When I Think of Child Development . . .

“Children love and want to be loved and they very much prefer the joy of accomplishment to the triumph of hateful failure.  Do not mistake a child for his symptom.” 

~Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

Children want to love, beloved and learn.  They deserve the right to be in a non-judgmental  environment where everything a child does is an accomplishment and failure does not exist.  Judging a child negatively, could affect their resilience and damage their self esteem.  Children are naturally beautiful and innocent and we should not place the results of negative childhood development on that child.

THANK YOU!

To my colleagues: 

I want to thank my colleagues for their support, feedback, and sharing of their knowledge.  Without your support, I may not have made it this far.  We went from total strangers to an inseparable team that we are today.  I am certain that we will never forget the never-ending pressure of assignments and deadlines we faced together.  We encouraged one another, helped each other and tackled things together.  I wish you all much success and a promising future in the early childhood field.

To my teacher:

I would like to extend my most sincere thanks to my teacher Dr. Dispagna.  Thank you so much for your increasing guidance, encouragement, devotion and support you’ve shown these last eight weeks.

Valerie

Testing for Intelligence?

On the subject of viewing children holistically, I believe that tests should cover much more than academic skills such as reading and mathematics.  Children have many learning styles and they should all be included in intelligence tests.  If a child learns through hands-on experiences and seeing, then expecting that child to listen to instructions without giving concrete hands-on relationships is not teaching to the whole child and test results will be inaccurate for these children.

Studies have shown that traditional “IQ” tests work well at predicting academic success but fall short of testing children’s “emotional intelligence.”  These predictions of success may not only be wrong, but they may create inaccurate expectations for children and their parents.  Psychologist and author Daniel Goleman offers a new concept not only for predicting school success, but future life success.  He suggests that a number of ingredients add up to good “emotional intelligence,” including self-control or impulse control, the ability to motivate one’s self, persistence, optimism, self-understanding, empathy, the art of listening to others.  He feels that children with superior cognitive skills do not always live up to their promise because they do not always possess solid emotional intelligence (Brodkin, A. M.  2010).

I looked at Switzerland, to see how children were assessed and found that special agencies in each of the Swiss Cantons were responsible for the investigatory procedures.  The special education needs are mostly identified by medical doctors and early intervention specialists including school psychologists, but the final decision is made by the school administrative board.  There is no standard instrument available at this time but orientation on ICF is under discussion.

I found my research on intelligence testing very informative.  My nephew has just been tested for the “gifted” program.  Before this assignment, I had very little knowledge on the way he was tested, as to whether or not he was tested with the whole child in mind.  I will be a more active participant in his education plan because of this new knowledge I have acquired.

Resource:

http://danielgoleman.info/2011/03/29/the-brain-and-emotional-intelligence-new-insights/

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

The stressor that I chose was the effects of war on children’s development.  Here’s a story I would like to share with you . . .  

My best friend (Linda) was stressed when her father was serving in the war.  Linda was very dependent on the care, empathy and attention that her father gave her.  Her attachments were disrupted when her father was drafted to serve as a solider.  When we were in the second grade, her mom came to the school around ten o’clock to take her home.  With Linda being my best friend, as soon as I made it home, I asked my mom to call her mom to see why she came to the school to pickup Linda early.  I felt that something was badly wrong.  When mom called, Linda’s mom told her the news, that her husband had been killed.  As I can remember, I started to cry and so did my mom.  We rushed over to Linda’s house to be with them.  From that day forward, Linda was never the same.  Linda experienced anxiety, and in some cases panic when she would think about her father.  When I would spend the night with her, she would have nightmares and could not sleep soundly. She would also complain of headaches and stomachaches daily.     

I chose the region of Afghanistan to focus on the effects of war on children. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is high due to family violence caused by high levels of stress stemming from the war.  Other issues stemming from war is  displacement, lack of food, interruption of school, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance behaviors, mental disorders and increased levels of arousal.  More common side affects of PTSD include guilt, depression, anxiety, poor appetite, difficulty concentrating, difficulty relaxing, aggressive outbursts, poor interactions, fear of darkness, and strong effect on emotional development.  I also read that there are 35,000 street children due to hidden mines, 7 out of 10 children have lost parents and 72% have lost relatives since the war began (Dev Psychopathol. 2001).  I found much more information on bio-behavior consequences of war on children’s mental health, growth and development at http://www.inernetandpsychiatry.com/.  

