Creating Art

No matter where you are, diversity is in your face
It’s in our neighborhoods, our churches and in the marketplace
We need to have awareness of others all around us
Something we must all learn and practice is others’ acceptance

We can’t just talk about diversity, but it must be in our thinking and in our actions
No one group of people can get in their mind that they are the main attraction
It is a wonderful thing to live where there is such diversity
we must take advantage and learn from each other

And not criticize or discriminate others because they are different

Being different is not a bad thing, it is just the way we are and we must all be accepted.

I have learn so much in this course in regards to diversity, now it is my responsibility to teach and motivate others to respect, value and love all. As educators we must model to our children that differences are not bad, they are what makes each and one of us special. We must also teach them that we can learn from each other, in order to become a better person, a person that understands others ideals, values, needs and dreams.

"We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

Having 3 children of my own, with the youngest being 3 years old, I have several personal experiences were they would just say things as they saw them without considering how the other person might feel or respond. My last experience was quite funny, during the summer one of my neighbors found 5 new born kittens in her yard, since she already had two cats of her own she decided to give them away. So she placed a sign in the front of her house saying Kittens for free. When I got home my children were very excited, since we have been planning to get a pet for such a long time. When we got to our neighbors house, she had her older soon which is around his late 40’s showing the cats. When my 3 year old son so him the first thing he said was “Wow, you are so big, while he looked at his belly”. The reason why my soon said so big, was because he was referring to the fact that he was big in regards to weight, it seemed that he could easily weigh more than 350 pounds. I was so glad that my child said big versus saying fat, since it was something that we have been reinforcing with him at home. But still I felt very embarrassed, but the man didn’t seem bothered by his comment and actually answered “I know I need to eat less and do more exercise, do you eat well and do exercise?” That comment made things much easier at least for me, since my child didn’t have any problems with what he said. I believe that the message that my child got from this is that it is okay to ask about differences as long as it is not done in a hurtful way, because there is nothing wrong with being different.

I really appreciated the way that man responded to my child, in other instances they would ignore or seem upset with my child instead of actually taking the time to talk about it, as he did. Once we got home I made my job to explain more to my child about what are other reasons why we tend to gain wait, and the importance of respecting others despite their differences. I believe that an educator might have responded, that all bodies are different, and many times it is because of health problems that some are over or under weight and it does not mean that they eat more or less than others.

Gender, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

During my experience as a Head Start teacher for over 10 years, I have seen very little change in regards types of books, toys and stores available in the classrooms in regards to diversity and family structure. We still have our children bombarded with the typical stereotypes of what a Family looks like, and children are starting to create their own image of what is the norm. We still see posters of firefighters and police officers being men,  books that reflect covers of typical family structure of mom, dad and kids, and our classrooms and centers have very little or no representation of other cultures, but the dominant as the norm. We need to actually focus on the message we are giving the children, in order to encourage in them a sense of respect and value towards diversity in all aspects of human life.

In response to those people that think that early childhood centers should avoid exposing children to books that display gay and lesbian or same sex partners, is not considered as best practice. We need to expose all children and diversity in all aspects of life, weather in culture, believes, foods, race and even sexual tendencies. What a better place then school to learn these things, school should be a place where children should feel safe to learn, explore and ask questions. Questions that will be answered in a way that children can understand that differences do exist and we must be able to embrace and respect them, because they are part of society and not some kind of taboo that adults like to hide and not talk about.

If I would have the experience of having a parent that would approach me with his/her concern in regards to not having a homosexual or transgender caring for his child, I think that first of all I would listen and validate his feelings or believes in this matter, then I would share with him our school’s philosophy in regards to not excluding or discriminating any staff due to their religion, race or sexual tendency.  That we pride on the staff we hire, because he pays close attention on their qualifications and experiences working with young children. That we understand his concern, but that we can assure them that his child is well cared for by all the staff working in our center.

I had an experience a couple of years back with a little boy that enjoyed playing in the dramatic play are, he always wanted to be the mom and would dress up with girls cloths. He would also change his tone of voice and way of gestures to imitate his mothers. One day another little boy during lunch time said that Carlos looked gay, because he always would dress up like a girl and talk funny. Then another boy also repeated the same thing until the teacher interfered. She told the children that just because Carlos enjoyed playing in the Housekeeping area and uses the dresses from the area, it didn’t mean that he was “Gay”. That it was a very strong word for children to be using, that we they could talk more about during circle time, and that was the end of it. With this example I believe that it is important to address these comments in the moment and be able to explain to the children what the word means in a way that is developmentally appropriate. Also let the children know that this word could be offensive so we should try to avoid teasing or making fun of under children by using words like this.

I can see how this issue can be hard to discuss, since it could touch our own biases in regards to homosexuals, but it is essential that we are able to set aside our believes and values and actually educate our children as well as many of our parents that struggle with issues such as these.

