Getting to Know Your International Contacts

I have been unsuccessful at receiving back from professionals outside of the US so I choose the alternative activity, Podcast and researching the website http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/.

On the Morning Show on NBC this morning they had a piece on their about Poverty and Homelessness. The focus was on Charlotte North Carolina where they interviewed this single mother of five who has been homeless for a year and was currently living in a one bedroom apartment for homeless and displaced families.  The mother discussed the hardships of raising five children alone and trying to go to the school herself.  It was stated by the news reporter that one in every five children has or will experience homelessness sometimes in their life, which is 1.5million children. This number is astonishing and their needs to be a resolution to this ongoing problem that seems to be only getting worse with the state of our economy.

After studying this website the information according to the numbers were the same as I heard on the morning news which was an insight for me…I knew that many families were displaced, however, one out of five was heart breaking.

Another insight I gained through this website was that o 10 million children under five years old die every year from preventable diseases. As one of the most powerless groups in society, children often bear the physical and emotional costs of poverty.

The last insight I learned from this website was that I was unaware that something was being done drastically to increase poverty and homeless. The international community has committed itself to meeting the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. This includes lowering poverty rates, cutting by two-thirds the deaths of children under five and ensuring that all children in the world complete at least primary education.

Sharing Web Resources

I initially contacted two professional individuals outside of the United States, however, I was unsuccessful at getting a response.

The name and link of the organization I selected is, Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Familieshttp://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/ 

I selected this organization because I have used this website frequently in the past for research papers as well as to gather information for personal and professional reasons. I find this website/organization to be very informative and useful. The information on the website is always updated and the information and research is recent.

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. 

This week’s newsletter that I found very informative and caught my attention was a article and graph describing the development of a child from 30-36months. The graph shows one side of what the toddler should be doing and the other side states what the parent should be doing to enhance the development of the toddler.

I also liked the idea that this organization is encouraging parents to limit the number of hours a child watches TV daily because of the influence of the advertising as well as the development of the child’s cognition.

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

This week I had to choose two professionals, out of the United States to establish communication with and I contacted the following two individuals on Tuesday, June 29^th via email.

Ø  Canadian Child Care Federation, Yvonne Dionne. Email: ydionne@cccf-fcsge.ca

Ø  German National Committee for Early Childhood Education. Secretary: Ms. Ulrike Konrad-Ristau , Email: ulrike.konrad-ristau@agj.de

 I choose these two individuals because I have an interest in the Candian Educational System because I have family there and I have always wanted to visit Germany and have an interest in the country.

The links which were provided in the blog resources was a huge help in helping me get started.

The second part of the blog assignment this week was visit a early childhood organization’s website in order to get to know specific ways in which the organization supports the early childhood community and the resources it offers.  I choose to sign up and become a member of the following organization.

Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/ 

I choose this website because I always find the most current and helpful information located on this website. I have used this website many-many times as resource for research.

When I Think of Research...

Blog Assignment: When I Think of Research...

• What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

I have so much more insight into how to research is conducted versus just reading and completing basic task of collection. I also learned how to take a subtopic and redefine it until it is no longer a broad spectrum. I also learned that real research, quality research is not an easy process and requires a lot of time and work.

·         In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

I feel that since taking this course I’m more respective and sensitive to others. A researcher should also be knowledgeable of the culture or diversity they may encounter while conducting the research. I also learned that there is more than just choosing a topic and completing collection. I also learned the various ways and methods in conducting research.

• What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

I learned the importance of ethics in relations to research involving early childhood education. As a researcher I must be neutral in a situation and not have my own opinions weigh in the research.

• What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?

Conducting research was very new to me in a sense. I have conducted research in the past while working on my undergrad but not to the extent where I understood what a valid research paper should consist of. 

·         What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

Personally I don’t feel that my perceptions have been modified at all. I still have a huge passion for early childhood education and if anything my passion has been enriched.

Research Around the World

Early Childhood Australia: This is the Australian equivalent to the U.S. based NAEYC. You can access several links to early childhood research from the menu on the left side of the home page. http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/  

What are some of the current international research topics?  I found it interesting that Australia had very similar research topics as we do here in America, for example:

Ø  School Readiness and Children’s Transition

Ø  Childhood Obesity

Ø  Early Years Education Framework

Ø  Learning and Teaching Through Play

Ø  Children’s Resilience

Ø  Code of Ethics

Ø  Respecting Diversity

These are some of the same topics that are currently being researched here in America. I just recently attended a training on school readiness and an also on the Education Framework where an abundant amount of research was recently completed.

What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?

The first thing that I noticed and I wish more was done about in my school district, which I can’t speak for other areas, but I noted that research was currently underway in reference to bullying. This is being such an issue in many schools. As a Head Start center we do implement mental health into our curriculum but I think more emphasis should be done regarding bullying.

I also found that there is subscription to a magazine “Every Child” which is ideal for students, childcare workers, parents, grandparents or anyone who wants to keep up to date on events and developments around Australia that impact on children from birth to eight years or on the early childhood field in general.

There was also a link on this website where educators could share ideas and suggestions on many topics for example: Exploring and discovering, increasing your student’s curiosity, helping your students problem solve…this was an excellent idea where educators can learn from one another.

What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

First of all I thought this website was very easy navigating and organized in a very neat and eyecatching matter.  

Another link I found very interesting was “Everyday Learning Series” which provides wonderful suggestions about how to create positive learning environments for young children. By 'making the ordinary, extraordinary', the Everyday Learning Series is an invaluable resource for parents, grandparents and care givers by assisting them in maximizing young children's play, exploration and discovery, and development within familiar environments.

POSITIVE EFFECTS OF RESEARCH

I have a personal reason why I feel that research has been beneficial. I have a two children, ages 15 and six, however, my older son has always been very healthy and had no health issue and to this day still doesn't, thank God! However, my six year was born weighing 6pounds and 4ounces and from the time of birth he has had issues. At birth he had colic until he was about nine months old so that meant I didn't get any sleep at night. He also developed asthma right after birth and when he was two he begin to have severe allergic reactions.  At the early age of two months he would develop cough and colds and he wasn't able to to get rid of it. The doctor diagnosed him with asthma symptoms so he was given a nebulizer and all sorts of solutions to use. This was such a benefit for him as well as myself.
When he turned two we took him into the pediatrician's office for his well check. He was given a series of immunizations as well as flu shot. We proceeded to leave the office and go to the Walmart where my son begin coughing uncontrollably and his face was getting more red my the second.  Then finally he said "mommy I cant breath"..........OMG.........As a mother I panicked and was so afraid for my helpless child who looked at me with those big blue eyes for help. We were only about two miles from the ER so we immediately left and took him to the ER where he was having an allergic reaction to the immunizations. From that day forward he was given an Epi-pen as a precaution. Since this episode we have had him tested thoroughly by a renowned allergist and found out that he was allergic to food he had been eating since birth, all grass and all tress.....he had SEVERE allergies.  He was put on a series of medications and with a lot of pray he has improved and his allergies are not as SEVERE at the age of six..........however, he still has medication daily and precautions still have to be done.
With all of this being said, if research had not been done then my child may not have had the allergy testing and other treatments he has received that SAVED his life in that ER that day! THANK GOD for research because I had a sick child that benefited from it!

My Personal Research Journey

I have a passion for early childhood and have several areas that I have a very special passion for.  However, after some deliberation I have chosen the topic of special needs/autism since this is a rising issue in many classrooms across the country and it is a special passion of mine.

Subtopics:

Ø Ways in which the community, family and school system can foster healthy development of children with autism.

Ø How the arts help children with autism development in positive and healthy ways?

Ø Positive and negative effects on relationships with siblings, family members, peers and teachers of children with autism.  

I became a Head Start teacher in 2002 and during my first year as a teacher I had a child in my classroom that had been diagnosed with autism, needless to say this was quite a challenging year for me especially being a new teacher. I also had feelings of unpreparedness and feared I could not provide what he would need during this school year. However, with a lot of research I did on my own, support from my education manager and other experienced staff this child showed so much improvement during the eight months we spent together. This child went from not speaking to talking, interacting with peers and teachers and his whole academic status increased. After such a fearful beginning to the year it ended in a very rewarding and successful school year. Since this time I have had a passion for children with special needs, especially children with autism. I also have a close friend of mine whose child was diagnosed with autism and this also increased my passion to advocate for children of autism.

I chose the three subtopics because the community, family and school system has a huge influence on the outcome of children with autism and I feel that we all need to collaborate together and foster positive and healthy outcomes for these children. I also think that the arts have a huge positive influence over children with autism, for example, my best friend son’s who was diagnosed with autism  has written two comic books and he is only 17 years old. I can remember looking back upon his early years around the age of four and five he was very creative and would put his thoughts on paper to create such creative creations. I have also seen the children in my class who was diagnosed with autism to be very creative and have artistic talent. I also chose to discuss how relationships influence with family members, peers, and teachers because of the lack of communication that these autistic children express.