Thank You All

I would like to thank everyone in Dr. Embree's course for sharing all of your feedback, words of encouragement, and the overral opportunity to work with you.  I am growing and learning so much about myself professionally and individually thanks to this course.  Since we are ending our time together on Christmas, I thought I would share a quote that appropriate for the season. 

"Children will not remember you for the material things you provided but for the feeling that you cherished them." Richard L. Evans

Again, thank you all, enjoy your holidays, and best of luck on your professinal journey!

Chantrell Jones

Viewing Children Holistically

• I think that a child's cognitive, biosocial, and psychological developments should be assessed.  I believe that the benefits of knowing where your child stands as opposed to other children's growth, out way the disadvantages of not knowing.  Whatever the diagnosis or measurements that are given in return can help your child have a more productive and happier childhood and life in general.  School age children in the U.S. are always assessed.  They are assessed on their educational levels, values, growth development, and their ability to portray good behavior.
• I chose to do some research on school aged children in China.  I have always heard stories of the children in China being under pressure to be "the best".  Based on my research, this is what I have found out.  "Children usually entered primary school at seven years of age for six days a
  week. The two-semester school year consisted of 9.5 months, with a long vacation
  in July and August. Urban primary schools typically divided the school week into
  twenty-four to twenty-seven classes of forty-five minutes each, but in the rural
  areas the norm was half-day schooling, more flexible schedules, and itinerant
  teachers. Most primary schools had a five-year course, except in such cities as
  Beijing and Shanghai, which had
  reintroduced six-year primary schools and accepted children at six and one-half
  years rather than seven. The primary-school curriculum consisted of Chinese,
  mathematics, physical education, music, drawing, and elementary instruction in
  nature, history, and geography, combined with practical work experiences around
  the school compound. A general knowledge of politics and moral training, which
  stressed love of the motherland, love of the party, and love of the people (and
  previously love of Chairman Mao), was another part of the curriculum. A foreign
  language, often English, was introduced in about the third grade. Chinese and
  mathematics accounted for about 60 percent of the scheduled class time; natural
  science and social science accounted for about 8 percent."

The only other comments I would like to share about labeling children are that their are many services and help available to children.  In order to find out what services will help  a child who is in need, they have to find out what is wrong.  I truly do not like the term "labeled".  NO child should be defined as their condition or disagnosis.  If we start to change our way of thoughts then maybe we as people can start to treat everyone as equals.

Retreived from www.countrystudies.us/china.com

Poverty and Hunger

I personally never experienced being hungry and not able to eat.  I always had the things I needed and most of the things I wanted as a child.  Although my family wasn't rich, we had enough that I never experienced poverty.  I can recall the stories of my mother's child hood.  My mother's childhood was not as fortunate as mine. As a child, my mother had little to eat daily.  She grew up in a family of 8 brothers and sisters.  My grandmother was disabled and her husband left when she became ill.  My mother was the youngest of them all.  As a child, she can recall being teased when she tried to go to school because her clothes were always someone else's making them too big for her.  She can recall seeing her mother praying for a miracle to pay their rent.  As a young child, my mother decided that she had no other choice but to contribute.  She sold cakes, pies, baby sit, clean houses, and anything else she had to do.  My mother was a young entrepreneur by the age of 8 when most children are still playing with dolls.  My mother was too poor to ever own a doll.  Although she experienced a terrible childhood, her childhood is what made her into the great woman she is today.  She gain a passion for helping others, a passion for cooking, and a humble spirit.

In Southern Africa, children experience multiple stressors.  Hunger, poverty, HIV/AIDS and other diseases all effect the children in Southern Africa.  Due to the many stressors that affect this region, programmes and their government has failed to resolved the stressors that affect this country.  The children in Southern Africa are far more vulnerable to the stressors because they are all around them. Many intervention methods are needed to resolve the different issues. By increasing the resilience and range of options that families have, through services and safety nets, one can optimise the positive outcomes for children.

• a region or country in the world that you would like to
  know more about and/or for which you have a special affinity. Find out, and
  describe, the kind of stressor(s) that impact the development of children in
  that region/country and what is being done to minimize the
  harm.

