When I Think of Research

Insights gained about research from this course are there are different ways of approaching research and doing research. Research should be of quality and must always be ethical, purposeful, well designed, transparent, contextualized, credible, careful, imaginative, and equitable. You learn about things doing research.

I have learned that when doing research that you must chose a topic that interest you. One must place his or her bias aside when doing research. Your research should do no harm to your research participants Your research should acknowledge your support, have theories or hypothesis, have a method of measurements of your research through questionaries and observations

Your research may use different methodology, be positivist, have interpretivist or postmodern paradigms, have quantitative or qualitative data approaches. One can use triangulation-use of multiple methods and approaches. You must select a topic that interet you when writing the final research topic. Your research should be informative, ethical, meaningful, persuasive, and significant.

Challenges encountered are to find professional sources through literary review. You can find periodicals, view colleagues research, institutional studies. You must have the consent of your research participants, and they must have the permission to leave the research when they want too Parents must approve in the research participants are minors. You must have approval from your institution or administration when doing the research. Research must be valid and reliable and there must be a true sampling of the research population.

My perceptions have changed of this course in that you can rely on your own decisions when doing research. The considerations of your research participants must be taken into account such as their well-being, safety, and willingness to be in the research. You must be a professional in your approach towards early childhood You must use credible resources. Your education in early childhood must be continuing through professional organizations, your peers, and the international community.

Research Around the World

The current research international topics in Australia are Gifted and talented: Inclusion and exclusion "Cathre Harrison raises awareness of the nature of giftedness and the learning and affective strengths and the learning and affective strengths and needs of young gifted children" (Harrison, 2016). Creativity and young children:Wondering, exploring, discovering, learning is "Thr book explores creativity as an essential part of early childhood, wit a focus on building early childhood educators's understanding of the features and values of creative process and their outcome" (Niland, 2016). Dreaming stories: A springboard for learning is "explaning the seasons, appreciating diversity in apperance, language, culture, encouraging cooperational investigating ideas through music, (Connor & Atkinson, 2016). Connecting with babies is "for all who are entrusted with the care of babies in their first year" (Fleer & Linke, 2016).

New insights gained were that there were programs for family daycare, parent education, outside school care hours, child and family centers, and programs and support service. Australia commitment to children's rights. The commitment to inclusion and Australia respect for the rights and aspirations of the families.

Other noteworthy information founded was the advocacy goals. The rights and well being of young children, the investment in early childhood increase annually in Australia, the increase public understanding and support of early childhood, and hiring a qualified, specialized, and skilled workforce. Ausrralia have a strong emphasis on the value of their program.

References:

Harrison, Cathre. (2016). Gifted and talented: Inclusion and exclusion.
Niland, Amanda. (2016). Creativity and young children: Wondering, exploring, discovering, learning.
Connor, Jenni & Atkinson, Geraldine. (2016) Dreaming stories: A springboard for learning.
Fleer, Marilyn & Linke, Pam. (2016). Connecting with babies.

Positive Example of Research

I came across a published research article concerning children that I would like to share with my colleagues. The article that I am going to discuss is the Safe Administration of measles vaccine to children allergic to eggs. The safety of administering the combined measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine to patients who are allergic to eggs has been debated for decades because of concern about potential anaphylaxis, since the live attenuated virus used in the vaccine is grown in cultured chick-embryo fibroblasts (James, Burks, Roberson, & Sampton).

There were 54 children who were allergic to eggs and they had not been previously vaccinated. The avearage age of these children were 18.5 months. The children were tested for allegeries, and the test were confirmed by skin tests. There were placebo-controlled food challenged test.

The 54 children were tested with positive results on skin testing with eggs. All 54 children received the MMR vaccine as a single subcutaneous injection, none had an immediate or delayed adverse reacton. It was concluded that all children received single dosed safely with allergies to eggs even those with hypersensitivity.

