Final Blog for Issues and Trends

The three consequences I have learned from listening to the pod casts and from the Children's Fund website.
1. There are many programs that are out there, such as the cradle to prison pipeline awareness campaign. The consequence of learning about this is my new awareness that some children from birth are at a great disadvantage and there are ways to help them.
2. Another consequence is through learning about the work of Irma Allen and Meridas Eka Yora, I have realized that even though there are children that have it very tough there is always something we can do to help them. The situation is never hopeless.
3. Another consequence is in my realizing that I can look internationally for answers to some of the problems we have in the United States.


One goal I have for the early childhood field is that we become aware that the same issues that affect us locally, are also effected by the international community. Sometimes we think of issues such as poverty, as happening far away, in another country. My goal for the future is for increased international awareness.

I would like to thank my colleagues and Dr. Klein who have supported me in this class. Some of you, I have had in classes before and I have also met new colleagues. I love the support that each of you gives to me. I also enjoyed reading the blogs, because as one person, we can learn a little bit, but as a group we can learn so much more.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

This week, I listened to the podcast  on the world forum foundation website.
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio
 I listened to Susan Lyon. She brought a 100 language exhibit to San Francisco. This website has information about the traveling exhibit. http://www.boulderjourneyschool.com/Pages/Visitors/Exhibit.html 
She started teaching children with learning and emotional disabilities. She saw windows into children's minds that were quite different. She tried to understand how children learned about the world. I personally, also find learning about how children learn fascinating. Currently, she is working with an Italian architect to rehab a San Francisco structure into the first Italian immersion preschool.

This week, I explored the web page for Unesco's "Early Childhood Care and Education". http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

One of my professional goals is to become a Behavioral Specialist, this is the step above my current position. I learned from the Unesco website about a program called The Programme for the Education of Children in Need. This program was formed in 1992 and offers a future to vulnerable children through education. The field I am in, I work and will work with children with behavioral problems. Some of the children have had rough lives. I feel so much compassion towards these children. It was heartbreaking to read the issues that go on internationally. "Many are left to fend for themselves on city streets. Others are forcibly enrolled into armies, made to work for pitiable wages or sold into sexual slavery. Wherever they are, whoever they are, exposed to violence and exploitation, abandoned or without food and shelter, education remains one of the few routes left to address their intolerable and desperate plight." (From the Unesco Website).

Another one of my professional goals is to focus my work on the children who live in poverty. The insight I learned this week is "Because poverty may lead to diminished access to medical care, increased exposure to environmental risks, and malnutrition, ill health is also often a consequence of poverty. Accordingly, ill health is both a cause and a consequence of poverty: sick people are more likely to become poor and the poor are more vulnerable to disease and disability." We have been learning about consequences, intended or unintended in class. I feel that the ill health is an unintended consequence to poverty. I had not thought about the unintended consequences regarding poverty before reading this article.

My last professional goal is to eventually lead group sessions to help children express themselves. I found it interesting that there is a conference on the day that I am writing this blog-12/17/11-entitled Freedom of Expression is a Human Right. This is taking place in Iraq. There is a new draft legislation that would limit freedom of expression. This may end up passing. I found it interesting even though the conference is not focused directly on children, but on all people and the freedom of expression. I feel strongly that many children with behavioral problems do not have the freedom of expression and I would like to have groups that would allow the children to openly express themselves.

More on Sharing Web Resources

This week I explored some of the outside links on the Children's Defense Fund (CDR) website. http://www.childrensdefense.org/ One of the areas that I found very interesting is a page that has  links to other organizations called the Outside Partners Page. This is a page that thanks various organizations that have donated money to the CDR fund. The organization Robinhood http://www.robinhood.org/home.aspx targets poverty in New York City. Robin Hood's partners with poverty fighting nonprofit organizations in New York City. They also create funds such as the 9/11 fund. Another organization that captured my interest was The Annie E. Casey Fund.  http://www.aecf.org/ This organization was founded by Jim Casey and his siblings in honor of their mother. Jim Casey had an abundance of wealth because he was the man who founded UPS. Their mission is to "help vulnerable kids and families succeed."

Today I searched a new area of the site. Previously, I read a small amount on Haley's Farm and I learned that it is a 157 acre farm that belonged to Alex Haley the famous author. This was all the information that I had read. Today I found out exactly what the story is behind this farm and the good that it does. The CDR purchased this farm in 1994.

Acccording to the CDR website, "The Children's Defense Fund and its many programs have transformed Haley Farm into a vibrant training ground for the next generation of leadership, advocacy and service for children and families."

