Sharing Resources

The website that I chose to share was the NAEYC.  (www.naeyc.org) 

Founded in 1926, The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children with nearly 80,000 members, a national network of more than 300 state and local Affiliates, and a growing global alliance of like-minded organizations. 

As I read through and explored the website..I found some information on Childhood Obsity and prevention. Childhood Obesity really interests me and I find it sad that more and more children are having to face this issue.  In 2010 the NAEYC received a grant from the Robert Johnson Foundation that helped spread the word about Childhood Obesity and prevention. Through the grant, NAEYC was about to work with state and local affiliates to provide  resources to advocates and early childhood programs. Here is a small list of the many resources that I found helpful:


Early Sprouts": Establishing Healthy Food Choices for Young Children (Young Children, Vol. 64, No. 4, 49-55. Copyright © 2009 NAEYC)

• The Food Friends: Encouraging Preschoolers to Try New Foods (Young Children, Vol. 61, No. 3. Copyright © 2006 NAEYC)
• HAPPE: Toddlers in Physical Play with Extra: Ideas for engaging toddlers in indoor and outdoor physical play activities (Young Children, Vol. 61, No. 3, 32-34. Copyright © 2006 NAEYC)
• Healthy Lunches and More (Teaching Young Children, Vol. 2, No. 4, 24-27. Copyright © 2009 NAEYC) 
• The Impact of Teachers and Families on Young Children's Eating Behaviors (Young Children, Vol. 66, No. 2, 84-88. Copyright © 2011 NAEYC) 
• Increasing Children's Physical Activity (Teaching Young Children, Vol. 4, No. 3, 6-7. Copyright © 2011 NAEYC)

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity envisions a nation in which all children—regardless of race, ethnicity, family income level or geography—live in communities and attend schools that encourage and support healthy eating and physical activity. If we can successfully realize this vision, we will reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015.

As I read through some of the resources and about the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, I was really amazed at the devastating impact childhood obesity really has on children. The changes have to start some where and start small in order to see an improvement in this epidemic. 

Website and Professional Contacts from Around the World

The website that I chose to use as a resource is Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Familieshttp://www.zerotothree.org),         ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. I really enjoyed researching this website because of my love for Early Intervention.

The Professional Resources:

I chose the Global Alliance of NAEYC to contact professionals from around the world. The Four professionals that I chose to correspond with are:

Ireland
OMEP Irish National Committee
Nippa - the Early Childhood Organization
Siobhan Fitzpatrick
Email: siobhanf@nippa.org

Haiti
Step by Step Program / Tipa Tipa
Dominique Hudicourt
Email: tipatipa@hainet.net

Romania
Step by Step Centre for Education and Professional Development
Carmin Lica
Email: carmenlia@dnt.ro
Netherlands
International Step by Step Association
Sarah Klaus
Email: sklaus@issa.nl

I just started this project so I have yet to hear back from any of the four professionals. 

My Supports

The greatest supports that I have would be my family, close friends, cell phone and my laptop. With out these things I feel at a loss. My family is my greatest support. I know that I can always turn to them when I am having a bad day or if I am excited about something, they share in that experience with me. My husband had been a great support to me. He has encouraged me to keep going when I felt that I just could not go any further. My two precious babies also support me just by their little smiles and hugs. My friends are also huge supports that keep me going. I do not know what I would do with out these special people in my life. 

My cell phone is a great support for me too. ;) I feel at an utter loss if I forget it at home. I have been known to turn around and go back home to get it. I use my cell to keep in touch with family, friends, co-workers, and anyone else that I may need to contact.

My lap top is another support that I have. I use it for keeping in contact with friends across the states as well as for school.

Challenging supports:

My challenging supports is feeling at a loss if I do not have the support from family or friends. I could not imagine not having someone such as my supports-to me that would be a great challenge. 