As I furthered my research, I found several groups that help to minimize harm to children. 

Ø       The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the most widely ratified human rights treaty and obliges States to take positive measures to ensure the protection of children’s rights both in peace and in war.

Ø       Peacemakers must buffer children from the potentially negative consequences of the peace process while respecting their evolving capacities and their right to guided participation.

Ø       Save the Children is an internationally active Non-Governmental Organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries.  It was established in the United Kingdom in 1919 in order to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic opportunities, as well as providing emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts.

There is no doubt that the war has a tremendous impact on the biosocial, cognitive and psychosocial development of the children, their attitudes toward society, their relationship with others and their outlook on life in general.  A war affects children in so many different ways.  To me, I now realize that the greatest effect that war has on a child is when their father or mother are killed. 

Here’s a quote that I thought you all would enjoy . . .

“The best way to protect children from wars is to prevent them from happening in the first place”
-- Free The Children

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Save_the_Children

http://www.ecdgroup.com/docs/lib_005823920.pdf

http://medind.nic.in/maa/t08/i1/maat08i1p65.pdf

http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/hrj/iss12/cohn.shtml

Nutrition/Malnutrition

I chose nutrition/malnutrition because proper nourishment is the key to learning.  This is important to know when dealing with children.  Children need to have proper nutrition so they can focus on education and other issues.  In the beginning of my research I was interested in access to healthy water, but as I read articles I found that all the topics were interrelated.   In the field of Early Childhood, it is very important to know that proper nourishment is needed for the physical, social and mental development for our children.

According to the World Health Organization, malnutrition is by far the biggest contributor to child mortality.  Underweight births cause 2.2 million child deaths a year. Poor or non-existent breastfeeding causes another 1.4 million. Other deficiencies, such as lack of vitamin A or zinc, for example, account for 1 million.  Malnutrition in the first two years is irreversible.  Malnourished children grow up with worse health and lower educational achievements.

I also found out that in India, 2.1 million Indian children die before reaching the age of 5 every year – four every minute - mostly from preventable illnesses such as diarrhea, typhoid, malaria, measles and pneumonia due to malnutrition. Every day, 1,000 Indian children die because of diarrhea alone. Malnutrition and the lack of safe water and sanitation contribute to half of all these children’s deaths.

I have learned that there are many factors that impact children’s development all over the world and they all need to be addressed.  Malnourishment not only stunts the physical development but also hinders the learning and cognitive process which leads to the educational, social and
economic development. Children have the right to a caring, protective environment and to nutritious food and basic health care to protect them from illness and promote growth and development.  In my readings this week I have to focus on the health of the children.  I am definitely more aware of the boarder span of public health issues than I was before I did my research. 

Here’s a quote that I thought was very interesting. . .

"We are guilty of many errors and many faults, but our worst crime is abandoning the children, neglecting the foundation of life. Many of the things we need can wait. The child cannot. Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made and his senses are being developed.

To him we cannot answer "Tomorrow". His name is "Today"."
Gabriela Mistral, 1948

Sources:

http://www.articlesbase.com/pregnancy-articles/smart-kids-start-nourishment-from-womb-274804.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_mortality

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization

http://motherchildnutrition.org/

http://nutritionfoundationofindia.res.in/

Childbirth: In Your Life and Around the World

I am writing about the birth of my first son who is 25 years old and was born February 8. I didn't find about I was pregnant with him until I was about 12 weeks pregnant. I only gained 19 lbs, and I remained between the sizes of 8 and 10 throughout my pregnancy. I was due, however, on March 8 but Kevin came a month earlier. I was admitted into the hospital at 6:00a.m. on February 8 and my labor was induced. I was given an epidural.  After being given the epidural, I felt no pain.  By not feeling any pain, when the doctor told me to push, I could not feel my body and did not know what part of my body to push.  That was very strange to me.  I was in labor about 4 hours and Kevin was delivered at 10:05a.m. Kevin weighed 7lbs and 6 ozs and was 21 1/2 inches long. Now he is 5’7 and weighs about 175 lbs.  He played basketball during his High School days.  Because it was an experience of a lifetime and no one could believe because of his weight at birth, how small I was and that I had only gained 19 lbs. My thoughts about birth and the impact on child development is that it is very important to find out as soon as possible if a woman is pregnant or not, because there could be so many complications and finding out early may help to prevent them.

