Final Blog Assignment

One consequence of learning about the international early childhood field for my professional and personal development was learning how other countries feel as though high-quality education for young children is just as important as the early childhood professionals in the United States and therefore go to great lengths to provide professional development for the teachers. Another was learning that the girls in the United States should not take education for granted as I found out that there are countries who do not encourage educating girls and in fact refuse to educate girls in some cases.  Lastly, I learned that there are so many different variables that prevent young children from receiving, not just quality education but, education period. Things such as poverty, distance to the school, illness and diseases, and having to enter the workforce to help provide for the family all play a role in the children not receiving an education.  One goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations would be continued communication and networking with early childhood education professionals in other countries in an attempt to all get on one accord and have the same standards set in place to ensure all young children receive high-quality education……as my colleagues continue in their professional path I wish them great success. It has been a pleasure learning from them all, gaining new insights, receiving support, encouragement, and constructive criticism through posts, and providing support to them as well.

 

 

Getting to know your international contacts part 3

The conclusion of the Sub Saharan Arica 2012 Education for All Report that was presented in November states that never in African history has so much been achieved in education over such a short period of time and governments are legitimately proud of their achievements. But the gap between the have and have-nots in education remains too large. Across Sub Saharan Africa, there is a general awareness that the last decade has witnessed unprecedented progress in the development of education. Net Enrollment Ratio in primary education had increased from 58% in 1999 to 76% by 2010 and the Gender parity index from 0.85 to 0.93 over the same period of time. Enrollment in secondary education more than doubled from 20.8 million to 43.7 million to grasp the full significance of the dividends yielded by the Education for All effort across the region within a decade. Despite the great achievements however, very few countries in the sub Saharan African region will reach the Education for All goals by the year 2015. The international community set the goals in 2000 during the World Education Forum in Dakar.While the prospects are positive for Universal Primary Education and Gender equality, the challenges are particularly daunting for the remaining four goals, namely early childhood care and education, youth and adult skills, adult literacy and the issue of quality. Here again the figures from Africa speak for themselves: 31 million children are out of school, 35% of the youth has no access to secondary education or technical skills development, and 163 adults are illiterate. 36% of the children in eastern and southern Africa reaching the minimum required level of maths competences against 43% in central and West Africa. 35% of children in west and central Africa acquire the minimum level of reading at the end of primary education against 64% of the children in eastern and southern Africa. “The gaps are simply too large and with the decreasing international assistance to education, resources are just not enough to bridge the differences,” comments Rodrigues. “Urgent action is needed to improve the quality of education in sub-Saharan Africa.

" The scale and diversity of mobile learning projects in the United Kingdom and Denmark indicate that sustained government investment is necessary to roll out large projects which effectively use mobile phones for learning. Secondary school teachers in Europe, beyond using mobile phones to enrich the delivery of education, have recently begun asking students to practice technical and critical thinking skills by designing their own mobile applications. These trends and illustrative projects, among others, are detailed in the newly released papers about mobile learning in Europe. The papers are an essential component of the broader UNESCO Working Paper Series on Mobile Learning. The Series scans the global to provide concrete examples of how mobile technologies, due largely to their availability and affordability, can respond to unique educational challenges in different contexts; supplement and enrich formal schooling; and, in general, make learning everywhere more accessible, equitable, and personalized.

