Finally the End...

What a journey this has been but oh so worth it. Three things that I learned from the program is to always strive to see the best in children and their families, never give up on those that seem hard to reach or are a little more difficult, and the last thing that stands out to me is how to communicate effectively. Communication is the greatest key when trying to reach families. My long term goal is to continue working on communicating effectively and striving to be the best educator that I can possibly be.

As the program ends, I am thankful that I  have had the chance to learn under Dr. Davis and my collegaues. I wish each of you the very best as you pursue your dreams in the future. Best wishes and success to each of you.

International Organizations

The organizations that I chose are

1. The Association for Childhood Education International. The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) is a global community dedicated to promoting the optimal education and development of children in a changing world. The Association today is both a knowledge broker for innovative practices and an advocate for education and children's rights. These key areas of focus have evolved from the Association's vibrant and active past. As social change agents, ACEI members have involved themselves in various critical societal issues over the years in their efforts to ensure that children around the world are protected, supported, and educated in an equitable fashion that allows them to reach their true potential.

2. International Early Childhood Education- International’s Early Education Services (EES) was launched in India in 2007 to tackle some of the major challenges facing early childhood education in India, including a lack of:

• Updated national early childhood education standards
• A national licensing and accreditation system
• Child care resource and referral system
• Professional development system 

3. UNICEF- 
UNICEF focuses on three areas of intervention for early childhood development: quality basic health, education and protection services; good care practices for children within the family and community; and early child development policies.  UNICEF works with governments and other partners to achieve the following objectives to increase the likelihood of all disadvantaged children benefitting from interventions:

• Improved service delivery capacity for early childhood development at the national, district and local levels;
• Improved family and community care practices for survival, growth and development;
• Develop policies and coordinating structures to include early childhood development into national development plans, funding and mechanisms;
• Increased ability to monitor child development and family care competencies for informed decision-making;
• Young children included in programming and policies in emergency response -providing play and learning to ensure their continued development

National organizations

The three organizations that I  found were

The Division for Early Chi ldhood-   The Division for Early Childhood promotes policies and advances evidence-based practices that support families and enhance the optimal development of young children who have or are at risk for developmental delays and disabilities.

National Association for the Education of Children-  
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.

National Head start  Association- 

HSA Mission

Our mission is to coalesce, inspire and support the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education.
We are compelled to fulfill this mission by the promise of all the possible outcomes:

• one powerful, united Head Start voice;
• a collegial, collaborative Head Start field, one that is a valuable and valued partner and resource to early childhood development and education;
• nonpartisan support of increased Federal commitment to Head Start and, ultimately
• healthier, empowered children and families and stronger, more vibrant communities.

NHSA Values

We are determined to play a valued leadership role in this country's efforts to educate and serve its most vulnerable children and families.We are actively committed to being a high-impact organization.
We value partnerships and collaboration and are intent on transforming ourselves into a relationship-based organization.
We are accountable to our members and funders, practicing the highest standards of governance and financial stewardship, ensuring transparency in our operationsand living up to the highest standards of quality.


A job that I found was a Community Educator in Early Childhood. The qualifications were as follows:

Responsible for planning, teaching, and implementing parent education classes. Program topics are planned with the approval of the Parenting Center Coordinator/Educator. Major Duties Meets organizational expectations as defined by the Employee Standards of Performance, hospital and department policies and procedures, and the hospital’s strategic goals. Verbalizes a clear understanding of continuous quality improvement and customer satisfaction measures and actively participates in improvement initiatives. Instructs classes and implements new and established programs. Develops outline and curriculum for new programs as needed. Provides programs to community groups upon request. Maintains participant information for all contacts/programs. Facilitates physical set-up of programs being presented. Participates in health fairs and community health and safety programs.

Performs other duties as assigned or directed to ensure smooth operation of the organization. Education/Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: Preferred: Excellent public speaking, written and verbal communication skills. Excellent interpersonal skills. Bachelor or master's degree in related field. Two- five years teaching experience with adults and all aged children in community organizations or schools. Required: Knowledge gained in required degree. Demonstrate organizational, communication, public speaking, interpersonal and social skills. Intermediate skills in windows, word, and PowerPoint. Bachelor's degree required in early childhood, community wellness, primary or secondary education, or related field. Two years teaching experience with additional experience working with children and community groups.

 

The second job that I found was: Early Childhood Specialist from Early Intervention to Success in School.  

Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood or related field

Birth to 3 training and experience

3 plus years of relevant experience

Training experience

Home Visiting experience preferred

Must be able to travel to partner sites in Southern Mississippi

Role in the ECE community state and locally

The three state and locally that appealed to me were:

The Head Start program. This program appeals to me for the simple fact of reaching out to children in less fortunate backgrounds. The Head start program targets my passion for the simple fact of helping children that struggle and come from low economic states. The second organization that I found was the Louisiana Early Childhood Association. It is an association that is full of resources for teachers to collaborate together  and gain insights that are beneficial in the classroom. The third organization that I chose was a local early headstart program. It targets children that are coming out of early intervention programs but who are to young to go directly into Head Start. These programs fuel my passion for the simple fact of giving each child a chance depsite their families economic status.

