Breastfeeding

The assignment for this week in my Child Development class was to address one of several issues that impact children's development. The issue I choose is breastfeeding. This issue is relevant to me because I believe in the importance of breastfeeding when possible. I believe that children who are breast fed often are healthier than other children. They tend to show closer bonds to the mother. Breast milk is easier to digest for babies.

According to the Office of Women's Health website, breast milk is know as "liquid gold" (www.womenshealth.gov). The following is a direct quote from the website's list of benefits as related to the baby:

          

1. Early breast milk is liquid gold – Known as liquid gold, colostrum (coh-LOSS-trum) is the thick yellow first breast milk that you make during pregnancy and just after birth. This milk is very rich in nutrients and antibodies to protect your baby. Although your baby only gets a small amount of colostrum at each feeding, it matches the amount his or her tiny stomach can hold. (Visit How to know your baby is getting enough milk to see just how small your newborn’s tummy is!)
2. Your breast milk changes as your baby grows – Colostrum changes into what is called mature milk. By the third to fifth day after birth, this mature breast milk has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein to help your baby continue to grow. It is a thinner type of milk than colostrum, but it provides all of the nutrients and antibodies your baby needs.
3. Breast milk is easier to digest – For most babies — especially premature babies — breast milk is easier to digest than formula. The proteins in formula are made from cow’s milk and it takes time for babies’ stomachs to adjust to digesting them.
4. Breast milk fights disease – The cells, hormones, and antibodies in breast milk protect babies from illness. This protection is unique; formula cannot match the chemical makeup of human breast milk. In fact, among formula-fed babies, ear infections and diarrhea are more common. Formula-fed babies also have higher risks of:
   • Necrotizing (nek-roh-TEYE-zing) enterocolitis (en-TUR-oh-coh-lyt-iss), a disease that affects the gastrointestinaltract in preterm infants.
   • Lower respiratory infections
   • Asthma
   • Obesity
   • Type 2 diabetes
   Some research shows that breastfeeding can also reduce the risk of Type 1 diabetes, childhood leukemia, and atopic dermatitis (a type of skin rash) in babies. Breastfeeding has also been shown to lower the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).(http://www.womenshealth.gov).

In Nigeria, breastfeeding is extremely important and is even encouraged by their government. Given the known plight of malnutrition for the children of this country, I can understand why they would support and encourage breastfeeding. According to savethechildren.org, "41% of Nigerian children under five are stunted; 14% of children are waster (too thin for their age), while nearly one in every four is underweight...only 13% of Nigerian children under six months are exclusively breastfed."

The benefit of breastfeeding are the same no matter the location. 

Birthing Experience

I chose the birth of my only biological child. This was a rather traumatic event because we both almost lost our lives. I believe that coming so close to losing my daughter made it more important to do everything I could to help her succeed in life. Her education began while she was still in the womb. I would read to her, play classical music for her, and talk to her while she was still in the womb. Today she is a college graduate and has a love of music. She lives in the south but does not have a southern draw or accent. I also had the support of both of my parents while raising my daughter. I was a single parent and was determined that my daughter would not be a statistic and neither would I. I completed my first college degree while she was still in elementary school. I worked full time to support us during this time. All of these actions and influences made a difference in how my child developed.

One of the requirements this week is to learn about birth in other countries. I chose Japan. I found the following information on a website:

During labor and delivery......

It is now common practice for the pregnant woman to have only their significant other present.
Previously,  it was customary to have only the doctor and nurse present.
Some women choose to have a "Doula" coach.  "Doula" is a program designed to help the woman deal with labor pains by using alternative measures such as foot massage, music, or walking and recommends no pain medication.
It is considered inappropriate to yell out during labor as this brings shame to their family. Grunting is encouraged rather than screaming and yelling.
Vaginal deliveries are preferred without pain medication or an episiotomy (surgical incision made to prevent tearing of the vagina).
A normal vaginal delivery would require a weeks stay in the hospital, whereas a c-section would  require a two week stay.
In Japan, there are commonly 3 to 6 patients in each post-partum room.  During the day the newborns are kept with their mothers, but at night they are kept in a separate nursery, so the mothers can rest.
In many Western hospitals, it is now common to have mothers and babies stay together in the same room.


  During postpartum.......    

