A survivor's story

The Resilience of Kristine. Kristine is the fictitious name I have given to child who lived in my neighborhood when I was growing up. She endured severe violence as a child.Kristine was the only child of her mother that I knew of. Her mother was a trader so she would travel to various countries very often to buy goods and return to sell them. Kristine was left in the care of an uncle and his two teenage daughters. They treated Kristine most unkind. She was just about seven years old and was forced to clean the house and wash the clothes. Whenever she refused she was beaten mercilessly by her two cousins. I remember sometimes they beat her all the way up the road if she decided to run away. They would starve her and tell her all sorts of abusive words. When Kristine was about twelve her two cousins plotted with a younger cousin from their mother's family to rape Kristine. Then, they told all the children on the street what had happened to Kristine. She was terribly embarrassed. Most of the other children laughed at Kristine but I remember feeling sympathy for her. The adults in the neighborhood tried to get help for Kristine but the welfare kept sending her back. When she was old enough she left that home and for many years I did not see her. Her cousins said that she had gone in search of her mother. Several years later Kristine returned. She said that she was living in Barbados. She had met someone special who was taking good care of her. She was back in school and had a bright outlook for the future. Most importantly she had met God and was back to let her cousins know that she had forgiven them. I am not sure what process she went through to get her where she was, but I was happy to see her happy and looking healthy and successful. I was truly amazed at her resilience.

IMMUNIZATION I choose this public health issue because I know how important it is to the safe development and survival of young children and adults. I also chose this topic because I am proud of the success story on immunization we have in Guyana. Immunization has been made mandatory in Guyana. Since this law came into being almost all babies born in the country are vaccinated. The stats below released by the Ministry of Health tell the story. Percent of children 19-35 months old receiving vaccinations for: Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (4+ doses DTP, DT, or DTaP): 84% Polio (3+ doses): 93% Measles (MMR) (1+ doses): 90% Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) (primary series +booster dose): 55% Hepatitis B (Hep B) (3+ doses): 92% Chickenpox (1+ Varicella doses): 90% Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) (4+doses): 80% This year immunization week is being held from April 20-27 under the theme "Immunization the power to protect". Immunizations have helped children stay healthy for more than 50 years. They are safe and they work. In fact, serious side effects are no more common than those from other types of medication. Vaccinations have reduced the number of infections from vaccine-preventable diseases by more than 90%! Yet many parents still question their safety because of misinformation they’ve received. That’s why it’s important to turn to a reliable and trusted source. including your child's doctor, for information. The information that I have learnt will impact my future work in positive ways because there would be many healthy happy children in the years to come. As an early childhood advocate, I will continue to support mandatory immunization in my country so that our success story will continue in the generations to come.

I have not yet had the experience of giving birth, but I have seen many videos and supported my brother and his wife when they brought my nephew into the world.I vividly remember the excitement as we awaited his arrival in to the world. I have heard mothers describe the process as a bitter/sweet experience. Bitter because of the pain felt when the baby moves through the birth canal. The experience becomes 'sweet' when their new babies are placed in their arms. The birthing process is a very delicate sensitive period. It is also very critical to later development. Doctors and mid-wives take special care to avoid complications which may include brain damage due to a lack of oxygen, hearing impairments and the transferal of diseases such as Syphilis and AIDS. Unfortunately,in my country Guyana, many of the women that live in the hinterland(forested/mountainous)regions do not have access to hospitals and in rear cases no access to any maternity health facility.It is therefore no surprise that most of these women have home deliveries. There is usually an experienced mid-wife, not necessarily trained, who performs the deliveries.Sometimes if the delivery is extremely complicated they would fly the patient out to the closest hospital.However, sometimes because the expecting mothers are not able to access prenatal care the complications are unknown until delivery. This puts both mother and child at great risk.

A NOTE OF THANKS
It has been a wonderful journey collaborating with my colleagues of group two for this course. The insights and perspectives that you shared through the discussion board and your blogs have helped to make this course more interesting and edifying. I have learnt much about: advocacy, professionalism, the needs of young children and the importance of providing support for the families of young children. I will always remember Renetta Cooper's advice to us professional advocates "Be a voice for the voiceless" and also that this whole process is not about us ,but about what is best for the child. I am looking forward to starting my new course.Hope it would be as interesting as this. I also look forward to greater collaboration as we continue through this program.

Making It Personal

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN (NAEYC) the  CODE OF ETHICAL CONDUCT AND COMMITMENT.

Any profession is governed by codes of ethical behavior and professionals are encouraged to follow the rules   and remain committed to standards set and to the profession. The ethical guidelines and ideals outlined by the NAEYC that I found interesting are:


1.1—To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed
through continuing education and training.
It is necessary for all child care professionals to stay up to date with the current trends in EC so that they can  make the type of decisions that will positively impact children and their families . Continuous professional development will ensure that this is a reality.

I-1.3—To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child


I chose this ideal because I believe that we must recognize each  child as a unique individual. This is a concept that is key and it can influence the way we plan and cater for the needs of our children. Gardener promotes this through the Multiple Intelligence Theory.His theory encourages us all to focus on the uniqueness of every child.  