• a region or country in the world that you would like to
  know more about and/or for which you have a special affinity. Find out, and
  describe, the kind of stressor(s) that impact the development of children in
  that region/country and what is being done to minimize the
  harm.

• a region or country in the world that you would like to
  know more about and/or for which you have a special affinity. Find out, and
  describe, the kind of stressor(s) that impact the development of children in
  that region/country and what is being done to minimize the
  harm.

• a region or country in the world that you would like to
  know more about and/or for which you have a special affinity. Find out, and
  describe, the kind of stressor(s) that impact the development of children in
  that region/country and what is being done to minimize the
  harm.

• a region or country in the world that you would like to
  know more about and/or for which you have a special affinity. Find out, and
  describe, the kind of stressor(s) that impact the development of children in
  that region/country and what is being done to minimize the
  harm.

Public Health Topic: Immunization

This topic is meaningful to me because I always kept all of my children appointments especially the ones that included vaccinations. Now that I am in the child care field, I am learning that their are so many children that have not been immunized. I recently have a family member who wanted to enroll her two children into my daycare. It was then that I learned her children had not been immunized since she brought them home from the hospital which was 2-3 years ago. I found this information to be esstonishing to me because her children aren't protected. I also know that their are many people who do not believe in immunizing their children due to religious reasons or personaly beliefs.

Immunizations for children in the U.S. are doubled the amount for children in the Western countries (Generation rescue, 2009). A study was performed to see if the higher vaccination requirements lead to autism and under 5 mortality rate. At the end of the study, the idea that vaccinations cause autism was dismissed due to the implications that a lesser vaccination requirement would increase infant mortality and other diseases (Generation rescue, 2009). Iceland and Sweden have a vaccination requirement of 11 manadatory shots. Iceland infant mortality rate is 3.9 and Sweden is 4.0 per 1,000 children. Although these rates are low compared to the United States additional studies are needed to actually reduce the amount of required immunizations in the U.S.

This information could change the amount of immunizations that are required for children in the U.S. to begin daycare. Considering their isn't enough evidence to support this theory, I still feel that parents should be knowledgable about the importance of vaccinating.

Generation rescue inc., (2009) Retrieved on November 11, 2010 from www.rescuepost.com/file/gr-autism_and_vaccines_world_special

My Birthing Experience

The birth of my son Karon was a very exciting and blessed experience for me.  He was my first child.  I read "What to Expect When You are Expecting" throughout my pregnancy to prepare for his birth.  This book helped me a lot since I did not know what to expect.  Even still, I wasn't fully prepared for such an experience.  I went into labor around 1am.  My labor lasted until 2 pm with an enormous amount of pain.  I was then told that an emergency c-section had to be performed because I wasn't dilating enough.  I can remember being terrified and scared.  I was relieved to know that my entire family and friends were with me through this event.  When I saw him for the first time, I can remember crying and thinking how this little person was growing inside of me for such a long time and I was finally meeting him.  I chose this example because it is a personal experience that I will never forget.  I believe that the birth of a child is truly amazing to say the least.  It is still overwhelming for me to know that a child's development only begins when they are created.  Thinking back on my experience, when I finally was able to meet my child, I was relieved to know I did the best I could to eat healthy and keep all of my prenatal appointments.

In reading about childbirth in other countries, I found out that children are normally born at home by midwives in other countries world wide.  I also found out that in Sweden, child birth is considered to be an accomplishment for women.  Medication is available for women but is not recommended.  This is totally different from my experience.  I had my baby in a hospital and he was delivered by a doctor.  I also received an epidural around the time I had dilated to around 3 or 4 centimeters.  I also found out that in some cultures, woman who are expecting fast throughout their pregnancy. 

Retrieved from http://www.pregnancy.families.com/

My Child birth Experience

• Write about a personal birthing experience. It can be your own birth, your child’s birth, or one you took part in. What do you remember about the event? Why did you choose this example? What are your thoughts regarding birth and its impact on child development?