Reference:
James, Jm, Burks, Aw, Roberson, Pk, & Sampson, Ha. (1995). Safe Administration of measles       vaccine to children allergic to eggs.

Recess

My chosen topic for the simulation is recess. Why did I chose recess? "It taught me how to get along with others-whites, African-Americans (Scholastic, 2016). The lack of recess has caused children not to socialize in groups. There is a growing amount of obesity rates amoung young children. Recess let children burn off energy. Children are better focus when they are allowed to run around and swing on the monkey bars.

School systems started to cut back on recess in the 1980 to allow more instructional time. The decision on reces time is decided on the local level. The trend accelerated with the passage of the No Child Left Behind in 2001 and was particularly widespread in urban school with high number of children from marginalized populations (Jarett 2003: Roth et Al. Necs 2006). School reduce recess because of law suites from playgrounds injuries. Recess has been cut by academic pressure for more instructional time or as punishment.

I remember looking forward to recess when I was in school  Me and my friends would play on the swings, merry go round or the monkey bars. We would take turns on the swings, merry go round, and the monkey bars. Recess lets you form close relationship with members in your classroom and also you were able to make friends from different classes. The importance of recess can not be stressed enough.  "Free play helps to develop problem solving and critical thinking skills" (NAYEC 2009).

What are you thoughts on recess? Do you think that we should bring it back into our school? Studies show that by reducing recess have not increased academic scores. I have listed two of my resources for this blog and I would like to you do you have any insights or resources o this topic. Recess must be brought back into our classroom because it help open up children's mind and form bonds.

References:
Adams, Caralee. (2016). Recess Make Kids Smarter.
National Association Education of Young Children. (2009). Recess-It's Indispensable.

Final Blog Assignment

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for my professional and personal development are there are similarities with the American and England early childhood education (ECE), differences with the Sweden early childhood education, and your colleagues from the international field are interested in communicating and sharing their ideas with you. The American and England ECE are alike in teaching a top down curriculum with making sure children have the basic skills in reading, math, and language. These systems are so structured that there is little time for play which is beneficial to all children.

Sweden's ECE has no formal learning for their children from ages 1 to 6 year old. The children are with the same group of people through all six years so there is conformity with both the students and the teachers. Children are safe, secure, and learn through play. The ECE program is fully funded by the Sweden government. The parents said that they would not send their children to the England system and the Swedish teachers say the English ECE is no fun. One English teacher who now teaches in Sweden says there is no way he could return to teaching back into the England system.

The collaboration form our colleagues for the international field was not done weekly. My English counterpart Elizabeth Wood sent me several chapters from her published books and journals to read form 2013 to 2015 which was very informative. I joined Social Policy Issues in Indonesia who discuss and share information on education and other ideas in Indonesia. The collaboration has open me up to other ideas in ECE and that we can implement some of their ideas into our practices to better ourselves, our students, and colleagues. This is my goal to continue collaborationg with my international contacts and to reach out and make more international contacts. Knowledge is power and we educators must continue to grow our knowledge in this field so that we can be better role models, leaders, and teachers for our students.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 3

The organization Bright From the Start provided opportunities and or/ requirements for professional development in :

Professional Development Competencies

Early Care and Education Professional Competency Goals (ECE)

-1 To understand and demonstrate the principles of child growth and development. (ECE)

2 To establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment. (ECE)

3 To advance physical and intellectual competence. (ECE)

4 To support social and emotional development and provide positive guidance. (ECE)

5 To establish positive and productive relationships with families.(ECE)

6 To ensure a well-run, purposeful program responsive to each individual child’s needs.(ECE)

7. To maintain a commitment to professionalism (Bright From the Start, 2007).

I decided to discuss my professional goals, hopes, and dreams. My professional goals are to obtain my M.S Early Childhood Studies-Teaching and Diversity in Early Childhood. Next is to pass the GACE test here in Georgia so that I can obtain my teacher's certification by Dec 2016 so that I can begin teaching in Early Childhood Studies. In December I should have obtained my business license with Bibb County to open a Child Care Center and by April 2017 to obtain my license with Bright From the Start with the state of Georgia to start operating the center.

