Research that Benefits Children and Families---Uplifting Stories

     A positive example of the effects o research on children and/or families is family involvement in early

childhood education.  "Early childhood education programs encourage and validate family participation in

decision making related to their children's education (www.naeyc.org)."  Family involvement promotes 

children's cognitive and social development.  Educators must develop positive partnerships with children

and their families.  This can be done my having positive communication between the school and family.

It is important that the classroom is a welcoming environment to attract parents.  Class activities can be

extended from the school to the home environment.  Parents can be involved by volunteering at the school.

Educators can also make home visits that are in an informal setting.  These visits also allow the educator an

opportunity to get to know the child better.

     Family involvement is important to a child's learning and development because:

     1.  It supports school readiness.

     2.  It promotes academic success.

     3.  It promotes growth and development.

     4.  It improves communication with parents and increases understanding of the child.

Halgunseth, L. C. & Peterson, A. Family Engagement, Diverse Families, and Early Childhood Education

     Programs:  An Integrated Review of the Literature. Retrieved March 22, 2014. www.naeyc.org.

Poverty in Early Childhood Education

     Children living in poverty are at high risk for academic underachievement.  Poverty has a negative effect 

on school readiness.  Parents must invest in resources that will help their children learn, grow, and develop. 

Head start is one resource that can be used to help children and families that live in poverty.  The purpose of 

the Head start program is to make sure that children are ready to enter school on an equal level with children that are not living in poverty.  Some children are born into poverty and some children fall into poverty because of different circumstances such as lost of a job, sickness, or death.  Children that are born into poverty are better able to handle the situation than children that fall into poverty later in life.

     It is important that educators evaluate, assess, and observe all children to determine who may be at risk.  Poverty is a major risk factor.  Educators should connect with children, families, and the community.  Getting parents involved with their child's education will show the child that their parents care and the learning process will continue at home.  The most important job of an educator is to strengthen and support children and their families.  There are programs that can help children and families in poverty.  Educators can expose these programs to children and their families.  These programs can help change and build their lives.

Sharing Web Resources

By: Violet Watson

 

The organization I chose to research was the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). While reading through various emails on www.naeyc.org, the topic I chose to read more abut was “Effective Teaching in the Kindergarten Year”. This newsletter explained the importance of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP). DAP is important to the early childhood education because this is the manual, the philosophy and the way of teaching for early childhood educators. The Kindergarten year is one of the most important years of early childhood education. This is the year that the children learn most of the beginning skills they’ll use in later years. This newsletter explained the importance of connecting common core state standards and DAP in the Kindergarten year. Connecting the two as one strategy will help teachers out a lot.

                         Getting to Know Your International Contacts

By: Violet Watson

 

The first insight that I found is the wage inequity for the teachers. Some teachers make less than $25,000 a year. There are a lot of teachers that work second jobs to make ends meet. A Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree will help improve salaries. Most teachers know that they will not become wealthy working in this field, but it’s for the love of working with the children that keeps them in this career.  

According to Mrs. Vasquez, early childhood educators are still viewed as babysitters. Though this statement is false, many parents believe they drop their child off to the caregiver and the caregiver just watches them or lets them play. People view early childhood caregivers and educators as babysitters because in the past years, anyone could become a childcare giver, as long as you weren’t on the sex offenders list. Parents don’t know and haven’t paid attention to the new requirements of caregivers working with public funding. It is required that all Head Start teachers must have at least an Associate’s Degree. This means each child’s teacher will have a degree and will have had at least two years of college. While in college, the teachers learn all of the appropriate ways to teach children and they also learn all of the inappropriate ways that shouldn’t be taught to the children. So, are early childhood caregivers just babysitters? The answer to that question is no. early childhood caregivers teach the child developmentally appropriate skills. They aren’t just letting the children play all day. Early childhood caregivers and early childhood educators should be given more credit. They go to college for at least two years just to make sure each child learns the age appropriate skills and develops appropriately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resource:

 “Excellence and Equity of Care and Education for Children and Families-Part 3” (approximate length: 12 minutes). Conversation with Delila Vasquez (Director of Program Services, Los Angeles University Preschool) about issues of equity and excellence related to EC professionals.