Reflecting on Communication in the Early Childhood Field - Week 8

Thank you, to all my colleagues for the wonderful resources and expertise provided over the course of this class. Each class that we take together is an opportunity to learn and grow from each other’s experiences. I am grateful for having the opportunity to be part of such dedicated and professional colleagues, with the similar vision in regards to the importance of providing quality care and service to all children and families without any exclusion. I am looking forward on learning more from each other’s resources and professional experiences, that will make me a  better professional and person.

Good Luck to all,

Team Building and Collaboration (Week 6)

In my opinion the hardest groups to adjourn are the ones in which you have been a part of several accomplishments, were you have grown professionally and personally with the help of your colleagues, children and parents. A center that I had the most difficulty leaving was Head Start were I had the opportunity to have two of my children in. This center not only opened the doors for me to participate as parent volunteer, but also saw in me the potential to be part of the staff as an assistant teacher. They also motivated the staff to further their education bringing colleagues to our center to offer associates, bachelors, masters and doctors degrees on the evening and on Saturday mornings. It was nice to see how many of my colleagues were part of those program, what created a stronger bond of trust and respect among us. We would not strategies different techniques to work in our classroom, but we also worked to together in many of our class assignments. Like all jobs we had our differences and challenges but we all seemed to work it out for the better of all, because there was a sense of community we were all there to help each other which is something not often found in a job. Saying goodbye was one of the hardest decisions to make in my currier as educator, but because our commute was over an hour long after we decided to buy a home in a suburb, we could no longer afford traveling such a long distance. I think that because of all the accomplishments we made over the years as a team, saying goodbye  meant I was part of great accomplishments, that we will continue doing in any place we go after their. I left a seed that others will follow, and I'm taking with me all the experience and knowledge that others shared with me and made me a better professional and person. After 6 years I still remember the place and people that encouraged are to follow my dreams, and keep on going. I still have close contact with many of my ex-colleagues that are know some of my best friends and mentors.

As we get closer and closer to completing our Masters degree, I can also see how our communication will continue. Being able to have contact with other professionals in the field that share the same vision is a must. Saying goodbye is more like sharing our success, dreams and hopes for a better future. When closing like these exists there is a sense of accomplishment, and optimism for those that stay and for you that leave that you have an important mission to complete in different place, that you will miss that your job, colleagues, children and parents, but still have others to help and more things to learn.

Nonviolent Communication and Conflict Management

I would like to share a personal experience I recently had with my older daughter that is know a junior in high school. I have never had any problems with her grades before, and just early this week I got a call and an email from the school that he was failing chemistry. My first reaction was to get upset and immediately think of a consequence to give my daughter, before even listening to what she had to say. Before even talking to my daughter I spoke to my husband about the problem and we both agreed that we would first hear what she had to say, especially since she has always been a good student. To not go back to our old way or handling things, as our parents did to us, but to actually continue putting in practice what we have learned from the counseling we have participated and the different resources we have used in our work. It is funny we often can help solve other families situations and we often can solve our own that are less complicated.

So what we did was to have her tell us what was the problem, and what could we do to solve it. She had a lot to say, she told us that she never liked chemistry and that she really tries to understand. That she has tried asking the teacher to explain once again, but even when he does she still doesn't understand. Then we all brainstormed on things we could do as a team to solve the problem and we came out with many good ideas. One was talking with her counselor about the problem, possibly changing instructor, tutoring.  She liked the idea of talking with her counselor; she asked us to let her to it herself which we respected. Then we told her we would inquire about tutoring and she agreed. So now she goes to tutoring every Saturday morning, until she feels confident enough, which she really looks forward to, and she did speak to her counselor and he will change her to another class next semester, which she is very happy about.

We have learned is that by actually listening to our daughter and by using the magical words such as "How can we work this out? What can we do to help?, What do you think or feel?",  make an enormous impact on how others feel about themselves and others. The feeling that they are not alone changes the conflict from defensive to co-operative which makes resolving the problem much easier.

Thank you for reading my posting, if you have any other techniques that have helped you solve conflicts, particularly with our teenage children I would love to learn more, being a parent is not easy and we never stop learning.

Who Am I as a Communnicator?

After going over each of the different characteristics of communication, I was surprise to see the similarities each one had in regards to my perception and that of two other people I I questioned. One was my husband which I have been married for more than 20 years and one of my co-workers which I have been working for a little over a year. There was very little difference between their scores and mine. For my Communication Anxiety Inventory my score was of 28, my husband of 25 and my co-worker of 26. For my Verbal Aggressive Scale I scored 54, my husband 55 and my co-worker 50 and for the listening Style Profile we all agreed that I'm in group one which is the People Oriented. What I was able to observe with these activity that I actually know a lot about myself, and how I communicate with others. That people around me share the same perception about myself and how they enjoy the time we spend together, which for me is very important. I try my best to be a good communicator, no only with my family but with my colleagues, children and families I work with. For me there is no greater reward then hearing somebody say thanks for listening, sometimes that is all we need somebody that can actually listen for a minute.  