This week in class I learned a great deal about equity and excellence in early childhood education. The CDF website addresses many of the issues I learned about.  CDF states, " Inequities in funding and resources place poor children in low-performing schools with inadequate facilities and often ineffective teachers."  CDF goes on to say, "Practices such as tracking, retention, out-of-school suspensions, and one-size-fits-all zero tolerance policies continue to contribute to the discouragement, disengagement, and eventual dropout of countless children in America." This was something new that I had not thought about before. The inequity does not stop at the preschool level, this carries on into the child's entire schooling.

One thing that I find very informational on the CDF site is the listing of statistics. I want to share the following statistics with my classmate, because I found this very eye-opening and added to the knowledge of what we learned about this week.

Schools serving mostly African-American students are twice as likely to have teachers with one or two years of experience than are schools within the same district that serve mostly White students.

Only 22 percent of local education agencies (LEAs) reported that they operated pre-k programs targeting children from low-income families.

Students with limited English proficiency make up 6 percent of the high school population (in grades 9-12), but are 15 percent of the students for whom algebra is the highest-level math course taken by the final year of their high school career.

3,000 schools serving nearly 500,000 high school students offer no algebra 2 classes, and more than 2 million students in about 7,300 schools had no access to calculus classes.

Only 2 percent of the students with disabilities are taking at least one Advanced Placement class.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 2

I listened to Irma Allen from The World Forum Podcast. http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio She lives in Swaziland, which is near Africa. She is passionate about early childhood and the nature end of it. Her main challenge is to train community people to become teachers. School is different because there are no classrooms. The classroom is the environment in which they live. The nature around them is how they learn. They have to rely on weather, if there is water, they will do an activity on water. They learn about trees, spiders, and land. I found this very interesting since this week we have discussed excellence in education and the issue of standards have been brought up many times. In the United States, we are focused on standards and there is less and less play. The natural environment in Swaziland is how the children learn and it would be interesting to see how our children in the U.S. could benefit from some sort of outside nature type learning where they are free to explore.

Next, I read the information on the Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website .  http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/
I learned many new things from this website.

The first thing I learned is about a project in Chile called "New Start". The goal is to improve the quality of early childhood education through teacher development. I am glad that Chile realizes that the start to a quality education starts with the teachers.  The goal is to improve all aspects with a main focus on child development.

The second thing I learned is that many countries are lacking in early childhood education. The Center for The Developing Child at Harvard University is connecting with other countries and using their research to help with the early childhood field in areas of health, learning, and behavior.

The third thing I learned is that the third world countries have many issues with stress related illnesses and before they can focus on the education, they have to focus on the health of the children they are teaching. One example of this, is a study in Zambia, by Gunther Fink, on the effects that the mortality rate of malaria has on child development. An anti-malaria campaign was established in 2004 to reduce malaria. Malaria has been significantly reduced, therefore the health of the children has increased. The physical benefits can be measured. The height of the children was stunted and now that malaria has been reduced, so has the stunting of height. Fink, wanted to test the emotional and cognitive progress. This is difficult to do, because he felt he would have to test this against other countries who may have access to more modern ways of living, such as the toys that the children play with. Fink has come up with questions to determine whether a child is on track developmentally. This has caused me to think about the United States and our standards and how it would be difficult in developing countries to measure with these same standards.

More Information on The Children's Defense Fund (CDF)

My current professional development focuses on better understanding of interventions used in early childhood education to ensure that disadvantaged children and children with mental health diagnoses have an equal chance. One of the programs that The Children's Defense Fund  has in place is they work to build awareness of the root causes of the Cradle to Prison Pipeline and trends that incarcerate our youth.  According to the website, "The Children's Defense Fund's vision with it's Cradle to Prison Pipeline campaign is to reduce detention and incarceration by increasing preventive supports and services children need, such as access to quality early childhood development and education services and accessible, comprehensive health and mental health coverage. Emphasis must be shifted for the sake of our children and our nation's future."

One of the articles I came upon in my readings was a comparison of black and white children. I knew that inequalities exist but I was surprised to read so many of the differences.

Black and White:

Black Children Compared to White Children

Black children are poorer.

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Three times as likely to be poor

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Nearly four times as likely to live in extreme poverty

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Seven times more likely to be persistently poor

Black children are less likely to live in traditional two parent families.

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More than twice as likely to be born to a teen mother

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More than twice as likely to live with neither parent

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Almost three times as likely to live with their mother only

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Four times as likely to be placed in foster care

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More than seven times as likely as to have a parent in prison

Black children are in poorer health.

