Time Well Spent

Throughout this program I have gained a deeper understanding on what is need to be an anti-bias early childhood professional in today’s ever changing society.  Completing my Masters of Science in Early Childhood Studies with a specialization in Teaching and Diversity in Early Childhood has provided me with the needed framework to create an anti-bias learning environment for children and their families.  An anti-bias learning environment provides children with opportunities to demonstrate self-awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social interactions.  Children are also provided opportunities to express comfort with others from ethnic groups outside of their own as well as increasingly recognize unfairness.

My long-term goal is to continue networking with other early childhood professionals as well as advocate for children and their families around the world. 

Finally, I would like to thank all my instructors that have contributed to my journey as well as my colleagues who have worked so hard to complete this program.  I wish everyone the best in all that they do:)

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

I found the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), the International Child Resource Institute (ICRI), and the International Early Childhood Education (ICF) to be international organizations or communities of practice that are appealing to me and my journey as an early childhood educator. 

The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) is an organization dedicated to promoting the optimal education and development of children through various programs and projects that align with ACEI's commitment to bridging the gap between global initiatives and local needs by recognizing the significance of promoting international and intercultural understanding through dialogue and mutual respect.  I found ACEI to be an appealing organization because of their tagline: "Bright futures for every child, every nation".  Their tagline highlights their commitment to the field of early childhood education by supporting and advocating for access to education, equity in educational settings, quality educational content, and the child's right to education.

The International Child Resource Institute (ICRI) is an international organization that envisions a world in which all children and families are able to fulfill their greatest potential.  ICRI addresses their vision by providing children and their families with resources for early childhood care and education, children’s rights, empowerment of women and girls, maternal and child health, and grassroots community development.  I found the ICRI to be appealing because I fully agree with their philosophy of early childhood care and education.  ICRI believes that all children deserve access to high quality, stimulating, developmentally appropriate early childhood care and education. In addition, ICRI believes that early intervention promotes the healthy growth and development of children and their families as well as communities. 

The International Early Childhood Education (ICF) is an international organization that works toward quality enhancement of early childhood programs in India.  ICF established an Early Education Services program to address some of the major challenges facing early childhood education in India.  For example, updated national early childhood education standards; a national licensing and accreditation system; child care resource and referral system; and professional development system.  I found ICF to be an appealing international organization because they provide early childhood education training and technical assistance, conducts research and evaluation, and supports corporate child care in India by guiding children and their families through projects and planning processes that are supported by research.  Organizations like ICF are conducting research that is valuable to the field of early childhood education not just for children and their families in India. 

The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), the International Child Resource Institute (ICRI), and the International Early Childhood Education (ICF) are currently not hiring professionals.  However, I will follow their websites as valuable resources to share with children and their families.   

References

ACEI. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.acei.org/

ICF International: A Technology, Policy, and Management Consultancy. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.icfi.com/

International Child Resource Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.icrichild.org/

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

The three national/federal organizations or communities of practices that appealed to me are the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE), and Association for Early Learning Leaders.  I found these three associations to be very valuable resources for children and their families as well as other early childhood professionals.  The NAEYC is the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children and their families.  The NAECTE promotes professional growth for early childhood educators; advocates for improvements in early childhood teacher education; provides a forum for consideration of issues and concerns of interest to early childhood educators; provides a communication network for early childhood educators; and cooperates with other national and international organizations concerned with the study and education of young children.  The Association for Early Learning Leaders is the nation's leader among associations serving child care owners, directors, and administrators. The goal of the organization is to enhance the knowledge, skills and abilities of the people who lead the child care industry.

The NAEYC, NAECTE, and the Association for Early Learning Leaders are currently not hiring; however, I would be interested in a position with one of these organizations as a child and family advocate. With my Bachelors of Arts in Child Development and (coming very soon) Masters of Science in Early Childhood Studies as well as my 14 years of experience in the field of early childhood education I am more than qualified to advocate for children and their families.

