Resources from Week 5

Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
  
  
• 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.

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.

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

Additional Resources

National Association for the Education of Young Children.(2009). Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8 (3rd ed.).  Carol Copple & Sue Bredekamp (Eds).  
I recieved this book from the Early Childhood Education department at Alamo Community Colleges at a workshop.  It came with a CD that contains additional reading and video examples of DAP.  I use this book in my Child Development course.

Scholastic Early Childhood Today
http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/ect/index.htm
Teaching tips, strategies, and acitivites for the early childhood classroom

Early Childhood News
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

"Attachment to a baby is a long-term process, not a single, magical moment. The opportunity for bonding at birth may be compared to falling in love—staying in love takes longer and demands more work." ~T. Berry Brazelton http://quotes.dictionary.com/Attachment_to_a_baby_is_a_longterm_process)

"...when we’re talking about early childhood development and education, we’re talking prenatal to five years old. Learning begins right away. The neuroscientists show that if the child is in a stressful environment during these early years, the brain doesn’t develop properly. There was a famous study by Dr. Bruce Perry on the orphans in Romania. They were put in cribs and virtually ignored, except for feeding time. At age three, their brains were about a third smaller than what they should have been."~ Art Rolnick (http://www.clevelandfed.org/Forefront/2010/09/ff_2010_fall_05.cfm)

"We argued that early childhood development is economic development, and the research shows it’s economic development with a high public return—very high."
~ Art Rolnick (http://www.clevelandfed.org/Forefront/2010/09/ff_2010_fall_05.cfm)

"We, as professionals, in the early childhood field, have to opportunity to shape a child's life for the better." ~Sandy Escobido in "The Passion for Early Childhood"

Reference:  Laureate Education, Inc. (n.d). The Passion for Early Childhood.  Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5364583&Survey=1&47=9295928&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Personal Childhood Web

People who nurtured and cared about me:


First, I have to name my parents, who are still happily married after 46 years.  I really think that they were the people who played the most significant role in my development.   They are the reason that I am a successful adult today.
My Mom:  She was always there for me and providing loving guidance and support throughout my life.  I would consider her to be my best friend.  (I admit, there was a time in my teens when she wasn't, but that's normal right?)  I owe a lot to her.  She loved and supported me no matter what.  Through good decisions and bad, she was there and was never judgemental.  My favorite saying of hers is, "When one door closes, another one opens."  She always said this to me when I was disappointed about something.  Sometimes I hated hearing that, but she was right.  As I age, I realize how much wisdom my mother shared with me.  I will always love her and she will always play an important role in my life.
My Dad:  My dad is so smart and can do anything.  He is my superhero.  When I was young, he was the coach of all my basketball and softball teams every year until I started playing for the school in 6h grade.  He could fix anything and knew everything about everything.  To this day, I still call him when I have a problem about almost anything.  He is an extremely hard worker, but always found time for his family.  What I love most about him now is how he interacts with his 5 grandchildren.  He loves them so much and it shows.

Three more to go....
I will start with my Grandma Nelson, my Mom's mom.  She was a quirky soul.  She was ornery, but she loved my brother and I so much.  We were her only grandchildren.  I didn't get to see her very much since she lived in the Edinburg, Texas, (down south in the Rio Grande Valley) and we lived in Lubbock (in the panhandle).  It was a long drive and my parents weren't able to make it home very often.  We did go more when we moved to Plano (a suburb of Dallas) when I was ten.  My brother and I called her the fun grandma because she would take us to the park and hang upside down on the monkey bars.  Shortly after we moved to Plano, grandma started to change.  I was 10 then and we finally got a diagnosis when I was about 15.  Grandma had alzheimer's disease.  It was so hard to see her slip away.  She forgot my name, she called me one of her sister's names, then she didn't know me at all.  She became confined to a wheel chair, then a bed, and finally passed away on August 21, 2009 at the age of 96.  I have missed her a lot longer than 2 years and it still makes me cry thinking about her.

