Thank you

I would like to thank all of my classmates, especially those in Group 2. I appreciate your enthusiasm and experiences. Best wishes as you continue on this journey. Happy Holidays! Take a much needed break!

When I think of Child Development

I share this link with you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lsD4GGd8QE&feature=youtu.be

Quotes:

Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood. 
Fred Rogers 
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/childhood.html#pV0VQscuQMkzxYe3.99 

"A person's a person, no matter how small."

Dr. Seuss, author

Truly wonderful the mind of a child is.

YODA, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Testing for Intelligence

This is the link to Early Childhood Research and Practice in England
http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v7n1/walsh.html

Testing for Intelligence

These are most of the assessments that I have been trained to use.

The Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) system is designed to be implemented in a range of settings & can easily be tailored to fit the needs of many families. Clear drawings & simple directions help parents indicate children’s skills in language, personal-social, fine & gross motor, & problem solving. The ASQ involves separate copy-able forms of 30 items for each age range (tied to well-child visit schedule). The measure can be used in mass mail-outs for child-find programs as a first level screening tool to determine which children need further evaluation to determine their eligibility for early intervention or preschool services. The questionnaire can also be used to monitor the development of children at risk for disabilities or delays. Their family is introduced & guided through questionnaire completion by a home visitor. Viewers discover how to explain the ASQ screening process, redefine items to reflect a family's values & culture create opportunities for child learning & development, & promote positive parent-child interaction.

The Ounce Scale is an observational, functional assessment that can be used effectively with children living in poverty, children at risk or with disabilities, and children growing and developing typically.  The Ounce Scale is organized around eight age levels and six areas of development: Personal Connections-How children show trust; Feelings about Self-How children express who they are; Relationships with Other Children-How children act around other children; Understanding and Communicating-How children understand and communicate; Exploration and Problem Solving-How children explore and figure things out; and Movement and Coordination-How children move their bodies and use their hands. 

ESI-R is designed to be a brief developmental screening tool that accurately identifies children who may need special education services in order to perform successfully in school. The test consists of performance based items that test the child's capabilities in the areas of visual motor/adaptive, language, and cognitive development. It enables programs to quickly address any possible learning blocks, such as developmental delays, learning problems, or lack of school preparedness. Parents are present for the test administration and fill out a Parent Questionnaire, which is used for supplementary information.

Infant-Toddler Developmental Assessment - Screens developmental functioning in several domains: gross motor, fine motor, relationship to inanimate objects (cognitive), language/communication, self-help, relationship to persons, emotions and feeling states, and coping. Identifies the need for additional assessment and intervention. Two or more professionals perform six phases of screening: referral and pre-interview data gathering; initial parent interview; health review; developmental observation and assessment; integration and synthesis; and sharing findings, completion, and reporting.

Teaching Strategies Gold- Comprehensive Assessment Solutions for Early Childhood Programs-The comprehensive assessment solutions are based on the latest research, are proven valid and reliable, and are fully aligned with the Common Core State Standards, state early learning guidelines, and the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework. The assessment solutions are designed with teachers in mind. They offer a clear and effective way to take the guesswork out of the assessment process, with user-friendly features that help teachers focus their efforts on what is most important for each child’s learning and development.

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

The state in which I live: Michigan Average

How many children live in poverty?[3]

Children represent a disproportionate share of the poor in the United States; they are 24 percent of the total population, but 36 percent of the poor population. In 2010, 16.4 million children, or 22.0 percent, were poor. The poverty rate for children also varies substantially by race and Hispanic origin, as shown in the table below[4].

Children Under 18 Living in Poverty, 2010
Category	Number (in thousands)	Percent
All children under 18	16, 401	22.0
White only, non-Hispanic	5,002	12.4
Black	4,817	38.2
Hispanic	6,110	35.0
Asian	547	13.6

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010, Report P60, n. 238, Table B-2, pp. 68-73.

 The area where I work: Children below poverty level:

Lansing, Michigan:           34.4%

State:    22.1%

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Lansing-Michigan.html#b#ixzz2D39ZadRr

The Detroit area is where I grew up. With a population of just over 700,000, 54 percent of Detroit children, 100,000 are officially living in poverty. The federal “poverty level”—a miserable $22,314 per year for a family of four—is so inadequate for modern life that Kids Count also provides the statistics for 150 percent, 200 percent and 250 percent of the poverty level, which still means an inability to meet basic needs. In fact, the official federal poverty threshold is only 30 percent of the national median household income, whereas in 1960, it was nearly 50 percent. When these more realistic numbers are taken into account, then an overwhelming majority—71 percent—of Detroit children are poor, that is living at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty line. The youngest children, ages 0 to 5, are the most affected, with a full 58 percent living in families below the poverty line.

 Reference (1) http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=131#ixzz22209nQpf

KIDS COUNT Detroit (here) 

 Worldwide poverty:

Children under age 18 make up nearly 48 percent of the population of the world's least developed countries, compared with 21 percent of the population of the world's industrialized nations. http://www.compassion.com/poverty/poverty.htm

http://www.unicef.org/sowc05/Flash/photoessays/english/E_2_poverty.html

Child Development and Public Health

Immunization is the process whereby a person is made immune or resistant to an infectious disease, typically by the administration of a vaccine. Vaccines stimulate the body’s own immune system to protect the person against subsequent infection or disease.
Immunization is a proven tool for controlling and eliminating life-threatening infectious diseases and is estimated to avert between 2 and 3 million deaths each year. It is one of the most cost-effective health investments, with proven strategies that make it accessible to even the most hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations. It has clearly defined target groups; it can be delivered effectively through outreach activities; and vaccination does not require any major lifestyle change.
http://www.who.int/topics/immunization/en/

Childhood killers such as polio, whooping cough and measles are rare in developed countries. Immunizations protect from the disease as well as protects from the complication of the disease. It also protects ones that cannot be safely immunized. Children in my program need to have a physical and vaccines must be up to date before they enter preschool.

http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-2942_4911_4914---,00.html

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/index.html
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/index.html

 

Childbirth In Your Life and Around the World

 My dream was to be a mother, I have been very blessed in expereincing childbirth five times. I have 5 wonderful adult children. I loved being pregnant and each experinces was different and personal. The most significant difference was my first two were delivered in a cold operating room. While the last three were delivered in "birthing rooms" which were more like being at home. My hospital built Birthing Centers at 2 of it's facilities.




