Week 2 Sharing Web Resources

I subscribed to The Children’s Defense Fund the web address is http://www.childrensdefense.org/ . I want to learn more about this organization.

The Children's Defense Fund is a nonprofit organization that has been around for about 35 years.  Its focus is to advocate for children and youth of poverty, minorities and children with disabilities.  Their mission is to make sure "no child is left behind," and that each child receives the head start they deserve in life.

The organization has a monthly newsletter that can be emailed.  The main issue that was brought up in the June 2012 issue is that the Affordable Care Act which includes the Medicaid expansion was upheld by the court on June 28, 2012. This is great news for pregnant women, children and families they will be able to seek medical care without this these families would not be able to get medical care and this would be devastating.

They are holding a conference in July, Creating Change—National Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. This one-of-a-kind conference will connect communities of child advocates, young leaders, faith leaders, policymakers, service providers and others to create real change for children at the state, local, and federal levels in 2012 and beyond.

Part 1 Establishing Professional Contacts and Part 2 Expanding Resources

Part 1, Establishing Professional Contacts

I have been trying to establish my professional contacts, with no responses. I have sent numerous e-mails some have come back and others just no response, yet. I have sent to the CEFP-Australasia Region, Childhood International, Head Start-Sharon Kirksey-Walcott, Step by Step Program Haiti, UNICEF, and Center for Early Childhood Care and Development in the Philippines as well as the ones that were returned.

I received an email from the ACEI, Sheri Levin, Member Relations and Communications Manager; hopefully she is going to be able to put someone in contact with me. Keeping my fingers crossed because I am so excited about this assignment. http://www.acei.org/

I am hopeful that more will respond, but until then I will research the Alternative assignment.

Part 2, Expanding Resources

I have chosen from our resources to research Child Care Aware of American formerly known as the NACCRRA. The web address is http://www.naccrra.org/ I have subscribed to the network and will receive the newsletters and any other updates. I chose this resource because of the vast amount of information including State Child Care Licensing, Cost of Child Care, Poverty, Quality Matters, School Readiness and Parent Perspectives as a few. I am excited and eager to dive in and learn more about this organization.

Daily Supports

Factors within my daily life that are supportive to me, oh there are so many. Number one my children, even though they are grown but still live at home…lol they are my rock my reason for continuing my education at my age. They have encouraged and inspired me to be the best that I can be. A close second is my husband of 22 years, I couldn’t live without him. He is my soul mate we have been together since we were 15 years old; I don’t know what life was like without him. He supports me in everything that I do and there isn’t a day that goes by that he doesn’t tell me how proud he is of me and my accomplishments. I can’t even address how difficult it would be to exist without these supports; I know that I would not be the person I am today.

My family, friends and colleagues are a wonderful support system in my life; everyone has been so encouraging to me and kept me going. My job well that is easy, the money keeps me living. My students and their families are the reason I travel 45 minutes to work and 45 minutes home every day. I love each and every child that I come in contact with and I try to build that relationship with their families as well.

As far as a challenge for me to imagine, I have always wondered what would happen to me if I was diagnoses with diabetes. My father, grandmothers on both sides had it and I developed gestational diabetes while pregnant with my first son. Well about 4 weeks ago I was diagnosed as Insulin resistant or better known as Metabolic syndrome as well as a heart condition. My greatest fears were having to be on medication for the rest of my life and being alone. I am so lucky to have the support system that I do. If it wasn’t for the support of my family and friends and the motivation I get from my student’s this would be a lot harder than it is.

Childhood Connection to Play

Adults are obsolete children.  ~Dr. Seuss

In my soul, I am still that small child who did not care about anything else but the beautiful colors of a rainbow.  ~Papiha Ghosh

Children have neither past nor future; they enjoy the present, which very few of us do.  ~Jean de la Bruyere

Being able to run and play. We lived on a mountain in the woods and we had big imaginations with what little we had.

Camping was a big thing for us growing up, especially since we didn’t have to leave the mountain to do it. Again, using our imaginations to pretend we were somewhere else.

This picture is so similar to the tree house we built with my dad. We had so much fun playing in there.

Being able to run and play in the open without our parents having to worry, it was a great childhood. We would get up early in the summer and play until dark, even after dark when we were camping. I had a hard time when my children were growing up we lived in the town, even though a small town, there were still worries of someone or something happening to them. I did play outside with them but not until they were older did I let them venture out on their own. We would go to my parents and they were allowed to run free. It’s sad that times have changed so much that we have to worry about someone taking our children.