Coomunication and Culture

I can safely say that diversity is present were ever we go, in our neighborhood, work and even within our families. I can say that because of this I have learned to observed and ask as much questions as possible in order to have a better pictures of what the needs, interest, believes and values are in order to avoid any possible misunderstanding that can create a barrio in our communication. Currently I hold a position of a Family Service Specials in the Head Start I work in, what gives me the opportunity to learn more about each families needs, by actually coming into their homes and observing as well as listening to what their struggles as needs are before  they actually come to our center. Then the information I’m able to obtain I share with the rest of the staff that will be working with the family so we can all be prepared to work not only with the child but with the whole family. I have learned with this that there is no set way to communicate with each child or family, and what may work with one or two may not work with the rest. I have also learned that we all come with our own sets of gifts and we have to try and communicate with each and a way we can be heard and respected, so it can be an exchange of mutual respect in order to better express our feelings and wants for the better of the families and children we serve.

A clear example is when we are conducting parent teacher conferences, not all children’s parents come from the same culture, race, religion, sexual orientation, economic status or have the same abilities. So we need to be able to know this in order to express our ideas in a way that the parents can understand what we are trying to say, and at the same time that we express to them how much we value the dedication and hard work they do with their children.

Communication Skills

I choose to watch one of my older daughters' favorite shows that I have not had the opportunity to watch before called, "Bizarre Foods, with Andrew Zimmern who is a chef and foodie. His job is to find the world's most unique tastes traveling all around the world. I have always found food as something you can really enjoy and share with others, the more diverse the tastier. As I was watching the program without any sound, I came to like the personality of the presenter as his facial expressions were very friendly and expressive. It looks like he was visiting India, as I was able to observe in the scenes they were showing of the city and its people. As he arrived to the city a person was waiting for him, I imagine it was his guide there was a lot of talking smiling among them as they walked among the city. The guide would point to the different scenes and Andrew's facial expressions demonstrated admiration as well as interest to learn and see more, the guide's face also showed expressions of pride as we should his pointed to the different places.  I enjoyed seeing how they would actually seem to listen to each other as they spoke by making constant eye contact as well as smiling and shaking their heads.

Then I saw the program once again but now with sound and I was surprise to see that most of my interpretations and assumptions were actually correct as I was actually able to connect their non-verbal communication with the words they were saying. There was actually a lot of good communication being done, as well as mutual respect to both cultures what made it even richer for those that were watching the program. I am a strong believer that communication can exist among all cultures, as long as we are open to learn, respect and value the believes traditions and points of view of all people, even if they differ from our own. If we are able to do this then we are capable to communicating with others in a productive and effective way.

What is Communication

I would like to share some of the qualities I have observed from my current supervisor, which is the center director of the Head Start program that I work in. When it comes to communicating with the parents or staff she is very proactive to finding various ways to communication such as notes, emails, phone calls as well as person conversations. Despite the fact that a75% of our parents do not speak English she always welcomes the children and families with a smile  in her  face and one or two words she knows how to speak in Spanish every morning. Her doors are always open for any concerns or questions parents might  have , and they know that even if she can't understand most of what they say she always has somebody that translates for them and does her best to help them in any way she can. I also admire the way she can easily influence others for the improvement of the services we offer to the families, she is very  clear and assertive at what she says as well as her expectations . Her vision and goals are very clear  and she does not  get  intimidated  when it comes to  speaking up  when there is injustice  or discrimination  towards  the  services the families receive in our program.  She is  a strong believer  that  we need to empower the parents so they can  speak up when  things to  not seem right, and not get  intimidated if  they do  not speak the language .

I have also observed the way she is able to influence all staff to work together as a team  and not just doing what is their part , but actually helping others once completed their tasks. Her phases are always we are a team, it's not just about what is our job,  we are not alone  in this.   I  have learned  several techniques  that have improved my communication over all with  my students as well as my parents,  I have also  learned to  speak up and empower my parents  with the  various resources and contacts  I have  obtained over the  years. By improving  my communication  skills  I  have influence and created  a relationship of trust, team work and  respect between other staff , parents and  children  which are crucial  elements when it comes to  providing quality  service.

Professionals Hopes and Goals

One hope that I would like to share with all in regards to the work done with children and families coming from diverse backgrounds, is that one day we are all able to see each other as equal, that we have the capacity to except differences and learn from them instead of marginalizing, criticizing or excluding those that think, look or act differently to what is considered a norm. One goal that I have set for myself is, to share with other professionals in the field of Early Childhood all the resources and knowledge I have been able to learn in this course as well as many other courses and complemented with my own personal experience  in order to better understand and value differences among us, as well as to reflect on our own bias as it relates to the quality of work we do with the children and families we serve.