A job that I found was a Community Educator in Early Childhood. The qualifications were as follows:

Responsible for planning, teaching, and implementing parent education classes. Program topics are planned with the approval of the Parenting Center Coordinator/Educator. Major Duties Meets organizational expectations as defined by the Employee Standards of Performance, hospital and department policies and procedures, and the hospital’s strategic goals. Verbalizes a clear understanding of continuous quality improvement and customer satisfaction measures and actively participates in improvement initiatives. Instructs classes and implements new and established programs. Develops outline and curriculum for new programs as needed. Provides programs to community groups upon request. Maintains participant information for all contacts/programs. Facilitates physical set-up of programs being presented. Participates in health fairs and community health and safety programs.

Performs other duties as assigned or directed to ensure smooth operation of the organization. Education/Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: Preferred: Excellent public speaking, written and verbal communication skills. Excellent interpersonal skills. Bachelor or master's degree in related field. Two- five years teaching experience with adults and all aged children in community organizations or schools. Required: Knowledge gained in required degree. Demonstrate organizational, communication, public speaking, interpersonal and social skills. Intermediate skills in windows, word, and PowerPoint. Bachelor's degree required in early childhood, community wellness, primary or secondary education, or related field. Two years teaching experience with additional experience working with children and community groups.

 

The second job that I found was: Early Childhood Specialist from Early Intervention to Success in School.  

Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood or related field

Birth to 3 training and experience

3 plus years of relevant experience

Training experience

Home Visiting experience preferred

Must be able to travel to partner sites in Southern Mississippi

Week 8 Coming to an End

These last eight weeks I have learned more and more about myself, my passion for working in the field, and the importance of an anti-bias point of view. My passion is for the children who really need a caring person to show that they care. It has always been my desire to help at least one child reach success and I would feel that my job is a success. Children are the future and deserve the best that there is. If I pour all that I have within the children that I serve, then these children will grow up to be successful men and women. I also look forward to working with each family and help the families learn how to help their children. I believe that it is important to work along side the families in order to have the best relationship with them so that it is a team effort with the child.

Thanks to the instructor and all of my classmates who have made these last eight weeks great. I have learned a lot from each of you and look forward to working with each  of you in the future. Best wishes to each of you! The journey is down hill now! :)

I chose to look at South Asia, the country of Nepal. I am not sure why I chose this country, however, it was interesting facts within the articles. In Nepal there is a battle to ensure that the children get enough to eat. They are combating malnutrition. Nearly half of the five year old children in the country are stunted growth or malnourished. "The period of greatest vulnerability to nutritional deficiencies is very early in life,” said UNICEF Representative in Nepal Gillian Mellsop, a meeting participant. “If a child is not well nourished during this vital window of opportunity, that window slams shut on that child and the intellectual damage can be irreversible.”

Children are experiencing learning disabilities, stunting, and other health issues due to suffering from malnourishment. these experiences may pose greater issues to the children later in life. The children continue to suffer from malnourishment grow up with weaker immune systems, health issues, and learning difficulties.

As an early childhood professional I believe that it is extremely important to combat this epidemic. I believe that it is important to always have snacks or small foods available just for children who may not have the food available to them. It is a shame that malnourishment is still a major issue across our great lands. I believe that it is great to have breakfast programs continued within schools so that the children can have a well balanced meal in order to start their day. Children learn best with a full stomach and good rest.

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/nepal

Sexualization and Early Childhood

Sexualization within the Early Childhood setting is rather disturbing to me. It seems that our society is pushing for children to grow up faster than they need to. Media portrays barbies that can have babies, dolls that are full figured and clothing is made to look older and more mature. Television shows are portraying a negative image to young children on sexaulization. Children no longer look like innocent children. It amazes me to see how some parents allow children to be so subjected to such sexualization.

In my own personal and professional life I have seen children get upset because they are not "as pretty" as the other girls because they are chubby, or hair is not long enough or eye color is not blue enough." One example that stands out to me that is most recent is going shopping and observing people. It is sad to see children dressed with such short shorts on, make up as if they were grown, and looking years older. I can't help but think, "what happened to the simple life and just being a kid?!"

 The sexualization plays a huge impact on children's lives. Children grown up entirely too fast and exposed to dress, body image, and other pressures that cause them to often miss out on being a simple child. I blame this on the media for trying to promote toys and other kid friendly items to be more in the sexual light. I was raised when girls dressed like little girls...there was no make up, heels, or older type clothing until I was high school age. Now those things seem to be what the media pushes for our children at such young ages. These images often cause extreme problems for our children. If we look around we see young teen girls looking as if they are in their twenties. I believe that within the classroom it is important to express to children to just be children. The world is moving at such a fast pace, media pushing all of these things, but children should just be allowed to be children. As a professional it is important to address any forms of sexualization and work towards positive ways of moving past it.