In reading through the World Health Organization data and finding a Time photogallery article, I chose Afghanistan.  The Infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1 per 1000 live births) is 73.Culturally young women are ashamed to discuss sex and personal issue with their Mothers.  Most babies are born at home with a midwife. It is difficult for them to find gloves, razors and needles. The war torn condition make it difficult for women to make it to hospitals or clinics as well as culturally they husbands do not like their wives to be seen by male doctors. It was nice to read of the improvements that are being made and that since 2003, more than 2700 midwives have been trained.






http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1842761_1766620,00.html
http://www.who.int/en/

A Note of Thanks and Support

Some of my family @ work gathering.




My oldest son @ bike race in Lansing. (June) (In the green jersey)




Family dinner when daughter came home in July for Family Reunion.

I need to say "Thank you" to my family for their continued support on this wonderful journey called life. I understand that I was to pick two colleagues to say "Thank you" I feel that I need to say "Thank you" to all of you. I enjoyed our discussions and blogs. It was great to receive support and encouragement. I do hope that we all continue on this wonderful adventure and hope to work with you again.

Examining Codes of Ethics

It was difficult to pick three items that are significant to me. From NAEYC

1.Childhood is a unique and valuable stage in the
human life cycle. Our paramount responsibility is to
provide care and education in settings that are safe,healthy, nurturing, and responsive for each child. We are committed to supporting children’s development
and learning; respecting individual differences; and
helping children learn to live, play, and work cooperatively. We are also committed to promoting
children’s self-awareness, competence, self-worth,
resiliency, and physical well-being.

2.Families* are of primary importance in children’s
development. Because the family and the early childhood practitioner have a common interest in the child’s
well-being, we acknowledge a primary responsibility to
bring about communication, cooperation, and collaboration between the home and early childhood program
in ways that enhance the child’s development.

I really appreciate the Statement of Commitment
As an individual who works with young children, I commit myself to furthering the
values of early childhood education as they are reflected in the ideals and principles of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct. To the best of my ability I will
• Never harm children.
• Ensure that programs for young children are based on current knowledge and
research of child development and early childhood education.
• Respect and support families in their task of nurturing children.
• Respect colleagues in early childhood care and education and support them in
maintaining the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct.
• Serve as an advocate for children, their families, and their teachers in community and society.
• Stay informed of and maintain high standards of professional conduct.
• Engage in an ongoing process of self-reflection, realizing that personal characteristics, biases, and beliefs have an impact on children and families.
• Be open to new ideas and be willing to learn from the suggestions of others.
• Continue to learn, grow, and contribute as a professional.
• Honor the ideals and principles of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct.

Course Resources

• 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/
• 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/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/
• Additional resources:

http://www.acf.hhs.gov

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc

http://www.ehsnrc.org/Activities/BirthToThreeInstitute.htm

http://www.childcareexchange.com/eed/

Quote: Susan Bedekamp

 ~ Dr. Sue Bredekamp,

"Effective teachers are intentional in everything they do-they are purposeful, they're planful, they know why they're doing what they're doing and they can explain it to other people," 

Other Quotes:

                                 There can be no keener revelation of
a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.

-Nelson Mandela    

                                 The fundamental job of a toddler is
to rule the universe.

-Lawrence Kutner        

It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to where we are today, but we have just begun. Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today.
Barack Obama

Quote: from J. Hagel

 "Passion comes from within each of us" J. Hagel

Marian Wright Edelman Quotes:

If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much.
Marian Wright Edelman

Being considerate of others will take your children further in life than any college degree.
Marian Wright Edelman

Personal Childhood Web

1. Mother - She provided the basics of care. The day to day the cooking and cleaning. My mother was of old school, children were seen and not heard. Recently, I found out that my mother suffered from mental health issues most of my childhood.  I learned what kind of mother that I wanted to be from my mother.
2. Father - He was the provider, he worked two jobs and still managed to give us personal time. I learned my work ethic from my father. My father protected us from my mother's illness.

3. My sister, Mary - She spent a lot of time with us. She played hopscotch, barbie's, house and school with me. I learned so very much from her, she is still my best friend.
4. Grandma-  She was the typical farmers wife. She cooked three meals a day for family and farm hands. She tended to her garden and raised the chickens. As a family we spent many weekends with her. Once old enough to work, we were able to spend a week in the summer.
5. Grandfather - Much like my father, my grandfather was a great provider. Even though we were working he made it fun. Spending time with his grandchildren was important to him.

Children's quote

Truly wonderful the mind of a child is.

YODA, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Child's Art work

This is art work from my daughter, she will be 25 in Sept. Her pre 1st teacher sent this to her a few years ago.

Favorite Book

I am not sure that I can pick a favorite book. I have different favorites for different reasons or times in my life. As a family Eric Carle is a favorite author.I use to read The Grouchy Ladybug to my children.

FYI - Everyday Exchange

 <exchangeeveryday@ccie.com> 
This is a daily email that provides great early childhood information. 

I did it!

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