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More than one and a half times more likely to be uninsured

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Almost twice as likely to be born at low birth weight

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More than twice as likely to die before their first birthday

Black children are behind in school.

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Half as likely to be placed in a gifted and talented class

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More than one and a half times as likely to be placed in a class for students with emotional disturbances Almost twice as likely to be placed in a class for students with mental retardation

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Two and a half times as likely to be held back or retained in school

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Almost three times as likely to be suspended from school

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More than four times as likely to be expelled

Black children are more at risk of arrest, incarceration and gun death.

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More than twice as likely to be arrested

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As likely to use drugs but twice as likely to be arrested for drug offenses and more than five times as likely to be in secure residential placements for these offenses

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More than four times as likely to be detained in a juvenile correctional facility

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More than five times as likely to be arrested for a violent crime (at ages 10-17)

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More than five times as likely to be killed by a firearm

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Black males born in 2001 are more than five times as likely as White males born that year to   be incarcerated some time during their lifetime.September 2011

The CDF advocates for rights of children. The CDF talks about various policies that are in effect that help children. An example is the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama. This act helps alleviate the stress on families and communities by investing in improvements for a range of needed services and supports, including those services that will help children in poverty. The CDF believes in the investment of children. I realized how much politicians can have an affect on our children.

Another insight that I gained  was under the Take Action link. They suggested ways to advocate for children which include, emailing and calling elected officials, write a letter or meet with an elected official, and/or write an letter to the newspaper.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

I have two contacts set up, both are from Australia. I have not heard from them this week to discuss poverty, so I chose a podcast from http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio  for this week. I am fascinated by what I learned about a man named Meridas Eka Yora. He is the founder of  TheYayasan Fajar Hidayah Foundation. There are vast amounts of orphans from the wars and fighting in Indonesia. He developed three boarding schools for the orphans of the wars. They are located in Aceh, which is a special territory on the southern tip of Indonesia. This is the site of the closest land to the epicenter of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and devastating tsunami. The tsunami left many orphaned children. The foundation took in all of these orphans.

The one thing I found so touching is the philosophy of the school. The teachers must first be the mothers and fathers to these children. They have to form a relationship of the mother and father since the children no longer have parents. They did hire many psychologists at first, but after the tsunami, they realized the best form of therapy for the children was the teacher’s relationship with the child. It is a holistic approach. The older students and younger students form relationships similar to siblings. It is very difficult for many children to accept they are orphaned. They get special treatment. He and his wife become parents to many of these children. This man sounds like such a caring individual and in my eyes he is a hero.

As of today, I have not heard back from Meridas Eka Yora or the foundation. I researched poverty in  India from the childhood poverty research website http://www.childhoodpoverty.org. I learned many things about India and poverty.  India is home to the majority of poor people in South Asia. Almost, half of the children under age 5 are malnourished. I really had to stop and wrap my mind around this. It is really hard for me to imagine this reality. This is so heart wrenching to think about. There are three programs in place to help with poverty. They are run by the central government. The three main types are rural employment creation, self-employment programs which provide subsidized loans to the self employed, and food subsidy.

The research for this blog post this week has been an eye opener for me of the realities of poverty.

My New Web Resource

The name of the organization I chose is The Children's Defense Fund. 
http://www.childrensdefense.org/

The focus of this organization is to provide every child an equal opportunity for success. The organization is an advocate for children.

I have read so much on their website and the archived newsletters. The Children's Defense Fund sponsors so many programs. One of particular interest is to dismantle, "The Cradle to Prison Pipeline". I have never heard of this term before. But the name says it all. According to the website, this is one of the worst crises that is facing black children since slavery. The goal of the program is to become Cradle to College.

This week in class we learned about changing demographics and diversity. I learned that demographics are changing and there is more diversity each day in the United States. After reading the resources and the discussions, I feel that it is important to teach children about other cultures. The Children's Defense Fund has established a weekend for the various religions to unite and make a difference in a child's life. This is called a National Observance of Children's Sabbaths weekend. This is on October 14-16.

The Children's Sabbaths brings together Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Bahá'í communities, as well as multi-faith coalitions that will lift up children in need and answer their own faith tradition’s call to pursue justice, mercy, and compassion.

What a wonderful idea for all children regardless of faith to celebrate a weekend that focuses on them and it does not matter what religion they are.

I can't wait to learn more about what the Children's Defense Fund offers.

