When I Think of Child Development

It is difficult to think about children and their development at this current time due to the tragedy that struck last week at the Shady Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut  that resulted in so many young children’s life being cut short for no reason.   Children are precious gifts that are to be nurtured and loved and given every chance to live a life that is full of opportunities. 

While the past several weeks have been full of thought provoking assignments the interactions that have been done between my fellow classmates have not only enriched my educational perspective but have also given me other avenues in thinking and working with children and their families.  And it is for that I want to say THANK YOU.  Thank you for your insight. Thank you for your comments.  Thank you for sharing your personal stories.  And thank you for being a caring educator who will put each child first.

“In addition to their relative brevity, one of the critical ingredients that make stressful events tolerable rather than toxic is the presence of supportive adults who create safe environments that help children learn to cope with and recover from major adverse experiences, such as the death or serious illness of a loved one, a frightening accident, or parental separation or divorce (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2009).”

 

Reference

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2009). Excessive stress disrupts the architecture of the developing brain. Working Paper #3. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.  Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/resources/reports_and_working_papers/working_papers/wp3/

Testing for Intelligence?

Anytime there is an evaluation of a child a holistic approach has to be done.  No two children are reared the same way; this includes children raised in the same house.  Each child is exposed to the world in different ways thus leading to their views of the world being different.  When looking at academics, children learn differently and are taught differently.  An example of this is catholic or private schools and public schools.  It is said that public schools are taught things a year or two behind catholic or private school children.  So if you were to take a child from a public school and place them in a private educational facility, not many would fare well because they lack the skills and knowledge needed in order to keep up with the class.  And if you were to take a child from a private school they generally act out due to being bored in the class because the work is too easy or they know it already.  When we look at social and emotional states of children, you have to look at the family structure and the community they live in.  An example of this would be a child raised in a poor, single parent family to that of a child in a middle class two parent home family. The differences here is the community would be less violent and not crime infested as well as two parents in the home instead of one making the struggle less to live from day to day. 

When looking into how European children are assessed it was interesting to only find information about how the age a child should start school.  I could not find a detailed article or write up on how European children are assessed or demographics on children assessed.  But I did find it interesting that Northern Ireland children are start school at the age of 4 and have established the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order of 1989. This order revised the compulsory school age in order to ensure every child receives a full 12 years of school.  Below is a chart outlining the ages children start school in European countries.   

Table 1 Compulsory age of starting school in European countries, 2002

 

Four	Northern Ireland
Five	England, Malta, Netherlands, Scotland, Wales
Six	Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain
Seven	Bulgaria, Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Sweden

Source: European Commission. EURYDICE and EUROSTAT (forthcoming) Figure D1.

"Several recent UK studies have addressed the questions about the impact of age and length of schooling on children’s academic attainment and progress at school. It is now well known that children who are younger in the year group (the summer-borns) perform less well than their older classmates. There are some suggestions that an early introduction to a formal curriculum may increase anxiety and have a negative impact on children’s self esteem and motivation to learn. The long-term impact of different early childhood curricula would seem to be an important topic for further research. (Sharp. 2002)

 

Reference

Sharp, C. (2002). School Starting Age: European Poilcy and Recent Research. NFER. Retreived from www.nfer.ac.uk

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

While I personal have never experienced a stressor as a child that I can remember but being that I am the youngest out of 6 children I have heard stories of the struggles and violence my siblings had growing up with our parents until they obtained careers that allowed them to move from one social class to another.  My parents married when my mother was 18 years of age and my father was 23 years of age.  My father had a daughter from a previous marriage but she left him when he went in the service and my sister with my father’s mother, father and his siblings.  During his last tour in the service he met my mother and they married in North Carolina, my mother’s home state, and he moved he to Maryland to live.   Every two years they had a child until I was born with a 13 year gap.  It was due to the fact of my mother not having a fulltime job and my father fresh out of the service seeking employment to take care of his growing family, they struggled financially.  My two older sisters became teenage mothers, and the sister that was born before me joined a gang.  My brothers were bullies and fought just like my sister. 