Play is such a vital part of being a child and growing up. We develop cognitive, physical, social and emotional skills through play. Children need to be children.

Relationship Reflection

"Human relationships, and the effects of relationships, are the building blocks of healthy development" (Shonkoff & Phillips, 200 p. 4).

My number one relationship is with my husband, Brian. We meet when we were only 15 years old and have been together ever since. We have been married for almost 22 years and he is my soul-mate, we understand each other more than any two people I have ever met. It took me a while to decided to pursue my education but when I did he was very supportive. He has cooked, cleaned and taken care of the children while I attended college. Our children are grown now but he is still there for me helping me achieve my dreams and goals.


Next would be my relationships with my sons, Jeff is 21 married with a baby on the way in December, our first grandchild. Marcus is 18 and full of life. They have always been my rock, my motivation, to show them that if you set your mind to it, it can be done. I hope that I have instilled these qualities in my children. I hope that I can use the tools that I developed with my children to become the professional that I was meant to be.


Getting the parents’ perspective on many topics and learning from them will build a partnership based on mutual respect and trust. The give and take of positive conversation is a plus. Each interaction moves us toward our goal. We can learn a lot from the parents in our programs. To recognize that they have much to teach us is the first step in building the partnership.  And, when we have their trust, they will share with us.


The partnership between the parent and the teacher cannot be underestimated. When it is built on mutual trust and respect, everything else falls into place.

When I Think of Child Development....

Wow, its hard to believe another class is almost over!!! But isn't it exciting that we are getting through these together??

Reflection:

I would like to thank all my colleagues for their support during these eight weeks.  I have really enjoyed reading you all blogs and discussion within the past weeks.  This has been a great journey for me and my knowledge from this experience has sharpened in some many aspects.  By the responses given to me during this course, it has really helped me to stay on task and to exchange vital information that was useful and needed.  Not only that, you all made me feel welcome in so many ways, especially when I didn’t understand certain parts of the assignment. I would especially like to thank Dr. D for all your support and encouragement.

I wish everyone well as they continue their education and continue to obtain more information that will allow them to prosper in the near future with the intent that you all have set in your mind to do after your accomplishments.

Thanks again and I wish you all the best!

Catherine

Quotes:

This is my favorite quote: "They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel."--Carol Buchner

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
― Albert Einstein

“The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one.”
- Malcolm Forbes

“Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression.”
- Dr. Hiam Ginnot

Testing for Intelligence

Looking at children holistically, I believe there are two areas that should be assessed.  The first area is the child’s well being.  This includes yearly health exams. Children should be checked to see if they need glasses, need speech help, or have some kind of disability.  These are just to name a few.   Learning cannot happen if the child cannot see, or hear the teacher.  I often think of the kid who comes to school hungry and cannot focus.  His hierarchy of needs has not been met, so learning cannot take place just yet.  The second area is of course assessing their learning through testing.  I think testing shouldn’t just be pencil and paper.  I believe it should vary from group projects, oral presentations, book reports, and verbal testing with the teacher. Today, we have all kinds of learning styles, and it is important to reach all our students.  Incorporating social learning into our assessment is an important tool I believe. 


I read an article entitled, “China’s Children too busy for playtime.”  The children go to school Monday through Friday for nine hours a day. Their parents only work eight hours.  Most children spend their weekends studying and doing extracurricular activities.  They lack in play, and are missing out in socialization.  The children are assessed through testing like here in the states, but these children strive for perfection.  In one study mentioned in this article, only four out of ten children said they had friends to play with when they were allowed to play.  This could contribute to why the children are so unhappy.  A 16 year old even committed suicide because she failed an entrance exam to high school.  I think this says it all.  Children in China are simply assessed in one area only and that is their grades.  These children are missing out on childhood and playtime which allows them to develop in other areas. 

All around the world, we are assessing our children.  In some countries, success means nothing less than perfect.  In other countries, as long as you try, you have succeeded.  Every child is unique and has something to offer.  It is our job as early childhood professions to help our students be the best they can be.  If it really is a calling for us, we will bend over backwards to make sure everyone is learning.  In some classrooms today, you will find teachers just using worksheets after worksheets. This shouldn’t be us.  I do believe if we give our children more opportunities to collaborate with their peers and have time to just be kids that we will see assessment scores rise.  I feel that if school is all work and no play then students will be no longer interested in school by second grade.  Assessment should comes in many forms. 

Reference:

“China’s Children too busy for playtime.”  China Daily.  Retrieved from: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-05/13/content_871182.htm