The birth of my son was a very exciting and blessed event.  I was in labor from 1am to 2pm.  I can recall having tremendous labor pains and thinking when will this be over.  When I wasn't progressing the way I should have, my doctor advised me that I would need to have an emergency c-section.  I remember being scared and upset about things going differently than what I had read about.  I chose this example because it is personal and I wanted to share my personal experience with childbirth.  I feel that child birth and development is truly amazing.  When I saw my son for the first time, I was happy that I didn't drink alcohol, ate healthy and kept all of my prenatal appointments.  When I held my son, I saw why it was important for me to do the right thing and give him a better chance at developing properly.

I found out that in other countries, 80% of children are born in the home rather than the hospital.  I also found out that many births are performed by midwives and medical intervention only happens when their is a need for it.  I've learned that in Sweden, childbirth is considered to be an accomplishment for women.  Similarily, in the U.S. childbirth is considered to be an accomplishment but not the only accomplishment of women.  I also learned that pain medication isn't normally given.  I can speak for my experience, I knew going in the hospital I wanted an epidural.  I also read that in other countries, most women kneel, squat, and lay in vertical positions as oppose to lieing on their backs with their shoulders up.  The miracle of childbirth is truly wonderful!

Retrieved from: http://pregnancy.families.com/

Meaningful codes of Ethics (DEC)

2.  We shall demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all our professional activities in order to inspire the trust and confidence of the children and families and of those with whom we work.

In any business, the highest standard of personal integrity should be abided by.  However, I feel that in the early childhood field, integrity, truthfulness, and honesty should be implemented more abudantly.  Caregivers have a huge responsibilities to teach as well as protect children.  Children and their families must be able to trust you before they let you care for their most prized possession which is their child. 

6. We shall build relationships with individual children and families while individualizing the curriculum and learning environments to facilitate young children’s development and learning.

This code of ethics resonates with me because professionals must understand each child's learning abilities individually in order to teach them.  I strive to make sure that the curriculum and learning environment in the daycare center is age appropiate, and highly effective to ensure a grand outcome.

4. We shall support professionals new to the field by mentoring them in the practice of evidence and ethically based services.

This code resonates with me since I am new to the early childhood field.  My mother helped me through the process which was truly overwhelming at times.  I had never heard of the state regulations and guidelines that i need to address in order to be licensed.  I think that without her guidance, I would have never been able to get the help I needed to enter the field.  I think that we should support new professionals in the early childhood field.  If we don't, who else will?

The Division for Early Childhood. (2000). Code of ethics. Retrieved October 23, 2010, fromhttp://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/53029/CRS-CW-4465394/educ6005_readings/dec_codeofethics.pdf

Meaningful Codes of Ethics (NAEYC)

1-1.1—To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.

Within the early childhood field, the professionals in the state of Maryland are obligated to  continue educational courses each year to stay current and informed.  This code applies to me as a professional and it is an obligation I anticipate on embrassing.  I feel that it is highly important to stay knowledgeable for the benefit of the children.  I want to be able to maximize the growth of every child I deal with daily.  Knowledge will empower me to do so.

I-1.3-To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and 1potential of each child.


I make a conscience effort to acknowledge and respect every child's uniqeness and potential. I would like to develop more ways of finding out what each child's strengths are in the future. I find myself constantly brain storming ideas and asking my own children for ideas to help me with this.   I feel each child has potential to be anything they set their hearts to do.  With recognition, respect, and someone believing in them, a child has no limit on what they will set out to be.

I-1.5-To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity

and their contributions.

I maintain a safe and healthy setting in my daycare.  I will continue to upgrade the safety as well as the curriculums used to implement positive social, emotional, and cognitive skills.  The policy at our center has been to complete a yearly evaluation of all health and safety issues.  After the issues have been identified, we will make corrections to those areas in order to maintain the quality of each child's environment.  In respect to each child's contributions, they are rewarded with stickers, certificates, hugs, and trips.  This encourage the children to want to contribute their ideas with each other promoting positive social and emotional development.  Therefore, this code was most meaningful because it  relates to the success of my children and career.


NAEYC. (2005). Code of ethical conduct and statement of committment.  Retrieved October  22,  2010 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/53029/CRS-CW-446539

Course Resources

Video Program: “The Resources for Early Childhood”
Five early childhood professionals discuss their preferred and trusted resources.

Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/53029/CRS-CW-4465394/educ6005_readings/naeyc_dap_position_statement.pdf
• 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, from http://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, from http://www.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). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~images/pdfs/snapshots/snap33.pdf
  
  Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
• 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.
  Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title. 

