Thankful Appreciation

At this time I am feeling so thankful for each of you in my first Walden University course. You have furthered my thinking and have made me realize that I am a professional in this great field of early childhood education. I am thankful for all I have learned and will continue to learn. Thank you for making this course such a wonderful online learning experience.

Examining Codes of Ethics

I spent time looking at NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment. While doing so I felt like I was being validated in my actions and inspired as well. The first ideal that struck me was I-1.1 – “to be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.” This one ideal is what has driven me to continue my education and what makes me look to the future and consider getting my PhD.

I-1.2 reads, “to base program practices upon current knowledge and research in the field of early childhood education, child development, and related disciplines, as well as on particular knowledge of each child”. This I feel is my main goal daily. Every lesson plan, every situation, every child is taken into consideration. My struggle when is comes to this ideal is making sure my staff are also on the same page as I am, and that the children we serve are getting the best we can offer.

The one ideal I feel that my program hits out of the park is I-1.10 “to ensure that each child’s culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and valued in the program.” I know what it can be like to feel like you are not valued in your class or your culture is less. We ensure that this particular ideal is achieved and with the help of parents we are very successful with our outcome.

The last ideal I would like to address is one I feel I need to work more on. I-1.6 – “to use assessment instruments and strategies that are appropriate for the children to be assessed, that are used only for the purposes for which they were designed, and that have the potential to benefit children.” My biggest professional struggle at this time is finding an assessment tool that works for the children, our program and myself. There just does not seem to be an assessment tool that provides me the feedback I am looking for. As of now I am still searching.  

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved February 17,   

     2012, from

     http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

Growing My Collection of Resources

This is a list of resources I find very helpful and some I use on a daily basis. 

As new information a becomes available or new resources that come to light,

I will be updating this list. 

National Association for Family Child Care http://nafcc.org/

Foundation of Early Learning http://www.earlylearning.org/       

Child Care Resources http://www.childcare.org/     

The Montessori Foundation http://www.montessori.org/ 

NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children form birth through age 8. Retrieved February 2, 2012, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap


NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved February 2, 2012, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf


World Organization for Early Childhood Education 
http://www.omep-usnc.org/
 


National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/ 


The Division for Early Childhood
http://www.dec-sped.org/


Administration for Children and Families Headstart’s National Research Conference
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/


National Child Care Association 
http://www.nccanet.org/


National Institute for Early Education Research 
http://nieer.org/


Journal of Child & Family Studies

Multicultural Education

Early Childhood Education Journal

Journal of Early Childhood Research

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

“Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity.”

Lyndon B. Johnson

“Young children want to find things out through exploration, and we as educators need to allow that!”

Sylvia Chard Ph.D

"Young children are inquisitive. They ask questions, wonder about things, and like to investigate interesting phenomena in their world."

Sylvia Chard Ph.D

“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. My mom told me that as a child instead of playing house I would play school.”

Louise Derman-Sparks

“Seeing how involved my parents were made me to want to be involved in education in general. “It was in working in early childhood education that made me see what a unique opportunity we have in working with children.”

Sandy Escabido

Personal Childhood Web

Sheila - My Mom is a caring, fair, and loving. My mom has always been open, honest and fair. She set rules and boundaries, which she expected to be followed. There was always love no matter what! My mom is also very caring and taught us to care for others and to treat others, as we would want to be treated. My mom always makes me feel special and important.

Scott - My Dad is protective, supportive, and provides. My dad has always provided what I need whether it is basic needs or a coach for a soccer team. I always know that my dad has my back and is there for me no matter what. My dad is infinitely supportive of what I do and is to cheer me on. My dad is my hero.

Shane – My oldest brother is protective, the rescuer, and the peacemaker. My oldest brother has been my rescuer my whole life. Whether it be from other siblings or kids at school I always new that he would be there for me. He still is to this day. No matter what I need he is there to help. Shane is also the peacemaker and has taught me to approach things in a calm and peaceful manner. Shane has always made me feel loved and important.

Sandy – My older brother is funny, supportive, and the problem solver. Sandy is the funny one in my family and has taught me to not take life so seriously. He is hugely supportive of me and my life’s decisions. Sandy is the one I turn to when there is a problem that seems unsolvable. Sandy had always made me feel empowered.

Marcy – My Aunt (mom’s sister) is creative, fun, and adventurous. My aunt has always been there for fun and adventures. She has taught me to take life as it comes, explore it and have fun doing so. She is also very creative and has spent countless hours helping me find my creative side. She makes me feel special by giving me that creative outlet and praising my accomplishments. My aunt makes me feel like I am one of a kind and to be valued and respected.   

All five of the individuals in my web continue to influence me and to impact my life. They make me feel like nothing is unachievable and to shoot for the moon and make dreams come true. With their love and support I knew that going for my Masters would be an obtainable goal. 

                                                     Sharene and Shane 

                                                    Sheila and Scott

                                                                Sandy

"My Mom"

This painting was painted by a boy named Sam when he was 3 years old. It is called "My Mom". At the time this was painted Sam was in and out of the hospital receiving a bone marrow transplant. Painting description in Sam's words "Yellow is my favorite color and that is me. Red is for the pain that I have a lot of and orange is my mom because that is her favorite color. She always tries to hug the pain away that is why orange is all around the red and yellow". As of today Sam has had his second bone marrow transplant (the first failed) and is doing very well!

Treat the Earth Well

We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.
~ Ancient American Indian Proverb