My oldest brother joined the Army as his way of easing his struggles and obtained a federal job upon his discharge thus never returning home.    My two sisters that were teen moms the oldest one had three more children but all of her children were by the same man, my other sister had one more child and obtained a federal job like our mother.  My next to oldest brother went to the community college receiving a engineering degree and obtained a job as a city building inspector and drafter. The youngest brother was a security guard until his health declined and he lost his sight and died 4 years ago from renal kidney disease.  My gang member sister got married straight out of high school and was physically abused by her husband that became an alcoholic.  Upon my family removing her from the situation she joined the police force. 

By the time my parents had their 3th child, my father got a job as a bus driver and my mother had a career opportunity with the federal government.  This opened the way for financial freedom for my family.  When I was born my family moved from the area in which they lived for nearly 20 years and move uptown to a more elite area where doctors, lawyers, school board officials, school teachers, and politicians. This is why I have no idea on struggles during my childhood.

I chose to look at the way children in Europe handle poverty and violence.  The United Kingdom is considered one of the richest countries in the world.  But even they have poverty issues.  It is reported that 3.6 million children growing up in severe poverty.  In London out of 10 children 4 of them are living in poverty.  “England has higher child poverty rates than other developed European countries with seven of the top 10 worst places in London, a study revealed today (MailOnline, 2011)”.  4in10 is a group created in an effort to look into the poverty situation on children in London.  4in10 group spoke to children and young people last month (October 2012) about living in overcrowded homes and the following was reported:

“Masum aged 12, said: ‘I sleep in a bedroom with my mum, dad and everyone. My mum and dad have a double bed where they sleep and right next to their bed is where my little sister sleeps and just behind her cot is my bed where I sleep and it’s not that big.’

Jordan aged 12, said: ‘I do my homework in the living room but it is very noisy. Sometimes it gets so noisy so sometimes I do my homework in the toilet...it’s not nice.’”

 

The child poverty map below from MailOnline shows a country divided between children born into very different lives, some fortunate, some with much poorer life chances.’

 

References:

4in10. (2012). No Space At Home: Overcrowding in London.  Retreived from www.4in10.org.uk

Daily Mail Reporter. (2011). The Child Poverty Capital of Europe: London Worse for Deprived Towns. MailOnline. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1366699/The-child-poverty-capital-Europe-London-worst-deprived-towns.html#ixzz2Cu6YRBCg

SIDS

SIDS is a terrible thing that I hope nobody has to experience.  Evidence of SIDS can be found in the Old Testament and the 18th and 19th century had just as much SIDS death as seen today.  SIDS is an explained death commonly in infants between the ages of two weeks to one year of age. “There is evidence to suggesting that many SIDS infants are born with brain abnormalities that cause a vulnerability to SIDS.  They are found in the ‘arcuate nuclei’ which control the major bodily functions: i.e., heart rate, respiration, temperature and the able to awaken.  The US has the highest rate of SIDS with nearly 2,500 babies die each year from SIDS: 0.7/1000 live births.  This is one death every 3 hours.  Japan has a rate of 0.3; 1000 live births, Hong Kong’s rate is 0.03: 1000 live births, and China has the fewest SIDS cases.  China follows safe practices and infants are never alone.  SIDS rates are highest among American Indians, Alaskan natives, and African Americans, and lowest among Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics.   A 50% decrease in SIDS deaths has been reported in the US since the 1994 and a 90% decrease in England, 50% decrease in New Zealand, Netherlands and Australia from 1981-1992 due to the Back to Sleep campaign (Porter,2006).  The Back to Sleep campaign is where children under the age of 1 years of age are placed on their backs to sleep. 

Sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS as it is commonly referred to is a public health concern in child development because when a child dies from an explained death it is devastating.  It is devastating not just to the child’s parent and family but also to the early childcare professional, the other families within the program as well as the program as a whole.    While I have never had to personally experience a SIDS death within any program that I worked or managed, while working as a State Licensing Specialist there was a death in a home childcare program that affected the office as a whole.  When working as a Licensing Specialist and a child is injured or dies in a child care program it is investigated in order to ensure the early childcare professional did everything they could to not only keep the child safe but to ensure that protocol was followed and everything was done to save the child.  When an investigation is conducted we meet with the early childcare professional, conduct an inspection of the program, child’s record, review police record, and child protective services records as well.  And finally the most dreaded thing of the investigation anybody wants to do is to listen to the 911 recording and what transpires during that call.  It is something that makes everyone cry and heart bleed for the child, family, and childcare professional.  By me not even having had to handle or experience a SIDS death myself just the experience I had while working is enough to not want to experience the lose.

