Introduction of my Contact

My contact, Iris Berger, is from Ireland, a grad student and is associated with the Early Childhood Ireland organization. She has referred me to several different resources which contain a wealth of information. She stated that the main issue in early childhood education is the same in Ireland as it is in the United States, to provide quality early childhood programs for every child. Child outcomes is an important issue in Ireland, just as in the states. Stress and its effects on children is another similar issue. A major study was released on November 4, 2013. "STRESS, depression and money problems endured by thousands of Irish families can affect babies as young as nine months old and harm their development." (Melia, 2013)

According to the Early Childhood Ireland website:

                "Early Childhood Ireland believes that the twin aims of training in early childhood care and education are to:

1. enrich the daily experiences of children and families availing of childcare services
2. to support professional development of the childcare workforce

We aim to ensure that those working with children have the best possible training, qualifications, support and advice." (Early Childhood, 2013)

One of the most important issues we have discussed is the recent change regarding children's rights. On November 10, 2013, a referendum was passed. The following is a quote from the website,

" Children’s Rights Referendum

November 10th was a very important and historic day for children in Ireland. It was the day on which the Irish public voted to change the constitution on children’s rights.

(The full wording of the referendum question can be found on the Department of Children and Youth Affairs’ website.)

What the Referendum Changes Mean for Children in Ireland

It is important to be aware of what has been achieved through the Children’s Rights Referendum being passed. Below we have provided you with a summary of the key issues dealt with in the referendum, as well as an outline of what these changes mean for children in practice.

Children Have Rights The new wording recognizes that all children have rights and that these rights need to be protected and supported by the State.

  Article 42.A1 The State recognizes and affirms the natural and imperceptible rights of all children and shall, as far as practicable, by its laws protect and

vindicate those rights

   

Protecting Children Children have a right to be protected against harm and to be kept safe.Sometimes a child’s parents may not provide enough care to keep them safe, and the State may have to intervene and offer support to families at an early stage, and in some exceptional cases offer alternative caregivers for the children. 

  Article 42A.2 The Amendment puts the best interests of children at the centre of decision-making in these cases. As State intervention will continue to be an exceptional measure, there is continued recognition that the best place for children is with their parents. Any intervention or support will always be proportionate to the risk facing the child. This means that a child is only removed from his or her parents where no other appropriate action can be taken which will protect the child’s safety and welfare in the home 

   

Best Interests of the Child Children’s best interests shall be of the utmost importance when critical decisions are being made about the protection, welfare and care of the child. 

  Article 42A.4 commits the Oireachtas to legislate to provide that the views of the child are heard and taken into account in court proceedings affecting them. It does not mean that the child’s views will be the determining factor in the case, but that child’s views will be considered by the judge and given due weight according to the child’s age and maturity.

   

Listening to Children Children have the right to be listened to, and to be active participants in their lives. The views of the child must be heard and taken into account.

  Article 42A.4.2 requires that the views of the child are heard when key decisions are made about their lives in court proceedings. Strengthening children’s right’s in the Constitution is an indication that children deserve to be listened to and to have a say in their lives."

This is very important for the children of Ireland, according to Ms. Berger. And I feel that future exchanges between the two of us will be beneficial for both of us. 

http://www.earlychildhoodireland.ie/policy-advocacy-and-research/every-child-has-rights/childrens-rights-referendum/

Melia, Paul (2013) Babies feel parent's stress. Retrieved from http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/babies-feel-parents-stress-29724003.html

More on NAEYC

The organization that I chose to focus on is NAEYC. You may access their website at http://www.naeyc.org. NAEYC focuses mainly on three broad goals. They strive to ensure professional practice and working conditions. They provide support by helping programs attain high quality system of service to the children and families. They also organize groups of other professionals who are supportive and can provide feedback to other professionals to ensure excellence in early childhood education.

The topic that caught my attention was Family Engagement. This is a prevalent issue also in the Head Start organization. As we know, parents and families are children’s first educators. Research has shown that students, who have families that are actively involved in their early education, tend to do better in later educational years.

NAEYC has provided six principles of Family Engagement on the website. The principles are as follows, taken directly from the website:


Principle 1: Programs invite families to participate in decision making and goal setting for their child
Principle 2: Teachers and programs engage families in two-way communication
Principle 3: Programs and teacher engage families in ways that are truly reciprocal
Principle 4: Programs provide learning activities for the home and in the community
Principle 5: Programs invite families to participate in program-level decisions and wider advocacy efforts
Principle 6: Programs implement a comprehensive program-level system of family engagement” (NAEYC, 2013)

The website also provide examples of early childhood programs who are leading the field in Family Engagement.  One such school is the Montgomery County Community College Children’s Center in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.  This school is supporting family engagement in very effective ways, some of which are the same methods that my program is currently using.

Methods of Family Engagement use by Montgomery County Community College Children’s Center:
1. Parent Advisory Council
2. Ensuring diversity by providing bi-lingual staff and staff of color
3. Use of Creative Curriculum online assessment with parent access
4.  Reciprocal Relationships


References:
http://www.naeyc.org/about/mission


http://www.naeyc.org/familyengagement/programs/mccc-childrens-center

NAEYC

I chose the National Association for the Education of Young Children. I have been a teacher in a program that went through the accreditation process for NAEYC. This program helps to ensure that developmentally appropriate practice is occurring in early childhood programs.

Position Statements are available on their website.

