Three National/Federal Organizations or Communities

March 29, 2014
• The Three National/ Federal Organizations or Communities that appealed to me and why I chose them.
1- The Division of Early Childhood (DEC) is an international membership organization for those who work with or on behalf of young children with disabilities and other special needs (Division of Early Childhood, 2014). I have chosen this organization because lately, I have discovered that there are many of our students within my school community with various learning disabilities such as autism, Attention Deficit Disorder, (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among others. I would like to broaden my understanding and learn more about these disabilities to help a broader spectrum of students. There is also a great deal of recent up-to-date resources that I could utilize as an educator as I pursue working with not only special needs children but also those with challenging behaviors. The (DEC) website offers links to other websites where these resources can be readily retrieved and I like this very much (Division of Early Childhood, 2014).
The mission of (DEC) is to provide policies and advance evidence-based practices to support the optimal development of these young children with special needs (Division of Early Childhood, 2014). There is a post as an Early Childhood Educator that is open at The River School- DC- Washington. The skills and experience needed include having a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood or Special Education and also collaborative skills. This job appeals to me as I am a very good team player, energetic and enthusiastic about students’ success (Division of Early Childhood, 2014).

2. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is my next choice. This is the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children. It is the NAEYC’s mission to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources (NAEYC Bylaws, Article I., Section 1.1) (NAEYC, n.d.). As I research the job opportunities available, the one that I found appealing is Communication and Information Specialist. I would be responsible for supporting the work of the NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation. Responsibilities would include developing and maintaining online resources for programs pursuing accreditation, coordinating various communication channels, and clearly conveying information to a variety of audiences. The Specialist would also provide technical assistance about the accreditation process, policies, and procedures to NAEYC customers and the general public. This is a very inviting post which requires a BA degree in communications or related field; outstanding writing, proofreading, and customer service skills; experience with MS Office, Adobe Acrobat, and content management systems; web design fundamentals (i.e., basic HTML and CSS). Experience in the field of early childhood education and knowledge of NAEYC’s accreditation system would be great (NAEYC, n.d.).

3. The third organization that I have chosen is the Center on the Developing Child- Harvard University. This Center was founded in August, 2006 by its Director, Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D (Center on the Developing Child 2011). It was founded in 2006 on the belief that the vitality and sustainability of any society depend on the extent to which it expands opportunities early in life for all children to achieve their full potential and engage in responsible and productive citizenship (Center on the Developing Child 2011). It is their view that healthy child development is at the foundation of economic prosperity, strong communities, and a just society (Center on the Developing Child 2011). Thus their mission is to drive science-based innovation that achieves breakthrough outcomes for children facing adversity (Center on the Developing Child 2011). This mission appeals to me in a very significant way because it is in keeping with my passion to ensure that there is the promotion of the healthy development of children and their families that will bring high returns to all levels of society (Center on the Developing Child 2011). One of the job opportunities that I could be involved in at this time would be to work with the Frontiers of Innovation, launched in May 2011. They are a group of researchers, practitioners, policymakers, philanthropists, and experts in systems change from across North America. The goal of FOI is to bring about substantially improved outcomes for vulnerable young children whose needs (or whose caregivers' needs) are not being fully met by existing policies and programs(Center on the Developing Child 2011).The skills that would be needed would were not given. However to be a member of Frontiers of Innovation (FOI) community, one has to be willing to forge cross-sector collaborations that prompt creativity, support experimentation, and foster learning from experience(Center on the Developing Child 2011).

I am also interested in the resources and media products that are available via the Center’s outgrowth initiatives such as The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child and The National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs respectively. These initiatives are helping us to understand why public investments should be made in the early childhood years (Center on the Developing Child 2011). I am positive too that the research from this Center will prove to be very invaluable to my Capstone Project and will help to sharpen my research skills.

References
Center on the Developing Child (2011). Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from
http://www.naeyc.org/
The Division for Early Childhood. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.dec-sped.org/

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The three local or state organizations or communities of practice that appealed to me include the following:

1. The Center for Child Protection and Family Support- Education Trainer/Supporter against Child Abuse
Since 1987, the Center for Child Protection and Family Support has been committed to promoting healthy children and families. Their mission is to ensure that children are given the opportunity to mature and develop within a family free of maltreatment and a community that is nurturing. This mission truly appeals to me because it is my belief that whatever we can do to prevent children from experiencing and living through traumatic experiences, we should do it. For this program I would want to work as a valuable contributor/supporter financially and otherwise to “keep vital programs operating with educational books, therapeutic supplies, program materials and professional staff services” (http://www.centerchildprotection.org/support_us.htm)

2. Save the Children - Director, Policy & Advocacy, Early Childhood Development
“Save the Children gives children in the United States and around the world what every child deserves – a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When disaster strikes, [they] put children’s needs first. [They] advocate for and achieve large-scale change for children. [They] save children’s lives.”