Reference

Early Learning Leaders. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.naccp.org/

NAECTE - Home. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.naecte.org/

National Association for the Education of Young Children | NAEYC. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/     

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The three local/state organizations that contribute to the field of early childhood that I found appealing are California Association for the Education of Young Children (CAEYC), California Head Start Association (CHSA), and First 5 Sacramento.  CAEYC is dedicated to advancing excellence throughout the field of early childhood education in the state of California. I choose CAEYC because of their objectives for the field of early childhood education: (1) focus on providing members with a successful annual conference and other professional development opportunities; (2) improve our public policy and advocacy efforts to become more proactive in addressing the issues affecting the profession; (3) raise the strength, effectiveness and expertise of the leadership at the State and Affiliate levels ("California Association for the Education of Young Children", n.d.).  CAEYC’s objectives  resonated with me because their objectives influenced me to continue to become the best anti-bias early childhood professionals that advocate for children and families on various issues that are affecting the development of children because addressing the various issue in the field of early childhood education can feel like a no win, but to know that  we have an organization like CAEYC in more corner fighting the same battles influences me to keep fighting for the betterment of the field of early childhood education and the children and their families that are being served. 

California Head Start Association (CHSA) is the unified voice providing leadership and advocacy for the Head Start community in California as well as provides the field of early childhood education with up-to-date information from the Capitol in Sacramento and our nation’s Capital in Washington DC.  CHSA is an organization that is contributing to the field of early childhood education by providing a framework for early childhood programs that focus on children reaching their full potential, and the success of every child including at-risk children and their families.  I choose CHSA because of their organization’s values coincide with the values of their partner National Head Start Association (NHSA).  NHSA values are (1) we are determined to play a valued leadership role in this country's efforts to educate and serve its most vulnerable children and families; (2) we are actively committed to being a high-impact organization; (3) we value partnerships and collaboration and are intent on transforming ourselves into a relationship-based organization; (4) we are accountable to our members and funders, practicing the highest standards of governance and financial stewardship, ensuring transparency in our operations and living up to the highest standards of quality ("National Head Start Association - Home", n.d.).  CHSA shared values make me feel like I can do my part as an early childhood professionals to build relationships with other professionals as well as children and their families which will ultimately aid in addressing issue of equity in the field of early childhood education. 

First 5 Sacramento funds program services that give families the needed tools to ensure their children reach their fullest potential due to the fact that children’s first five years effect their brain devolvement dramatically.  For instance, First 5 Sacramento funds like Health Access and Utilization, Oral Health, Nutrition and Physical Activity, Quality Early Care and Education, School Readiness, and Effective Parenting.  I choose First 5Sacramento because the programs they offer are great local resources that I share with the children and their families I serve. 

California Association for the Education of Young Children (CAEYC), California Head Start Association (CHSA), and First 5 Sacramento currently have various job opportunities, but I am not interested in these opportunities because I am focused on operating a family child care home that focuses on accommodating the individual needs of 12 children and their families on a smaller more personal level. However, I am qualified for positions due to having my Bachelor’s of Art in Child Development and 14 years of experience working in the field of early childhood education.  Finally, knowing that I am qualified to work for reputable organizations that impact the lives of children and their families makes me feel compelled to continue to further my education as an attempt to become a more valuable resource for children and their families.

References

California Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://caeyc.org/main/page/navhome

National Head Start Association - Home. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nhsa.org/

National Head Start Association - Home. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nhsa.org/

Reflecting on Learning

My hopes for my future as an early childhood professional and for the children and families I serve are to:

• Create a culturally responsive learning environment for all children and their families
•  Include all children’s family structures in learning environment
•  Build invaluable relationships with families as an attempt to build children and their families’ strengths

I would also like to thank all my colleagues for contributing to my learning experiences throughout this course!!  Your thoughts and inputs have contributed to me become an anti-bias early childhood professional.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I choose to focus on Ethiopia because my friends just recently adopted a baby from there.  I was curious to know what type of environment their little guy came from as an attempt to better understand why my friends choose to adopt a child from Ethiopia. 

                The children in Ethiopia are facing challenges that are affecting their development.  For instance, children are not receiving proper nutrition due to living in poverty that contributes to their ability to achieve developmental milestones.  For instance, ‘’not long ago, it was common for children under the age of 5 to receive treatment for severe malnutrition in this Ethiopian community. Today, a community-based nutrition programs is keeping children strong and healthy and families resilient’’ ("UNICEF - Ethiopia - Celebrating nutrition achievements in Wolaita", n.d.).  Through these community based nutrition programs children are weighed as an attempt to evaluate malnutrition.  After children are weighed, mothers are either counseled on possible reasons, provided solutions, and/or praised and then encouraged to continue feeding children property. 