Additional Informational Sources:

Back to Sleep” Campaign

Call 1-800-505-CRIB or visit www.nichd.nih.gov/sids for more information on SIDS and sleep positions.

SIDS Alliance 

www.sidscenter.org

SUDC Program

Sudden Unexplained Death in Children www.sudc.org (affecting 1 year or older)

 

 

References

Porter, Phyllis (2006). SIDS/Shaken Baby Syndrome.  Educarer,Inc.  Retreived from www.educarer.org

 

Childbirth: Personal Experience and Around the World

The births of my two children are memorable to me each in their own way.  I remember everything about both of them. With both of my pregnancies being not stressful nor did I experience any complications but there were a few hiccups along the way.   For this blog post I will tell about my son, Xavier, is my first born.  He was born on Monday, January 18, 1993 at 12:34 pm. My labor started about 3:00am with my stomach hurting and I thought I had to go to the bathroom but I didn’t.  After about the third trip to the bathroom and nothing happening I figured out that I was in labor.  I chose to go back to bed because first is was not hurting that bad, secondly I did not want to go to the hospital and they send me back home, and thirdly I had an appointment at 8:00am for a stress test because my son was two weeks past his due date.  Well by 7:00am I was in the bathroom using the toilet for one thing and the sink for vomiting. By the time I arrived at the hospital I was more pain and informed the tech that I was in labor and she was ok just get undressed and we will get started.  I got undressed and laid on the bed she came to hook up the monitors and ran to the telephone informing the labor/delivery that she needed a doctor stat. When the doctor arrived she said that I was dilated 5 cm. and in full labor.  I told the doctor that I had informed the tech that I was in labor the doctor looked at my chart and said this can’t be your first pregnancy.  I told her it was, why. She said because you are not screaming or anything. I told her it does not hurt that bad yet. It hurts the most when I walk.  By 10am, I was informing the nurse and doctors that it was hurting and that I needed that epidural for pain.  When I received the epidural my labor slowed down and I could not feel my contractions.  The nurse told me when I was having a contraction and they were causing me to shake.  By 11am I had shot from 7 cm. to 12 in just 10 minutes.  My son was born at 11:34am on the first federal observation of Dr. Martin L. King Jr.’s Birthday.  He was kept in the hospital an extra day for breathing issues but was released the next day.  While he was diagnosed with asthma during infancy, his father nor I have it but it does run in my family. This doctor said that he could not be out in extreme heat nor extreme cold and had the Asthma Foundation deliver him a portable nebulizer machine for his breathing treatments.  Today nearly 20 years later I have a young man that has graduated from high school and currently attending a prep cook program that he is to graduate from the week after Thanksgiving.  With his asthma triggering only when he gets a cold and has no major problems in any weather climate but heat is still not a best friend to him.

 

I decided to read about the birth practices is England.  In an online article, Study backs home births for mothers (Belfast Telegraph, 2012), I read that it is cost effective to have a child at home or by midwife.  This is only for mothers that have no indicators or are not at risk of complications.  The cost associated with having a child in a hospital environment is considered several hundred UK pounds more expensive than a home birth.  While most of the information I read on births on England compared the style in which is cost effective for child births. I can say that all women experience birth risks whether it be health wise or deliver.  We are all the same despite where you live and this is explained and pointed out in Kimmelin Hull’s (2012) blog article.  .