This is indeed a dream opportunity to work in the nation’s capital as an early childhood advocate working in the capacity as The Director of Policy and Advocacy for Early Childhood Development (ECD). I [would be] lead[ing] the lobbying strategy for Save the Children’s ECD campaign, an effort to significantly increase federal, state, and local government investments in high-quality ECD programs, including universal pre-k, with the ultimate goal of making such programs available to all children in need in the US. My role would include lobbying to develop strategies to reach the Executive and Legislative branches at the federal level and in targeted cities/states around the country, creating opportunities to broaden relationships and to build consensus around advocacy in support of increased investments in ECD among other duties.

The skills and experience that I would need would include a Master’s degree in education, policy, or related field. This is strongly preferred. I would also need At least 5-7 years professional experience with increasing responsibilities in Congressional and administration outreach or directly within these branches of government. It would also be a plus to have experience with local and/or state based lobbying campaigns. A strong familiarity with the legislative process, including both authorizations and appropriations processes would make me a stronger candidate for the position along with senior level experience and engagement in US education policy. It is highly recommended too that I have experience working particularly in the education sector with established networks and contacts within senior Washington governmental and nongovernmental policy circles. Finally, a familiarity with education coalitions and policy making apparatus is desirable. Retrieved from https://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH07/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=SAVETHECHILDREN&cws=1&rid=2299&source=Indeed.com)

3. The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Office of Specialized Instruction (OSI) - The Deputy Chief, Division of Early Childhood
The DCPS Office of Specialized Instruction (OSI) aspires to be the district of choice for students with disabilities. [They] are committed to serving our students with disabilities:
• By providing high quality instruction and services;
• As close to home as possible; and
• In the timely and consistent manner they deserve.
This area of work is very appealing as it requires the candidate to be passionate about “closing the achievement gap and ensuring that every child, regardless of background or circumstances, receives an excellent education and as the deputy chief I would be responsible for all early childhood programs in DCPS. Overall this Division has three main bodies of work:
• It is the center of implementation of Head Start programs in DCPS, including the School-wide Model approved by the Federal Head Start Office.
• It determines the instructional direction for DCPS as it relates to 3, 4 and 5 year olds.
• It oversees the Early Stages Center, which is the special education diagnostic center for early childhood students throughout the District, regardless of whether or not they are enrolled in school.

The skills and experience needed to competently fulfill this role include a Bachelor’s degree and 8-12 years of related work experience. However, a Master’s degree and specific experience in early childhood, including Head Start and special education are strongly preferred. Any previous exposure to or experience in the education sector would be a plus. Retrieved from
http://dcps.force.com/central/ts2__JobDetails?jobId=a0xU0000003s3ipIAA&tSource



References
http://www.centerchildprotection.org/default.html
https://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH07/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=SAVETHECHILDREN&cws=1&rid=2299&source=Indeed.com
http://dcps.force.com/central/ts2__JobDetails?jobId=a0xU0000003s3ipIAA&tSource

My Wordle for Meeting the Challenge: Merging Passion, Vision, and Practice in Early Childhood Education

Reflecting on Learning

As I reflect on all that I have learnt for the past eight weeks, my most passionate hope for the future as an early childhood professional and for the children and families with whom I now work or will work, is to ensure that we all continue to: 1) “build caring connections with each other,” 2) “break down barriers of discrimination, stereotypes, prejudices and biases that would interfere with comfortable and respectful interactions” (Derman-Sparks, & Edwards, 2010). 

Finally, as I continue to work on “fostering an anti-bias, inclusive learning community,” it is my passion that I will “be very thoughtful about the words I use” as I hold myself accountable to the anti-bias concept, “We are all the same; we are all different”…in ability as it does for other kinds of diversity” (Derman-Sparks, & Edwards, 2010). Hence, I will be honest and conscientious in helping to ensure that “making friendships across ability/ [disability] levels [will] bring joy to the whole classroom community” (Derman-Sparks, & Edwards, 2010). 

At this point, I want to thank Dr. Pickens for not only guiding us through this course, but for her personal encouragement in making me feel comfortable in understanding the strategies that I need to put in place in working with diverse children and their families.

I must also thank my colleagues for their interesting discussions, questions and blog postings. They have truly broadened my horizon on abilities and diversity- a knowledge that we need so badly to intercept the coldness in the world we live in, and to enlighten our children about that they can truly develop well-rounded social identities for themselves.

Dr. Pickens and my colleagues, I wish you all the best for the future!

Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children

and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I have chosen to share Latin America and the Caribbean with my colleagues. This area of the world is considered the most unequal region in the world (UNICEF, 2013).

UNICEF’s  mission and mandate in this region is of particular importance since more than “40% of the total population (510-million )is under 18 years of age, and more than half of the region’s children  and adolescents live in conditions of poverty”(UNICEF, 2013). In addition to poverty, according to the UNICEF’s annual State of the World’s children report 2013, there needs to be “more efforts to support the integration of children with disabilities” (UNICEF, 2013). For many children with disabilities in this region, exclusion begins in the first days of life with their birth going unregistered. Lacking official recognition, they are cut off from the social services and legal protections that are crucial to their survival and prospects. Their marginalization only increases with discrimination (UNICEF, 2013).

For the launch of the report in Da Nang, Viet Nam/MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, 30 May 2013, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, urges the region to “see the child – before the disability” since “when you see the disability before the child, it is not only wrong for the child, but it deprives society of all that child has to offer” (UNICEF, 2013). He further states that, “for children with disabilities to count, they must be counted – at birth, at school and in life,” (UNICEF, 2013).

The data on the number of children “with disabilities, what disabilities these children have and how disabilities affect their lives are filled with inaccuracies. However, the State of the World’s Children 2013: Children with Disabilities says “that children with disabilities are the least likely to receive health care or go to school. They are among the most vulnerable to violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect, particularly if they are hidden or put in institutions – as many are because of social stigma or the economic cost of raising them. Children living in poverty are among the least likely to attend their local school or clinic but those who live in poverty and also have a disability are even less likely to do so. Gender is also a key factor, as girls with disabilities are less likely than boys to receive food and care” (UNICEF, 2013).

As I continue to explore the region’s website, I realize that these kinds of situations can negatively impact the emotional well-being and development of children on a long term basis, especially if these children continue to experience “a lack of official recognition, being cut off from the social services and legal protections that are crucial to their survival and prospects” (UNICEF, 2013). These children will also suffer the long term effects of low-self-worth as well as dying early without being given the “opportunities to fulfill their ambitions” (UNICEF, 2013).  

Consequently, the region‘s governments are being urged to “ratify and implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.  The governments are also called upon to support families so that they can meet the higher costs of caring for children with disabilities” (UNICEF, 2013). This is also ratified by UNICEF regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Bernt Aasen who categorically states that, “our vision is that by 2016 every child with a disability in Latin America and the Caribbean is born without HIV, has a birth certificate, is not placed in an institution and has access to inclusive, quality, culturally acceptable and free health services and primary and secondary education” (UNICEF, 2013).

As I reflect on the insights that I have gained from doing this blog assignment, it is my firm believe that every member of the society should be given the chance to thrive in an environment that respects the dignity of the human being. Regardless of abilities or disabilities, no one should be despised, deprived, disrespected or dehumanized because they are considered less than others. As an early childhood professional, my heart has been deeply touched to be more empathetic, compassionate, and patient with all my students but especially with those who have disabilities. My heart is also moved to continue learning more about the different disabilities so that I can be more proactive in providing whatever services, resources and activities that these children and their families may need to assist them to thrive in a society that is so cold and callous towards disabilities.

Reference

UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean. The State of the World’s Children 2013. Children

with Disabilities. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/latinamerica.html

 

 

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

In the article, “The Sexualization of children and Adolescents Epidemic,” the author makes a very profound statement which I would like to use to open the discussion of this blog assignment. It reads thus:  “Sexualizing children is not funny and it’s not a joke, and if parents don’t start paying attention to what the American Psychological Association (APA) report found to be the growing trend to sexualize young girls and boys through video games, television shows, movies, music videos, song lyrics, magazines, clothing styles and toys, you’ll find yourself scratching your head wondering what happened to your little prince or princess well before they reach the teen years” ("The Sexualization of," 2009).