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

 This week I have been trying to establish at least two professional contacts from a country outside of the United States. The first step I took was sending an email to someone that I know in New Zealand. I know that at one point she worked in the Early Childhood Field, but I did remember that she changed jobs, so I was not sure if she still worked with children. I received her message back and was disappointed to find out that she no longer works in this field, she now works with teens and young adults.
I also looked on two websites, http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html and http://www.naeyc.org/resources/partnership/globalalliance. I sent an email to Early Childhood Professionals in Germany, Israel, Brazil, and The Philippines, to request if I could have the opportunity to correspond with them. I have not heard back yet. I am still holding out hope that I hear something back by early of next week, I prefer to correspond directly rather than have to do the alternate and listen to the podcasts.

The early childhood website I have chosen is The Children's Defense Fund. http://www.childrensdefense.org/home.html I started reviewing the various websites that were listed and I told myself, I will know the right one when I read about it and it feels exciting and I want to learn more.  This is what I read when I knew this was the site I wanted to learn more about: 

The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) is a non-profit child advocacy organization that has worked relentlessly for over 35 years to ensure a level playing field for all children. We champion policies and programs that lift children out of poverty; protect them from abuse and neglect; and ensure their access to health care, quality education and a moral and spiritual foundation. Supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations, CDF advocates nationwide on behalf of children to ensure children are always a priority.

I am excited to read about what sites my colleagues chose. If you have not chosen one yet, read through as many as you can and go with one that you have a passion about.

My Supports

When I think of factors in my daily environment that provide support the first thoughts that come to mind are my family.

My husband is very supportive. He is supportive emotionally. I can talk to him about anything and everything. I know I can always count on him to listen. He is also supportive of anything I do. I remember when I first mentioned getting my masters, he encouraged me to do so and when I had doubts, he encouraged me. There are so many things he does for me and our family. He does not mind going on errands, he does the grocery shopping, he cooks dinner a few times a week. We are a team. It would be very stressful without his support. I remember years ago when he had surgery and for about a month, he could not help out around the house, I had to do it all. It was very stressful to juggle everything.

My children are also my support. When I have a tough day and am stressed, a few minutes with them makes it all go away. They encourage me, especially the journey I am on to get healthier.

My dad is also my support, he is 81 years old, but I can call him anytime and tell him anything and he understands and has great advice. When I tell him my accomplishments he is very proud of me. He is one of the first people I call when I need someone to talk to.

There are other supports that I have that get me through the day. First of all, my car, if I did not have my car, things would be very difficult. I would not be able to get to work. Even if I had a way to work, my car is very important to me. I would say it "supports" me and my family. Because after work, I am on the go, running my boys to soccer, band and anything else they need.

Another support is my big calendar. I keep it on the kitchen counter and put my laptop on top of it. I would never be able to keep track of everything if it were not for this calendar, it is big and I look at it all the time. Also, my laptop supports my schoolwork. It is much easier than using the desktop computer because I can move the laptop around the house to quiet spots. If I did not have the laptop, I would not be able to accomplish my school work. I also love my text messaging. I consider this support because without texting, I would be too busy to do half of what I do. I am able to arrange carpools, any change with after school sports, my son can send me a message. If I had to call various people instead of texting it would take a lot more of my time.

If I were to imagine a challenge I would imagine if I broke my leg, how difficult things would be for me. I would want and need more supports than I have. I would  need rides everywhere and I would need rides for my children, also. My laptop and texting would help me to get in touch with people and find supports that I may need. I would have to ask of my husband more than he already does, as far as housework, errands, etc. My children would have to do more and help me with things that I usually do myself. If I did not have the supports, I would not be able to work or accomplish anything around the house.

I am thankful for the supports I have.

My Connections to Play

A three year old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm.  ~Bill Vaughan

Children engage in such (free) play because they enjoy it--it's self-directed. They do not play for rewards; they enjoy the doing, not the end result. Once they get bored, they go on to do something else--and continue to learn and grow." - Sheila G. Flaxman

When I was a child, play was a great escape from a troubled childhood. I remember my sister and I going to the basement and playing for hours. There were not that many toys in the basement, but somehow we would keep busy for a long time. I loved to play board games. My favorite game was a game called Shenanigans. I never got bored playing this game.

I also loved my Barbies. My Barbies engaged my fantasy world of play. I pretended they were real and they spoke to each other. I also remember when I was about 8 years old, I had saved about $20.00 to buy the Sunshine Family dolls and the dollhouse that went with the family. I still remember my excitement and I played with this all the time.