My hopes and dreams are to open a child care center in Bibb county in 2017, and a second in Fulton county in 2018. I will join the professionals organizations here in GA on Early Childhood Education. Bright From the Start have continuing professional training and the inspectors of the child care centers are a great resource since many were teachers here in Georgia before becoming employees of Bright From the Start. The greatest challenge for me will be to find funding, but I am planning on email campaigns, mail and social medial solicitations to bring awareness of the child care centers and the funding that is needed.

I have not heard from my contacts so I went to the Asia Pacific Regional for Early Childhood (ARMEC) where I am a member, and I read the article on HOW PEOPLE ARE REFINING EDUCATION BY ERUM KAMRAN. Education is not something which the teacher does, but is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being (Karmin, 2015) This is a discussion on how schools operate as assembly lines. Students are taught standards and then they are tested on these standards. The discussion concludes with children should be allowed to pursue their interest. They will be able to express themselves. The new definition of education will not be accepted until it caters the individuality and creativity of each child without Stamping him ‘passed’ or ‘failed’ (Karmin, 2015).

References:
Bright From the Start. (2007). The Georgia Early Care and Educational Professional.
Karmin, Erum. (2015). HOW PEOPLE ARE REDEFINING EDUCATION.

Blog Assignment: Sharing Web Resources

There were many links that I have not followed on the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAYEC). The Advertise link had information on why should advertise with the world's largest Early Education Association. NAEYC has over 60,000 Early Childhood Professionals. Media link gave information on explaining publications, online advertising conferences, and a member mailing list. NAEYC offers online advertising opportunities and the options to have a booth at their conferences. The next link explored by me was the For Families. This link had a vast amount of valuable information.

Here I found information and added understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education. Information was on what to look for in a program such as 10 NAEYC standards, Support Science Learning, Preschools are natural for mathamatics, and What to look for in a program. There was information on Quality Child Care Matters with information on where to search for an-accredited program, What to look for in a Program, , and Signs of Quality Learning and Development, Child Development, Reading and Writing and Music, Math and More were more options to learn about.

The NAEYC Newsletter Children's Champions had information on Child Care Development Block Grants that had final regulations on making an important step forward for children, families and educators by clarifying the goals of the law, improving the health, safety and quality of child care, supporting the early child care, supporting the early childhood profession and making child care assistance more accessible and stables for families. This was a new insight about issues and trends in the early childhood field.

Reference:
www.naeyc.org

Getting to know Your International Contacts-Part 2

Can you image a preschool for 1 to 6 year old children where there is no formal learning and by age 5 or 6 the children leave unable to read or write. Yes there is and these preschools are in the country of Sweden. There is no formal curriculum, no testing, or paperwork. The children are with the same group of children from the ages from 1 to 6 years old. The preschool settings are more homelike. The children are taught core values, challenges, discovery, and adventure. Children are taught to participate by telling what they want to do which makes learning more fun for them.

Parents say books in school are not important but learning social skills are more important. The children have no learning goals. Everyday the children spends four hours outside even in the harsh winter months because it builds cooperation, physical skills, confidence, and self esteem. Even the children sleep outside from a half a hour to one hour. If it is -7 or -10 degrees the children then sleep inside. Literacy and reading are of no concern. One female student in formal school stated that three year old children must have a chance to be a baby. A teacher stated that preschool should be a place of fun where the children are safe, secure, and learn through play.

When outside the children learn using their senses when climbing trees, running, jumping, seeing, and feeling. In the gym the teachers and the children bond which increase risk taking and beliefs in the children. Reading and writing are not important to them. The parents read at home to their children. The teachers believes in the children playing more which increases communication. There are no targets for the children to meet and there is no testing.