Closely aligned with the above-mentioned statement is that which is passionately mentioned by (Levin, & Kilbourne, 2009). “We are deeply worried,” they state. “Children are paying an enormous price for the Sexualization of their childhood. Girls and boys constantly encounter sexual messages and images that they cannot understand and that can confuse and even and even frighten them” (2009, p.2).

As I try to understand the depth to which our young children have been over stimulated by a very highly sexualized society, I must state here that there are certain gyrations I have observed my three year olds doing (with their feet apart) to a simple “Show me your eyes song…” that have shocked me to stop the music and asked my children to just simply do what they are asked to do without adding the gyration. It gets even worse when I see one of my four year old boys just before nap time, on his knees on his cot, and while wagging his butt, he is calling to another boy while licking his lips. I found the action very disturbing and could only shout, “Stop that and go to sleep!” Another exposure that I have witnessed is one of my four year old boys fondling the bottom of another one while he was using the urinal. I had to have a class on respecting and valuing each other' body and explain to all my students, boys and girls alike that no one has the right to touch the body of anyone.

When I reflect on the reading shared by (Levin, & Kilbourne, 2009), like them I have been asking myself, “What’s going on? Where does such behavior come from? What does it mean to and for children –and for the adults who care for them?”(2009, p. 2). I know that many will say that these things have been happening a long time ago. However, despite this nonchalant, “oh well” attitude that some may have, none of us can deny that “the Sexualization of childhood is having a profoundly disturbing impact on children’s understanding of gender, sexuality and relationships” and “while they struggle to make sense of [what they are learning], children are robbed of valuable time for age-appropriate developmental tasks, and they may begin to engage in precocious sexual behavior” (2009, p.3).

In trying to unravel how to deal with the situation, an early childhood educator cannot ignore the implications that Sexualization has on early childhood. We are seeing it far too often in our classrooms “to ignore, to become desensitized or to feel ill prepared to deal with it” (Levin, & Kilbourne, 2009). As we partner with parents, and as we engage in open, wholesome conversations with the experts, I believe that we can forge ahead in minimizing the damage being done from early childhood. By studying the topic this week, I must agree that we must begin from the foundation, the early years to tackle the problem. I have also come to realize that to lay the blame on parents will not help our children. Our eyes need to be wide open to those who “exploit our children’s developmental vulnerabilities by using sex to make huge profits” (Levin, & Kilbourne, 2009).

References

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized

childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

(2009). The sexualization of children and adolescents epidemics. Retrieved from

http://www.tellinitlikeitis.net/2009/03/the-sexualization-of-children-and-adolescents-epidemic.html

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

            It may be impossible to separate one’s personal self from one’s professional identity with regard to issues and thinking related to diversity. However, as we examine ourselves daily and our awareness of who we are becomes clearer, we find that the –isms that may have impacted our lives seriously soon “pale into insignificance” literally as we work to improve the lives of our children and their families. According to (Derman-Sparks, & Edwards, 2010) “Isms are expressed in laws, in organizational policies, and in regulations, as well as in the thinking and actions of people who carry out the policies” (2010). When I examine this definition, there is no way I am going to sit back and allow the “covert or overt” messages received about by my skin color or the class that I may have been placed in by society influence the vow I have taken to help my children and their families to emancipate themselves from poverty, classism or any other isms.

As I look back in my life on the impact of classism, gender, ethnicity and language barriers on Caribbean people, I realize that as an early childhood professional, I have the crucial task of 1) “acknowledging to [my] self [any] feelings that may arise in my heart or that I may have been taught that is hurtful or painful (Derman-Sparks, & Edwards, 2010).  I must also 2) destroy these demonic influences and free up my mind to “develop more positive attitudes and greater empathy for all children and families” (2010).

Finally, it is my firm belief as (Derman-Sparks, & Edwards, 2010) state “the more passion you have about the need for creating a world of justice  and peace for children, the more you will be able to make it a priority in your work”(2010). It is my priority, commitment, and obligation to use the negatives in my life in a positive way to empower my families and their children to make this world a better place. Hence, I have come to value more than- isms, my personal interactions and relationships with my children and families that no matter how hurtful a situation I may be passing through, I have resolved to remain respectful, calm and empathetic. I have also resolve to have “colleagues/ [friends] and families” to help me on this journey. (Derman-Sparks, & Edwards, 2010) categorically state that “when we have other people to talk with, it makes it easier to decide what [we will] keep, change or add to make our teaching more effective” (2010). Thus the consequences I expect from my children and families are respect, calmness, empathy and love as I overcome any issues in my personal life.

Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children

and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).