Time Well Spent

Let me start by saying I can’t believe I am at the end of my Master’s educational journey. Time really does fly. I have learned so much from all the instructors and courses I took. I feel I have grown professionally as well as personally. Each class was so informative and inspiring to say the least.

One deeply felt learning from this program has been learning about diversity and how to include every child. The anti-bias curriculum has been very inspiring. The inclusion of every child is something I now look for when I visit classrooms.

Another deeply felt learning is learning about the Community of Practice. It is very important to work with others who share your goals and passions. When we work together there is so much that we can accomplish.

Lastly, another deep felt learning has been (although early childhood education has improved) there are still many issues that need to be resolved in the early childhood education field. There are still children who are not receiving a quality education.

A long term goal is to continue including all children and families in the classrooms. It doesn’t matter what grade I teach, I will ensure everyone is included (culture, ethnicity, race, disability, etc.). Another goal is to continue my education because I want to ensure I have done all I can to assist every child and to ensure they receive a quality education from a qualified teacher.

To Dr. Dartt, thank you for all the feedback and the inspiration. I have learned so much from you in this course and previous courses I took with you. You pushed me to do better and I saw myself growing from this. You and the other instructors are the reason I am able to do what I do.

To my colleagues, thank you for reading and responding to my discussion questions and blogs. I enjoyed reading all your discussion questions and blogs as well. I learned so much from all of you. I cannot believe it is really the end. I wish all of you the best in the future. Let’s take care of our children.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

As I researched international organizations, the first one that stood out to me was United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “UNESCO works to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values” (UNESCO, 2014). Two of their goals are to attain quality education for all and foster culture diversity, intercultural dialogue, and a culture of peace (UNESCO, 2014). This organization appealed to me because it recognizes quality education for all and diversity, which is worldwide. There weren’t any employment opportunities that interest me.

The second organization that interested me was International Step By Step Association (ISSA). The mission of this organization is to provide high quality care and educational services for children from birth to 10 years old. Their focus is on the poor and disadvantaged children. They want family and the community participation included in the children’s learning and development and they want to ensure diversity is respected (ISSA, 2014). This organization not only recognizes diversity and the need for quality education, they want to include families and the community which I think is important for a child’s education. They also offer online courses and trainings, with one of the courses in embracing diversity (ISSA, 2014). I could not find any employment opportunities, but I think it would be rewarding to be work with them.

The last organization that appealed to me was United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). This organization stood out to me because one of their missions is to ensure disadvantaged children (victims of wars, victims of disasters, extreme poverty, all forms of violence and exploitation, and children with disabilities have special protection (UNIFEC, 2014). UNICEF is also committed to providing quality education to each and every child regardless of their circumstances (UNICEF, 2014). A job that interests me is Education Specialist (Peacebuilding, Education in Emergencies). They are responsible for planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluation of Education programs. They must have a degree in education, primary education, or a social science field. The candidate must have five years’ work experience working at national and international levels pertaining to the education field.

References

International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.issa.nl/index.html

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2011). Retrieved

 from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved from
             http://www.unicef.org/

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

The first national agency I explored was The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). I chose this organization because their mission is to “serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources” (NAEYC, 2014). A job that interests me is a teacher’s position.  The qualifications are have a bachelor’s degree in a child-related field from a college or university that is accredited or a minimum of two years of experience in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or a related field (NAEYC, 2014).

The next organization that I chose is called Jump Start. I chose this organization because it is a national early education organization that recruits and trains college students to serve preschool children who reside in low-income neighborhoods. They have a proven curriculum that helps children develop the language and literacy skills needed to ready then for kindergarten (Jump Start, 2014). A position I chose with this organization is Associate Program Director (ADP). The ADP is responsible for ensuring high-quality implementation. Qualifications are a bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or related discipline; Masters preferred, commitment to the organization’s mission and values of learning, connection, joy, determination and kindness, and 3-5 years of experience.

The last organization I researched is National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC). This organization works on behalf of family child care providers. One of the goals of this organization is “to promote the diversity of the family child care profession through training, state and local associations, public education, and Board Membership” (NAFCC, 2014). There were not any job openings available.

References

Jump Start. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.jstart.org/

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2014). Retrieved

            from http://www.naeyc.org/about/mission

National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC). (2014). Retrieved from

            http://www.nafcc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=573&Itemid=28

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

I currently reside in Georgia, so I searched for agencies in this state. I found several agencies of communities of practice that I have knew nothing about. The first agency where I would like to be employed is The Office of Early Childhood Development (ECD).  This agency uses a focused approach to improve early childhood and development. Two of their goals are to promote high quality and accountable early learning and development programs for all children and promote family support and engagement in the child’s development. A job that interests me is Head Start Program Specialists. I chose this position because I feel young children need high quality programs that will help them succeed.