This preschool program is well funded by the Sweden government with both faith in the children and teachers. The children are eager to learn when they enter formal school. And by the age of seven these children lead the literacy table in Europe. These children excel in Europe by the age of 10.

Reference:
Early years education: Sweden verses the UK. 2008 Part 1, 2 and 3. The Reliquary

Sharing Resouces

The website of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) have so much valuable information I am continuing to learn about Common Core. The Common Core State Standard Initiative position statement on Still Unacceptable Treds in Kindergarten Entry and Placement was one that I will speak about. Teachers have little or no part in decision making that determine curriculum and instructions in their classrooms. Next there are questionable practices in appropriate uses of screening and readiness tests: discouragement or out right denial of entrance for elgiable students: the developmental od segregated transitional classes for children deemed unready for the next traditional level of school and an increasing use of retention.

What made me think of issues in different ways were the attitudes and practices which erodes children's legal rights to equal public schools. There are drastic changes being placed on children which have resulted in well-intended interventions which are inequitable, ineffective, and wasteful of public resources.  Other insights I learned were: NAEYC’s state policy efforts focus on researching and tracking national and state trends and informing NAEYC affiliates, policymakers, collaborating organizations, and other interested parties about NAEYC’s positions on state public policies and their impacts on children birth through eight and their families. (Alivin Rhian 2015). A discouraging trends are schools are discouraging parents from enrolling their age-eligible children in kindergarten.

This information led to me gaining more knowledge of understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field which are:

They are right. Our field has been addressing this goal for decades. In fact, within NAEYC there are reams of documentation and a rich history of discussions and similar initiatives. At the risk of seeming to see the world through rose-colored glasses, I argue that today is different. Today, as never before (NAEYC 2015).

• Social scientists in early learning and developmentally appropriate practice are strongly supported by hard science—neuroscience—confirming that learning begins at birth
• Economists state clearly that there is a strong return on investment to society, families, and individuals when young children have access to high-quality early learning
• Significant federal, state, and local public funds have been invested in a system of early care and education
• Stakes are high for all young children—regardless of race, ethnicity, ability, or socioeconomic status—to start kindergarten ready to succeed in school and in life 
• Seven in 10 Americans say they favor using federal money to make sure high-quality education programs are available for every child in the United States .

Getting to Know Your International Contacts-1

Neither one of my contacts have responded to my question on poverty, so I goggled poverty in Singapore and I found a podcast on poverty Singapore Hidden Poverty Problem, and a article on Singapore Hidden Poverty Problem. Singapore is ranked as the sixth most expensive country in the world to live in. Singapore has both the highest number of billionaries and millionaries in the world with an average per capita income over $52,000. There is no distinct difference between urban towns and rural villages. Singapore is a small island where both the poor and wealthy live in proximity to each other (Cho Christina, 2015).

One tenth of Singapore population is living in poverty which makes it the 26th most disparate income out of 136 countries. People living in poverty are living in 13 square feet government apartments who rent is determined by how much they can afford to pay. Impoverished children school fees are subsidized by the government and the food is provided not by wages earned but by charitable donations (Cho Christina, 2015).

In the video the mother was not able to pay for her child's asthma medication who has a family of six children. Poverty is seen behind closed doors and not in the streets, One member of the government has been trying to raise the awareness of poverty, and in the video the government is planning to add more funding into its budget for people living in poverty so that benefits may start to trickle down.

Resources:

Cho Christina. 2015. Singapore Hidden Poverty Problem.
Video. 2014 Singapore's Hidden Poverty Problem

Sharing Web Resources

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is an organization that promotes high quality learning for children ages 0 to 8 years old with emphasis on practice, policy, and research. There are over 60,000 individual members from the early childhood field and this organization has more than 300 regional affiliate chapters. NAEYC has a collective vision that all young children thrive and learn in a society dedicated to ensuring they can reach their full potential.
NAEYC hosts three of the most important and well-attended annual events for educators, administrators, and advocates in the early learning community: NAEYC's Annual Conference the National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development, and the NAEYC Public Policy Forum (NAEYC, 2016).