I was not allowed to watch a lot of television, so I played a great deal through out the day. I remember pretending my stuffed animals were real and I was their doctor and I would give them checkups. I remember walking my stuffed animals in my room with a rope. My mom did not like too much noise so I learned to play very quietly. Outdoor play was fun. One of my favorite games was Jacks. My neighbors and I did all sorts of things outside, such as collecting bugs, swinging, and jump rope. Play meant freedom, I could be who I wanted and the worries of my childhood went away during play time.

The older I got the less I played. I still liked to play board games, backgammon, and chess, but life gets busy as you get older and play becomes less important... that is until I had my children. I PLAYED AGAIN!!!! I found my escape once again. I could play and escape from the reality of being a grownup. My Barbies I played with when I was younger, were soon replaced, with Rescue Heroes and Super Heroes.  Some of the games remained the same, and new games replaced the old ones. My boys are now 11 and 14, and play is different. We play family games but not as often. Play takes on new meaning but it is still possible. We play Guitar Hero and sing and play the instruments, we do the Wii Fit and take turns. Family games include Apple to Apples, Sorry, and Scattegories.

Play is much different now for children because of all of the electronics that are available. I did not have video games because they were not invented yet. It seems children play indoors for hours and hours, and when I was younger, children played outdoors for hours and hours. My children did play a great deal of hours outside and this play reminded me of my play when I was younger. My 11 year old still goes outside to play with friends, and they can spend hours out there. I hope that parents think back to when they were a child and remember all the fun they had without all of the gadgets and find time for their children to experience that kind of play.  I do believe deep down children are the same as they were when I was a child. Give a child a chance to play outdoors and they will explore the world around them.

Relationship Reflection

 When I think of relationships and why they are important to me I feel it is because that is part of what identifies me.  My relationships have changed over the years. Different people at different times in my life have been important and some have been constant. The older I get the harder it has been to maintain relationships because of location moves I have made and because life gets busy with family and work. I had lost touch with many people, but now I am back in touch with most of them, because of Facebook. For a long time. I have also found it harder to make friends  not only the older I got, but the older my children got. When they were younger, I was involved in playgroups, more involved in the schools, and stayed for their practices for sports. I met a lot of people and I became friends with a few of them.

Until recently, I did not really get together with anyone, other than at my children's soccer games. But then the most amazing thing happened in my life.

 I joined a thing called boot camp and my instructor is Jeremy on the bottom right. (I am number 180) This photo is missing a few of my other new friends. I started boot camp and I went through a transformation that I am still going through. It is more than getting fit and weight loss. (I lost 40 lbs so far and went from not being able to run a 10th of a mile to running 4 5k's and one 10 miler in the past few months) But what I did not expect was the friends I have made from this. I have not had relationships like this in many years. What makes the relationship so special is the support that we give each other. Also, the one thing that I have longed for so long was actually making time in my own life to get together with other people. This has finally happened, we see each other at boot camp, but we also plan runs together. During the runs, I develop more of a relationship as I run individually with different people. We talk about our lives, our problems, things in the past and present, its been a long time since I have had that type of friend.

I feel I can use this new experience in my professional life in the early childhood field. I will come in contact with many types of people, which may or may not be like myself. It may be hard to connect with some, but if I can find one common ground to begin with, that will improve my relations. My new friends, come from a variety of backgrounds and ages. As you can see from the picture, there are a variety of ages, body sizes, etc but we have been able to connect and I hope to bring this to my professional life.

My other important relationship is my husband of 18 years. He is next to me in the runners picture and here we are, just the two of us. 

My husband, my best friend, I can truly say this. When I think of our relationship, and what factors contribute to developing and maintaining it is coming out strong through hard times. We have always stuck together during difficult times and became stronger each time. We are partners in life and have to deal with things together. We may not always agree, but we learn to compromise.

Quotes about Child Development

Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it.  ~Harold Hulbert

A child seldom needs a good talking to as a good listening to.  ~Robert Brault

Assessing Children

In today's educational world, you hear the phrase, "teach the test". This refers to standardized testing. The schools are pressured to get a certain score for the school, so many months are spent "teaching the test". If the scores are not what the government would like them to be, the school gets put on a probationary period. I believe in some areas the scores will always be low and it is not the teachers fault. I believe that if you view a young child holistically, you will take into account, the differences in the areas where the children are being raised. I do think testing is important to know where a child is in regards to certain standards, however, I think the school should strive for more than just a test score.

In Italy, they are also tested. I found this from the website. http://rome.angloinfo.com/countries/italy/schooling.asp
Children ages 11-14, go to lower secondary school.  Every term, each student receives a teacher's report outlining their aptitude, behaviour and achievement. At the end of the third year, pupils sit a standard examination consisting of written papers in Italian, as well as exams in mathematics, science and a foreign language. An oral exam is also administered in all subjects except religion. Successful students are awarded their lower secondary school diploma (diploma di licenza media) and move on to upper secondary school.