 

 

 

References

Belfast Telegraph. (2012). Study backs home births for mothers.  Beleast Telegraph.  Retrieved October 5, 2012 from www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Hull, Kimmelin. (2011). Birth Outcomes by Birth Locations: The Latest Study. Science & Sensibility. Retrieved October 5, 2012 from www.scienceandsensibility.org

 

A Note of Thanks

I would like to take this time to thank everyone for taking the time to read my post and share you comments of wisdom and encouragement.  I look forward to working with you all in future courses.  I also would like to say a big THANK YOU to my instructor for this course Dr. Kevin Dartt.  You have been very helpful and understanding as a progressed through your course.  Your comments and feedback spark me to challenge myself to do more within the field.

Examining Codes of Ethics

As I read over the NAYEC and DEC codes of ethics, I had to take a couple of days and process the information contained these two organizations have charged themselves to uphold and instill in others.  Out of all the principles and ideals listed I chose to use three ideals from the NAEYC:

I-2.5—To respect the dignity and preferences of each family and to make an effort to learn about its structure, culture, language, customs, and beliefs.  (NAEYC, 2005, Pg4)

I-1.5—To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity and their contributions.  (NAEYC, 2005,  Pg 2)

I-3A.2—To share resources with co-workers, collaborating to ensure that the best possible early childhood care and education program is provided.  (NAEYC, 2005, Pg 5)

I chose these three because these are the main things every educator and professional start out in there career stating they are going to carry out but as they continue in their career path often times these items are not done or seem to have of little importance.  As a professional in the early childhood field one must remember that children, families, and the community are the ones we are trying to educate and make a difference in them quality of life them have.  As professionals we are continuous learners as well and need to embrace and acknowledge that every day we are learning just as we are educating.

 

Reference:

NAEYC.  (2005, April).  Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment.  Retrieved October 21, 2012, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

 

•Quotes or excerpts from writings or speeches

Edward Zigler, Aiding in formation of and first director of Head Start

“High hopes made Head Start possible. Some of the hopes of the mid-1960s were naïve; some led to inflated promises that no social program could possibly deliver. But we need to recapture the hope, to believe once more that it is possible to set the next generation of American children and families on a course toward a better life” (Zigler).

Marian Wright Edelman, Founder of Children’s Defense Fund

“It is time to call the moral question about whether America truly values and will stand up for children not just with words but with work; not just with promises but with leadership and investment in child health, early childhood education, after-school programs and family economic security; not just with a speech or photo opportunity, but with sustained positive commitment to meet child needs.” (Edelman)

 •Quotes about passion, motivation, and wisdom from the professionals

Louise Derman-Sparks, Professor Emeritus Pacific Oaks College, CA

“The passion to create a safer more just world for all kids is there and I suppose will be there until I die maybe even after that.” (Sparks)

Sandy Escobido, Deputy Field Director Los Angeles Preschool Advocacy Initiative California Community Foundation

“Purpose of grants is to train parents how to advocate for their children.  So when I go to these meetings and actually see parents learning how to speak to policy makers, learning to write letters, learning how to tell their story and share their voice that is what keeps me motivated regardless of all the challenges going on.” (Escobido)

Leticia Lara, LCSW Regional Manager Outreach and Professional Development Zero to Three

“Parents needs supports with resources and access to resources parents can thrive.” (Lara)

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). The Passion for Early Childhood

[Webcast].  Baltimore, MD: Author.

 

Neugebauer, Roger. (2010, May/June). The Start of Head Start. Exchange, 20-21.  Retrieved from www.childcareexchange.com. 

Wright Edelman, Marian.  ().  Needed: A Massive Moral Movement to Leave No Child Behind.  Intercultural Development Research Association.  Retrieved from www.idra.org.

Personal Childhood Web

Harry I Greene Jr. is father and the main provider for my family. When I was born my father was forty –five years old.  He passed away two years ago from cancer that no one knew he had not even him.  Being the youngest out of six children I was often thought of as the favorite by my older siblings and a daddy’s girl.  My father always showed his love and care for me by telling me that he loved me every day and very active in my academic journey. 

Maggie L Greene is my mother and the person who ran all household affairs.  When I was born my mother has forty years old.  She passed away six years ago from a heart attack in her sleep.  My mother worked every day but made sure that everything was clean in the house and all needs were met.  My mother showed her love for me by spending time with me and took me on trips with her every year to different states for weeks at a time.