“Stand up for Malala -- Stand up for girls’ right to education!” is the rallying cry of an advocacy event, taking place at UNESCO’s Paris Headquarters on 10 December, the United Nations Human Rights Day. Organized by UNESCO and the Government of Pakistan, the event will accelerate political action to ensure every girl’s right to go to school, and to advance girls’ education as an urgent priority for achieving Education For All.The event pays tribute to Malala Yousafazi, an astonishingly brave 15 year old girl who survived an assassination attempt for her determined efforts to defend girls’ education in Paskistan, after the Taliban outlawed schools for girls in her native Swat Valley. The human rights to education and gender equality were both violated by this action. “Whenever and wherever a young girl is forbidden from going to school, it’s an attack against all girls, against the right to learn, the right to live life to the full; and it is unacceptable,” declared UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova last month in an official manifestation of support for Malala. Indeed, there is no justification – be it cultural, economic or social – for denying girls and women an education. Humanity stands as a single community when united around human rights and fundamental freedoms. Malala’s struggle highlights a devastating reality: Girls make up the majority of the world’s 61 million out-of-school children. They are less likely than boys to enter primary school. Harmful practices such as early marriage, gender-based violence, discriminatory laws, prevent them from enrolling in or completing school. Educational disparities start at the youngest ages and continue into adulthood. Women represent two thirds of the world’s 775 million illiterates. Despite making breakthroughs in higher education, women still account for just 29 per cent of researchers.

 

 

 

 

 

Sharing Web Resources

The outside links I explored led to issues about free parent brochures and guides, maltreatment, child abuse and neglect, school readiness, and impact of trauma to name a few.  The area I chose to search was school readiness.  This issue is important to me because I mentor teachers and assist in preparing young children for kindergarten on a daily basis in my profession.  The link contained a web-based, interactive tool designed to help parents and caregivers support their young children's early learning.  You'll find age-based information on how children develop the four key skills - language and literacy skills, thinking skills, self-confidence and self-control that are critical to later school success.  No new information was available on school readiness, nor was there any information pertaining to or adding to my understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education to be found in any of the links. 

Sharing Web Resources

The information that was relevant to my current professional development was play and school readiness.  No ideas or statements discussed in the e-newsletter was controversial to me or made me think about an issue in new ways.  I agreed with all the information contained in the article.  The information contained in the website that added to my understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field was implementing several early learning programs and encouraging early literacy programs. 

Getting To Know Your International Contact

The country I chose to read about childhood poverty in is India.  India is home to the majority of poor people in South Asia. Between 1973 and 2000, the percentage of the population below the poverty line declined continuously from 54.9% to and estimated 26%. In health, the country is undergoing an epidemiological transition.  There continues to be high rates of communicable diseases, malnutrition, maternal and perinatal illnesses, predominantly among poor people.  There are also growing rates of non-communicable diseases, while rapid urbanization is resulting in new health problems, such as HIV/AIDS, which is placing greater strains on society and the health of the poor in particular. An estimated 400 million of the population are between 0-18 years old.  Life for many of the children is very bad. Almost half ot all the children under the age of 5 are malnutritioned and 34% of new-borns are significantly underweight. India accounts for 20% of the world's out-of-school children and has the largest number of working children in the world. Girls livig in India have limited life chances and lower rates of school enrollment.  Ecology, livelihood sources and the social structure vary substantially across Rajasthan. As elsewhere in India, caste, class, ethnicity and gender strongly affect access to resources of all kinds. Official statistics suggest that poverty has declined from 33.3 percent to 13.5 percent between 1973 and 2000, though these figures are controversial.  Rajasthan's health indicators are amongst the poorest in the country, reflecting poverty, difficult living conditions and the fact that the primary health care has not reached a large majority of poor people, especially women and children, dalits and communities living in remote areas. Educational access, enrolment and achievement remain important challenges. The problems of children from underprivileged communities i.e. scheduled (disadvantaged) castes and tribes and minorities are exacerbated by both the lack of access to and poor quality of teaching and educational facilities and the lack of effort to make schools inclusive of all children. India's anti poverty programmes are mainly run by the central government. There are three main types - rural employment creation and infrastructure development programmes; self-employment; and food subsidy programmes. All three have been subject to reform in recent years to ensure better targeting and coverage. The largest food subsidy programme is the Public Distribution System, which is explicitly targeted towards the poor. The Swaran Jayanti Swarozgar Yojana, is a self-employment programme providing subsidised loans to self help groups. Besides these there are the rural works programmes. There are two main schemes under this- the Employment Assurance scheme and the Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana, which. focuses on infrastructure development to be undertaken by the Gram panchayats or village local governments. All the programmes are giving a greater role to rural local government for implementation and for beneficiary selection and monitoring. The largest programme specifically targeted at children in the 0-6 age group is the Integrated Child Development Services Programme (ICDS). It is a centrally sponsored scheme covering all states. One new insight I have about poverty is that contraception never seems to be addressed. I just can't wrap my mind around living in poverty, but continue to reproduce. Why would people keeping having children when they are well aware of the fact that they can't take care of them. The government goes through all these different approaches to reduce poverty, but I feel they should be passing out birth control methods...Michael Jackson said "If you can't feed your baby, then don't have babies"......I agree!!!

