Through this course I learned:
I am on the last step of attaining my goal of receiving my master’s degree, and it is becoming a reality.
I have found a passion in creating an anti-bias environment and curriculum through my studies at Walden University.
Through my work and studies I am very knowledgeable and I have a voice to make a difference in this field that I love.
Long term goal:
I will not stop being a lifetime learner and continue to pursue education and new research and knowledge in early childhood education.
Farewell to all my colleagues who have helped me and supported me through this journey. Thank you, Dr. Teri for all your feedback and positive words in this
final class.
Favorite Quote:
A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence starts- Henry Adams
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Monday, February 10, 2014
Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally
Save the Children
Save the Children gives children in the United States and around the world what every child deserves – a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When disaster strikes, we put children's needs first. We advocate for and achieve large-scale change for children. We save children's lives. I chose Save the Children because they help children in areas across the world when they are in need after a disaster and give them needed resources.
Job Opportunities
Save the Children offers a number of unpaid internship positions in our Westport, CT and Washington DC offices as well as in some of our U.S. Field Offices. Internships are offered throughout the spring, summer and fall semesters. Interns will have the opportunity to work under the direct supervision of an experienced Save the Children staff member, within a specific department, to expand their knowledge of the humanitarian aid, non-profit industry, while at the same time develop skills and experience in their chosen field or career.
Work Skills
Candidates must be an actively enrolled undergraduate or graduate student. Candidates must be eligible to work in the U.S.Candidates must be able to receive credit from their college or institution. A minimum requirement is a letter from a professor supporting the candidate. This is only needed when an internship is offered.
International Step by Step Association
International Step by Step Association (ISSA) is a membership organization that connects professionals and organizations working in the field of early childhood development and education. ISSA promotes equal access to quality education and care for all children, especially in the early years of their lives. Established in the Netherlands in 1999, ISSA’s network today stretches across the globe from Central and Eastern Europe to Central Asia, Asia, and the Americas. I chose International Step by Step Association because they within its network, ISSA supports a wide array of programs that collectively provide a comprehensive set of educational services and advocacy tools intended to influence policy reform for families and children, with a special focus on the years from birth through primary school.
Job Opportunities
I would like to help in organizing their annual conference. Each year ISSA organizes an Annual Conference, bringing together early childhood experts from the region and beyond, to exchange ideas and experiences.
Work Skills
The skills needed for this position would be excellent communication skills, computer literate, knowledgeable in early childhood policy and education issues.
AED Center for Academic Partnerships
The AED Center for Academic Partnerships (CAP) provides professional development and academic opportunities that help students and professionals establish lasting relationships and make new contributions to the development of their societies. I chose this organization because they have English language training, and student advising and monitoring, as well as K-12 teacher exchanges and work with civil society organizations.
Job Opportunities
The career opportunity which I found was The Study of the US Institutes (SUSI) for Student Leaders is sponsored by the US Department of State and administered by AED’s Center for Academic Partnerships in collaboration with outstanding institutions of higher education across the United States. SUSI engages future civic, professional, and political leaders from around the world in an exchange experience that fosters greater mutual understanding while helping them develop academically and professionally.
Work Skills
The ideal candidate must be interested in the organizations mission. knowledge, skills, leadership, and social networks of our undergraduate participants in five thematic areas of study; to exemplify the role that each theme has played in the evolution of American society, culture, values, and institutions; to cultivate a profound understanding of contemporary American life; and to enable participants to become instruments of positive change in their home communities.
Save the Children gives children in the United States and around the world what every child deserves – a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When disaster strikes, we put children's needs first. We advocate for and achieve large-scale change for children. We save children's lives. I chose Save the Children because they help children in areas across the world when they are in need after a disaster and give them needed resources.
Job Opportunities
Save the Children offers a number of unpaid internship positions in our Westport, CT and Washington DC offices as well as in some of our U.S. Field Offices. Internships are offered throughout the spring, summer and fall semesters. Interns will have the opportunity to work under the direct supervision of an experienced Save the Children staff member, within a specific department, to expand their knowledge of the humanitarian aid, non-profit industry, while at the same time develop skills and experience in their chosen field or career.
Work Skills
Candidates must be an actively enrolled undergraduate or graduate student. Candidates must be eligible to work in the U.S.Candidates must be able to receive credit from their college or institution. A minimum requirement is a letter from a professor supporting the candidate. This is only needed when an internship is offered.
International Step by Step Association
International Step by Step Association (ISSA) is a membership organization that connects professionals and organizations working in the field of early childhood development and education. ISSA promotes equal access to quality education and care for all children, especially in the early years of their lives. Established in the Netherlands in 1999, ISSA’s network today stretches across the globe from Central and Eastern Europe to Central Asia, Asia, and the Americas. I chose International Step by Step Association because they within its network, ISSA supports a wide array of programs that collectively provide a comprehensive set of educational services and advocacy tools intended to influence policy reform for families and children, with a special focus on the years from birth through primary school.
Job Opportunities
I would like to help in organizing their annual conference. Each year ISSA organizes an Annual Conference, bringing together early childhood experts from the region and beyond, to exchange ideas and experiences.
Work Skills
The skills needed for this position would be excellent communication skills, computer literate, knowledgeable in early childhood policy and education issues.
AED Center for Academic Partnerships
The AED Center for Academic Partnerships (CAP) provides professional development and academic opportunities that help students and professionals establish lasting relationships and make new contributions to the development of their societies. I chose this organization because they have English language training, and student advising and monitoring, as well as K-12 teacher exchanges and work with civil society organizations.
Job Opportunities
The career opportunity which I found was The Study of the US Institutes (SUSI) for Student Leaders is sponsored by the US Department of State and administered by AED’s Center for Academic Partnerships in collaboration with outstanding institutions of higher education across the United States. SUSI engages future civic, professional, and political leaders from around the world in an exchange experience that fosters greater mutual understanding while helping them develop academically and professionally.
Work Skills
The ideal candidate must be interested in the organizations mission. knowledge, skills, leadership, and social networks of our undergraduate participants in five thematic areas of study; to exemplify the role that each theme has played in the evolution of American society, culture, values, and institutions; to cultivate a profound understanding of contemporary American life; and to enable participants to become instruments of positive change in their home communities.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level
NAEYC
The first organization which would appeal to me is the NAEYC. This was a very obvious choice to me because of their reputation in the early childhood field. The school I currently work in is NAEYC accredited. NAEYC's mission is based on three major goals: Bettering well-qualified practitioners and improving the conditions these professionals work in, improving early childhood education by working to deliver a high-quality system of supporting early childhood programs, and encouraging excellence in childhood education for all children by constructing an extraordinary, all-around organization of groups and individuals who are committed to promoting excellence in early childhood education for all young children. They have so many dimensions to their organization from advocacy to publications their work benefits our field as a whole.
Position
I would like to work for NAEYC and accredit preschools. I think this would be an interesting job because you would get to see the variation in preschools and also feel as if you were helping them get their seal of approval.
Skills
The skills you would need are knowledge of early childhood developmentally appropriate practice, understanding of good teaching practice, and safe environment.
ZERO TO THREE
I am also very interested in ZERO TO THREE. ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and the know-how to nurture early development. Their mission is to promote the health and development of infants and toddlers. The website appeals to me because of the trainings and publications on the website along with terrific information related to early childhood education.
Position
Senior Writing/Training Specialist
The Senior Writer/Training Specialist position is responsible for project activities including but not limited to content development, training and facilitation pertaining to The Prenatal Through Age Five Workforce Development Project. This involves incorporating existing content such as The Prenatal Through Age Three Workforce Development into the development of curriculum and resource materials. This position will require presentations and active participation in local, state, and national meetings. Much of the work takes place throughout the county of Los Angeles, at times requiring travel.
Skills
Strong knowledge and experience in training adults, extensive knowledge of
infants’ and toddlers’ development and behavior. Expertise in a strengths-based and family-centered approach to working with infants, toddlers and their families. Excellent writing skills with a proven ability to write articles, develop materials, and communicate in writing with multi-disciplinary professionals on infant-family. Experience organizing, developing and providing in person and on-line training for a multi-disciplinary audiences serving infants, toddlers and their families. Ability to work as part of an interdisciplinary team. Excellent conceptual, written and oral skills. Proficiency in using Word. Proficiency in use of World Wide Web to gather information. Experience with distance learning. Ability to manage multiple tasks.
Office of Head Start
Head Start is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to 5 from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social and emotional development. I am interested in Head Start because I worked there for six years and I believe in the program whole heartedly. One of the aspects about Head Start is how the whole child is addressed. Head Start programs provide comprehensive services to enrolled children and their families, which include health, nutrition, social services and other services determined to be necessary by family needs assessments, in addition to education and cognitive development services. Head Start services are designed to be responsive to each child and family’s ethnic, cultural and linguistic heritage.
Position
Program Area Supervisor- Head Start
In support of the agencies mission, this position requires the Program Area Supervisor to manage and monitor Child Development programs serving 60 – 120 children. Responsibilities of this position include overseeing and ensuring the delivery of high quality, culturally appropriate, comprehensive child and family services in compliance with Head Start Performance Standards, Head Start program policies and Community Action policies. This position supervises staff in Pre-Kindergarten classrooms or in Child Development Centers. The work requires establishing
collaborative relationships with a diverse client population, as well as community partners, to ensure progress towards preparing low-income pre-school and special needs children for educational success.
Skills
Intermediate level computer proficiency with current Microsoft Office tools, including Word, Outlook, Powerpoint and Excel. Experience working with complex regulations and guidelines requiring implementation, documentation and monitoring for quality control. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Proven ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of community members including professional organizations, service providers, and client advocates. Excellent time management skills with ability to complete projects on schedule with high quality outcomes. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment requiring frequent problem solving and decision making.
The first organization which would appeal to me is the NAEYC. This was a very obvious choice to me because of their reputation in the early childhood field. The school I currently work in is NAEYC accredited. NAEYC's mission is based on three major goals: Bettering well-qualified practitioners and improving the conditions these professionals work in, improving early childhood education by working to deliver a high-quality system of supporting early childhood programs, and encouraging excellence in childhood education for all children by constructing an extraordinary, all-around organization of groups and individuals who are committed to promoting excellence in early childhood education for all young children. They have so many dimensions to their organization from advocacy to publications their work benefits our field as a whole.
Position
I would like to work for NAEYC and accredit preschools. I think this would be an interesting job because you would get to see the variation in preschools and also feel as if you were helping them get their seal of approval.
Skills
The skills you would need are knowledge of early childhood developmentally appropriate practice, understanding of good teaching practice, and safe environment.
ZERO TO THREE
I am also very interested in ZERO TO THREE. ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and the know-how to nurture early development. Their mission is to promote the health and development of infants and toddlers. The website appeals to me because of the trainings and publications on the website along with terrific information related to early childhood education.
Position
Senior Writing/Training Specialist
The Senior Writer/Training Specialist position is responsible for project activities including but not limited to content development, training and facilitation pertaining to The Prenatal Through Age Five Workforce Development Project. This involves incorporating existing content such as The Prenatal Through Age Three Workforce Development into the development of curriculum and resource materials. This position will require presentations and active participation in local, state, and national meetings. Much of the work takes place throughout the county of Los Angeles, at times requiring travel.
Skills
Strong knowledge and experience in training adults, extensive knowledge of
infants’ and toddlers’ development and behavior. Expertise in a strengths-based and family-centered approach to working with infants, toddlers and their families. Excellent writing skills with a proven ability to write articles, develop materials, and communicate in writing with multi-disciplinary professionals on infant-family. Experience organizing, developing and providing in person and on-line training for a multi-disciplinary audiences serving infants, toddlers and their families. Ability to work as part of an interdisciplinary team. Excellent conceptual, written and oral skills. Proficiency in using Word. Proficiency in use of World Wide Web to gather information. Experience with distance learning. Ability to manage multiple tasks.
Office of Head Start
Head Start is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to 5 from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social and emotional development. I am interested in Head Start because I worked there for six years and I believe in the program whole heartedly. One of the aspects about Head Start is how the whole child is addressed. Head Start programs provide comprehensive services to enrolled children and their families, which include health, nutrition, social services and other services determined to be necessary by family needs assessments, in addition to education and cognitive development services. Head Start services are designed to be responsive to each child and family’s ethnic, cultural and linguistic heritage.
Position
Program Area Supervisor- Head Start
In support of the agencies mission, this position requires the Program Area Supervisor to manage and monitor Child Development programs serving 60 – 120 children. Responsibilities of this position include overseeing and ensuring the delivery of high quality, culturally appropriate, comprehensive child and family services in compliance with Head Start Performance Standards, Head Start program policies and Community Action policies. This position supervises staff in Pre-Kindergarten classrooms or in Child Development Centers. The work requires establishing
collaborative relationships with a diverse client population, as well as community partners, to ensure progress towards preparing low-income pre-school and special needs children for educational success.
Skills
Intermediate level computer proficiency with current Microsoft Office tools, including Word, Outlook, Powerpoint and Excel. Experience working with complex regulations and guidelines requiring implementation, documentation and monitoring for quality control. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Proven ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of community members including professional organizations, service providers, and client advocates. Excellent time management skills with ability to complete projects on schedule with high quality outcomes. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment requiring frequent problem solving and decision making.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels
Community Action Organization is a local agency in Hillsboro, Oregon. The agency has been functioning for over 47 years. Community Action programs promote the birth of healthy babies, reduce the potential for child abuse and neglect, increase children's chances for success in school, and improve the quality and accessibility of child care. We also offer energy assistance and help to prevent homelessness. I worked for Community Action for over six years as a Head Start teacher. I chose Community Action because of all the different services they offer to help families and children in the community.
Adelante Mujeres (Forward Women) is an organization based in Forest Grove, Oregon. They work to educate and empower low-income Latina women and families. Adelante Mujeres provides Latina women and their families the tools to achieve self-determination in the areas of education and enterprise. I chose this organization because I have heard of the good work they do in the community and the programs they have to offer Latina women. They have a preschool as well as classes for adults. They also have groups in the local schools for girls to participate in after school.
Oregon Child Development Coalition (OCDC) is dedicated to improving the lives of children and families by providing early childhood education, care and advocacy with unique and supportive services to enhance family growth and community success. OCDC has many programs to offer, such as, migrant Head Start, migrant education, pre-kindergarten, and literacy programs. I chose this agency because I believe in their mission. The line which stood out on their website was, “We practice inclusiveness. We do so by embracing children and families’ cultural uniqueness for the richness that it brings to services and communities.”
Job opportunities:
Early Childhood Specialist at Community Action Organization.
This position is responsible for increasing community access to quality child care. Duties include providing support to child care providers through individual and group training, referrals, and technical assistance on issues related to child care. Requires working with a culturally diverse population of providers, families and employers to achieve maximum service using collaborative skills. Also responsible for answering questions received through the Child Care Resource & Referral phone line, understanding and answering questions related to child care subsidies or other areas pertinent to the work of the CCR&R Department.
Skills needed:
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, Group presentation work, knowledge of childcare and education issues, Ability to work independently and collaborate with others.
Experience needed:
BA/BS in Early Childhood Education and minimum one year experience.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Reflecting on Learning
My most passionate hope for my future as an early childhood professional is to create a learning environment where every child and family feels safe, respected and nurtured. I want to make a difference in the lives of the children I work with from such a young vulnerable age and make a lasting impression. If I could make one wish for the future of the children I have worked with in the past and also the present is that they will remember my name when they are adults and think of me with positive good thoughts.
I thank all my colleagues through this course for sharing their experiences and giving me different vantage points. I wish you the best in the end of your journey at Walden.
I thank all my colleagues through this course for sharing their experiences and giving me different vantage points. I wish you the best in the end of your journey at Walden.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Impacts on Early Emotional Development
After exploring the UNICEF website I chose to focus on Latin America. The reason I wanted to explore this area is because of the amount of children I have worked with who have come to America from that area. Many of these families we had in Head Start have conveyed how much better life has been since they moved their family here. I have traveled all around Mexico and I often wondered how the quality of life is different in other Spanish speaking areas.