                The community based nutrition programs in Ethiopia are influencing children’s emotional well being and development by providing them with resources to counterbalance their quality of life which influence children to thrive and achieve developmental milestones as a result because ‘’young children from food-insecure households are two-thirds more likely to be at risk of developmental problems than those from households with enough to eat’’ ("Nutrition & Child Development | No Kid Hungry | End Child Hunger in America", n.d.).  For instance, in the past children in Ethiopia were dying at an increasingly high rate due to severe malnutrition, but now Ethiopia provides mothers with resources to prevent malnutrition instead of treating malnutrition.  Focusing on prevention of malnutrition instead of treatment of malnutrition in children in Ethiopia has contributed to malnutrition rates dropping from 20% to 5%, and severe malnutrition rates dropping from 5% to about 1% ("UNICEF - Ethiopia - Celebrating nutrition achievements in Wolaita", n.d.).

                Concluding this assignment, I feel I have insight that has aided me in better understanding how children are affected by malnutrition.  Children around the world are affected by poverty that contributes to why they experience severe malnutrition.  The children in Ethiopia seem to be facing more issues with malnutrition in comparison to children in United States because here in the United States we have various resources in place in for children that provide them nutrition regardless of their families’ inability to provide these basic needs.  It makes me appreciate the programs we have in place here to counterbalance children and their families’ hardships. 

References

Nutrition & Child Development | No Kid Hungry | End Child Hunger in America. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nokidhungry.org/problem/nutrition-child-development

UNICEF - Ethiopia - Celebrating nutrition achievements in Wolaita. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/ethiopia_70117.html

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

After reading this week’s resource The Sexualization of Childhood by Diane Levin, I feel compelled to counterbalance the highly sexualized environments children are being raised in that are based on gender stereotypes created by society that are encouraged in the media and marketing.  According to Levin, ‘’children’s idea about what it is to be a boy and girl and about the nature of sex and sexuality develop gradually and are greatly influenced by the information provided by their environment’’ (Derman-Sparks, Edwards, & National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2010, p. 96).  These stereotypes about gender provide children with a narrow definition of gender and sexuality that focus predominately on appearance.  As a result, children are learning to treat themselves and others as objects.  Instead of children focusing on trying to fit the mold for gender and sexuality that society has created, children should be exposed to engaging in positive age appropriate learning experiences that provide them with a healthy foundation for future sexual relationships. 

                In today’s society, the media markets violent toys and games that are geared to boys.  For example, while watching Ninja Turtles on television, the majority of the commercial advertisements were for guns or battle type toys that fight each other that focused on enticing boys.  But when I changed the channel to My Little Pony the commercial advertisements were mainly Barbie’s, dolls, and house cleaning toys.  I found this to interesting because there are so many gender stereotypes within the advertisements that influence boys to be aggressive in their play while influencing girls to prepare for motherhood and wifehood.  I remember growing up seeing the Lincoln Log commercials that showed both boys and girls playing with them, but when I watch television now with my daughter most commercials tend to focus on one gender at a time instead encouraging children to engage with toys that they find interesting.  This epidemic of gender focused toys is influencing fathers to think their sons cannot play with dolls even though their sons are mimicking how their fathers treat them.  I find it ironic that the media encourages girls to be good mothers through the toys they expose them to in the media, while boys are not encourage to be good fathers. 

                Gender stereotypes and sexualization affect the healthy development of children due to fact that these stereotypes affect children’s social identities as well as how they view others. Gender stereotypes and sexualization contribute to children developing gender roles that are deemed social appropriate for their gender.  As an attempt to counterbalance the gender stereotypes and sexualization children are exposed to in their environments, we as early childhood professionals can encourage children to show respect for their bodies; read books about the body to familiarize children with all aspects of it; help children develop a wide range of behaviors that get beyond stereotypes; and work at all levels to create a society that supports the healthy sexual development of children as well as limit the ability of corporations to use sex to sell to children (Derman-Sparks, Edwards, & National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2010).

Concluding this week’s learning materials, I feel more aware of the sexualization and how it influences children’s development.  I was completely aware of the increasing sexual content children are being exposed to, but I was not fully aware of how to address this epidemic in my early childhood education program outside of discussing the importance of equality.  The resources provided me with information that I can use in my early childhood education program when addressing the issue of sexualization and gender stereotyping.  For instance, I can talk with children about gender anatomy; help children distinguish between anatomy and identity; work sensitively with families; help children try out new learning centers; establish nonsexist routines and experiences; and build children’s skills for thinking critically and taking action (Derman-Sparks, Edwards, & National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2010). 

Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., Edwards, J. O., & National Association for the Education of Young Children (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children