NAEYC mission goals are to improve professional practice and working conditions, to support early childhood programs, and build a high performing inclusive organization of groups and individuals. NAEYC objectives are to provide professional development opportunities, set and publicize standards that promotes excellence, intergrate diverse perspectives to generate new knowledge, build public understanding and support, and advocate public policies and funding. NAEYC is at the forefront in influencing local, state, and federal early childhood legislation, advocating for policies that reflect comprehensive approaches to providing equitable access to high-quality early learning, with a particular focus on children living in poverty, multilingual children, children of color, and children with disabilities (NAEYC, 2016).

Reference,

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2016). http://www.naeyc.org/content/about-naeyc

www.naeyc.org

Establishing Professional Contact

I was able to establish professional contact with Professor Elizabeth Ann Wood-Academic Staff-School of Education-The University of Sheffield England and MS Silke from Singapore a member of the Asia Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC). I contacted Professor Wood through email and she was kind enough to return my email. Professor Wood sent several of her papers and books to gain knowledge about ECE issues such as:

(ii) Chapters in books

Wood, E. (2015) Beyond Ethics in In D. Yamada-Rice and E. Stirling (eds) Visual Methods with Children and Young People: Academics and visual Industries in Dialogue. Palgrave.

Wood, E. (2015) Interpretivist research in play: the illumination of complexity, in S. Farrell, S.L. Kagan, and E.K.M. Tisdall (Eds) The Sage Handbook of Early Childhood Research, London Sage. 291-303.

Wood, E. (2015) ‘I wonder why our dog has been so naughty?’ Thinking differently from the perspective of play, S. Robson and S. F. Quinn (Eds), Routledge International Handbook of Young Children’s Thinking and Understanding. Abingdon, Routledge . 19-30

Wood. E. (2015) The capture of play within policy discourses: a critical analysis of the UK frameworks for early childhood education. J.L. Roopnarine, M. Patte, J.E. Johnson and D. Kuschner (Eds) International Perspectives on Children’s Play. Maidenhead, Open University Press.

Wood, E. (2014) The play-pedagogy interface in contemporary debates, in E. Brooker, S. Edwards, M. Blaise (Eds) The Sage Handbook of Play and Learning. London, Sage.

Wood, E. (2013) Contested concepts in educational play: a comparative analysis of early childhood policy frameworks in New Zealand and England. In J. Nuttall (Ed) Weaving Te Whāriki: Ten Years On. New Zealand, NZCER Press.

Articles in Journals 

Yahya, R. and Wood, E. (2016) Play as third space: bridging cultural discourses between

home and school,  Journal of Early Childhood Research. DOI: 10.1177/1476718X15616833

Wood, E.  and Hedges, H.  (2016) Curriculum in Early Childhood Education: asking critical

questions about content, coherence and control. The Curriculum Journal, DOI: 10.1080/09585176.2015.1129981

Nuttall, J., Thomas, L. and Wood, E. (2013) Travelling policy reforms: re-configuring the work of early childhood educators in Australia. Special Issue on ‘Global transformations and educational work: Remaking the idea of a teaching occupation.’ Globalisation, Societies and Education.

Nuttall, J., Edwards, S., Lee, S., Wood, E., & Mantilla, A. (2013) The implications of young            children’s digital-consumerist play for changing the kindergarten curriculum. Cultural  Historical Psychology, 2, 54-63.

Wood, E. (2014) Free choice and free play in early childhood education – troubling the

discourse. International Journal of Early Years Education. 22, 1. 4-18. doi:10.1080/09669760.2013.830562

Fisher, J. and Wood, E. (2012) Changing educational practice in the early years     through

            practitioner-led action research: an Adult-Child Interaction Project.