I chose the country of Australia. Many births are done independently or with mid-wives. There have been some publicly funded homebirth available for a small number of women for many years. There is a policy that is being finalized to take mid-wives from public hospitals and place them in home births. The two reasons homebirth are chosen is to avoid what they previously experienced or what might happen with hospital birth and/or to have their baby with care from just one or two midwives, who they trust and know. Other reasons for homebirths maybe being comfortable with home setting, less risk of infection for baby and mom, less risk of unnecessary episiotomy. If hospital transfer is needed, very low caesarean, and visits with midwives are more personal. There are no inductions or epidurals available at home.  Other ways that are okay with moms maybe use of water, showers, massages, aromatherapy and walking. Midwives carry oxygen, suction or bleeding prevention medicine. A midwife may stay up to four hours after the birth, will come back within 12 to 24 hours, will visit daily until mom is ready for less visits and will be released after moms six week postnatal visit. I learned that moms in Australia have a choice of rather having the baby at home or hospital, just like moms did many years ago. There are a lot of differences, where with most deliveries moms are offered something for pain, where with these home births there are no inductions or epidurals. I believe if I was still in the child bearing age, I would like to try a homebirth because there is just so many infections and diseases out in the world, I feel that a homebirth would be more personal and would be a time for parents to enjoy that special moment.

http://www.homebirthaustralia.org/

http://www.bubhub.com.au/info/articles/birth-labour/homebirth_in_australia.shtml

Thank You!

As I wrap up my first class, I want to thank my colleagues for their support, feedback, and sharing of their knowledge.  Without your support, I may not have made it this far.  We went from total strangers to an inseparable team that we are today.  I am certain that we will never forget the never-ending pressure of assignments and deadlines we faced together.  We encouraged one another, helped each other and tackled things together.  I wish you all much success and a promising future in the early childhood field.

I would like to extend my most sincere thanks to my teach Dr. Embree.  Thank you so much for your increasing guidance, encouragement, devotion and support you’ve shown these last eight weeks.

Examining Code of Ethics

NAEYC - Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment

Ideal 1-1.1 – To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.

This is meaningful to me because I feel to be a good leader and advocate it is very important for us to stay on top of new developments/current events.  Just like any other course of study, I want to continue growing and learning in my field.  This will make me more effective. 

Ideal 1-1.3 – To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.

This ideal is especially meaningful to me in that I know that children are our future.  If the children are respected and treated well, it is likely that the next generation will follow suit.  Children are equal but different and they each have different needs and it is my responsibility to provide the services and resources.

DEC – Code of Ethics

Page 2, #6 – We shall build relationship with individual children and families while individualizing the curricular and learning environments to facilitate young children’s develop and learning. 

The significance of this code of ethics is for me to keep in mind that all children are equal but different.  It is very important for me to build a relationship with the children because I could better support them and there will be a trusting relationship.  Having a close relationship I will be able to meet their physical, social and emotional needs.  I feel that the connection with the children will allow them to feel safe.

Article: NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

Article: The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.dec-sped.org/

EARLY CHILDHOOD RESOURCES

• Video Program: “The Resources for Early Childhood”
  Five early childhood professionals discuss their preferred and trusted resources.

Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
  
  Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al.  (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42–53.
  Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title. 

Part 2: Global Support for Children’s Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
   
• Websites:
• World Forum Foundation
  http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php
  This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the video on this webpage 
• World Organization for Early Childhood Education
  http://www.omep-usnc.org/
  Read about OMEP’s mission.  
• Association for Childhood Education International
  http://acei.org/about/
  Click on “Mission/Vision” and “Guiding Principles and Beliefs” and read these statements.

Note: Explore the resources in Parts 3 and 4 in preparation for this week’s Application assignment.

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart’s National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/ 
• Children’s Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
• Institute for Women’s Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/index.cfm
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.preknow.org/
• Voices for America’s Children
  http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/
     

Part 4: Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

Tip: Use the A-to-Z e-journal list to search for specific journal titles. (Go to “How Do I...?”, select “Tips for Specific Formats and Resources,” and then “e-journals” to find this search interface.) 