Children are dealing with a wide range of obstacles. The first one I noticed was The Break the Silence Initiative is a multi-pronged approach to protect children against sexual abuse and the risk of HIV. This is a problem in the region and action is being taken to try to educate. Some of the other topics which struck me were campaigns to fight for girl’s right to education and to eliminate child labor. Many of the other headlines were aimed against violence in regard to children. The information was shocking on commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking. There are no specific data on victims of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking in Latin America and the Caribbean, but have made global estimates say 1.2 million of children are trafficked each year and two million are sexually exploited through prostitution and pornography. Approximately 80% of women in prostitution were sexually abused in their homes when they were children.
When I explored the website I quickly found out millions of children every day are still living situations of violence, exploitation and discrimination in their closest environment (family, school and community or state institutions), severely jeopardizing their growth and development.
Personally, reading the information it made me extremely sad. I was unaware of how bad the living conditions still are in Latin America for children. I also wonder about the families I have worked with in the past and the living conditions they came from. Many of these issues are things we do not have to deal with living in the United States. I can only hope safety and justice will be the right of every child living in this region.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
The Sexualization of Early Childhood
When I think of the topic of sexualization in early childhood it makes me sad. I believe this is a time children should play and enjoy the essence of being a child. Children are exposed to a highly sexualized environment and are influenced by it in many different ways.
Children are exposed to technology at a very young age. The images which are depicted in games are very highly sexualized with sexy clothes, make-up, and over dramatized bodies. This can have a negative effect on a child’s social/emotional development. They may look at these women as role models and think they are what all girls should thrive to look like. The media also has a big impact on the sexualization of children at a young age. It focuses primarily on appearances and not intelligence or what they want to achieve in their lives. The media also portrays relationships between different sexes at a very young age. Boys and girls are no longer friends, but are involved in relationships.
On a personal level I have two girls ages 10 and 12. I watch programs with them and pay attention to the way the characters dress and also the relationships between the characters. I notice the decline from the days when I was little and there was a “moral” of the story. Most the time the female characters are dressing inappropriately and even worse the main character is portrayed as unintelligent.
When I think of this topic as an early childhood educator and mother I want to protect children as much as possible. In the case of my own children I choose to not have cable and manage what they watch on Netflix or movie rentals. We need to focus on children doing and achieving things rather than the need for commercial products to create happiness. When teaching young children I want to create an environment where children can challenge stereotypes and learn to truly play. Most of all I want to be a role model where children feel comfortable talking about these subjects with me and trust my advice and knowledge.
After studying the topic of sexualization this week many of my thoughts have been reconfirmed and I realize this is a subject we need to deal with as early childhood educators and as parents. We need to have strategies to deal with this topic and also feel comfortable collaborating with other adults on the subject.
Children are exposed to technology at a very young age. The images which are depicted in games are very highly sexualized with sexy clothes, make-up, and over dramatized bodies. This can have a negative effect on a child’s social/emotional development. They may look at these women as role models and think they are what all girls should thrive to look like. The media also has a big impact on the sexualization of children at a young age. It focuses primarily on appearances and not intelligence or what they want to achieve in their lives. The media also portrays relationships between different sexes at a very young age. Boys and girls are no longer friends, but are involved in relationships.
On a personal level I have two girls ages 10 and 12. I watch programs with them and pay attention to the way the characters dress and also the relationships between the characters. I notice the decline from the days when I was little and there was a “moral” of the story. Most the time the female characters are dressing inappropriately and even worse the main character is portrayed as unintelligent.
When I think of this topic as an early childhood educator and mother I want to protect children as much as possible. In the case of my own children I choose to not have cable and manage what they watch on Netflix or movie rentals. We need to focus on children doing and achieving things rather than the need for commercial products to create happiness. When teaching young children I want to create an environment where children can challenge stereotypes and learn to truly play. Most of all I want to be a role model where children feel comfortable talking about these subjects with me and trust my advice and knowledge.
After studying the topic of sexualization this week many of my thoughts have been reconfirmed and I realize this is a subject we need to deal with as early childhood educators and as parents. We need to have strategies to deal with this topic and also feel comfortable collaborating with other adults on the subject.
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