Part 2: Global Support for Children’s Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
   
• Websites:
  • World Forum Foundation
    http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the video on this webpage 
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep.org.gu.se/English/about_OMEP/
    Read about OMEP’s mission. 
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/about/
    Click on “Mission/Vision” and “Guiding Principles and Beliefs” and read these statements.

Note: Explore the resources in Parts 3 and 4 in preparation for this week’s Application assignment.

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• 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/main/about.cfm
• 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/index.cfm
• 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.preknow.org/
• Voices for America’s Children
  http://www.voices.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=22807
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/
     

Part 4: 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

My 3 Additional resources are:

http://www.carecourses.com/- This site is offers additional training courses in the early childhood field that can serve as state traing, child care licensing renewal, and continuious education beyond a college degree.  I think this site can be very useful to learn about different ideas for teaching young children and families.

Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care, by Benjamin M. Spock M.D.-I recommend this book due to the great reviews I've heard about it.  I have read other Dr. Spock's books while preparing for my own children and they have been great reads with tons of information for expecting parents.  I've chosen this book in particular due to the content which not only deals with infancy but it gives information on the early years of childhood through adolescent.

http://www.earlychildhood.com/-I recommend this site because it is useful to teachers and early childhood professionals.  This site has current news related to the field as well as an on-line discount store for purchasing items for the class room and children activities.  This site has a quick search for teachers that allows a faster search for solutions to problems or even ideas to help out with activities.

Chantrell: Quotes about Passion

Chantrell: Quotes about Passion

Chantrell: Quotes about Passion

Chantrell: Quotes about Passion

Quotes about Passion

"I had a built in passion that it is important to make a real contribution to the world.  To fix all the injusticies that was in the world.  I wanted to do that through teaching."-Louise Derman-Sparks

"My passion comes from wanting to make a difference.  I'm not here to save the world.  I'm here just to make a difference in it."-Raymond Hernandez Ms Ed

Hilary Clinton Quotes

"It takes a village to raise a child"- This is one of the most meaningful to me.

Take the image we have of Jesus - of Jesus as the Shepherd. Taking that face and transposing it onto the face of every child we see, then we would ask ourselves, 'Would I turn that child away from the health care that child needs?'

- Hillary Clinton

Marcy Whitebook-Quote

"We know that teachers are the key to good child care - and as long as teachers are undervalued, American children, too, will keep getting less than they deserve"

Marcy Whitebook.  (1992, May 19). Child-Care Workers Deserve A Raise Well-Trained Employees Are  Leaving The Field In Droves :[5* Edition]. St. Louis Post - Dispatch (pre-1997 Fulltext),p. 3B.  Retrieved October 1, 2010, from ProQuest Central. (Document ID: 53059478).

My favorite children's book is "Are You My Mother" by Dr. Seuss

I love this book because my son who is now eight years old, would always pick this story as his bed time story.  I remember reading this book over and over again every night. The story is about a baby bird who hatches to find that his mother is missing.  He goes up to all different kinds of animals asking them all "are you my mother"?  In the end, the baby bird never loose hope that he would find his mother and eventually he found her.  The book continues to stay funny each time I read it and it is still his favorite story.  I guess it's mines also.

This past summer, I had a child in my daycare name Akhloe.  When Akhloe first came to the daycare, she was somewhat shy and reserved when interracting with the other children.  As time past, Akhloe would gradually come out of her shell and begin to play with the other children.  When it was time for Akhloe to enter kindergarten this year, her mother advised me that they would be moving away.

On Akhloe's last day, she came to me and said that I was the best teacher she had ever had.  She also gave me a huge hug and a drawing that she created all on her own.  It touched my heart to see how far this little girl had come.  This was the same little girl who would cry for her mother in the mornings.  I only expected a hug but to hear those words from her meant the world to me.

This past week marked three weeks since Akhloe has been in kindergarten.  I spoke with her mom on Tuesday.  She has advised me that putting her daughter in daycare was the best thing she has ever done.  Akhloe has been doing wonderful in kindergarten and has become very confident with her social skills. 

I'm blogging now!