I would like to take the time to thank all my colleagues as well as instructor for your hard work and dedication. I have learned so much in regards to your experience and knowledge in regards to providing quality care for all children as well as different ways to better the service we provide to the children and families particularly those from diverse backgrounds.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

Working in an Early Childhood Setting I'm informed that I will have a new member in our class, a little girls that just arrived to the United States coming from "Morocco", a country that I know nothing about. Luckily I have the opportunity to research as much as possible about their culture before the child come to my classroom, the first thing I would do is to meet with the staff of my center that did that first contact with the family. They can share as much information as possible with me in order for me to understand the situation of the family. Since I ignore all aspects of the Morocco culture I will start by researching the superficial aspect of the culture such as food, traditions, clothing and language, language would be one the most important aspects that I need to consider. communication is the key element and I would need to know the basic language spoken, in order to create a list of words that I could use to communicate with the child and their parents.

Once I have a more clear understanding thanks to the support of these resources I would arrange a home visit just as any other child coming to my classroom, in order to establish our initial contact, during this visit I will share with the parents a little about myself and  then ask them to share a little about themselves. With this I would get a better picture of their experiences in their country as well as their needs, goals and fears.

Then with the information I obtained from my research as well as the information the parents shared  I can actually put all these pieces together to get a better understanding of their culture and find ways to engage, support and welcome the child and the family to our program just as I do with all the children and families I serve. By creating an atmosphere where they can feel represented and valued just as any other, by having materials such as books or pictures is another way of making them feel welcomed ad represented in our classroom. I hope with this to be able to engage not only with the child, but with the parent as well, to make them feel welcomed and appreciated. To learn and share from our differences as a way of growing in knowledge with the main purpose or goal as to help their child grow and develop to their fullest potential.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Sadly, I have witness several experiences related to bias towards children professionally and personally. Just recently in the Head Start that I work in we had an open house, in this open house we screened the families to see if they qualified for our program. It is common thing to have all the family come that day, so we need to be prepared with crayons, some paper and toys.  That day a mom came with 3 of her children and one of them in particular, was running everywhere and it was precisely the child that would possible enter our program. The first think that my co-worker told the mom is that it seemed that she didn’t have any control with her child, and that he was to hyperactive. That if he was not yet evaluated by the district, she should look into it. You could notice in mom’s face how bad and worried she was feeling by the comments that my co-worker brought up, without first inquiring with the parent about his behavior. Then she tried to model to mom how to work with her child, which didn’t work at all, and what it did was make things worse as the child got frustrated and got him crying to the point that the parent had to reschedule the appointment for another day. Then she shared with other colleagues that it is common on Latino parents to not take their children to be screenings, or if they are too active they don’t know how to set limits and children know that.

First of all the way my co-worker handled the situation was very impropriate in my opinion, by making the assumption that mom didn’t have any control over the child without first actual assessing the situation with moms feedback. Also by trying to model to the parent techniques to work with the child in a time and place that was not appropriate made things worse for the child and the parent since we had several other parents and children present observing and hearing her comments. I can see how she might have mean well, and unconsciously behaved in a bias way by her actions and comments to the parent, but as a parent I can imagine what the parent was feeling and probably would have looked for another place to enroll my child were they actually could speak to me in a way I could understand and help my child not it a way the makes us feel less, discriminated and devaluated. By being participate of this incident,  made me realize how important it is to know a families culture before make the mistake of trying to share our expertise with the parents without given them  opportunity to share their experiences , challenges as well as what has worked or not worked with their child.  Then  work together to create a plan that might help the child succeed as well as including the help of other professionals that can contribute their knowledge in this plan. I consider that in order to avoid incidents such as this one, is that all staff and professionals working

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

As it was perfectly described in the video by Dr. Sue every day we experience a certain type of microagression that makes us feel marginalize, discriminated or excluded from a society that is powered by the majority group. With comments that might not be with the intension of offending, but often do more harm than those that actually are intended. A clear example happened to me two weeks ago, when while taking with the mom of one of my daughters best friends about our plans to visit Niagara Falls. She asked if we would we would see them from the American side, and I said that our intention was to see them from Canada, the she said “Do you have a passport?” My first answer was yes, we do! After that I tried not to show that I was upset with her comment and she seemed not to be aware of what had happened. She made me feel as if all Mexican’s were illegal in this country reason why we wouldn’t have a passport, I also felt as Dr. Sue said a perpetual foreigner in my own land.

Another example happened that same week when my daughter’s best friend came to our home to have a play day with my daughter. While walking to the park, my 3 year old son was riding his bike so I was walking in front of the girls, which were my 10 year old daughter and  Vinny her best friend, I noticed that a couple walked by and I smiled. When we got to the park my daughter said “Mom did you hear what that couple said, I said no, what did they say? They said those two colors of people don’t go together, what did they mean? My first reaction was I don’t know, don’t pay attention and have fun. Then I thought about it more, both my son and I are light completion, while my daughter and her best friend which is a beautiful Indian girl are darker especially with all the soon they have been getting. I can imagine that they were comparing our colors and race saying that Mexicans and Indians should be together.   I felt their comment was very racist and rude, the way they said it and that my daughter had heard it really bothered me, so I tried to invalidate it or ignore it, and I wanted my daughter to do the same, but as Dr. Sue mentioned they are comments that accumulate and leave a scar that affects you even if you try to ignore it. After reviewed Dr. Sue video and analyzing various instances in which I have been witness or victim of microaggression, I have a clear perception on the consequences that comments either intentional or unintentional about a person’s race, color, culture or ethnicity can have. And as educators we have the responsibility to make sure that all children and families feel safe, welcomed and valued as unique human beings and not feel inferior, excluded, marginalized or alienated.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I had the opportunity to interview people from different cultures as mine: One was my daughter which age is 16, my husband who is of a different gender and my neighbor which is a 70 year old German lady.

I first interview my daughter and her response to culture was: Culture is what a particular place like a country or region believes traditions and values.  Diversity is when you have a group of people from various nationalities, religions and believes together in a particular place.

My husband said that Culture is what a particular person believes and values, his traditions and says of understanding life. Where a person comes from and what their education and economic status is, how a person conducts him/herself in different circumstances. Diversity is when a group of people from various backgrounds are gathered together in one particular place. They all have different ways of thinking, speaking, dressing and practicing their faith.

My neighbor said that Culture was basically where you came from. If you were born in Poland you are Polish, if you are from China then you are Chinese and so on. Diversity is when you have a group of people from different countries all together. Then you have a group of people sharing their different traditions, foods and customs.

As I reflect on the answers provided during the interview in each of the participants, I am able to see many of the elements that were discussed in our coursed in regards to culture and diversity. They all mentioned that Culture is where a person comes from or race, what they believe and value. In regards to diversity the all mentioned that it was a group of people all with sharing different traditions, speaking a different language and practicing a different faith. What I did see is that they did omit several important factors in regards to culture that are not so superficial such as parenting, family dynamics, and expectations.

After reviewing each of the responses I’m able to understand how important it is to be able to understand the essence of what culture and diversity encloses. It is not enough to know superficial aspects if we really what to understand and value what a person values.

My Family Culture

If I would to decide to take 3 items from my personal belongings that would represent my family culture, it would be an album of family pictures that have pictures of several of my family members that live in Mexico City.  I have always enjoyed seeing these pictures, and sharing them with my children, it not only brings memories of relatives that I have not seen in years but also those that have passed away and that my children never got no know. I would take a Christ that I have in my bedroom, because  it has been with me and my husband since we good married, which has been 21 years, as a wedding present from my mother. It not only has a special meaning, but it also represents our belief’s as members of Catholic family, that puts their life’s in the hands of God.

Another item would be a “Chal”, it is like a small blanket that helps you carry you’re new born. It has a special meaning to me because it was a gift from my grandmother when I had my first child and I used it with all my three children. In order to give up any the three items would be extremely difficulty, and if I would have to choose one it would be my album of photos. They would be the item that would represent my culture, believes and values and the one that I could continue sharing with my children as well as to others.

   
An important insight that I gained from this assignment, is that my spiritual believes as well as my family are the foundation of my culture. That it is of extreme importance that I pass these to my children and their children as a way of not forgetting who we are, where we come from and what we believe.

When I Think of Research

One important insight that I gained in regards to research, is the value it was in society with it we can better understand the behavior and needs children and family have in order to improve, modify or change our views or ways of providing services. Another insight I gained was that research is not as simple as I thought, it requires a lot of planning, research, organization and effort in order to meet the needs of all parties not just the needs of the researcher. My idea about the nature of doing research completely changed, I know have a more clear understanding of its implications as well as its benefits for society and that because of this it has to be done in a way that is informative, ethical and meaningful that it has to have a purpose of improving the lives of others. Another important insight I learned was that not all research is accurate and valid, that it is important to review them carefully before considering them as tools for references. I learned identify the clues to look for when trying to find a research paper that is worth using as a point of reference.

The lesson that I learned in regards to planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood, is that it has to be done professionally.  That it is important for the researcher to learn to identify its bias in order to better observe, document and avoid judging or stereotyping during the research. It is also important in order for the information to be accurate and valid. Validity is an important peace in all research and in order for this to happen researchers need to be conscience that everything is done properly and with equity.  

Among the challenges I encountered was being able to identify which method of research would be the best fit for my type of research. Another challenge was being able to identify the question that would better guide my research to the intended result and validity that would confirm my hypothesis. The way I was able to overcome these challenge was with the support of my text book, colleagues as well as the valuable feedback obtained from my instructor during the course.

As, I learn more about our role as professionals in the field of Early Childhood, I’m able to understand how important our influence can be in the lives of children and their families. How we can we make a difference in the lives of many children and their families by actually being proactive and researching ways to improve our understanding and service to the children and families we serve.

Thank you all for your wonderful support, things would have been much harder if I wouldn’t have counted with your experience and knowledge in regards to the difference aspects of early childhood focused on research that we explored during this course. Good luck to all and I’m looking forwards on hearing from you again in the next courses to complete for our Master’s Degree.

Research Around the World

I choose to review the link http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php

Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): Developed and maintained by the University of Victoria, Canada, this virtual university is the international gateway for early childhood research worldwide. As I reviewed their website I was able to understand the wonderful work they do to educate and training in regards to child and young care, as they express in their mission. “The School of Child and Youth Care provides education, training, professional development and research for the care and support of children, youth, families and their communities. The work of the School of Child and Youth Care is grounded in the principles of inclusion, social justice and ethical practice”.

The University has 3 major goals:

One is to provide university level education in child and young care through the delivery of an inclusive curriculum that address the cultural competencies, knowledge, skills, and self awareness/development necessary for child and youth care professionals to meet the highest standards of professional practice. They undertake innovative theoretical, empirical and applied research that represents diverse populations, contexts, histories, epistemologies, knowledge and experiences. Last of all and perhaps one of the most important goals in the importance they give to motivating leadership in the area of social advocacy, education, research and professional development while supporting the initiative of others in enhancing services, public policies, and the evolution of the field and the promotion of social justice.

Among the valuable information they offer in their website it was great to see how they encourage employment opportunities to these students that are graduating. How they value the importance of equity opportunities and fairness among the applicants. Encouraging applications from women, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, aboriginal peoples, people of all sexual orientations and genders, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of the University.

Other noteworthy information that I was able to find in the website was various ways information, questions and live conversation could be made with people interested in their program such as, FACEBOOK, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube. Which are great ways to reach a bigger number of people interested.

Research that Benefits Children and Families

There are many topics that came to mind when trying to find a topic that I would like to have the means and knowledge to conduct a research on. One that struck my attention despite the fact that it has been the study for many years is “Parenting Styles, and its impact in Delinquency. As everything evolves and changes, so have parenting styles need to change in order to adapt to the different needs of young children.

We have various types of parenting styles such as Authoritative, Rewarding, Inductive, and Authoritarian. Many articles have examined the association between harsh discipline practices and negative outcomes, such as aggression and delinquency. Authoritarian parenting was associated with more delinquency, while authoritative with less delinquency.

I believe that the findings of my research will reinforce the importance parenting has in the present and future well being of the children and future adults. It is of vital importance that society realizes how vital it is to proper care for their children in order to avoid future problems as they become adults.

Your Personal Resouch Journal

Among the various issues that I have found important interesting and relevant to research, in regards to early childhood and its impact in the development of a child is “Parent Involvement”. These are the subtopics I would like to focus on:

a)    The influence “Parent Involvement” has in the student’s achievement

b)    Ways to foster “Parent Involvement”

c)    Reasons why “Parent Involvement” declines as children get older

d)    The impact Male/Dads participation has in the child’s school achievement

The reason why I choose this topic is because; I have observed the lack of participation from the parents in the education of their children. I worked for many years in the field of early childhood for a head start program, and I have seen very little if noon improvement of the parents involvement in the various events, meeting and conferences. It seems that parent involvement is been placed at the end of parents list due to various reasons that I would like to research. As a working mom with 3 children and going to school I can relate to many of the parents that find it difficult to participate in their child’s school, but at the same time I  can say that it is not impossible if you try and prioritize your numerous commitments for the better of your children current and future education. I have also come across those parents that do not understand the importance their predication has in the development of their child and how it can impact their future achievement.

I would really appreciate any insights you may have regarding this topic, experiences or thoughts. If you have any good resources you would like to share that will provide me with valuable information that I could use n my research of “Parent Involvement”.  Have found some articles that I would like to share with you in regards to this topic:

Resources:

Article: Graue, Elizabeth; Clements, Melissa A.; Reynolds, Arthur J.. Education Policy Analysis Archives, v12 n72 Dec 2004. (EJ853535) More than Teacher Directed or Child Initiated: Preschool Curriculum Type, Parent Involvement, and Children’s Outcomes in the Child-Parent Centers. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Research Database.

Article: Webster-Stratton, Carolyn; Reid, M. Jamila; Stoolmiller, Mike. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, v49 n5 p471-488 May 2008. (EJ812883) Preventive Conduct Problems and Improving School Readiness: Evaluation if the incredible Years and Child Training Programs in High Risk Schools. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Research Database.

Final Blog Assignment

After having the opportunity to learn how other cultures view early education, as well as well as the challenges they face that are often very similar as the ones we face in our country. Among the many consequences from learning how other cultures as well as my own understand and value education, my awareness and interest has grown in regards to learning from other parts of the world. Another consequence would be being able to value the opportunities of early education that our country offers to our children and advocate for those services to continue and improve. Not all countries have this opportunity despite our need to improve the quality and equity of these. Another consequence that personally affected me by reviewing various international resources was the need to be more informed of the various issues that affect our children not only in our country, but all over the world.