The second agency I explored is Child Welfare Information Gateway. This agency promotes the safety, permanency, well-being of children, youth, and families. This organization has a program called Family-Centered Practice. What this program does is work with families, formally and informally, to enhance their capacity to care for and protect their children. Its focus is on children’s safety and needs within the context of their families and communities.  A job that interests me in this organization is a Social Worker. This job entails providing education and training to staff, assist with other programs within the organization, and prepare written findings. I chose this job because I can provide staff with the information needed to assist these families and help them care for their children. I can also be of assistance in more than one area of the organization. This position requires a Master’s degree in the related field, able to adapt o sudden changes, and no minimum years of experience.

The third organization I explored was Zero to Three. This organization provides parents, professionals, and policy makers the knowledge and teaches them how to nurture early development.  They want to ensure all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. A career that interests me is Senior Policy Strategist. I’m interested in this job because I will serve as a proactive resource to Congress and the Administration about infant and toddler policy issues. This will be a great opportunity to be a part of a team that is working to educate individuals about the importance of nurture for infants and toddlers. A Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and knowledge of early childhood policy are some of the requirements.

References

Child Welfare Information Gateway (2014). Family-centered practice. Retrieved from

            https://www.childwelfare.gov/famcentered/

The Office of Early Childhood Develeopment (2014). An office of the administration for

            children and families. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ecd

 Zero to Three (2014). National center for infants, toddlers, and families. Retrieved from

             http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/careers/jobs/

Reflecting on Learning

My hope for the future as an early childhood professional and for children and their families whom I work with is to be an anti-bias teacher who makes children and their families feel comfortable coming to my classroom. I want them to feel welcomed and know their children will be in a classroom that has a teacher who will not exclude their child because of differences.

 

I would like to thank all my colleagues for the all the constructive feedback. It has helped me grow into a better person (personally and professionally). I wish you all as we embark on this anti-bias journey.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I chose to research Latin America and Caribbean. I sometimes see stories on the news about other countries, but I do not see anything about this area, this is the reason for my choice.  I wanted to know what challenges are the children and families confronting. I researched the island of Barbados.

Countries in east Caribbean have high levels of poverty, inequality, and high levels of unemployment. The children are exposed to many kinds of abuse and exploitation, which includes sexual abuse, neglect and abandonment, physical abuse, which is meant as a form of discipline, child labor, and child trafficking (UNICEF, 2009). In Barbados they use corporal punishment to discipline children at school and home (UNICEF, 2010). Even though they have evidence that hitting children is harmful to their development, they still do it (UNICEF, 2010).

Some factors that contribute to these problems are poverty, an ineffective truancy policy to mitigate against children being out of school, and the administration system is weak when it comes to justice so it discourages reporting and prosecuting sex offenders, amongst other things (UNICEF, 2009).

These issues are difficult for a child to endure. Children dealing with issues as these may develop mental illness, behavior problems, and social development problems. Children may become depressed, act out in school, and withdraw from others.

As a parent, grandparent, and early childhood professional, I cannot imagine anyone having to endure such traumatic issues. This opened my eyes to the fact that the children in the United States are dealing with tragic events, but nothing compared to the children in Barbados. These children will one day be adults. I only hope they have healed from all the emotional scars they’ve endured as children.

 

References

 United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). (2009). Eastern Caribbean

            Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/barbados/overview.html

United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). (2010). Barbados works to

change attitudes, implement positive discipline in schools. Retrieved from

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/barbados_53912.html

 

 

 

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

I think sexualization is too advanced for children in early childhood. The focus should be on learning your coursework, not sex. I know younger children are more aware of sex than they should be, but for it to be a topic in the early childhood field is surprising.

Music videos play a big part in exposing children in a sexual environment. The videos tell them it is alright to dress sexy or participate in sex. “Children growing up today are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sex and sexiness in the media and popular culture”, Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, pg. 2.

I have seen girls at the school where I work be sent home because their dress was too short or their shirt was too low cut. I have seen some of the girls where eye shadow, lipstick, and false fingernails to school.

One day I was walking through the lunchroom after lunch was over and I found a note one of the fifth grade boys wrote to one of the fifth grade girls. The note said he was breaking up with her because he wanted to talk to this other girl because she was prettier. This might make the other girl he broke up with feel as though she has to do something else to be prettier so she could keep a boyfriend. She may start dressing promiscuous or wanting to have sex.

When I worked at the middle school I remember some boys talking about a girl they “ran a train on”. They were in line talking about how they took turns having sex with her.

Children who are introduced to sex or sexual behavior too soon will not have a chance to be children or do children activities. They are doing adult things way too soon. If any of these encounters are observed I think as an early childhood professional, parent, and grandparent it is important to address these issues with the parents. Children need to know this is not acceptable behavior.

My awareness of sexualization has been modified because I never knew it was this serious until my studies this week. Children are exposed to many sexual environments, some are at home.

 

Reference

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized

childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine

Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf