REFLECTION ON MY LEARNING COMMUNITY

THREE CONSEQUENCES OF MY EXPERIENCE BEING A PART OF A CARING, COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITY:

1. Knowledge gained from personal experiences, thoughts, and beliefs shared by individuals within my learning community.

2. Opportunity for development and growth as an individual and member of a learning community.

3. Heightened awareness of my attributes as an early childhood professional and my significance to the early childhood field.

MY GOAL FOR USING THIS COLLEGIAL EXPERIENCE TO ENHANCE MY POLICY, ADVOCACY, AND/OR SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT WORK ON BEHALF OF YOUNG CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND THE EARLY CHILDHOOD COMMUNITY:

            *** To enhance my education, knowledge, and understanding of the early childhood field in an effort to enhance my qualities as an early childhood professional***

MY HYPOTHETICAL FAMILY SITUATION

My nurse said “your doctor will be in shortly with your results”. After the nurse left the room, I laid on the examination table fixated on the room’s wall paper decorated with pink and white bunnies. My husband and I remain in silence waiting for the doctor to arrive and provide us with the results of my amniocentesis test. The unbreakable silence between my husband I is a clear indication of the substantial amount of nerves present within our examination room.

Dr. Ralf entered the room holding an office clip board which held my patient chart. Dr. Ralf immediately greeted my husband and I with a hand shake and smile, then took a seat on the chair positioned at the foot of the examination table. Dr. Ralf said “I have the results of your amniocentesis test from your last prenatal appointment”. My husband arose from the chair in which he was seated to accompany me at the examination table. While my heart beat began to increase in frequency, I slowly heard the doctor say “the amniocentesis test results reveal a 90% chance that your child will be born with Down Syndrome typically referred to as Trisomy 21. The doctor further explained that Down Syndrome affects approximately 1 in every 800 babies born in the United States, resulting in physical and mental delays as a result of extra genetic material inherited by the baby at the time of conception. The doctor advised my husband and I there are wide variations among the physical features and medical problems of children with Down Syndrome, with some children needing a significant amount of medical attention and other children living healthy lives (KidsHealth, 2012).

That afternoon my husband and I exited my doctor’s office experiencing variation in emotions ranging from sadness, shock, and failure. Are we financially prepared to care for a child with special needs? Do we have adequate support from family members to assist with the care of our child? What types of challenges might our child experience living with Downs Syndrome? I immediately began to ponder over these questions after processing the results of my amniocentesis test.

Later that night while eating dinner, my husband and I began to discussion our options for the care of our child, challenges that we may possibly face, and anticipated resolutions to those challenges. My husband and I both agree we are financially capable to provide the essential needs of our child upon their arrival home from the hospital as well as their long term needs. My position as a child psychologist combined with my husband’s position as a senior accountant provides creates stability of substantial income as well as adequate time for maternity and paternity leave for the birth, care, and parental bonding of our child. With confidence in our careers and the job security those careers present, the question of available child care upon our return to work was raised.

Prior to receiving the amniocentesis results, my husband and I discussed enrolling our child into a full time quality early child care upon our return to work. In fact, three weeks prior to my prenatal appointment, my husband and I visited a local early child center which has excellent reputation in providing quality care and education. Becoming aware that our child will most likely be born with Downs Syndrome shifted our perspective and option for early care and education. My husband and I both agree that our child will benefit most from in home care provided by a family member. My husband and I both agreed on three family members as options for child care, those being my mother, my mother-in-law, and my sister. These three individual were selected as they all have the essential nurturing qualities and patience needed to properly care for our child and foster healthy growth and development.

In discussing the early care and education of our child, my husband and I both agree in home care would be most beneficial to our child from birth to 12month, but afterwards early care and education within center is essential in building upon their cognitive development and social skills. The difficult in considering this option is finding a center with a comprehensive system. Having a child with Downs Syndrome requires adequate available resources in the areas of health, early leaning & development, and family leadership & support. As Dr. Ralf stated at my prenatal appointment, children with Downs Syndrome have wide variations in physical features and medical problems. For this reason it’s crucial for me and my husband to select a child care center with a reputation in understanding the various abilities of children, health concerns/diagnoses associated with their individual abilities, their limitations in learning and development, as well as the significance of family leadership and familial support in fostering the child’s growth and development. 

Resource:

KidsHealth.( February, 2012).Down Syndrome. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/genetic/down_syndrome.html#

My questions to my classmates are:

Is there additional information that I should include regarding my hypotecial family? If so please provide your suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated.

Are there specific websites that I should review to educate myself about qulaity services and programs for the child and family in my hypothetical family situation? If so please provide the websites, they would be greatly appreciated.

PARENT, FAMILY & COMMUNITY ENGAGMENT

In reviewing the Parent and Families Stories I became enlightened to the exceptional benefits that Head Start programs provide to the children and families it serves. Of all the parent stories, there was a clear consensus attesting to the support, encouragement, empowerment received from staff and administrators of the Head Start program. Alneto Richards Keys and Melinda George spoke to the empowerment they received from the Head Start program to further their education and achieve higher educational degrees. Alneto received her Bachelor and Masters degree while working for her local Head Start program. Melinda also received her Bachelors and Masters degree while working for the Head Start program, and currently pursuing her Doctoral degree. Tess Dunlap and Stefany Robinson-Thorpe spoke to the support their received from Head Start staff, empowering them as parents and their children’s primary educators. The Head Start programs enlightened Tess to the reality that she can reinforce the programs curriculum at home with her child, essentially encouraging her that she has he ability to teach her child significant lessons to foster her growth and development. Stefany found Head Start to be a significant factor in her life as the program provided her the opportunity to reassess what she wanted to do while her child was in the care of nurturing staff.

The Parent and Families Stories provided me validation of the significance of quality early childhood staff as well as quality early childhood programs. I believe it is essential to have quality early childhood staff dedicated to supporting and empowering children and families as well as early childhood programs established to proved quality care and education for the children it serves. The Parent and Families Stories confirmed the exceptional need for these two aspects to foster healthy growth and development for children. Whether the program is Head Start or a private early childhood program, the programs mission and values should have its foundation in empowering and supporting the children and families it serves.

The Parent and Families Stories have value for early childhood professionals, the public, and policy makers. Early childhood professionals received validation for their work with children and families. The overwhelming appreciation voiced by the parents for the support received from early childhood professional validated the importance of quality early childhood professional. The public and policy makers received confirmation of Head Start’s mission and values at work. This confirmation provides the public confidence in the Head Start program in foster productive futures for the children it serves, while providing policy makers confirmation of the program’s demand for children and families of lower socioeconomic status. 

QUALITY PROGRAMS FOR ALL CHILDREN

In comparison to the 19^th Century, there have been exceptional changes in the United States public opinion regarding the value and importance of quality services including early care and education for young children and families, in addition to a greater understanding and appreciation for the short and long term developmental benefits. Unlike the 1920’s in which Preschool Programs were originated for children of middle class families and served as a place where researchers and educators could study child development and foster the well being of young children, Preschool Programs today are viewed as a vital preparatory experience for children prior to their entry into kindergarten, and accessible to children of various socioeconomic statuses. Reflecting on the next five years, my hope is that United States public opinion regarding early care and education will remain supportive and appreciative of the exceptional developmental and academic benefits early care and education can yield. I believe support and appreciation will influence early childhood strands of services, systems, policies, and advocacy. The greater the support and appreciation for early childhood care and education, the greater the need for these services become, ultimately increasing its’ quality, accessibility, policies, and advocates eager to advocate for its existence and funding. These influences will have direct implications for young children, families, and the early childhood field. Children will academically and developmentally benefit from the increase in early care and education available in conjunction with the quality of service provided. Families will experience a rewarding feeling knowing that their children receive quality care and education in their absence, while the early childhood field will reap the benefit of acknowledging their priority to provide exceptional care and education to young children, to be exhibited through children’s developmental and academic success.

PUBLIC POLICY & ADVOCACY: PERSONAL THOUGHTS

My decision to pursue a Master of Science Degree in Early Childhood Studies with a specialization in Public Policy and Advocacy was fueled by my previous career as a Counselor and Advocate for victims of crime. Within this career I provided counseling and advocacy services to children and adults who were direct or indirect victims of sexual assault crimes. The experienced received from this career combined with the impressionable relationships created between myself and my clients, specifically those who were under the age of eighteen years old, increased my interest and passion to become an advocate for children in need. My ultimate goal after the completion of my Master’s Degree was to become employed as an Advocate for adopted and foster care children. Ironically enough with seven classes completed and three classes remaining, I was offered a position as a Family Services Specialties with the Delaware Division of Family Services, which I am scheduled to begin November 5, 2012.

Advocates are essential within the Early Childhood Field to serve as protection and support for children while advocating for and protecting children’s human rights. Ideally I would love to believe that every child has at least one person who is capable and assumes the responsibility of protecting that child and advocating for the child’s safety and well-being.  In a perfect world these conditions will rein true, but reality is many children are in need of a responsible adult who is capable and willing to protect and advocate for the child’s human rights, safety, and well-being. Whether that individual is the child’s immediate family, extended family, teacher, or child social service professional; the individual should be thoroughly aware of the child’s needs and be committed to servicing those needs while being the child’s advocate. Children are precious individuals who at times may experience lack of acknowledgment and respect for their feeling, thoughts, and opinions from adults who lack education regarding child development and issues effecting children. Advocates can serve as a child’s primary voice when children are not heard and acknowledged within our society.

            With regard to public policy and advocacy I hope to: (1) Increase my knowledge and awareness of public policies currently affecting children (2) Become knowledgeable with regard to advocacy groups established to address policies and issues affecting children (3) Develop an understanding of specific skills essential in becoming an effective Early Childhood Advocate.

HARD TO SAY GOOD-BYE

In reflecting on the groups in which I have been involved and the “adjourning” stage of these groups, the aspects of the group which made for the hardest good-bye were the personal connections developed while working as members of a group. In my experience the first few stages of team development described in the article written by Gina Abudi including forming, storming, norming are presented with challenges and minor setbacks. Despite these challenges the groups’ arrival at the performing stage is typically experienced with group unity, appreciation for the work of all group members, and a collective satisfaction with the project’s overall outcome. Of all the groups in which I participated in, group working involving co-workers were the hardest to leave. My reflection of group working involving a co-worker was described in this week’s discussion question in which I worked in collaboration with a co-worker providing advocacy and counseling to teenage clients who were suspected victims of a crime. Although my co-worker and I did not agree on the validity of the client’s testimony and experienced frequent debates regarding this matter, a personal connection and bond was developed during our time assigned to this particular case which manifested its self after the closure of the case as we remained employed together in the same office. Due to the fact that my co-worker and I remained employed within the same officer after our case assigned was completed our adjourning state presented itself at the point in which I resigned from my position as a counselor and advocate. My resignation brought feelings of sadness and a disconnection from the partnership developed between me and my co-worker. Similar to the adjourning stage when I resigned from my counselor and advocate position, the adjourning phase at the completion of my master’s degree will be experienced with sadness but appreciation for the experience as well as the valuable knowledge and wisdom received. The adjourning phase is an essential stage of teamwork as it is used as a time for reflection. As stated by Adudi, the team leader during the adjourning stage should ensure that there is time for the team to celebrate the success of the project and capture best practice for the future. In a case in which the project was not successful, the adjourning phase should be used as a time to evaluate what happened to cause the project to be unsuccessful and capture lessons learned for future projects.

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

Since the birth of my son almost two years ago, my fiancé and I seem to be in consistent conflict regarding family structure. As a child who was raised in a two parent household, I have become accustomed to family and household structure with both parents sharing in the responsibilities of the children and household. In contrast my fiancé was raised in a single parent household in which he witnessed his mother managing many responsibilities on her own.  My fiancé family structure as a child laid the foundation for his image, values, and beliefs of the term “family”.  Last week my fiancé and I had a disagreement regarding the lack of family time spent together on Sundays.  I work Monday thru Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm and my fiancé works Monday thru Saturday from 8:00am to 4:30pm. Between our work schedules, the only day during the week in which we have an opportunity to spend time together as a family is Sunday. This Sunday opportunity often becomes nonexistent as my fiancé insist on using his one day off to complete personal errands in preparation for the start of a new work week. His decision to complete these errands on his one day off and our only day to spend family time together often aggravates me, to say the least. I feel my fiancé is inconsiderate of the importance of spending time together as a family, while my fiancé thinks I am inconsiderate of his work schedule and limited time to complete necessary errands during the week. Two strategies I have learned that might help manage this conflict between my fiancé and I are begin cooperative and focusing on the issue. Cooperative strategies benefit the relationship, serve mutual rather than individual goals, and strive to produce solutions that benefit both parties. My fiancé and I may mutually agree that I will be accepting of him arriving home later than usual after work on Saturday to allow time for him to complete errands normally completed on Sundays. This solution will serve my fiancé goal of completing errands before the start of the work week as well as my goal to reserve Sunday as a day to spend family time together. Focusing on the conflict at hand is another strategy that can be used to help manage the conflict between my fiancé and me. When I become aggravated at my fiancé choice to use Sunday as his day to complete errands instead of spending time together as a family, I sometimes find myself becoming verbally aggressiveness, attacking my fiancé character in labeling him “inconsiderate” and “uninvolved”. Focusing on the conflict at hand would encourage me to say to my fiancé “I don’t like when you use Sundays to complete your errands because I value family time and look forward to spending time together on Sundays”.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN MY LIFE

As I reflect on the cultural diversity that I see in within my family, colleagues in my workplace and school, I can personally attest to the fact that I do communicate differently with people from different groups and cultures. For example the manner by which I communicate with my supervisor who is 17 years older than me is quite different than the manner by which I communicate with my co-worker who is 2 years older than me. The variation in communication is due in part to my respect for my supervisor’s professional status as my superior, in addition to my respect for her as my elder. The communication between me and my supervisor is primarily structured on my supervisor’s transfer of wisdom, experience, and knowledge; whereas communication between me and my co-worker is usually an equal exchange of advice, opinions, and life experiences. My communication with my supervisor tends to be more formal than communication with my co-worker considering the differences in age, occupational status, and level of respect. Considering other aspects of cultural diversity such as race, ethnicity, abilities, religion, political orientation, and sexual orientation, my communication is not modified as a result of one’s cultural diversity. With the exception of one’s age and the abundance of wisdom, knowledge, and life experiences that may serve as a complement to that individual; I see individuals as equals and deserving of equal respect. Although the topics discussed and degree to which I can relate to that individual may vary dependent upon one’s cultural diversity, the individuals is seen and respected as an equal to myself.

TELEVISON COMMINCATION STYLES

HERE COMES HONEY BOO BOO"

The young girl pictured above is Alana Thompson aka "Honey Boo Boo" who is the star of a TLC reality showed titled "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo". The reality shows depicts the day to day life of Georgia family, the Thompson's and their involvement in Alana's "Honey Boo Boo” beauty pageant competitions. I initially discovered this show while "channel surfing" late night televions. The show initially caught my interest as I have never heard about nor viewed the show. I initially decided to watch this television show  with the sound off in an effort to analyze the family dynamic, and later viewed the show with the sound on to determine the accuracy of my assumptions. The family appeared to use a plethora of non verbal communication with many hand gestures to show their excitement and eye rolling to show their dislike or frustration. The star of the reality show, Alana used nonverbal communication including facial expressions such as smiles when speaking to the camera or practicing with pageant coaches, in addition to rapid hand gestures and eye rolling to express her frustrations or dislikes. Once I turned the sound on to determine the accuracy of my assumption, most proved to be accurate. The Thompson family is outspoken, spontaneous, and impulsive. The children and parent dynamic is one which my be viewed as unusual and uncommon for may families, with limited boundaries established between children and families. Te children of the family are opinionated and very outspoken when speaking to their parents, and the parents appear to be accepting of this behavior and in some way encouraging. The nonverbal communication I witnessed during my view of the television show with the sound turned off appeared to be a direct correctional to the verbal communication exhibited during my view of the television show with the sound turned on.

COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR

When I think of an individual who demonstrates competent communication with a particular context my father immediately comes to mind. My father is and has been well respected for his values, beliefs, personal qualities. For as long as I can remember my father has always been the family member to whom others approach to receive wisdom, guidance, and advice, all of which my father has been known to label “food for thought”. Behaviors that my father exhibit that qualifies him as an effective competent communicator are self respect, respect for others, and essential communication skills including consistent eye contact with the individual with whom he is speaking, effective listening during conversations, and ability to articulate himself respectfully and professionally in all circumstances. I admire my father’s communication behaviors and inspired to model these behaviors within my personal and professional life. I often struggle in effectively communicating within my personal and professional life; typically suppressing my feelings and/or opinions and refraining from addressing my primary concerns with those who are the focus of these concerns. Incorporating my father’s communication behaviors combined with effective communication skills outline within this course will foster an increased confidence, awareness, and production of effective communication within all aspects of my life

PROFESSIONAL HOPES & GOALS

When I think about working with children and families from diverse backgrounds I hope that I my knowledge, awareness, and consideration for cultural diversity among children and their families is at a significant increase in comparison to its level prior to the start of this course. Knowledge, awareness, and consideration are essential factors to posses when working in direct contact with culturally diverse children and their families. With possession of these factors I anticipate effective communication and interaction between myself, children, and families; establishing a foundation for respect and trust in the children and parents for my positions and responsibilities as an early childhood professional, as well as respect and trust within myself for the family’s culture deeply rooted within the children.

When I reflect on the early childhood field and issues that arise with regards to diversity, equity, and social justice, I would love to set a goal to increase education among children, families, and early childhood professions with regards to these issues. Presenting education on these issues through mandatory employee trainings, classroom curriculums, and PTA meetings would help to breakdown stereotypical barriers often deeply engrained into a person’s values and beliefs. The early childhood field is representative of the infamous quote “it takes a village to raise a child”. Parents, adult family members, and early childhood professionals are symbolic of individuals within a “village”; therefore the more aware these individuals become of cultural diversity and the need for equity and social justice, the more educated our children will become regarding these issues.

Throughout this course I have gained wonderful insight into my colleague’s opinions, beliefs, and experiences reading diversity and equity. I have truly enjoyed reading my colleague’s weekly Blog Post and sharing my perspectives and experiences. I wish everyone the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Good Luck!!!

WELCOMING FAMILIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Family Country of Origin: India

Five ways in which I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family:

1.     Become educated about Indian culture, values, and family traditions

2.     Familiarize myself with the family’s primary language in an effort to increase communication

3.     Encourage open communication between myself and the family regarding my responsibilities as an early childhood professional within a childcare center and their expectations as customers receiving services.

4.     Develop an understanding for specific fears/concerns of the family with regards to their immigration journey

5.     Incorporate cultural diversity into my classroom curriculum reflective of the various cultures represented among the children within my classroom.

I anticipate that these preparations will serve as a total benefit to myself as an early childhood professional and the family as new members to the United States by increasing my education and awareness regarding cultural diversity, while creating a sense of comfort and security for the family during their transition and settlement into their new country,

THE PERSONAL SIDE OF BIAS, PREJUDICE & OPPRESSION

I experienced ongoing bias specifically age discrimination, from a preschool teacher employed at the previous daycare to which my son attended. Of all the parents with children enrolled in that daycare, I believe I was the youngest non-married mother. This raised many issues and concerns regarding comments made by his teacher with regards to my son’s feeding schedule. I enrolled my son into this particular daycare at the age of nine weeks in anticipation of my return to work. At the time my son was exclusively breast-fed and typically nursed every 1-2 hours. My choice to exclusively nurse my son was a decision that I took extreme pride in due to its health and mother/infant bonding benefits. I made the daycare fully aware that my son was excursively breast-fed and should be fed “on demand” or every 1-2 hours, whichever came first.

About 1 month after my son’s start date with the daycare, I experienced an incident with my son’s lead teacher in which she felt that it was necessary to make the recommendation that my son should not be fed every 1-2 hours but instead should be introduced to a pacifier as she believed he is most often in need of satisfying his sucking reflexes rather than being in need of milk. When the comment was relayed to me by the center’s director, I felt that his teacher undermined me as a mother and disregarded my personal choices for my son. I kindly advised the director that I made the request for my son to be fed “on-demand” or every 1-2 hours as this is the feeding schedule that my son has become accustomed to since birth. More importantly I advised the director that my son does not take a pacifier as I prefer to not introduce them to him.

The undermining and complete disregard exhibited by the teacher in this incident along with other occurrences appeared to be blatant signs of age discrimination. To my knowledge this type of behavior was only generated towards me, which lead me to believe that I was placed in the stereotypical category as a “young inexperienced mother in need adult guidance”. Although I was a first time mother  and benefited from some advice given by older or more experience adults, decisions such a my son’s feedings and choice to not provided him with a pacifier were ones that I was more than capable of making; after all in most circumstances the mother tends to know their child’s feeding schedule the best.

To turn this incident from an occurrence of age discrimination into an opportunity for greater equity, I believe the teacher would need to self-reflect on her own biases and work towards counteracting them. The teacher may very well hold the stereotypical view of young unmarried mother’s that we are all uneducated, work low-paying jobs, receive government assistance, and incompetent to raise children. If this is true, the teacher need to acknowledge that every young unmarried mother does not fall into this stereotypical category, and suggesting that everyone does may cause some young mothers to become extremely offended. Although I am a young mother, I am proud to day that I am educated, have a career, strive daily to provide my son a good quality of life while laying a foundation for the success of his future.

AWARENESS OF MICROAGGRESSIONS

I experienced an example of microaggression within my office at work during an office meeting. I am currently employed as an Enforcement Office for Domestic Relations which requires me to monitor, enforce, modify, and terminate child support orders established within the county in which I am employed. Due to the nature of the work conducted within my office, new procedures and system modifications are constantly created by the state to be implemented within each county.

Approximately three months ago the assistant director of my office scheduled an afternoon meeting with the Enforcement Unit to discuss a new procedure created by the state to be implemented within our county and other counties within the state. The state created a new procedure to the establishment and enforcement of child support orders in which a “payment score” would be used during the initial establishment of a child support order. The assistant director of my office described the “payment score” as a system used to evaluate and record a non-custodial parent’s ability to comply with his/her established child support order. The factor used to determine one’s payment score and likelihood to comply with his/her child support order was the individual’s residential address recorded during the initial establishment conference. Individuals with a residential located in middle to upper class cities received a higher payment score than individuals with a residential from lower class cities.

Myself and fellow colleagues felt that this new procedure was a clear example of stereotyping, unethical, and completely unnecessary. There is no possible way that one can determine an individual’s likelihood to comply with his/her child support order based solely on the location of their residential address. In fact once the procedure was implemented and utilized, it proved to be inaccurate as there are cases within our office in which the non-custodial parent and person paying support has a residential address located in a upper class location but fails to comply with his/her support order. Likewise we there are cases within our office in which the non-custodial parent and person paying support has a residential address located in a lower class location but maintains compliance with his/her support order.

I perceived this procedure as a form of microaggression, discrimination, and stereotyping. I was disappointed with the state’s creation and implantation of this procedure as it is a clear example of discrimination and stereotyping against non-custodial parents based on the social class and/or the social class of the location of their residential address.  I would like to believe that we as a society have come a long way since the days of blatant discrimination and stereotyping against other individuals, but procedures such the “payment score” and others to the like have reaffirmed the fact that discrimination, stereotyping, and prejudice are still very much alive and present in our every day life.

PERSPECTIVES ON DIVERSITY AND CULTURE

Definitions of Culture & Diversity:

Individual #1: “Culture is the race by which one identifies themselves with such as Caucasian, African American, or Asian. Diversity is differences that are present among individuals with regards to abilities, socioeconomic status, or race”.

Individual #2: Culture is shared norms, values or traditions held by an individual and/or group of individuals. Diversity is cultural differences among individuals within our society”.

Individual #3: Culture is traditions established and maintained within individual families. Diversity is personal characteristic differences present among individuals”.

The aspects of culture studied in this course which are present in the answers I received  is that of “cultural group” and the definition of culture described in the course text “Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves”. Cultural group is defined as one’s ethnicity which reflects the place of origin and cultural background of the person’s ancestors. As individual #1 stated “culture is the race by which one identifies themselves with such as Caucasian, African American, or Asian”. Derman-Sparks and Edwards defined culture as the manner by which particular groups of people live. Individual #2 stated “culture is shared norms, values, or traditions held by an individual and/or group of individuals”. Individual #3 stated “culture is traditions established and maintained within individual families”.

The aspect of diversity studied in this course which is present in the answers I received is “clash of culture” discussed in the article “Beyond “Culture Clash” Understandings of Immigrant Experiences”. Bic Ngo describes “clash of culture” in terms of immigrants and immigrant youth being torn between two worlds such as two generations. The “clash of culture” idea correlates with individual #2 and individual #3 responses as the cultural differences and personal characteristic differences may be presented among individuals of different generations creating the “clash of culture”.

The aspect of diversity omitted within the answers I received is that of family diversity. None of the three individuals appeared to view family structure as a form of diversity as each person defined diversity in reference to cultural or personal differences among individuals. Family structure is a form of diversity as family households can be married, single mother, single father, widowed, or divorced.

Reviewing the three individual definitions of diversity and culture influence my thoughts about these terms and what these terms mean to me. When I reflect on the term diversity I define this term as differences in individual characteristics with regard to race, familial status, socioeconomic status, education, profession, and personal abilities. I define culture as family traditions, norms, values, and beliefs shared within an individual family and/or a group of individuals of the same race.

MY FAMILY CULTURE

Three items to be taken to my new home country:

1.       Picture of my son and I

2.       My son’s newborn keepsake box filled with memorable items from my pregnancy and my son’s birth

3.       Picture of my immediate family including mother, father, sister, and nephews

Explanation of Items Chosen:

Item 1#- Picture of my son and I is important to be as is symbolizes the shared connection and bond between my son and I. This picture represents the unconditional love, support, and protection that I have for my son.

Item#2- My son’s newborn keepsake box filled with memorable items from my pregnancy and my son’s birth represents the amazing and most rewarding experience that occurred in my life. My son’s keepsake box is filled with many memorable items including information received during my 1^st child birthing class, hospital admission bracelets for my son and I, and my son’s birth card which detailed his weight, length, date and time of birth. This keepsake box represents the unforgettable experience that I had during my pregnancy and delivery of my son.

Item#3- Picture of my family including mother, father, sister, and nephews symbolizes my sources of support and love. Each person within my family picture serves as a supportive individual whom which I have an overwhelming amount of love and support.

Personal Feelings:

If I were told upon my arrival to my new home country that I could only keep one personal item and had to give up the other two items that I brought with me, I would feel extremely upset and a loss of connection to the personal items that have the most significance within my life. The two items that I would most likely give up would be the picture of my son and I, and the picture of my family. These items would be the least difficult to separate from due to the fact that my son and immediate family would be traveling and settling with me in my new home country. My son’s newborn keepsake box cannot be replaced, whereas pictures can be retaken.

Insights Gained:

This exercise has enabled me to see what is most important to me in reference to family culture. Reflecting on the three items that I chose to take to my new home country, I found it interesting that two of the three items reflected the significance of my relationship with my son. When I know reflect on the term “family” I now realized that I establish myself and my son as my 1^st immediate family with my mother, father, sister, and nephews as my 2^nd family.

 

WHEN I THINK OF RESEARCH.....

Insights Gained Through This Course:

Throughout this course I have gained insights about research with regards to ethical concerns in early childhood research, useful strategies used to increase validity within a research study, and specific research variables. As stated in “Doing Early Childhood Research: International Perspectives on Theory & Practice” ethical concerns that may arise in early childhood research include obtaining informed consent, deception, confidentiality/privacy, and cultural issues. Validity as it applies to research is defined as a matter of being able to offer as sound a representation of the field of study as the research methods allow. Validity is established through the use of triangulation including (1) data triangulation- the use of a variety of data sources in a study (2) methodological triangulation- the use of multiple methods to study a single problem (3) investigator triangulation- the use of several researchers (4) theory triangulation- the use of multiple perspectives to interpret a single set of data (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010). A variable is interpreted as something subjected to variation. Within research many variables exists including (1) dependant variable-a variable that changes the result of some influence (2) independent variable- a variable that affects change (3) extraneous variables- variables that affect change but are not the main focus in a research study (Lepuschitz, 2012).

Changes in Personal Ideas Regarding Research:

Through this course my personal ideas regarding the nature of doing research has changed as a result of an increase in knowledge of the overall research process. Prior to the start of this course, I assumed research studies were typically conducted through direct observations of behaviors or procedures. With this in mind, the research process appeared to be very formal through structured procedural methods. The information learned within this course has altered my assumption and opinions regarding research studies. I have learned that a research study can take various forms such as direct observations, interviews, or combination of the two. Research studies involving human participants are typically conducted in a familiar environment to the individuals, providing the opportunity to observe natural behavior eliminating rigorous structure.

Lessons Learned Regarding Planning, Designing, and Conducting Research:

Throughout this course I have developed an understanding of essential components needed to produce significant, ethical, quality research. These qualities include selecting a topic, developing a specific research question, considering any ethical concerns that may arise, and designing the research study. The topic selected should be one of interest to the researcher and general population. Once the research topic is selected, a specific research question should be developed to address the topic selected. The research question formulated needs to be specific to enable the topic to be researched, data retrieved, and a detailed explanation provided to interested readers. Ethical concerns specifically consent, confidentiality, and privacy needs to be acknowledge and addressed when planning, designing, and conducting research. Written consent should be obtained from each participant prior to the start of a research study, and confidentiality/privacy as it applies to the study should be explained in detail to each participant. The research designed selected should be one sufficient enough to fully address and observe the research topic selected.

Challenges and Perceptions

Throughout this course I encountered challenges in understanding key research terms highlighted the course text. This challenge was conquered through the completion of “Understanding Research” charts required for each week of the course. These charts reinforced the key term and its definition, and increased my understanding of research in the Early Childhood Field. My perception of early childhood professional has positively increased. This course has increased my awareness of various positions held within the Early Childhood field and the overall contributions of these positions to children’s development, Early Childhood policies, and practices.

Thank you to my fellow classmates who have shared their personal insights regarding Early Childhood Studies. I appreciate everyone’s thoughtful and informational Blog Post. Good Luck to all in your future classes!!!

RESEARCH AROUND THE WORLD

Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA):

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/majorreports.php

Current International Research Topics:

1. Strengthening the Capacity of Grandparents in Providing Care to Children Less than 8 Years Old Affected by HIV/AIDS: Created by Lydia Nyesigomue; from Uganda

2. Policies & Programs in Support of Childcare for Working Families: A Case Study of Data Sets & Current Activities in Uganda: Created by Hilda Nankunda; from Uganda

3. Assessment of Interaction and Stimulation in Single-Mother Low Income Families: Created by Chalezamudzi Matola; from Malawi

4. Involving Fathers in Early Childhood Care & Development: Created by Rosemary Hua; from Nigeria

5. Assessment of the Caring Practoices in Two Motherless Babies’ Homes in Abia State, Nigeria and the Development and Delivery of a Nutrition Training Program to the Staff of these Homes to Improve Nutrition of Children in their Care: Created by Olive Akomas; from Nigeria

Surprising Facts/Insights/Noteworthy Information:

**Mortality rates in Nigeria are 183 per 1000 lives births, many which are due to malaria, diarrhea, acute respiratory tract infections, vaccine preventable diseases, typhoid fever malnutrition. To address this issue, the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund developed an Integrated Management of Childhood Illness within which the “Improvement in Family and Community Practices is a Component”.

** Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is a program developed by Dr. Avima Lombard and a team of early childhood educators in 1966 to assist and encourage parents to be the primary educators for their young children. Within this program paraprofessional aides visit individual’s homes to work with mothers who in turn use the provided materials as resources to work with their children. HIPPY seeks to support parents who lack sufficient confidence in effectively supporting their children, while enhancing literacy in providing necessary skills, materials, and individual support to mothers.

** Mother Child Education Foundation is a foundation founded by Aysen Ozyesin in 1993as a home based preschool education program who mission is “to make a lasting contribution to society and improve the quality of individuals’ lives through education”. This foundation provides early enrichment to children from disadvantaged environments while strengthening parenting skills. Mother Child Education Foundation aims to increase mother sensitivity to the child’s social and emotional needs while helping to support the child’s social and personal growth.

Research that Benefits Children & Families

Benefits of Creative Play on the Socialization Skills of Preschool Children

In researching this topic I would examine a group of preschool children engaging in creative play for two hours a day for a total of ten days. This direct observation would be followed by a ten day observation of the same group of preschool children during social interaction among peers for two hours a day for a consecutive ten days. At the conclusion of the study the benefits of creative play on the socialization skills of preschool children would be examined.

Positive Contributions Resulting from the Study:

1. Increased understanding of creative play

2. Increased understanding of socialization skills among preschool children

3. Effects of creative play on socialization among preschool children

4. Understanding of preferred style of play of girls versus boys

5. Understanding of socialization among preschool children

6. Helpful techniques to increase socialization among preschool children

Research Simulation

“MOTHER AND CHILD BONDING”

The topic that I chose for my simulation was “Mother and Child Bonding”. This main topic was supported by three related topics which also sparked my interest including (1) Ways to foster mother and child bonding during the infancy stages of development (2) Effects of mother and child bonding on a child’s cognitive development during preschool years (3) Influence of breast feeding on mother and child bonding. My choice in this specific topic was influenced by experience as a first time mother of a sixteen month old son. At the moment that my pregnancy was confirmed I deeply desired to have a strong supportive relationship with my child. During my pregnancy I would frequently read books and magazines which highlighted healthy eating, exercising, and bonding techniques to maintain a healthy pregnancy, foster healthy development of the baby, and establish a prenatal bond with the baby to be sustained after the baby is born. The bonding experience that I had with my son during pregnancy, the first year after birth, and currently as my son continues to develop and grow sparked my interest in the topic of “Mother and Child Bonding”

Construction of the research chart this week has proved to be a beneficial tool in enhancing my understanding when reading research articles. The research chart is an excellent reference to be for the duration of this course to chart and reflect on your growth and understanding of key elements presented in a research article such as complicated terminology, research questions, and refle

SHARING WEB RESOURCES: ZEROTOTHREE

Early Care and Education: Child Care

This section to the Zero to Three website is relevant to my current professional development as it discusses the positive outcomes of early learning experiences. All babies and toddlers need positive early learning experiences to foster their intellectual, social, and emotional development and lay the foundation for school success. Babies and toddlers living in high-risk environments need additional supports to promote their healthy growth and development. All child care arrangements, including family, friend, neighborhood, family, and center based child care have the potential to provide high-quality, individualized, responsive and stimulating experiences that occur within the context of strong relationships and which are embedded in everyday routines (ZEROTOTHREE, 2012).

Infant-Toddler Policy Issues: Child Care

 This section of the website encouraged me to further explore policy issues related to child care within my home state of Delaware. In October 2008, the Delaware Department of Education showed a commitment to professional development with the creation of the new Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood at the University of Delaware. The institute serves as a professional development clearinghouse for practitioners working with young children and their families, both coordinating and collaborating with current providers of professional development. To launch the institute, the University of Delaware received a 3 year $2.4 million grant from the Department of Education, funded primarily with federal Child Care and Development Block Grant dollars. The new institute officially opened on Novemenber1, 2008 (ZEROTOTHREE, 2012).

Politicians Support for the Early Childhood Field:

Early Head Start and the Child Care and Development Fund were established to provide high-quality early care and education programs as protective buffers against the multiple adverse influences that may hinder a child’s development in all domains (ZERO TO THREE, 2012).

Early Head Start- The only federal program designed to improve the early education experiences of low income infants and toddlers. The program’s mission is to support healthy prenatal outcomes and enhance the intellectual, social, and emotional development of infants and toddlers to promote later success in school and life (ZERO TO THREE, 2012).

Child Care and Development Fund- A block grant that provide funds to help improve the quality and supply of child care for low income children and their families. Through the use of subsidies the Child Care and Development Fund help working parents make informed choices about the most appropriate child care for their children. The infant-toddler set-aside of Child Care and Development Fund, has helped states focus on the unique needs of infants and toddlers by investing in specialized infant-toddler provider training, providing technical assistance to programs and practitioners, and linking compensation with training and demonstrated competence. Despite modest increases in federal child care funding, CCDF funds are insufficient to serve all eligible children (ZEROTOTHREE, 2012).

GETTING TO KNOW INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS

PODCAST: TJ SKALSKI

My chosen podcast participant is TJ Skalski a Principal of the Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School which is the first indigenous charter school in Canada. TJ is originally from the Blood Reserve a raised in southern Alberta. She eventually left southern Alberta to complete her education including her Master’s degree.

During TJ’s podcast she discusses her start as a Principle of the Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School in addition to specific challenges she faced with her new career. Out of 13 charter schools located in Canada, the Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School is the only school with an indigenous focus. TJ describes her first year as a Principal of the Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School as “hell”. Prior to TJ’s arrival there were 5 different principles within the past five years. The turnover rate among principals within the school was outrageous considering the fact that the school had only been open for five years.

The start of TJ’s new career as a Principal of the Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School made her the first principal to maintain that position for one consecutive year. It took TJ 2 years to learn about the evolution of the school and develop an understanding of the school’s mission. The Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School prides itself on creating a community in which culture and language is placed at the forefront.

TJ stated that she believes that family culture and language is essential to the survival of people. TJ stated that family values are essential qualities missing the lives of children within the current generation, leaving many feeling trapped between family culture and “dominate” culture. As a Principal of the Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School TJ strives to build dreams and hope for children while inspiring children to do more with their lives.

CHINA POVERTY INSIGHTS

1. Between 4-8% of the urban population live in poverty, equating to 15-31 million people.

2. 4.2 Million Chinese children live in absolute poverty while 8.7 million live in disadvantaged conditions.

3. Recent studies suggest that health and education reforms reduce poor families’ ability to make use of these vital services.

1. Study in Beijing, the richest city in China, found that 75% of poor families could not afford all children’s education cost such as tuition and stationary.
2. 50% of families living in Shanghai had no medical insurance due to families’ inability to afford the expensive cost.

SHARING WEB RESOURCES

ZERO TO THREE: NATIONAL CENTER FOR INFANTS TODDLER, AND FAMILIES

http://www.zerotothree.org/

 Organization Focus: ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit that inform, trains and supports professionals, policymakers and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. ZERO TO THREE envisions a society that has the knowledge and will to support all infants and toddlers in reaching their full potential. The work of ZERO TO THREE is (1) grounded in research and experience (2) multidisciplinary (3) collaborative (4) culturally responsive (5) clinically informed (6) accessible.

Current Issue/Trend: Fun activities that nurture your baby’s development and his/her connection to you.

