatherings, telephone, a lot texting, face time and Saturday lunches.

The challenges I have encountered while developing and maintain these relationships is lack of communication for a long period of time.  I learned people feel as though you do not care when stay out of touch for extended periods of time.  I have learned to reach out to those I care about a least every other week some weekly.  This time period is mainly due to my schedule with work and school.

The special characteristics I see that make these relationships a partnership is the participation in conversation, the contact with all the interest in what is going on in life of others. 
 
My experiences with relationship/partnerships, including my ability to be an active, reflective contributor, impact my work as an effective early childhood professional because I would work just as hard with the families of the children in my care as I would with the personal relationships/partnerships I have outside of work.  Both these social processes take work and they are all important and if it is up to me to break the ice putting an effort to make it work then I will do it so.