It is common practice to save the umbilical cord in a wooden box.
The mother is not to wash her hair for 1 week because it is not good to flex her neck.
In Japan, the new mom usually goes to her parents home for about 20-30 days.  The grandmother will perform all household duties, because the new mom is not allowed to touch water for washing dishes or doing laundry.  She is also not allowed to drive anywhere.  After that time period, the postpartum mom returns home to her husband with their baby.
Between 30 and 32 days, the family will then return to the shrine to pray, pay respect, and to offer thanks for a safe delivery and healthy child. The ceremony is called "omiya maeiri".
In Japan, the babies are frequently named after their grandparents.
An ideal family would be made up of a married couple with 2 children. If a couple were to have 3 or more children, they are thought to be wealthy.


References:
http://www.hawcc.hawaii.edu/nursing/RNJapanese_04.html

Final thoughts concerning contact with international early childhood professionals

Throughout this course, I have had the privilege of corresponding with a colleague from Ireland. This experience has brought into perspective that the issue of early childhood education is a concern world-wide, not just locally in the United States.

Early childhood professionals in other countries face the same hurdles and difficulties that we face here in our country. And they also have the same desire to affect change and make a difference in the lives of children.

Would it not be wonderful if we could all work together throughout the world to ensure that all children have the opportunity to receive a quality and appropriate education? Just imagine the positive change this would have on our world today.

Another aspects of communication with my colleague is the ability to receive feedback from her on issues that I am dealing with. Not only did we discuss the topics that were assigned, but we also discussed daily issues that we were each dealing with in our classrooms. We provided suggestions, ideas and even support during this time.

I also feel that my communication has provided me with the educational experience needed to become a more effective advocate for early childhood education. Funding and quality teachers seem to be two of the most common hurdles for countries throughout the world. According to an article by Roger Neugebauer, "One of the biggest challenges facing the entire field is recruiting, training, and retaining talented early educators and encouraging the next generation of individuals passionate about the development of young children to pursue careers in child care and education. With so many competing career choices that can be lucrative and a continued lack of respect in our society for the serious and skilled work of early education, it is critical that we continue to find creative ways to overcome these obstacles" (Neugebauer, 2008).

References:

 http://www.childcareexchange.com/library/5017932.pdf

More discussion with Iris from Ireland

During the time I have spent communicating with my contact from Ireland, I have learned that the challenges and aspirations are basically the same in Ireland as they are here in the States. Iris says that securing adequate funding and qualified staff has consistently been two of the main issues in the early childhood field in Ireland.

When discussing our dreams and aspirations with each other, we both want to remain in the education field. My dream job is to be an educational consultant. Iris' dream is to own a preschool program. She stated that she has considered continuing her education to gain the Ph.D. in Education. For me, I am not sure that I want to continue past the Master's degree.

Just as I struggle with funding my education, so does Iris. The idea on taking on more student loans frightens me. Iris talked about a Teaching Council with which all teachers in Ireland with must register. According to Iris, "The Teaching Council promotes and develops teaching as a profession at primary and post-primary levels. It provides a forum for presenting the views of the profession on all aspects of the teaching career from initial recruitment to in-career professional development. As the regulatory body for teachers in Ireland, the Teaching Council produces a code of professional conduct for teachers, which covers standards of teaching, knowledge, skill and competence. It also maintains a register of all teachers who teach in recognized schools in Ireland." This information was found on the citizen's information website. To become fully registered with the Teaching Council in Ireland, graduates must complete 300 hours of teaching practice within three years of graduating.

There is also a Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. She referred me to a website that gave great information about the requirements for teachers in Ireland. According to citizen information website, a teacher must have the following:

"Primary school teachers must be qualified to teach the range of primary school subjects to children aged 4 to 12 years. To qualify as a primary school teacher, you must have completed one of the following:

A recognized 3-year full-time program, leading to the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree
A recognized Graduate/Higher Diploma in Education (Primary) combined with a primary degree at level 8 or a level 9 qualification on the National Framework of Qualifications" (www.citizensinformation.ie).

According to Iris, the available jobs for teachers in Ireland are a bit slim for new young teachers attempting to enter the field. She said that many of the new teachers are looking outside the country to secure employment. She said that many of them were going to England for jobs. Our own country is in a teacher shortage right now.



References:

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/education/primary_and_post_primary_education/teachers_and_schools/teacher_qualifications_at_primary_and_post_primary_level.html

Exploring the NAEYC website

Unfortunately, I still have not received a newsletter from the NAEYC organization, but I did find some rather interesting information.

While on the NAEYC website today, I was please to read about the new legislation that was introduced by Senator Harkin of Iowa. It is known as Start Strong for America's Children Act. This legislation will support early childhood programs by providing expanding funding and creating partnership that will ensure quality programs.