My Connections to Play

Quotes that summarize what play meant to me as a child:
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” George Bernard Shaw
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” Plato

Two essential items that were essential to have when I was a child:


As a little girl my bike would take me anywhere. I remember my siblings and I would have bike races and ride for hours.

Barbies were the THING to play for hours and hours. My sister and I use to sit for hours on end playing with our barbies. We would have fashion shows, camping trips, school, or whatever else our little imaginations could create.

People supported play by letting me just play for hours and hours. As a child I spent many hours playing outside catching lightning bugs with my siblings and cousins, building forts with my cousins, riding my bike, roller blading,  and anything else that would be "fun" for the moment. My mother encouraged play as much as possible but if we dare uttered the words "Im bored" she found us some chores to do-especially during the summer time. Now days play is different than when I was a child. The world is much more dangerous so parents worry about letting their children outside to play. That is the reason many children play inside on video games, watch TV, or play games on the computer. It is  a shame that the innocence of play is destroyed because of the ignorance of the world.

Relationship Reflections

Relationships mean a lot to me. I have a  lot of people in my life that I have formed relationships with over the years-some stronger than others. The most important relationships to me are my children, husband, family, and co-workers. My children are my everything-the sun sets and rises through my children. God has blessed me beyond measure when it comes to my children and family. My family has always been there for me through the highs and lows of my life.

My professional relationships has helped me get through the highs and lows of my career. My co-workers have been there for advice or to lend a helping hand when needed. I am new to the Early Childhood field and find co-workers to be a huge help when it comes to answering questions or helping me figure out things. If it wasn't for the close relationships professionally and non-professional, I do not know where I would be. The people in my life I hold very dear and I am thankful to have them in my life.

Quotes relating to children

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.  ~Stacia Tauscher


While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.
~Angela Schwindt

Testing a child's intelligence...

Is standardized testing really necessary? In my opinion I do not think that it is. Growing up in Louisiana where these tests meant pass or fail a grade was stressful. The teachers push practice test after practice test on students trying to prepare them for the "big" test, but all of the stress causes some high performing students to freeze up once they are in front of the test. Should a student who has done so well all school year really have to repeat a grade because he or she failed part of the standardized test? I think there should be other factors looked at in combination with that test. In my opinion in doesn't seem fair to hold a student back if everything throughtout the year looked good. This is some information that I found about the test here in Louisiana.

"A key component of Louisiana's Accountability System is its statewide testing program. Each year, students in grades 3-11 participate in state assessments. Each of the 30 state assessments is based on Grade-Level Expectations, which reflect the knowledge and skills students should have acquired at the time of testing. Students do not receive a pass or fail grade, but receive an achievement level score.
The five achievement levels a student can earn on the LEAP, iLEAP and GEE are

Advanced
A student at this level has demonstrated superior performance beyond the level of mastery.
Mastery
A student at this level has demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter and is well prepared for the next level of schooling.
Basic
A student at this level has demonstrated only the fundamental knowledge and skills needed for the next level of schooling.
Approaching Basic
A student at this level has only partially demonstrated the fundamental knowledge and skills needed for the next level of schooling.
Unsatisfactory
A student at this level has not demonstrated the fundamental knowledge and skills needed for the next level of schooling.

Students in 4th and 8th grade participate in the high stakes Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) test, which determines whether they will be required to attend summer school or be retained. The LEAP measures 4th and 8th grade students' knowledge and skills in English Language Arts, math, science and social studies, and students must score Basic or above in either English or math and Approaching Basic or above in the other subject on the LEAP to advance to the next grade. 4th graders have had to meet this requirement since 2004, while eighth-graders have had to meet this requirement since 2006.
Students in 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th grades take the state's iLEAP test, which is designed to measure student progress but does not determine whether they will be retained in their current grade. The iLEAP is referred to as an "integrated" LEAP because it combines a norm referenced test, which compares a student's test results to the performance of students in a national sample, with a criterion-referenced test, which reports student results in terms of the state's standards."

http://www.doe.state.la.gov/