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education

Additional Resources:

Inspirational Quotes & Quotations On Early Childhood Education For Teachers

http://www.successdegrees.com/inspirationalquotesaboutearlychildhoodeducationandteaching.html        

"Early childhood education has been stated to be the most effective economic development tool available to states. It's time to recognize that as we are seeing more buoyancy in our economy, it's time to address this, or we will fall further behind our neighboring states and our international competitors."
- Richard Alexander

Early Childhood Education Journal Articles:  List of Sources

http://education-portal.com/early_childhood_education_journal_articles.html

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity.
(Lyndon B. Johnson)

I don't believe I'll ever get credit for anything I do in foreign affairs, no matter how successful it is, because I didn't go to Harvard.
(Lyndon B. Johnson)

**********

Access to many different playmates promotes young children to develop an interest in their peers and affords them many opportunities to develop play skills that are more advanced, more complex, and more coordinated with those of their peers.
(Virginia Buysse)

A promising approach to this type of practice research is to build communities of practice based on collective expertise and designed to scrutinized and improve education.
(Virginia Buysse)

 **********

Louise had a built in passion for teaching to make a real contribution in the world.
(Louise Derman Sparks)

A passion of Louise is to make sure that children are taught in an environment that they can nurture, grow and develop to the fullest of their ability.
(Louise Derman Sparks)

**********

Additional Quotes: 
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
(Nelson Mandela)

Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.
(Albert Einstein)

Personal Childhood Web

My mom (Elgie) has a heart of gold.  Her personality exceeds her character.  She has an unselfish nature and caters to the needy whether it is providing service or devoting her time.  She is well respected and always ready to lend a helping hand.  My mom instilled the relentless drive for success and work ethic I have today.  What really inspired me about her is that she always provided for me and my siblings regardless of external influences.  She created her own path and career out of nothing more than hard work. 

My sister (Barbara) is a warm, quiet individual who can light up a room with her smile. She is also wise in the ways of motherhood and life in general. She is a caring individual who thinks of others before herself.   My sister had the strongest influence on my life as a child, because she was my secondary care-giver when mom was not able.  She always had a way of making you feel special whether by baking your favorite cake or allowing you to choose one item for yourself while grocery shopping. Things were never easy and we had many struggles, but my sister always kept a positive attitude.  Her positive attitude and strong determination still influence what I do today. When I need uplifting or when I feel like giving up, just a talk with my sister will bring my spirits up and give me what I need to make the situation better.

My teacher (Mr. Hall) taught me Art.  He was brilliant-inspiring in the best possible way, not just because he had all sorts of technical expertise and was good at passing it on, but because he encouraged us to think.  Until he came along, art classes had been about putting a few objects on the desk and drawing them.  He got us to do all sorts of crazy exercises – things about perception and response.  He was ­everything a good teacher should be: stern at times, but good-­natured; clever, creative, and fun.

My friend (Betty) is an encourager.  Even in the most adverse situation, she offers words of encouragement that help me to see beyond the present situation to a better and brighter tomorrow.  Betty is a good communicator….she listens then speaks.  I can depend on her to listen and then talk with me until a problem is resolved, instead of telling me what she would do.  She embraces differences in personalities and encourages me and others to see the best in everyone.  Her positive attitude is contagious.

My Pastor (Eddie) is unique in that he loves to share not only the Word of God, but also the food from his kitchen.  He teaches me that we should live every day to be a blessing to someone else.  He sets a great example of what a Pastor should be…..a caring and sharing person.  Most importantly, he teaches the Word of God and lives what he teaches.  Acting on what he has taught me has brought me a very long way. 

Kaleb's Drawing

I chose this drawing because I thought it was very creative from my three year old grandson......

Quote:

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future"

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"A story about a child that touched your heart"

It is a true statement when it is said that you never know what a person is going through.  I recently met a young lady with the prettiest smile that I had ever seen. But what I did not know was that she has cancer. It really touched me to see someone who is experiencing so much pain and discomfort, seem to be so happy. After speaking with her, I realized how blessed I am, and that really touched my heart.