My Supports

When I think about my daily supports I think about my coworkers at my job. I have a really good kindergarten team who are always willing to help. We share ideas, we help counsel each others students and we are just truly there for each other. I have heard a lot of stories about people on their jobs and not having the support they need and not having support can make it difficult to do your job. I am so lucky to have coworkers who care about me and want to see me successful as I do them.

My Connections to Play

The following quotes stuck out to me

Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.

Diane Ackerman
Contemporary American author

Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.

Kay Redfield Jamison
Contemporary American professor of psychiatry


The following pictures are objects that i remember playing with as a child:












When I was little I played with barbie dolls and teddy bears. I would pretend they were people and make them talk to me. Growing up I did not have any friends so I really relied on my toys to play with. I loved dressing up dolls and pretending that I was in a fantasy land. Playing was a great escape from the reality of the real world. I still today have teddy bears that I sleep with and that comfort me when I have had a bad day.
Play today is different from when I was little. When I was little we got to play in school and go outside. Today's children do not get to experience that because the most important thing today is testing and making sure students pass. It is like the policy makers have forgotten what is like to be kids. We have got to get back to the roots and find out how to ensure that students are learning without jepordizing a child's right to play.

Relationship Reflection

I believe relationships are important because it is good to have people around you who are always building you up and supportive of you. It is good to be able to come to someone who you trust for advice and to just be able to talk to. I do not have any relationsips that I consider positive. I guess my parents can be used but they are not always positive with me or supportive. I have learned over the years that building relationships with people tends to be one side because the other person will always let you down. In order to have a good relationship or partnership the first thing you must have is trust. If you do not trust the other person then the relationship is not going to work. Another big thing you must have is communication. My family never really expressed themselves in positve ways only yelling and screaming at one another so I learned to hold everything in and be a people pleaser. This attitude has carried over into my job. When I talk with parents I have a hard time expressing what I really want parents to know about their child and that can sometimes be hurtful because the parents may miss something that they really need to know. I hope through this course I can improve these skills and become a better teacher.

War and the stress it can cause

I dont anyone who has been affected by war but unfortunately as a teacher I have seen it in my classroom. For the past couple of years I have seen the stress that some of my students face because one of their parents or both are overseas serving the country. I sometimes get students who come in sad or crying becasue they are missing their parents and want them to come home. It is hard for me because I do not know what to tell them. I try to be supportive and tell them its going to be okay and sometimes offer activities that the students can do to send to their parents to show that they love and miss them.

Nutrition and Malnutrition
I chose nutrition and malnutrition because I found it to be the most interesting. When I was reading about breast feeding from the readings I did not know all the benefits it had for the baby such as better vision and less likely to get sick. I had always told myself that I would not breast-feed when I have children, but I am starting to change my mind. I think good nutrition has to start at a young age. If the parents are making sure the baby is receiving good nutrition throughout their childhood maybe they will be more likely to have good nutrition during adulthood. As a teacher though I see what my students eat at lunch and wish I could strongly urge my parents to bring their child a lunch to school every day. School lunches are not healthy and it just contributing to more and more children becoming obese. This next school year, I am going to be talking about more about nutrition and what it means to eat healthy.

South America
Foods from plant sources are in abundance South American diets. Corn and potatoes are featured in the diet. Locally grown fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds are also included. Fish and chicken or turkey are used when they are available. Red meats are used less often in most South American diets except in Argentina where beef is quite popular. Many South American diets use different kinds of chiles for flavoring. The foods in South America countries are uniquely and richly flavored.

Personal Birthing Experience

Personal Birthing Experience

I currently do not have a birthing experience that I can share right now. I do not remember my own birth and I do not have any children. I asked my mom about my birth and she told what she could. My mom told me that she was in labor for 17 hours and was very hysterical. She also had very high blood pressure during the pregnancy. My mom told me even though she went through a lot of pain she is happy that I am here.

The Netherlands

A lot of pregnant mothers do not go to the obstetrician but rather use a midwife to help deliver their baby. Most of the women prefer home births rather than going to the hospital. If the woman decides to go to the hospital most of the time they do not receive an epidural because they would rather deliver their baby naturally. After a woman delivers the baby, they go home where they have maternity home care for seven days. A nurse comes in and helps take care of the baby, cook, clean and monitors the visitors that come to visit.

Course Resources

• 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/59896/CRS-CW-5089855/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/~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-usnc.org/
    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.

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

 Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

• 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