One of my goals is to learn and encourage other colleagues in the field to learn from other cultures views, customs, values and needs of education in order to understand the children and families we serve that come from various parts of the world. It is easier for us to understand their issues and interests if we actually take the time to learn from them for the better of all.

Thank you to all, and good luck as dedicated professionals in the field of Early childhood Education.

Getting to know Your International Contacts - Part 3

a)    New Policy Videos

 This is a sections found in the ZERO TO THREE website that provides the  access to short policy and advocacy videos that can be used to create awareness of the various ways you can become involved in becoming an advocate for the continuing services of the various early childhood programs. Videos between 3 and 5 minutes long, such as Babies and the Budget, which explains how important the existence of quality childcare is for all the working parents in our country. It also mentions the impact that would come with the cut of these services, and the need to increase programs for all those families that are waiting for an opportunity to enroll their child in a program. Another video is titled “Stop the cuts! Babies can’t wait” and “Total Budget Amount Matters”, these two videos provide valuable information in regards to budgets granted to education since 2007 as well as the possible cuts that are seen to occur in 2011. Cuts in funding that will affect millions of families and children today.

b)    Coming Together Around Military Families

ZERO TO THREE is a proud supporter of military families working to increase awareness and collaboration throughout the military community so that parents and professionals can more effectively care for very young children and their families.

On April 12, 2011 the ZERO TO THREE joined forces with Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden to support service members and their families by educating citizens, businesses, and nonprofits about the challenges that military families face and by encouraging them to take action. Supporting military families, strengthens the resilience of young children and families across all military service by increasing awareness and collaboration throughout the military community.

      c)    School Readiness Interactive

I also was able to find that the ZERO TO THREE Web contains an exclusive interactive learning tool designed to help parents and caregivers encourage their young children's early learning.
This Tool Includes

·         Core information about how children develop school readiness skills and how parents and care givers can nature and support these skills in young children.

·         Video clips that show children learning these skills through everyday interactions with their parents.

·         Parent-child activities which provide fun ideas for helping children develop school readiness skills.

·         Frequently asked questions that offer answers to common questions about learning.

Among many of my professional goals and dreams as a professional in the field of Early Childhood Education. Being an advocate, and providing the resources and knowledge for all those interested in making a change for the better of children and families.

Sharing Web Resources

As I follow some of the outside links to"ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families" website http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/ , I found some links to Early Head Start for Family Child Care Project, this project is design to implement and evaluate a replicable framework that supports a partnership between Early Head Start and family child care. This project will increase quality for low-income children in family child care homes by implementing comprehensive services that include health and social services

What I was able to find, is a list of their goals in order to improve the service of low income families and their children. Such as “Higher quality care for low-income children in family child care homes, Coordinated comprehensive services for families,  Support to increase capacity for family child care providers and Strong partnerships that support coordinated service delivery in communities”. I also was able to find a list of all the participants of this program, these programs serve more than 3,000 children, of which more than 500 are served through family child care.

This website also provides valuable information regarding online courses to child care providers, child care licensing staff and parents on quality infant and toddler care. Courses include Professional Development for Infant and Toddler Caregivers, Infant and Toddler Training for Child Care Licensing Staff and Infant and Toddler Care Training for Parents and Families. Most courses are free of charge.

As I explored the various resources available from the Zero to Three programs, I realized that there is a lot of information and resources available for parents. Resources that many of our families ignore, due to the lack of information and limited exposure of these, providing information to our parents is so important, especially if they do not have the language or resources to obtain it.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

After reviewing the Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/, a was able to obtain many information in regards to early childhood issues that I ignored as well as have the opportunity to explore this wonderful website.

One important insight that I learned is the mission that the Center on the Developing Child has. It believes that all society depends on the amount of positive experiences providing to children as soon as they are born. These experiences will help them develop at their fullest, as well as to become responsible and productive adults and members of our society. They strongly believe that a healthy child development is that foundation of a countries economic prosperity as well as society. Among the things they are committed is to prepare current and future leaders to make science-based policy decisions, create an understanding on how to reduce preventable disparities in well being, creating and conducting effective science-based policies.

A second insight I gained was on the effects chemicals have in the development of fetus. Toxic substances have the capacity to disrupt the development of all of the body’s organ system. The nature and severity of the disruption depend upon the type of substance, the level and duration of exposure, and most important on the timing during the developing process (Harvard University). These toxins can weaken the structure of the brain resulting in permanent impairments that can impact the child’s learning, behavior, and health. Currently each year between 2000 to 3000 new chemicals are brought the United States, and only 43% chemicals are tested for human toxicity, and only 7% have been evaluated for their potential effects on development.

The last insight I gained was on a community psychologist Hirokazu Yoshkawa, his expertise revolves around improving the lives of children and families. He is a professor of education from Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) and a Center-affiliated faculty member. As a member of the National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs, he co-leads the team that is building the nation’s most comprehensive database of early childhood program evaluation studies. Yoshikawa also studies early childhood development internationally, conducting a project on the development of young children and adolescents in Nanjing, China, as well as evaluating a program for young children in Santiago, Chile known as Un Buen Comienzo (UBC). He has been conducting research in early childhood development since the early 1990s, well before his arrival at Harvard in 2006. His job is good example of what many of us could do and promote all around the world, improving early childhood services is a growing interest in many countries of the world.