Consequences of Learning Early Childhood for My Professional and Personal Development

                                                          By: Violet Watson

 

There are many consequences of learning about the international early childhood field. The first consequence of learning about early childhood education is working with the other professionals sharing ideas and comparing similarities and differences in early childhood education. Having the opportunity to communicate internationally is enlightening, instructive, and enriching. Learning about international early childhood education allows us to learn how other countries help children to learn and develop. It also allows different countries to adopt new methods of teaching and learning.

 

The second consequence of learning about early childhood education internationally is the opportunity to learn about the culture of another country. Studying the language, culture, customs, environment, and communities will promote understanding about that country. Learning the importance of another countries culture also improves one’s greater appreciation for that culture. While some countries teach at an individualist perspective others may teach at a collective perspective. For example, Asian children may be quiet in a classroom and make eye-contact with the instructor, while American children like to participate in the classroom. In most countries the culture, language, and environments may be different, the foundation for teaching is the same. Developmentally appropriate practices are used in most countries to promote growth and development in children.
 

The third consequence of learning about early childhood education internationally is the effect of poverty in early childhood education. The quality of education is different for children that live in poverty. Children with low-income families have a greater chance at decreased school readiness. This can cause a gap in early childhood development and early childhood education, which can lead to long-term consequences. In countries like America and China, most children are able to attend an early childhood development school, but in a country like Africa, children aren’t able to attend any type of school because of poverty. Poverty also affects the well-being of a child and the child’s ability to learn. Educators must assess, evaluate, and observe all children in order to determine the needs of the child and the child’s family. They should do whatever is necessary to help them meet their everyday needs by informing them f all resources that are available.

Since taking this course, one of my personal goals is to continue to try to contact an international educator. I did not receive a response during this class period, but I plan to continue reaching out until someone responds to my request. It was really enlightening and interesting to read some of my classmates’ response from their international contacts. This class has been very interesting and I have gained many new insights in the early childhood field.

Sharing Web Resources

     NAECTE is the organization that I explored.  The outside link that I followed was the journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education.  This site contains information on current issues, most read articles, most cited articles, authors and submissions in Early Childhood Teacher Education.  While searching one area of the site, I found the article A Promising Strategy for Connecting Future Teachers to the Lives of Diverse Children and Their Families.  This article contained information about students and families.  Students, families, and teachers spent 30 hours of service learning with diverse families.  They focused on family events at different schools.  My understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education was broadened through this article because I recognized the value of different ways of learning and developing.  

     Equity also ensures that everyone can achieve within a nurturing and supportive environment.  New insights that I gained are that everyone can't be treated the same and equity is not limited to a single population.

A Promising Strategy for Connecting Future Teachers to the Lives of Diverse Children and

     their Families.  Retrieved: Feb. 16, 2014.  www.naecte.com

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

     "Equity within early childhood education means that all children and families have equal access and opportunity to benefits from all the field has to offer.  Access to high-quality services, for example, is not dependent on monetary resources, a child's abilities, or program availability.  Social equity through access and opportunity means high-quality early childhood education for all" (Darragh,2010)."

     The podcast talks about standards, school readiness, and achievement gaps.  There are gaps in cognitive development, social-emotional development, and health status.  Programs are being created to ensure a more even start at the school entry level. Standards should be set for educators so that they are knowledgeable of what children need to know.  They need to know where the child is coming from and what the child already knows. According to the podcast,  Head Start is set up to address achievement gaps and school readiness.

     The first new insight that I have gained is the issue of child mental health.  The child mental health issue is under-addressed, but is very important to a child's development.  Research is being done globally to find out why this issue exist.  The second insight that I have gained is the importance of setting patterns for educators.  Setting patterns for educators is a standard that is needed to help promote development and learning in children.  The third insight is the importance of educating leadership.  Effective ways must be found to communicate with global policymakers about the issue of child development.

Darragh, J. C. (2010). Introduction to Early Childhood Education-Equity and Inclusion

Course Media: "Excellence and Equity of Care and Education for Children and Families—Part 1" (approximate length: 8 minutes) Conversation with Delila Vasquez (Director of Program Services, Los Angeles Universal Preschool) about equity and excellence of care and education for children and families—focus on curriculum, assessment, achievement gaps, standards, etc.

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2010). Global children's initiative. Retrieved 2/8/2014 from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/