Two more to go....
I could name some teachers:

1. My kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Schwartzenbach, from Williams Elementary school in Lubbock, Texas.  I remember she was very caring and kind.  She had also been my brother's teacher and my mother always commented on how much she liked her.  I also remember the photographer could not get her name right on the board for the class picture. 
2. My third grade teacher, Miss Hess.  I remember how nice she was to me.
3. Mrs. Baber, my middle school history teacher.  She was so nice and worked at Dillards in the evening.
4. My 12th grade marketing teacher, Mrs. Begis at Plano Senior High school.  She never marked me tardy even though I was late every day.

I think it is sad that I can only remember 4 teachers who I would consider nuturing.  But then I was one of those well-adjusted kids who didn't require extra work from the teacher.  Thanks Mom & Dad :)

I think for the last 2, I will pick my Grandma and Grandpa Test, my Dad's parents.  They were not the fun grandparents, that was Grandma Nelson, but they loved my brother and me.  They ended up with 4 grandchildren, my brother and I and then 12 years later, my cousins in Ohio, who I have seen 4 times my entire life.  I have learned more about them from Facebook than from seeing them in person.  I guess you have figured out that we were not a close family.  Sometimes I think that is why I married my husband.  His family is so close and they always have big family gatherings.  Anyway, back to my grandparents, they did the best they could.  They weren't affectionate people.  I think a lot has to do with the way they were raised and the time period.  They were born in 1915 and times were hard back then.  Anyway, I felt loved by them and their influence contributed to my strong sense of family.  I cherish the china my grandma gave me for my wedding gift.  It had been her mother's, my great-grandma's, who I am named after.  It is Haviland and is very unique.  I proudly display it in my china case and tell everyone who asks all about it.  Grandma is still alive, I need to visit her this summer.  Grandpa passed away December 18, 1995.

So those are my five people.  Each one of them has played a role in who I am today.  I thank them, because I am happy and well-adjusted.  I can only hope that my children turn out the same way. 

Child's Artwork

This a picture that was created by my son when he was four and I was pregnant with his little sister, Olivia.  He told me that the blue spot was the baby and the red and orange was my tummy.  It was special to me because of the subject, but also because he created for me.

Tyler attended a NAEYC certified preschool from the time he was 3 until he started Kindergarten.  When he first started, I imagined my refrigerator filling up with his artwork.  Weeks went by and he didn't bring anything home.  Finally we met with the teacher and I asked her why Tyler wasn't bringing any artwork home.  She explained to me that the program was child-centered and the children could choose the centers in which they wanted to work.  She said Tyler was much more interested in the science center and rarely visited the art center.  Occasionally the class would have a directed art activity that he would bring home.  This piece will always be special to me because it was one of the few that Tyler chose to create on his own. 

BTW, Olivia LOVES art and brings home lots and lots of it.  My refrigerator is always full!

One of My Favorite Children's Books

One of my favorite children's books is The Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss.  Mostly it's my favorite because my son, Tyler, made me read to him almost every night when he was little. Another reason I chose this particular book is because it has a great message, acceptance.  I use this the story of The Sneetches in my education prep course for 11th and 12th graders.  I read the book to them (It always amazes me at how intently they listen.  After all, they are almost adults and I'm reading them a children's book!) and then I have them work in groups to write a lesson plan on acceptance.  I also like Dr. Seuss because his books are full of imagination and the use of rhyme helps develop literacy in children.

Me!

A Meaningful Quote

Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it. ~Harold Hulbert
http://www.quotegarden.com/

It's easy to love the 'good' child, but it's the 'not so good' child that really needs to know he's loved.  Adults, myself included, are naturally drawn to the 'good' children and treat them differently, often making them our favorites.  Sometimes all a child needs is to know they are loved and they will change their behavior.  Not to mention the positive effects on their social/emotional development!
I've had my share of ill-behaved children in my classes over the years.  I've been able to win over a few with this philosophy. Even in the ones I didn't win over, I hope I at least made a difference.