Sharing Web Resources

The organization that I selected is Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. The link is http://zttcfn.pub30.convio.net/child-development/from-baby-to-big-kid/. This organization is a national, nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. This organization's focus is to promote good health, strong families, positive early learning experiences, and development of infants and toddlers. One issue that caught my attention was parenting from a distance.  I feel the importance of this issue is greatly overlooked.  Parents who are separated from their children due to divorce, hospitalization, incarceration, foster care, military deloyment and other work related relocation are offered emotional support during these stressful circumstances.  There is definitely a need for these types of support groups.

Establishing Professional Contacts

I have chosen to take the alternate route to Part 1 of this assignment.  Honestly, I just have too much on my plate at the moment to choose the option of attempting to contact and communicate with an early childhood professional outside of the United States.  I am a single parent of 3 and a full-time employee.  Its hard enough for me to balance all that I have going on right now in my personal/professional life, reading the required resources, doing the applications, and responding in depth to discussion questions. I cant imagine adding finding time to contact and communicate with someone else.  If anyone has any suggestions I am definitely open to hearing them.  The organization I chose is Zero to Three: National Cener for Infants, Toddlers, and Families.

My Supports

I would have to say that the number one support in my life is God. It is definitely through Him that I receive all my help.  Without God's assistance I would have nothing and I would be nothing. My mother is my next source of support.  Although she resides 3 hours away and is not physically supporting me or providing direct support to me daily, her conversations and encouraging words help me tremendously.  At times it can be an extreme inconvenience when trainings for my job require me to stay several nights away from home, or when my children are ill and unable to attend school.  During those times, I have no worries because I know my mother is only a telephone call away and will meet me half way to pick up and keep my children for as long as I need her to.  We talk on the phone several times a day and she really keeps me going.  I can't imagine what my life would be like without her. My oldest son is also a great contributor to my support because he spends a lot of time with my two younger children.  I wanted my last child to be a girl, but thank God for all my boys because simple things like having my son bathe them at night while I do other things is greatly appreciated.  Because he enjoys spending time with them by taking them for walks in the neighborhood or playing outside, I am able to accomplish many things due to his support.  It would be very difficult to do some of what I do without my oldest son's support because my other two children are young and close in age.  The benefits of my mother's and son's support is that they allow me those much needed breaks when I need them the most.  They are both very encouraging, they help me to stay focused, and remind me to keep a positive attitude.

The challenge I chose to imagine would be not having a vehicle.  I would definitely have to have some very supportive friends because I have absolutely no family residing in the city I reside in.  Those people would have to be very willing, able, patient, compassionate, and understanding. They would also have to have a large vehicle to accomodate my family and it would certainly help if they didn't have any children of their own.  I would have to do some budget changes to provide them with gas money as well as pay for a taxi whenever necessary.   