Jacqueline M Greene- Sherrod is my next to oldest sister.  She is twenty years older than me and is like a second mother to me.  My sister had a daughter that is one year older than I am and we were raised together often times thought of as sisters.  My sister was always taking pictures of my niece and myself.   My sister is a kind person and cares about my welfare.

Phillip D Greene is my youngest older brother he is sixteen years older than me and I miss him greatly. He passed away three years ago after a twelve year battle with renal kidney failure.  Phil was my favorite brother; he was the one who taught me that I had to be tough and not a cry baby.  He would always fight with me in order to ensure I could handle myself if the need ever aroused.   While my brother sought to see that I could take care of myself and make me a little tougher, he was displaying his love for me by not wanting to see anything happen to me.

Margaret Greene-Hoard is my youngest older sister; she is thirteen years older than I am.  She was the baby girl until I came along and I think she has issues with that because while she cares about my well-being I can see so jealousy with her when it comes to me and the things that our parents gave me or allowed me to do and have.  While we were close growing but as I got older and she moved and married, we drifted apart and only talk maybe once a month.  While our relationship is strained, there is still love because that is what our parents taught us and our father told us that we have to look out for each other despite any differences.

 

 

 

I don't like to take pictures but here is a picture I took just a few days ago just for this blog. 

"Together we can make a difference" This is a motto that I like from a child care center I consulted with for the past two years.  I think this motto is a strong one and says alot.  When I asked the owner how she came up with the motto, she said that it is through parents aiding in the reinforcement of skills children learn with in care make a powerful team and together it can only be a positive outcome.

I may have her interpretation mixed up but for me when I think on this motto I smile on the inside because I know that this statement speaks volumes.  Whether it be through community actions, child advocacy, parent, child, teacher, interactions, by working together and being a cohesive unit makes a difference and is nothing but a powerful force to change a laws, policies, academic standards, or a life.

This is a book that I feel in lloved just from the title alone.  This book tells every child that reads or is read this book that they were made by God and are important.  Sometimes it is the little things that we say as educators whether it is through various activities, gestures, or words of encouragement that make the biggest difference in someone's life.  In today's world many children are shuffled from one place to the next and given so little attention that they not shown the proper attention and love they crave and deserve.  Everyday I hug all my children, tell them I love them and give them all the individualized love and attention so they know they are special and important to me.

Professional, Educator, Nurturer, Compassionate, Empathic, Communicator

 

My name is Quandra Greene and I have been in the early child care field for over 12 years. During the course of my career I have experienced all faucets within the field as well as deepened my educational journey. While working in the field I have had the pleasure of holding several positions that also require wearing the hat to others. I have been a child care aide, teacher, cook, custodian, transporter, director, owner/operator, elementary school substitute, child care licensing specialist for the state of Maryland where I regulated 130 licensing child care homes, centers, and school age programs until I retired and am currently a child care consultant. Out of every position or title I have held I have also loved to interactions I have and share with the children and the personalized attention I get to give to each family in an effort to ensuring that their every need is meet, questions answered, and concerns addressed. I then I can truly say that working in the field offers many challenges as well as its rewards. The most challenging experience I can say is to employ the right educators that embody the core of the learning environment you are trying to create and maintain. An environment that children and the families served feel is catered to their individual needs. The most rewarding experience in working in this field is the impact you have on the developing lives of the children you have in your care.

As I moved through the various positions my level of expertise grew as well as my thirst for additional knowledge. After 5 fives in the field I pursued and acquired my Associates of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Teacher Education. After I retired from state service due to medical reasons, I still needed to be a part of the field and keep up to date on the current trends in the field. That is when I enrolled in Walden University and earned my Bachelors of Science degree in Child Development and decided to continue on and pursue my Master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies. I look forward to my current educational journey in the persuit within the Master’s program and hope that all of my experiences and previous educational knowledge aide me. I can say that the only challenge I may have and have always had when it comes to school is time management. Even with the ease of taking online courses, time seems to never be on my side these days. But I always make it work out and have a plan developed in my head that will work if I can be discipline enough. I hope the course along with the others outline in this program empower, enlighten, and embrace the fostering educator that I am.