            International Journal of Early Years Education, 20:2, 114-119.

Wood, E. and Hall, E.  (2011) Drawings as spaces for intellectual play, International Journal

            of Early Years Education, 19: 3-4, 267-281. 

I joined the social network of ARNEC and Ms Silke and I became friends and I am reading and watching her articles on this sight. I now receive the monthly e-news flash from ARNEC.

National Association for the Education of Young Children is the organization and website that I have chosen. This organization provides strong educational advice, awareness, and support of childhood education I would like to know what my colleagues think of this sight and have any of you used it in any of your previous classes.  

National Association for the Education of Young Children (http://www.naeyc.org/).

My Support

My daily environment factors that provide support are my faith in God, my daily walk, and my family personal relationships. My faith in God  is the foundation of my life. There is no situation that I can not overcome through my faith. My morning two miles walk gives me time to reflect on my day and what changes that are needed to be made.  This walk is beneficial to my health. Next is my relationship with my parents. My father passed in 1995 but is wisdom and words of guidance is still with me today. My mother is the one opinion now that means the most to me. Her advice and knowledge about life is golden. She can read people and their intentions including mines and she speaks her mind when she thinks that you are heading down the wrong path and hanging out with the wrong people.
It would be very difficult to exist without these supports. My faith is everything to me and when I have strayed from my faith there  have been bad things or situations that have happen. Without my daily walk my health would not be well and I would not be able to reflect on my up coming day and relieve my stress. My mother's guidance is so important to me because without it I probably would make bad decisions that I know that I should not take and keep company with people who are out for their best interest and not mines.
If these support systems are not there my life would be in chaos. My faith is the corner stone of my life and I live by the rules of the Bible and I am not ashamed to say that I am a Christian even if it may cost me my life.  The daily walks give me the chance to reflect on what changes that I need to make in my life including the people that I surround my self with. My mother can read people well and their intentions and without her advice I am sure that I would have been with people that I should not have been with including family members and I would have put myself in situations that I should not have put my self in.

"My Connections to Play"

“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.” -Diane Ackerman
“Play is the beginning of knowledge.” -George Dorsey

 Play was very important in my childhood. There riding the bikes through the wood trails of my grandfather's farm. Then we would ride our bikes 2 to 4 miles a day through country roads with no worries because everybody knew everyone and they would watch out for each other's children. Family time on the weekends with brothers, sisters and cousins where we would play tag, dodge ball, basketball, and hopscotch and other family activities. In school during recess, we would see who could swing on the swings the highest, who could ride the merry go round the longest, or who could run the fastest, and who was the strongest. Some of my cousins and friends would watch wrestling and imitate the moves on each other once we were outside playing however I was smart enough not to do that.

Play today is so much different. Children have these I Phones that limits their physical activity. Preschools and schools have totally eliminated play for children. Children's after school time is dominated by after school activities like little league, or recreational sports that they do not have anytime for play. Parents are forcing children to take on more adult roles at such a younger age. The computer, video games, and texting have made children become so sedinetary that obesity is becoming an epidemic amoung them.

Play is essential from childhood through adulthood. Play is a way a learning throughout our lives. As children we learn who we are through play and how to confirm to society and family rules. Play teaches us to be creative and through this play as adults we learn how to make the right decisions that will better our lives, and we we make the wrong decisions, then we learn from them and move on. Play is the beginning time of what we learn about ourselves and others.

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because of the foundations of trust, guidance, and friendship. My mother is my most important relationship now since my father's passing twenty one years ago. I can go to her and share anything with her and I know what I  tell her will stay only between us. The guidance she has given me since childhood has been indispensable. The christian faith instilled in me by my parents and grandparents has given me the foundation that I need to guide me in my life. My mother has taught me not to say what you want to become in life, but she has taught me to go out and achieve my goals through actions and results. My father showed me to not to trust everyone because everyone is not out for your best interest and that include your own family members. Friendship, to me, is akin to true love. Love given freely, yet held back. Passion without touch. Trust, without limit. Communication, without fear. As different as they may be, they are reflections of each other, as the friends themselves are, and both are a burning need to make the other smile (Eric Nickel).