My Connection to Play

"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation" - Plato

"It is in playing, and only in playing, that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self" - D.W. Winnicott

Considering the fact that my mom worked during the day, I would go to my grandmother's house after school when I was a child.  I would also spend the summer's at my grandmother's house.  She encouraged my play by sending my cousins and I outside with a pitcher of ice water and cups. I had no choice but to be creative and play all day because once we went outside my grandmother locked her door so we could not come "in and out" her house.  All the tools I needed to enjoy play were dirt and water.  I would pour the water in the dirt and make mud pies, put water in an old pot with grass to make collard greens, etc.  I was extremely content pretending I was cooking all day.  It's amazing how as an adult the only channel I watch is the cooking channel.  I am so addicted that I have extra televisions so my young children can watch cartoons on one side of the room and I can still watch the cooking channel.  I also love to bake. Play is different now than it was when I was growing up because back then everything was so hands on. I didn't attend preschool because I stayed home with relatives.  All they knew to do with me was to play.  I guess that is why I understand the importance of play because I remember having so much fun.  By the time I went to kindergarten I didn't mind doing academic work because I was allowed to play as much as I liked prior to going.  I learned so many things through play that can't be taught by listening to a teacher explain or sitting at a table doing worksheets all day.  Play today is a little more structured than play when I was growing up.  Teachers don't want to clean up the mess children can make or they have a difficult time understanding how children are actually learning through play.  My thoughts regarding play throughout my life are I AM GLAD I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY!!! As an adult, it isn't much fun working a full time job, paying bills, raising a family, and trying to obtain my Master's degree.  However, the fact that I had such great fun as a child, makes it a little easier and I know how to laugh and deal with stress better.  My children definitely appreciate the fact that I had a fun-filled childhood too because we always have a wonderful time together......

Relationship Reflection

There are only two people that I have developed great realationships with....My mother and my oldest son.  I am the mother of three boys and of course I have a relationship with all my children, however, my other two children are only 2 years and 9 months.  The relationship with my mother developed first of all by her being my mom and me being her daughter.  My relationship with my mother means the world to me and it keeps me grounded.  What keeps our relationship healthy and strong is the fact that we speak to each other daily, we listen to, encourage, motivate, and support each other 100% in all our endeavors.  I lend my ear as well as my shoulder if she needs to release a few tears and I always try to be positive.  The characteristics that distinquish this relationship from others is the fact that I know my mother will always be honest with me and I know I can talk to her about anything as well as tell her anything without worrying about her repeating it to someone else.  I would be nothing without this relationship because I would be nothing without my mother.  The relationship with my son began the moment I discovered I was pregnant. This relationship affects my life because it gave me a new purpose in life.  It taught me how great it feels to care for and love another person unconditionally. This relationship stays healthy and strong because we have mutual respect for each other and I allow him to openly and respectfully voice his opinions. He is comfortable enough to discuss anything with me.  What distinguishes this relationship from others is that there just simply isn't any other love better than the love a mother has for her son.  Without this type of relationship I believe it would be easy for my son to be pressured by peers and lose focus on the things that are important to him in life. 

Quote and note of thanks

"Children should be taught how to think, not what to think" - Margaret Mead . I just really like this quote because it so closely relates to "if you give a man a fish he can eat for a day, but if you teach him how to fish he can eat forever". It is very important that our children have the ability to think for themselves, self regulate, problem solve, be create, use their imagination, etc. because all of these factors help the child to develop appropriately, have a better quality of life, and prepares them for adulthood.

I would like to thank all of my colleagues for the very informative posts, the professional knowledge, the personal stories, the constructive critiques, the encouraging comments, and the great advice. It has truly been a pleasure networking with each of you and sharing in this experience at Walden.  I wish each and every one of you the best of luck in all your current and future endeavors.

Early childhood assessments

When viewing the whole child I believe health and physical well-being, social and emotional development, approach to learning, language and literacy development, general knowledge about the world around them, and motor development are important factors that should be assessed or measured.  These factors determine how well the child will adjust to new settings and how they will progress academically, ensures they have good health which is very essential to school readiness, shows their ability to regulate their emotions, form social relationships with peers, learn from observation, participation and direct instruction, as well as direct their own learning.

In Finland, children are given health examinations by local health care centers that test on the basic skills needed in school as well as the maturity level of the child in preparation for starting school. A team of experts and professionals also assess the pupils' difficulties in learning.  Together they create an individual plan and use initial and on-going assessment tools and pedagogical log books for gathering follow-up data.