•  Recognize that children and adults achieve their full potential in the context of relationships that are based on trust and respect. 
• Appreciate and support the bond between the child and family.

•  Appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life cycle.

These core values are interesting, because to me they stand out among the others. I strongly believe that childhood is extremely important to the individual . The experiences that one has in childhood can greatly affect the person that on becomes. It is therefore necessary that we as educators  work towards making the early experiences rewarding for all children. We should acknowledge the role of the family in this entire process. The child needs the support of the family to make the experience richer. The family is the main of the child. Today for many children that support is missing. We are seeing the repercussions  of  in our society   

today because of the ineffective support of family systems that is being offered to the young ones. We need to ensure that this key support system is strengthened in order for children to be given the opportunity to develop to their full potential.

 Division of Early Childhood (DEC) Code of Ethics

 RESPONSIVE FAMILY CENTERED PRACTICES 

Ensure that families receive individualized, meaningful, and relevant services responsive to their beliefs, values,  customs, languages, and culture.  We are committed to enhancing the quality of children’s and families’ lives by promoting family well-being and participation in typical life activities.  The early childhood special education professional will demonstrate respect for all families, taking into consideration and acknowledging diverse family structures, culture, language, values, and customs.  Finally, families will be given equal voice in all decision making relative to their children.  The following practice guidelines provide a framework for enhancing children’s and families’ quality of lives. 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PREPARATION 

  Professional development is viewed and valued as an ongoing process guided by high standards and competencies for professional performance and practice.  

Professionals acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to work with a variety of young children with 

disabilities and their families within natural and inclusive environments promoting children’s overall growth, 

development and learning, and enhancing family quality of life.  Finally, professionals continually should seek 

and interpret evidence based information for planning and implementing individually appropriate learning 

environments linked to ongoing assessment and collaboration with parents and professional team members. 

I chose these ethical codes from the DEC code of ethics , because I firmly believe that every effort must be made to have families of our students involved in the process. Some parents may need support in order for them to give the kind of support that their children require. This may range from financial to emotional support.

I also believe that to have maximum output in terms of providing quality care for young children staff must

be  have the requisite knowledge, therefore continuous staff development is necessary.

Let's Work Together to make their future bright

Resources are important to the professional

COURSE RESOURCES

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8.Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrie
• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
• Websites:
• • World Forum Foundation
    http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep-usnc.org/
    Read about OMEP's mission.
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/
    Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.
• • • National Association for the Education of Young Children
      http://www.naeyc.org/
    • The Division for Early Childhood
      http://www.dec-sped.org/
    • Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
      http://www.zerotothree.org/
    • WESTED
      http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
    • Harvard Education Letter
      http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
    • FPG Child Development Institute
      http://www.fpg.unc.edu/
    • Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
      http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
    • HighScope
      http://www.highscope.org/
    • Children's Defense Fund
      http://www.childrensdefense.org/
    • Center for Child Care Workforce
      http://www.ccw.org/
    • Council for Exceptional Children
      http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
    • Institute for Women's Policy Research
      http://www.iwpr.org/
    • National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
      http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
    • National Child Care Association
      http://www.nccanet.org/
    • National Institute for Early Education Research
      http://nieer.org/
    • Pre[K]Now
      http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
    • Voices for America's Children
      http://www.voices.org/
    • The Erikson Institute
      http://www.erikson.edu/

     Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

    Tip: Use the A-to-Z e-journal list to search for specific journal titles. (Go to "How Do I...?", select "Tips for Specific Formats and Resources," and then "e-journals" to find this search interface.)

    • YC Young Children
    • Childhood
    • Journal of Child & Family Studies
    • Child Study Journal
    • Multicultural Education
    • Early Childhood Education Journal
    • Journal of Early Childhood Research
    • International Journal of Early Childhood
    • Early Childhood Research Quarterly
    • Developmental Psychology
    • Social Studies
    • Maternal & Child Health Journal
    • International Journal of Early Years Education.

    
    

Quotes from Early Childhood Specialists

Dr Lilian Katz

“ Curriculum should help children make deeper and fuller understanding of their own experience.” Dr Lilian Katz

Rather than “delivering” education, we are most likely to help children by “providing” experiences known to be beneficial to young children. Thus when we decide to evaluate or assess a provision for young children, we might ask: What kind of experiences is each child having much of the time? Or perhaps we should ask: What does it feel like to be a child in this environment day after day after day? To use these questions as a basis for assessing the appropriateness of provision for young children requires coming to agreement on which experiences are thought to be essential to yield the kinds of short-term and long-term effects (vs. products) we want to cause.

 Dr Lilian Katz

' Literacy and numeracy skills are not ends in themselves but basic tools that can and should be applied in the quest for understanding  

 Dr Lilian Katz

Dr Ann Turnbull

"The growing expectation is that schools will deliver socially acceptable, effective and efficient interventions to ensure safe, productive environments where non-violating behavior is minimized and pro-social behavior is promoted."  Dr Ann Turnbull

It is a good rule to face difficulties at the time they arise and not allow them to increase unacknowledged.

Edward W. Ziegle

r