ZERO TO THREE March newsletter highlights several toddler capabilities and corresponding actions that can be taken by parents/caregivers to establish a connection with the child.  ZERO TO THREE highlights toddler’s use of language to understand the world around them. Examples of this capability include (1) walking, running, and climbing (2) scribbling with a crayon and building a block tower (3) self feeding. Parent/Caregiver’s corresponding actions include (1) providing the child chances to explore outdoors in safe places (2) encouraging the child to use his/her fingers and hands to explore (3) show the child how to use a spoon and fork.

ESTABLISHING PROFESSIONAL CONTACTS AND EXPANDING RESOURCES

Steps Taken To Establish Professional Contacts:

1. Reviewed Early Childhood professional contacts located on Global Alliance for the Education of Young Children.
2. Selected four regions of the world to explore professional early childhood contacts: Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.
3. Selected six professional contacts:

a.       Africa (Ghana): Rev Charles Arto-Nunoo; Email (2kdotcom@ghana.com)

b.      Asia (Phillippines): OMEP Phillippines National Committee Center for Early Childhood Care & Development; Email (child_ceccd@yahoo.com)

c.       Europe (Spain): OMEP Comite Nacional Espanol World Association of Early Childhood Educators; Email (jsm@waece.org)

d.      North America ( Cuba): OMEP Comite Nacional Cubano; Email (celep_cuba@yahoo.com)

e.       North America (Haiti): Step by Step Program/ Tipa Tipa; Email (tipatipa@hainet.net)

4. Sent email to six chosen professional contacts

*****Sample Email*****

Good Morning!

My name is Tinisha Weathers and I am a graduate student at Walden University, pursuing my Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Studies with a specialization in Public Policy and Advocacy. I am currently taking a course titled Issues and Trends. Within this course I am required to establish contacts with early childhood professionals around the world with whom I can communicate with on a weekly basis regarding their work, the state of the early childhood field within their country, their concerns, hopes, and dreams for the future of the early childhood field. I have retrieved your information from the Global Alliance for The Education of Young Children website and would like to establish you as a contact to discuss various aspects of the early childhood field within your country. If you are interested in establishing a mutual contact please feel free to respond to this email with your expression of interest.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration and have a wonderful day!!!

After emailing my six selected professional contacts, I received four error messages advising me that my email was not delivered to the designated email address, one messages advising me that my email is still in the delivery process, and no error message or response from the remaining contact. Should I not receive a response from the two remaining contacts and or receive an error message, I will resort to the World Forum as an alternative.

The organization that I chose to explore is Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families: http://www.zerotothree.org/

I chose this organization due to my recent research experience of this website in my Early Childhood Development course. I found this website to be educational and informational regarding the growth and development of children and I am very interested in exploring the organization in greater depth. I subscribed to the organization’s newsletter to receive monthly updates.

MY SUPPORTS

Factors within my daily environment that are supportive to me include my career, family and friends, monthly planner, and monthly kitchen calendar

           

            My career is an obvious support for me within my daily environment as it is my main source income, enabling me to support myself and my family. My career benefits me financially by providing me with a sufficient salary which enables me to maintain a home and car, living expenses such as food and clothing, day care expense for my 13 month old son, in addition to miscellaneous expenses such as toys and books for my son. In the absence of my career life for me and my family would be extremely difficult and unstable as I would be unable to provide the basic necessities of life and maintain stability.

            Family and friends are supports within my daily environment as they provide emotional and financial support when needed. My sister is by far the most supportive person to me within my family. She is always there to provide an open ear for me to discuss my issues and concerns while offering me encouraging words and advice. She is the only family member that never judges me on the personal decisions I make within my life. In the absence of my sister I would most likely feel emotionally unstable and unsupportive. My true friends also provide emotional support during stressful times within my life. The birth of my son changed the relationships with some of my friends as my time spent with them became limited as a result of my new responsibilities as a mother. Although my priorities changed I have one true friend who remained supportive of my new life style and personal responsibilities.   

            My monthly planner and monthly kitchen calendar are supports within my daily environment as they are very useful resources that allow me to maintain organization. My monthly planner is carried with me everyday in my handbag and used to make a note of due dates for bills, special events, doctor’s appointments, and scheduled days off from work. My monthly kitchen calendar is mostly used to plan my dinner menu from Monday to Friday. On Sunday night I typically create a dinner menu for the entire work week and specifically write on the calendar the selected meal to be prepared for each day. In the absence of my monthly planner and monthly kitchen calendar my life would feel more stressful, chaotic, and unorganized. My weekly schedule is very busy with the management of my career, family, school, and social life; therefore these resources allow me to maintain each aspect of my life in a more efficient manner.

When I think about a specific challenge that I do not currently have, the challenges, and the kinds of supports I would want and need emotionally, practically, and physically; I envision being a paralyzed mother of a 13 month old child as a result a sever car accident.

With this disability I would need emotional, practical, and physically support from family and friends. Emotional support would be beneficial in assisting me in becoming accepting and adjusted to this new life style. When a person become paralyzed they could be left with a sense of hopeless, unwanted dependency on others, and loss of self confidence. Emotional support from family and friends may assist with the processing of these natural feelings. Physical support would be beneficial in assisting with the daily routine and parenting responsibilities. At 13 months children are extremely active and maintain a significant amount of dependency. Although most 13 month old children have the ability of feeding themselves small finger foods and drinking juice or milk from a bottle or sippy cup without assistance; may other aspect of their life require the assistance of an adult such as diaper changes, bathing, feeding of spoon feed foods, and getting them dressed. Physical support from family and friends would help elevate the stress of these responsibilities and or the senses of inadequacy due to difficultly in properly caring for the child. Practical support would be beneficial in assisting with other aspects of everyday life such as showering/bathing, getting dressed, cooking & cleaning, personal errands, and doctor’s appointments. Requesting the help of family and friends provides overall assistance in all aspect of life.