Childhood Stressors

Not that I have lived a perfect life however I am proud to say that I have not experienced many stressors in my childhood.  The only incident I can recall is one year during the month of February we experienced what was called an "ice-storm".  It rained heavily and all the water froze throughout the entire city.  Tree branches could be heard breaking and hitting the ground, streets and powerlines were coated and covered with ice, and there were no means of communication by telephone.  Because my house was totally electric we didn't have any heat so my family and I spent the first night trying to deal with it by wearing several layers of clothing and blankets.  The next morning we put pots and pans on the barbecue grill and cooked our food.  The cold became so unbearable my parents took my brother and I to my aunts apartment because she was blessed to have a fire heater.  There were so many people staying in my aunt's apartment.  My parents stayed at our home and endured the cold to ensure vandals didn't enter in our absence.

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a viral illness that usually affects infants and children younger than 5 years old.  Last month this disease killed 17 people and infected 35,000 others in China.  This is a major stressor in the lives of the children there.  The health department has issued warnings about the disease outbreak and informed parents and teachers to seek medical attention if symptoms are noticed.  They are advising people to lower the risk of infection by thoroughly washing their hands, disinfecting dirty surfaces and soiled items with chlorine bleach and by avoiding contact with those that are infected.

child development and public health

I chose having access to healthy water to be the most meaningful to me because it is the foundation to all development.  Regardless of the type of environment in which you live, having clean water is essential to good health, good hygiene, sanitation, and the prevention of diseases as well as death.  Since bacteria in water can't be seen it can't be avoided.  Although there is harmless bacteria as well as deadly bacteria, the lack of a good water system means each glass of dirty drinking water is a potential killer.  With out clean water, children are susceptible to diseases due to their immature immune system, adults don't have energy to work, those affected by waterborne illnesses can spread diseases to others, those caring for the sick can't produce income, and money meant to be spent on other necessities must be spent on medicine.  Thus, having unhealthy water negatively affects the entire community. 

In Africa, one of the greatest causes of poverty is the lack of access to clean drinking water.  The people there can't grow food, build housing, stay healthy, stay in school, or keep working.  Without clean water, the possibility of breaking out of the cycle of poverty is very slim.  Many members of the village have to walk miles away from their village to gather clean water.  Once gathered they must carry 40 to 70 pounds of water 3 hours every day.  Imagine how devastating the outcome will be when those people become physically unable to take that long journey on a daily basis?

Personal childbirthing experience

The childbirthing experience I chose to discuss is that of my oldest son.  I chose this example because it was my first experience and the most frightening one as well.  I went to the hospital for a routine visit the same day my son was due.  My doctor informed me that I had only dialated 1cm and it was not time for me to deliver him.  Well I informed the doctor that I was tired of being pregnant and I wasn't leaving the hospitall without my baby in my arms.  I was told that I would more than likely have to have a c-section.  I was in agreement with that because I was ready for my son to be born.  I was admitted into the hospital and my labor was induced.  Because of my low blood cell count I was not able to have any pain medication.  Actually, the contractions were discomforting but certainly not unbearable.  I was extremely proud of myself. I survived 12 hours of pain, but gave birth to a healthy 7lb 11oz most handsome child you ever wanna see.  The funny part was that I had only dialated 1cm when admitted and told I would have to have a c-section because I probably wouldn't dialate 10cm; my son popped out while I was only 8cm.  Yep, 8 stitches!!!!My thoughts regarding birth are that it isn't as hard or painful as people told me.....obviously, I have had two more and considering a fourth. My husband (no ex) was present during the birth of my son.  I learned that in Canada and many European countries that giving birth is considered a "female event" and husbands are not allowed to participate.  The insight I gained from the comparison is that women in Canada and many European countries should in a sense feel belittled.  Its ok for "both" male and female to engage in sexual activities to create the baby, but the woman has to endure the pain and experience the event alone? Wow!!!!!!!!!!