Link to the website: http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements

Issues & Trends Professional Networking

As part of our assignment this week, we were to attempt to reach out to professionals in other countries. I sent emails out to two different organizations. Unfortunately, I received only one response from my email. I received a positive response from the Institute of Early Childhood Education and Research in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

I have sent additional emails to the individual professionals in the IECER faculty list. The other emails I sent only received an email error message. There needs to be a better system for communicating with professionals from other countries. This would better enable the ability to collaborate and exchange ideas and experiences concerning the issues and trends in early childhood education.

My Supports

I sat down to think of the supports in my daily environment. My first task was to narrow the field because there are so many things that I consider supportive. First and foremost, my Lord provides daily support by blessing me each day as I awake to another day. He provides me with the opportunity to teach young children again and provide encouragement to families who might not other find encouragement. I believe there are numerous benefits of this type of support. How could I start my day without the blessings of my Lord? Yes, I know there are those out there who do not believe in God. But I chose to believe. I cannot imagine having to start each day and not have something to believe in. My God has blessed me with a song in my heart and when I have a really bad day, that song gets me through. I truly believe that if I did not have this support that my life would have ended a long time ago.

My second support comes from my husband. He is my biggest fan. His love is always present. He loves me even when I fail and he encourages me to try again. He encourages me to further my education and pursue my Master’s degree, which I am currently seeking. He is my rock when I need someone to lean on. He takes care of me when I am ill.  His support has the benefits of me never having to feel alone. I cannot imagine my life without my husband. I know there would be days that I probably would not even have the courage to get out of bed.

My third support would be my co-workers. I value my co-workers and I depend on their support on a daily basis. Anyone who has worked in the field of early childhood education knows that some days can be overwhelming. Thankfully, my co-workers are always ready to lend a hand or give a word of encouragement. This was never more evident than this past spring. I faced a hard decision with regard to one of the families that I serve. I was placed in a position that basically left me no choice. Without going into great detail, it ended the relationship that I had with the family and the child is no longer in the program. This was very difficult for me because I had worked with the family since the child was 5 months old and the child would have been in my preschool room this fall. My co-workers gave me support and encouragement through this rough time. I have known others that cannot count on their co-workers as I have done. I know that each day at work would be harder and lonelier without the support of my co-workers.

My Connections to Play

Growing up as a young child, I remember the play time I spent outdoors with my sister. We would get up early in the morning and head outside to start our day. We spent time exploring the trees, and the fields that surrounded our house. We would also head down the road to the neighbors barn, which we were allowed to play in. We did not have electronics or fancy toys to play with. We played with dirt and made mud pies. We used rocks and sticks to play baseball. We used our imaginations. I believe that so many children today do not have this opportunity.

Our mother supported our play by providing real items from her kitchen during our play mud pie making. She always encouraged us and ensured that we had ample time to explore and leave our creations to return to after lunch or dinner time. Playtime for me was the time to be whatever I wanted to be and do whatever I wanted to do. I had no limitations other than the limits of my imagination.

I remember playing school throughout my childhood. My mother would always provide paper, pencils, books, crayons and even a pointer stick for the teacher. I believe that my ability to develop this interest is the reason I currently work as a teacher. Children learn what their true interests are during free play. Do not constrain a child's imagination and watch him grow.

I remember playing with these when I was growing up:

"It is a happy talent to know how to play."-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"When children pretend, they’re using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of reality. A stick can be a magic wand. A sock can be a puppet. A small child can be a superhero."-Fred Rogers

“Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.” 
― Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. 

Relationship Reflection

Relationship are important to me because life would be meaningless and worthless without relationship. When I think of relationships, there are three different types of relationships that come to mine. Think of them as different levels of circle, each contained within the largest outer circle. 

The first of these are outer circle relationships. These are the relationships that we have with good friends, co-workers, school friends, church friends, in-laws and acquaintances. These are the types of relationships that really have minimal affect on our development. Yes, these types of relationships can cause stress from time to time. But at the end of the day, they are not the most important ones. This is where the relationships with my students' families would be. These types of partnerships are important because we work together for the good of the child. Having open communication is what makes this type of relationship work.

The second of these is the middle circle. These are the relationships that we have with our siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, best friends, and grandparents. These type of relationships tend to be more important than that outer circle relationships. If there is turmoil in these relationships, then we tend to worry or be stressed. Since I was raised around my extended family, I cherish these relationships. I tend to play peacemaker repeatedly. This can cause stress for me. These type of relationships are important to me because they helped make me the person I am today. I learned family values and commitment from them. My best friend is the relationship I will use as an example. I have been best friends with her for 17 years. Although we no longer live in the same town, we talk constantly. I know that I can talk to her about anything and she will not judge me. She is there for me when I need her and I am there for her. Our family tends to be very careful about who we let into this circle. Mostly it must be blood related. But occasionally we have some in-laws that fit so perfectly that we let them in. Two of these people would be my nephew's wife Melanie. She came into our lives and it was like she had always been there. And then there is my niece's husband, Duane. His entry took a bit longer, due to him and I being so much alike, but he is now in our middle circle. He helps maintain the stability of that circle. 

The third of these relationships is the inner circle. These relationships are the most important and most precious ones that a person can have. These relationships are the ones that you have with your parents, spouse, and children. These relationships affect our day to day living and our health. These are the most important relationships. Turmoil in these relationships can have a negative ripple effect on the outer two circles of relationship.