According the the website, the legislation has three main parts:
1. Grants to states to expand the preschool programs
2. Grant to create partnerships between Early Head Start and Child care to improve quality and expand access
3. Expand the home visiting program to serve infants and toddlers

Emphasis were placed on the following:

"Using high-quality, research-based and developmentally appropriate standards and assessments in all settings (and avoiding inappropriate use of testing);
Building on the use of existing state systems to deliver preschool programs in high-quality child care, Head Start, and school settings;
Ensuring that programs engage families and support children’s comprehensive needs;
Attracting and retaining teachers by helping them to gain the specialized knowledge required and earn degrees in early childhood education, including improved compensation;
Improving  and expanding access to infant and toddler care in Early Head Start/child care partnerships;  and
Strengthening families by providing access to voluntary home visiting in the critical infant and toddler years. " (NAEYC, 2013)

I researched more on the issue of how to be an effective advocate for funding the early childhood programs. The website has a toolkit link that offers suggestions and information that is important to advocates. To be an effective advocate, one must be an informed advocate. The section I focused on learning was the area of the workforce in early childhood education. While most of the stats were from 2004, I was very impressed at the number of educators in early childhood programs, over two million. In comparison, there were just over three million educators working in in public elementary and secondary programs.

I was really surprised at the low number of states that pre-service qualifications for teachers in the child care centers. Below is a chart taken from the website.

Setting	Role	Number of States that Require Pre-Service Qualifications	Number of States that Require Annual Ongoing Hours
Child Care Center	Teacher	16	48
	Master Teacher1	14	16
	Director	40	46

While these numbers are high, I feel that all states should require pre-service qualifications for educators.

References:
http://www.naeyc.org/policy/advocacy/ECWorkforceFacts#K12

Issues Facing ECE Professionals in Ireland

During my contact with Iris from Ireland, she revealed that many of the issues that are present in the ECE field here in our country are the same issues that are prevalent in Ireland. 

Poorly paid staff is one of issues that seem to hit home for Iris. She stated that teachers in ECE are the lowest paid teacher in Ireland, much like the United States. She said that this seems to be one of the main reasons for staff turnover in the ECE field. According to Education International, “two main staffing profiles can be identified in ECE across Europe…usually qualified teachers can found working with children over 3 to compulsory school age. These teachers increasingly have a three-year tertiary degree and are often education as (primary) school teachers that may or may not have a specialization in early childhood” (Education International). This seems to be the same case in this country. Another issue that she mentions is the lack of men working within early childhood education.  It is still viewed as “women’s work” in Ireland. The number of men in ECE educational programs is sparse in Europe.

Much like the United States, funding for ECE programs poses a big problem. She also stated that there seems to be an issue with the decision makers deciding what would be what we refer to as a good child/staff ratio in the classroom. There is no consensus on the issue. 

When I mentioned the various program monitors that we have here such as NAEYC accreditation, she stated that they have a program that resembles this. The accreditation program is known as Higher Capitation Eligibility. The link to this organizations website is http://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/childcare-training-and-childcare-education/information-for-students-and-learners/.  A large amount of the teacher qualifications are the same as NAEYC accreditation.

Ireland has no national system of pre-school education and consequently, the fees paid by the parents are the primary source of funding. Costs to parents are among the highest in Europe and average over 30% of disposable income for the average worker.

It would seem that providing quality care and hiring and keeping quality teachers are two of the main issues facing ECE professionals in Ireland. 

References:

http://download.ei-ie.org/Docs/WebDepot/2009_EarlyChildhoodEducationInEurope_en.pdf

NAEYC

I have yet to receive a copy of the newsletter even though I have signed up for it. But after reviewing the website information that is available, I still consider this organization one of the top resources for professionals in the early childhood field. The focus of the 2013 conference is "imagine, innovate & inspire". I believe this is the job of the early childhood professional. We have the opportunity to open young minds and provide experiences that will do just that.

I really enjoy the area noted as "Voices of Practitioners". This area is a wealth of information from others who are in the same position as I. Reading their experiences and research findings provides various points of view regarding different topics. There is so much information that it was difficult to decide on a starting point.

The issue of Anti-Bias Education was the controversial topic that I found on the site. While some individuals will teach about Thanksgiving from the positive aspects for the Pilgrims, I tend to use this time to introduce my students to Native Americans history. I do not focus on the negativity that some will associate with the Pilgrims arrival in the New World. I focus on the positive information about the Native Americans. Why should we expose young children to the negativity. According to the website, "Unless teachers are well informed and thoughtful, Thanksgiving can become (even if unintentionally) a “unit” that teaches young children damaging misinformation and stereotypes" (NAEYC, 2013).