My parents has showed me what a loving relationship can be between two people. How they worked with each other to raise eight children by nurturing, disciplining, and guiding them when needed. My parents and grandparents were parents and grandparents and not your friends as some people try to be to their children today. My parents taught me to treat people with respect even though they may dis respect you. My father taught me to learn how to walk away from a fight which was very hard for me to do in my younger days. All of my relationship new and old relationship are built on trust and honesty but once those or broken if I have to work with you I will but there will only be a business relationship and never a personal one. In a personal relationship once trust and honesty is broken there will no longer be a relationship with you at all.

Children Quotes on Play and Resilience

Play fosters belonging and encourages cooperation.

Stuart Brown, MD

Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.

Fred Rogers

Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.

Abraham Maslow

Culture arises and unfolds in and as play.

Johan Huizinga

Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.

Diane Ackerman

Whatever they grow up to be, they are still our children, and the one most important of all the things we can give to them is unconditional love. Not a love that depends on anything at all except that they are our children.
   
Rosaleen Dickson quotes

Nov 19, 2013-- "If children are given the chance to believe they're worth something-- if they truly believe that-- they will insist upon it. That is in Rome, Italy, or Rome, Arkansas; in Paris, France, or Paris, Texas. Children don't have to be born with a silver spoon in their mouths, but if they can be convinced they're the best, they become resilient. They themselves will resist any attempts to belittle them. But it's also a bouncing forward, going beyond what the naysayers said, saying, 'No, it's not true that I'm nobody. I know that not only is that not true, but I'm more than you can imagine!'" Read more from Maya Angelou

Resilient children tend to have parents who are concerned with their children’s education, who participate in that education, who direct their children everyday task, and who are aware of their children interests and goals. Another important characteristic of resilient children is having at least one significant adult in their lives.
~ Linda F. Winfield

There are two lasting bequests we can give our children: one is roots, the other is wings.
~ Hodding Carter

Self-esteem is the real magic wand that can form a child’s future. A child’s self-esteem affects every area of her existence, from friends she chooses, to how well she does academically in school, to what kind of job she gets, to even the person she chooses to marry.
~ Stephanie Martson

Access the Whole Child

Today early childhood professionals are using methods which emphasize behavior occuring in natural settings and assessments which studies the whole set of circumstances surrounding the child. These techniques are thought to be more holistic and developmentally appropriate one area in which innovative methods have been emerging in the assessment of children at-risk, including children at-risk because of poverty (Dunbar & Reed, 1999). and/or disabilities (Lee & Kahn. J. 1997). At-risk children may be assessed to screen for (or to evaluate the effect of) fine and gross motor delays, speech and hearing difficulties, and atypical behavior. One example of an innovative method is play-based assessment, which evaluates children's developmental skills and their social interactions, learning styles and behaviors through play (Lowenthal, 1997. p1).

Finland school children don't start school until age 7 but Finland students beats the U.S. in math, reading, and science. The vast majority of students have solid reading and math skills. Finland success is called the "Finish Way." Every child in Finland under age 7 has the right to quality child care and preschool by law regardless of their family income. Day care teachers are of high quality with Bachelor degrees. Political consensus and support help Kiuru says. Kids are in day care working in the same curriculum that aligned with what they are going to learn in school. If you invest in early childhood education, in preschool and day care, that will led (to) better results (Krista Kiuru, 2014).

In the U.S. we need to have a coherent system with quality teachers in every classroom. Early childhood education in the U.S. is fragmented, and the U.S. must come to a national consensus on standards of quality preschool. Finland preschool and day care are free because the they pay a lot more taxes. In Finland, children from poor families have access to high quality preschool. In the U.S. most poor children get poor quality preschool, if they get any at all. Sixty percent of 4 year old in the U.S. get no preschool and because of this most start school 18 months behind. We must now pay more taxes so that our preschoolers can have access to quality teachers and quality education.