In order to received the upper secondary school diploma (diploma di maturità), students must take and pass written and oral exams. The first written exam requires an essay in Italian on an aspect of literature, history, society or science. The second written test is essentially a research/term paper and pertains to the student's chosen specialisation. The third exam is more general and includes questions regarding contemporary issues and the student's chosen foreign language. Administered by a board of six teachers, an oral exam follows the written exams, and queries students on what they've learned in the final year of school. The diploma awarded is dependent on the type of school attended. 


 I found it interesting to learn about Italy and their strict standards. I only hear about the United States and the complaints about Standardized testing. One thing that is new to Pennsylvania, (this is the state I live in) are the Keystone exams. They are being given to high school students in certain subject areas. If they do not pass this test, they do not pass the class. Also, in order to graduate from high school in the town I live in, the student must pass the Pennsylvania State Standardized Assessment with a proficient. This does not treat the student holistically. Students that do not test well, may not have a good outcome.

Stressors In My Childhood And In Children Around The World

Chaos- http://www.thefreedictionary.com/chaotic-
completely unordered and unpredictable and confusing

     This is a great description of my childhood. I grew up in a very chaotic household. I did not realize it until I was in 2nd grade and I was walking home from school with a friend and she said to me "My mom said the reason your moms yells so much and she acts that way is because your brother died". I did not know what she meant by the way my mom acts. I went home and told my sister what my friend said. We started talking and thinking about the things my mom did and at that moment we realized something was not "normal' in this house. I came to realize that your mom yelling all night long because she was in a mood and I could not go to school the next day, was anything but normal. Life was chaotic because it was so unpredictable. Some of my memories were my mom ripping up my homework, lighting a match and throwing it on the stairs, taking a knife and threatening to kill me and never knowing if she was in a "good" mood or "bad" mood. She would either by laughing and happy or laying in bed all day or sitting on the couch not really doing anything. I hated it but I never knew anything else.

     The question is how did I cope or compensate for that stressor.  I tried to block a lot of it out. I was embarrassed and would not discuss how my mom behaved, although friends and neighbors knew something was going on, especially the neighbors because they could hear her yelling so much. I never discussed it with anyone in school elementary or middle school.  I remember in high school, my sister and I went to the school psychologist to talk about it. It did not change anything.  When I was 20, I started becoming more open about my childhood. I let go of the fact that it was a "secret". I wish I knew about support systems or resources or that an adult would have become involved. There was no one who offered that support.

     Children of all nations experience stressors. I was interested in Africa and found that children in Southern Africa have three main stressors: Lack of food, lack of social services, and the widespread epidemic of HIV/AIDS. These are major stressors for children. A child who is lacking the proper food nutrients and feeling the pangs of hunger must not be able to do a lot physically or cognitively when all they are thinking about is their next meal. The social services are lacking due to funding so the children do not have resources to help with their stressors. HIV and AIDS can affect families, not only with the death of a loved one, but when members of a family are sick they may not be able to work the way they used to, which makes it hard to bring money in. The children may feel they have to work to bring money into the household.

     There are things that can be done to minimize the harm that is done to children, but sometimes this is  trading one stressor for another. For example, a family that cannot feed themselves adequately, may make their children drop out of school and help with the income. So now we have a child taking on adult responsibilities and not receiving a proper education. Also, women may put themselves in danger of getting HIV, because they are trying to get money for their family. They may get more money but if they are sick, in the long run, this will make matters worse. The family is focused on basic needs and can't get beyond that.

   There are some things that have been done to help with some of the problems. Some of the schools are now free, prior they charged for education. Education of Hiv/Aids is helping the spread. There is a lot to be done, but I feel for the children something MUST be done.

Breastfeeding

I chose breastfeeding as a public health issue that is meaningful to me. I breastfed both of my sons. I knew I wanted to breastfeed and I had a good support system that helped me during the first few weeks. My sisters gave me advice. The nurses who came in to my room, helped me, also.  I belonged to a moms group at the hospital and we met every Friday, I was able to talk to other moms who were breastfeeding. The biggest support was my husband. I had a hard time with my recovery from my first c-section. I was exhausted from a baby not sleeping at night. I remember one night, during the first week home, I was beyond exhausted, my baby was hungry, my husband knew how much I wanted to breastfeed and he said to just sleep and he will put our baby to my breast and he will make sure he is nursing. I feel like I had a great deal of support.

According to,  http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/reportcard.htmHigh breastfeeding initiation rates show that most mothers in the United States want to breastfeed and are trying to do so. 3 out of 4 mothers start out breastfeeding.  However, even from the very start, mothers may not be getting the breastfeeding support they need.  Low breastfeeding rates at 3, 6, and 12 months illustrate that mothers continue to face multiple barriers to breastfeeding. One of the barriers is lack of support.

I researched breastfeeding in India. I found it very interesting to find out that many still feed goat milk to their babies.  Every year, almost two million Indian children die before their fifth birthday, most of them from preventable causes. UNICEF estimates that only about 46 per cent of infants in India are exclusively breastfed – a practice which builds immunity, protects against under-nutrition and gives babies the best start in life. http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/india_54058.html  Currently, Unicef is trying to educate the people of India to the benefits of breastfeeding. I believe the reason for higher deaths when an infant is not nursed compared to an infant not nursed in the United States is because we have formula and we can mix that formula with fresh water. In India, they are using goat milk and they are feeding babies water that can be contaminated.  Indian women were led to believe the first few days where the babies drink just the colostrum, was unhealthy and the women would throw this away. Now there are educators who are passionate about promoting breastfeeding, so the woman are becoming more aware of the facts vs. the myths.

The information about educationing people on benefits of breastfeeding will benefit me in other areas. I realize that although I may think most people know certain things, whether it is about breastfeeding or child development, they may need to be educated. I can't assume that they know things that I may know from my learnings.

Birthing Experience

     When I think back to the birth of my two children, they were difficult for me, but with the interventions of medicine in the United States that we take for granted both of my children were born healthy.

     I had 24 hours of labor with both of my children, both were back labor. I had an epidural with my first son about 12 hours into labor, but with my second son, the epidural came much later and it never fully took, so I still had pain. My first son Matthew, was an emergency C-section, although my contractions were very strong and close together, I only dialated to 4 cm after 24 hours. All of a sudden, all of these doctors were in the room, including the chief of staff and they said we have to do an emergency c-section, his heart rate was falling every time I contracted, so off I went. I did not want another c-section for my second son, Connor, so I opted against it. After 24 hours of labor again, my doctor said you are only 4cm, even with pitocin and although the contractions are strong, she felt I would never progress and if I went on to have another child, I would not progress either. She told me that in the next hour or so she will perform a c-section, they had to give me a spinal, because my epidural did not take.

     A woman in Afghanistan would most likely have not survived and neither would her children. More women die in childbirth than any where else in the world.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/may/06/delivering-safe-childbirth-afghanistan
I felt like crying after reading about this. I thought about my own birthing experience and what it would be like in Afghanistan. I had failure to progress and I would never have delivered these babies without a c-section. Most women give birth in a sitting position in their own home. I am not sure why they are not allowed to lay down. Even if there is a clinic to go to, it takes hours to get to most of them, they are not allowed out without their husband and their husbands only want a female doctor to look at them. There is not any way to monitor the fetal heartbeat in the house, so I would not have known that the heart rate was going down. The short car ride to the hospital was so painful for me, I can't imagine that in Afganistan, the women who do try to get to a clinic sometimes have to go by camel for 3 days.

     The differences in my story and the Afghanistan stories are vast, the simliarities are that we are females who are about to have a baby and want that baby to survive, in the U.S. survival is expected, in Afganistan, the survival of both mother and baby are against all odds. A child that survives already has the odds stacked against them due to the poor nutrition and the lack of clean drinking water that the mother gets. A child is a miracle but in Afghanistan a miracle is an understatement.

Ethics

There is a code of ethics for Early Childhood Professionals. Below are three that are important in my work and how they apply to me.

1. In cases where family members are in conflict with one another, we shall work openly, sharing our observations of the child, to help all parties involved make informed decisions. We shall refrain from becoming an advocate for one party.

This is significant in my professional life. More times than not, I work with clients whose parents are in conflict.  Sometimes, I can tell they are trying to get me “on their side”. It is  important not to take sides or even if internally you feel you are siding with one over the other, it is important to stay neutral.

2. Respect diversity in children, families, and colleagues.

This is part of my professional life every day. I work with so many different cultures and diverse children, families, and staff. This is part of what I love about my job so much, the diversity of people.

3. We shall recognize our responsibility to improve the developmental outcomes of children and to

provide services and supports in a fair and equitable manner to all families and children.

This is what my work is all about. It is about improving the emotional development of children by providing services through uses of interventions.