Ideals significant to me

To appreciate the vulnerability of children and their dependence on adults:  This is meaningful to me because early childhood is a very critical time for young children.  Early childhood professionals have the opportunity to mold the children into life-long learners because they are so eager to gain information.  They are like little sponges absorbing all they can from adults.  I educate teachers to nurture and appreciate their vulnerability, to be a positive role model at all times, and to fill them with as much knowledge as they possibly can.

To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and respect their dignity and contributions:  This is significant to my professional life because this is exactly what I teach other early childhood professionals.  During my mentoring process I supply the teacher with the necessary materials required to foster the children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development.  I provide furniture and rearrange the classroom for a better flow,  more functionality, and promote independence of the children.  All commercial materials such as posters and calendars are removed from the classroom and replaced with work done by the children.  All work displayed on cabinets, backs of shelves, and walls is created by the children.  Allowing the children to do this gives them a sense of accomplishment to see what they have constructed being showcased throughout the classroom. 

To become familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training:  This is meaningful to me because I believe in “each one teach one”.  It’s true that the more you know the further you will go.  Increasing your knowledge is very important because individuals are always conducting research and new developments are constantly being made in the field of early childhood education.  Attending trainings is also beneficial for networking purposes.  Teachers can collaborate and share new ideas among themselves.

Course Resources

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://main.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.

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
 
  World Forum Foundation
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment 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/
Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements

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/

 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/Part 4: Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library
Tip: Use the A-to-Z e-journal list to search for specific journal titles. (Go to "How Do I...?", select "Tips for Specific Formats and Resources," and then "e-journals" to find this search interface.)

• 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

1. Published: Ludwig, Jens and Deborah A. Phillips (2007) “The Benefits and Costs of Head Start.” Society for Research on Child Development, Social Policy Report. Volume XXI, Number 3. Retrieved from http://www.nber.org/papers/w12973

2.  Whitebook, Marcy (1989). Who Cares? Child Care Teachers and the Quality of Care in America. Final Report, National Child Care Staffing Study. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED323031&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED323031

 3.  Neuman, Susan B.; Copple, Carol; Bredekamp, Sue (2000). Learning To Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children. National Association for the Education of Young Children. 139. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED463904&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED463904amp,

WK4Assign2TWilliams (quotes)

"The best way to influence others is to do the best we can! It may very well be that what we do speaks more loudly than what we say".....Lilian Katz.

"It's in early childhood education that I was able to really see what a unique opportunity we have in working with children; we as professionals int the early education field have an opportunity to shape a child's life for the better and so that's what makes me passionate about this field".......Sandy Escobido

"I'm not here to save the world I'm here just to make a difference in the community that I'm working and to me making a difference may sometimes mean helping one child be able to be successful in the classroom".......Raymond Hernandez.

"Recognition of the importance of early childhood staff is increasing despite intolerably high turnover rates, a growing shortage of qualified personnel to fill vacancies, and persistent low morale among these underpaid, undervalued workers".....Marcy Whitebook.

Personal Childhood Web

WK2Assign1

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it".
 (Proverbs 22:6)  This is especially meaningful to me because I am raising three boys whom I want to be successful, productive, and God fearing men.  I believe the outcome of the behavior of a child depends tremendously on the way he/she was raised.  If children grow up in a loving and caring environment with people who provide quality care and a positive foundation for learning, they are much more likely to experience a brighter future.  They are much more likely to continue to thirst for knowledge, strive for excellence, and succeed in their life's endeavors.  The children who are not so fortunate..........well, you know the possible outcomes!!!!!!



I Love You, Stinky Face is probably my favorite book at the moment.  First, because my middle son requires me to read it to him daily.  Second, because I enjoy the message in the story.  The mother in the story tells the little boy, she loves him.  The little boy in return asks his mother if she would love him if he were a scary ape, smelly skunk, alligator, etc.; and each time, the mother tells him yes.  Well, that is exactly how I feel about my children.  No matter what they do, regardless of their strong (at times stubborn) personalities, and despite their sometimes misguided behavior.....I LOVE THEM JUST THE SAME :)

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