Stressor Black on Black Racism

As a child you look at everyone the same and you learn to like or dislike a person because of the way they treat you and not by the color of their skin. I recall the first time as a child that I was called the N word. My mother and I was at a local store shopping and this little white child said mommy mommy look at that N. Our parents just looked at one another and we quietly went our merry ways. My parents never taught us to dislike someone because of their color. What I learned about racism as a child came from television and peers. I copied by not reacting negative to the comment or starting a fight with the other child. Today I tell my neices and nephews not to give power to the N word even though it is common in the African American community to call each other the N word.

Black on Black racism is a topic that has intrigued me the most as I become older here in America. I am considered a dark skinned person in the African American community and it has baffled my all my life how some blacks who skin color is lighter than mine think that they are better than me. What is ironic about it is that people would say that I acted white. In elementary school thru high school most of my classes were 80% white. Most of my experiences in school were with my white classmates. At home my friends and even today my family and friends say that I talk white. I have learned that my skin color were different but not my character and attitude toward other people and I think this is my cognitive way of dealing with racism both in the black community and the world.

Nutrition/Malnutrition

I have chosen to speak on nutrition/malnutrition. This was very interesting to me because you can eat foods but if you are not eating the right foods then you are malnourished. My grandfather farmed on the weekends and we had fruits and vegetables throughout the year so we always had a well balanced diet. Carbohydrates and proteins were always in our diet. Junk foods were present but our parents taught us to eat junk foods with moderation and not to over indulge. 

Did you know malnutrition cripple child development in South Africa?  One in four children faces hunger in South Africa. Severe stunting has increased in the number of children over the years, yet South Africa is self-sufficient in food production. There are two main causes for hunger in South Africa which are access to affordable balance food and education. High price inflation  and high unemployment prevent access to food and quality food. Stunting and malnutrition starts in the womb.

Mother's have little money so they buy starches, potatoes, rice or corn. The author Mille quotes these foods fill you up but they have little nutrition value. Howevero malnutrition is being curtailed by teaching adults how to grow their own food such as carbohydrates and proteins. South African women are being taught what to grow and how to eat a balance diet. These women are no longer feeding their children junk food or porridge.

I have learned to take a better look at my own diet because there are a lot of fast foods and junk foods in my diet. I was wondering because of my diet do I eat a well balance diet. Here in America we can greatly reduce malnutrition. Companies are now giving their access fod to charities and food banks.We need to teach more families in America if they can to plant their own gardens of fruits and vegetables.

Child Development

Since I do not have a child birth experience, I will speak of my first time new born experience with the birth of my first nephew Michael when I first became an uncle. I was 18 at the time when Michael was first brought home. He was so small. My oldest sister had been working as a nurse aid at a local nursing home before attending college so she was used to caring for people and she naturally took to taking care of her newborn son Michael. My experiences with him when he was first came home was to feed him, change his diapers, and to play with him. I was curious about the skin on the navel and my sister informed me that it would naturally fall off. This was my first introduction in child birth.Michael was born a healthy child and my sister took care of both her prenatal needs and his prenatal needs.
Tibet: The Old Ways Remain
This was a shocker to me because of all of the technology that is out there for child birth. The Tibetan women gives birth alone with 66% of the Tibetan women having home births in an animal pen. There is a high mortality rate because at birth the mother cuts the umbilical cord with an unclean knife. There is limited access to doctors and emergency services because of poverty and the mountains. Lastly the child is not first nursed until he or she is given a a paste of butter, honey, saffron water and musk water, thought to protect the child from harmful spirits. I have learned that as long as women have access to doctors, midwives, health care and a healthy diet then there will be less problems with the birth and the opposite with no access to doctors, midwives, health care and a poor diet.