Sharing Web Resources

The specific section that seemed particularly relevant as it reinforces current issue that we are discussing in regards to the importance of supporting children and their families, in order to ensure a better future adults and member of our society. This section titled "Infant-Toddler Policy Agenda",  promotes good health, strong families and positive early learning experiences. It starts with an overview of the importance of focusing our attention on babies, why it is critical such as its impact on brain development and its impact on language, cognition, social emotional and physical development. This section also shares insights from investigations done by leading economist Dr. James Heckman, Nobel Laureate and Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. These investigations lead to the value of investing in early childhood programs, as soon as possible, because for every dollar invested you can expect savings up to $3.78 to $17.07. Apart from these savings you will have reduced crime, abuse, neglect, and welfare dependency while increasing educational performance and job training, what will eventually lead to higher income and a more productive workforce.

After hearing this information again and again, it has made me see how important our role really is as advocates for the children and their families. I have always valued the work that as early childhood professionals we do with the children and the families we serve, but I never actually stopped to think in the enormous impact that we have on these children and how we support parents in providing their children with the foundations of early learning. I also see how important the need of advocating for these programs in order for them to continue and improve their services by advocating for those that can't speak, and finding others that can join and support our mission,by presenting this to policy makers and other government representatives.

As, I learn more about the work 0 to 3 programs and their services among infants, toddlers and their families. I am able to understand the how valuable and necesary their sercice is among our children, according to the state efforts to expand or enhance access to Early Head Start services, a Federal Early Head Start program was created to help reduce the disparities caused by poverty by supporting the healthy development of expectant mothers and low income infants and toddlers. However, less than 3 percent of babies and toddlers who are eligible for Early Head Start are currently receiving services, because of the limited funds supporting this program.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts - Part 1

INDIA

I had the opportunity to review the website of the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Center's page: http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/ and was able to obtain valuable information regarding "India", and its struggles with poverty among its children. Among the many insights that I was able to obtain is that India is the second country with the highest level of poverty in the nation. Despite the efforts that the government has done to reduce the levels of poverty, by increasing economic growth, increasing provision of basic services, land and tendency reforms and many other interventions the numbers continue to be high. The sad part of this is that those that lack of access to assets, skill and low levels of health and education are the least to benefit from these interventions.

Among the many disadvantages poor people face, health is one of many things that is strongly affected. Rahasthan, which is Indian's largest state, women and children suffer the lack of proper heath care, which brings the spread of communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, and maternal and perinatal illnesses. It is estimated that around 62 million children under the age of five are malnourished and 34 percent of newborns are underweight. All problems arising due to the growing population, industrialization, and a globalizing economy.

Another significant insight regarding India, is that it accounts for 20% of the worlds out-of-school children as well as having the largest number of working children in the world, being a third of the children below 16 years of age. A common disadvantage that exist among children from India and their access to education is the discrimination towards girls, gender discrimination is still very common in this country. Despite the fact that more girls are currently enrolled in schools, you can still observe a higher attendance of boys then girls in schools, they tend to be less exposed to the outside world and there is a great emphasis on domestic skills.

Sharing Web Resouces

As I explore the "ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families" website http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/ , I have l learing many things that I ignored from this organizations. It is not only focusses on providing informtion, training and support to parents and professionals in the field of education, but it also makes sure to provide the same information to policy makers in regards to the importance health and development has in the development of infants and toddlers.

This organization focuses on the importanct of those early experiences, in the development of a child. Experiences that can either have a possitive effect or a negative depending of the type of experience offered by the parent or caregiver.The website also offeres wonderful videos that demonstrate a variety of different issues that encourage learing, promote self esteem, language, gross, social emotional development as well as many other developmental areas. These videos are no more than 10 minutes long, but are full of valuable information that parents, professionals and policy makers can easy assess and lear from. This week I had the opportunity to view two of these videos, one was “Why Experiences Matter”, about the importance of early experiences in the child’s life and how parents and caregivers are the main providers of these experiences that help share a child concept of value, and appreaciation of life. The second one was tittled “A Window to the World”, this video demonstrates how  Language and Literacy  development contribute to a child’s success throughout life. How caregivers and professionals in the field can promote literacy and language as well as  its present and long term benefits.

Something that caught my attention from this website, is the variety of resources it can provide to the families, professionals and policy makers. Issues such as Behavior Development, Maltreatment, Care and Education and many more. All impontant factor to know when it comes to working  with children. I also loved the idea that they offer a free newsletter every month that shows how children learn and grow each month from birth to age 3. This newsletter offers stradegies parents can tailor to their unique family situation and to the needs of their child.