           

Additional Resources

http://www.autismspeaks.org/
This organization is a national organization that focuses on autism. There is a chapter in the county I live in and I know of many people who go to their meetings, fundraisers, and lectures. If you are not familiar with Autism Speaks, please take a moment to go to their website.

http://www.family-rules.com/
Positive Parenting with a Plan :Family Rules- By Dr. Matthew Johnson. This is the name of a book.  I listened to the dvd version of this book for a training for work and I was hooked. He focuses his lectures to people in the early childhood field, to teach to parents what Positive Parenting is all about. I also used some of it with my own kids. I took some parts of it and put it into action and it worked. There are simple things like, instead of saying to a child, clean your room, and they say when I get to a save on X-Box (very typical in my house) you give them a time that it has to be done. So now I will say to my older son, the yard must be mowed by Saturday at 5:00 and it gets done without arguing. I love his program. The link above is to his website and it gives you a preview of what is in his book.

http://www.prektoday.org/
I recently was in a Pre K Counts classroom with a client. I had heard of the term before but was not sure what it was all about. Below is a summary from their website. 
The Pennsylvania Pre K Counts program, established in the 2007-2008 school-year by the Department of Education, enables 3- and 4- year old children at risk of academic failure to voluntarily attend quality half- and full-day pre-K programs that meet the early learning standards and State Board of Education pre-K regulations and are delivered through a diverse service delivery system in public schools, Head Start, child care centers and nursery schools. PA Pre-K Counts is designed for 3- and 4-year-old children who are at risk of school failure, either because of income (300 percent of the federal poverty level), language (English is not your first language), cultural or special needs issues.

Words of Wisdom, Inspiration, and a Few Facts from the Early Childhood Field

Dr. Stanley Greenspan on Self-Esteem: “In order to feel good about himself, a child must be successful in his own eyes, not just in your eyes. Self-esteem is an inner feeling: Sometimes it corresponds with outer reality, and sometimes it doesn't.”

Aisha Ray: "Only 12% of early childhood teachers courses address diversity." 

Louise Derman-Sparks:  “I had, I think, a built in passion that it was important to make a real contribution to the world and to fix all the injustices that existed in the world.” 

Raymond Hernandez MS Ed:  “I think my passion comes from wanting to make a difference.”  “I truly believe that I am not here to save the world, I’m here to just make a difference in the community I am working.”

My Childhood Web

This is a recent picture of my dad and my sister.
My special people in my life are:
My dad-My father was the calm in my life in a very chaotic household. He was always there for me, took me everywhere, car pooled me around, introduced me to miniature golf, took me to the grocery store with him, went with me to open my first savings account. I could talk to him about anything. He always made me feel that I could do anything. My dad is 80 years old and lives in Michigan and I still can call him up and talk about anything. He is very proud of me and lets me know that. He says to me, "I have to really hand it to you, you are ambitious."  The words I will never forget that he said to me was when I was 20 years old and moving to Florida, he said don't ever feel like you are trapped there, if things don't go well, call me and I will get you home. Well, things did not go well and sure enough he made arrangements for me to come home.

My sister Tobi-She is 6 years older than me and when I was growing up, she took good care of me, she was my protector in the house. Our rooms were right next to each other and when my mom was in one of her moods, she would call me into her room and teach me things, like colors, letters, reading and we would ignore everything else. When I was 12, she went away to college and I cried. She always showed me she cared. We went through some fighting as we got older, but now we are closer than anything. She is not only my sister but one of my best friends. She also lives in Michigan, but are still close, we call or text almost every day. She is the first person I call when I have something exciting to share or any problem that I have. She always encourages me and helps me believe in myself.

Two children that have touched my heart

When my son Connor was in 2nd grade, he was diagnosed with Perthes Disease, his femoral head was collapsing. He had an external fixator surgically applied into his hip by 7 long screws. He spent 2nd grade in a wheelchair. Connor was an active soccer player and could no longer run. (He is 11 now and doing great, and is on a premier soccer team). Connor stayed inside for recess and could pick two friends to stay with him. He chose another boy, who loved to play chess. They became fast friends. His mom called me and asked if they could have a play date, because her son has aspergers and he has a hard time socially and making friends. My son never realized he had aspergers. A few of Connor's friends did not call as much since they probably were not sure how he would be able to play. This story has always touched my heart and I repeat it often how my son who was physically handicapped at the time and the other boy who had a mental health diagnosis, became good friends and did not judge each other. To this day, they are still friends and to this day, Connor has no idea that his friend has aspergers.