Sharing Web Resources

The website I chose to following is the CCEI (Child Care Education Institute). 

The information that I particularly found relevant to my current professional development was from this month's newsletter, Technology and Interactive media in the classroom. Our center recently purchased a Smart Board. This is an interactive whiteboard. "SMART solutions offer teachers multiple ways to get young students excited about learning and prepare them for a lifetime of achievement in school and beyond" (Smart, n.d.). We now live in a technology based world, therefore, it is important to integrate computers, smart boards, tablets and other devices in early childhood classrooms. 

The article on Science in early childhood classrooms made me understand the value discovery has on young children. Science education encourages exploration, experimentation, and observation (CCEI, 2015). Children as early as birth are natural born observers. They are constantly looking for things to explore. Last June's issue goes on to explain that early childhood professionals must recognize and take advantage of these natural characteristics, providing appropriate guidance and experiences to help young learners expand their knowledge and skills(CCEI, 2015). Young children are also natural born investigators  constantly asking questions that begin with what, how, why, who and where. These are great opportunities to integrate scientific questions and lessons. After reading this article, I am inspired to incorporate more hands on science activities in my planning.

In CCEI's volume 9, issue 12 newsletter, New Federal Law Brings Important Changes and Improvements, the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014, will have a substantial impact on access to quality care for millions of working families across the country (CCEI, 2014). This means that grants were funded to state to safeguard the health and safety of children, improve program quality, help families who receive assistance, and overall strengthen early education and care of children (CCEI, 2014). This article may be a little outdated but is it great to know that politicians are working together and more funding is readily available for states. 

 

Other new insights I gained was in October's Newsletter, CCEI talks about SIDS. "Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden, unexplained death of an infant younger than one year old" (CCEI, 2015). I was surprised to learn that at least 1 out of 5 cases of SIDS in the U.S. occur in child care centers (CCEI, 2015). Although this has never occurred in our center, I believe it is important to receive the proper training in reducing the risk of SIDS. According to this article, many states have begun to require training on SIDS even though there are many mysteries as to why "crib death" happens. "Infant caregivers should already be aware of these basic practices: put infants to sleep on their backs; no blankets, sheets, or plush toys in the bed; do not swath infant too tightly in blanket or layers of clothing; and do not smoke near infants" (CCEI, 2015). Educators as well as parents of infants should be aware of this term and informed on ways to reduce the risk. 

References

CCEI. (2014). Newsletter Archive of Monthly Online Child Care Training Newsletters. Retrieved from http://www.cceionline.edu/index.cfm?id=56

CCEI. (2015). Newsletter Archive of Monthly Online Child Care Training Newsletters. Retrieved from http://www.cceionline.edu/index.cfm?id=56

SMART. (n.d.). Early Childhood - SMART - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Retrieved from http://vault.smarttech.com/stimulus/early-childhood.asp

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1

Let me introduce Kilah. She lives in Germany. I connected with her through a college friend that now resides in Germany now. We communicate through email due to the time difference. I texted her this week's question and this was her response: 

I worked in Japan as an assistant language teacher and substitute teacher at an international school. In the Japanese schools it was not easy to identify students that live below the poverty line because they all had the uniforms and school materials. The language barrier also made it difficult. On the other hand, at the international school the tuition alone was almost that of a year in a university so I doubt there were students there that were affected by poverty.

In Germany, I do see it though. I am at a small international school and there is a family that has two children that attend this school. Without going into too much detail, I will say that  their self esteem and confidence are impacted by their lifestyle. For one of the students there is more aggression and even bullying to compensate for his emotional needs.  I have also seen embarrassment on field trips because everyone else has spending money and he doesn't. Appearances are not a big deal here so the worn clothes and style of dress do not cause him any grief.

I am glad Kilah shared with me that she has worked in more than one country. This was very useful information to know because I still have not been in touch with my Peru contact. From our conversation, I learned and gain insight that in Japan it is hard to tell if any poverty exist due to uniforms. Although Kilah stated they all dress the same, many families do not discuss their situations with anyone else, leaving it hard to determine who is less fortunate. Where in Germany, children are acting out and teased due to poverty issues.

Sharing Web Resources

The organization that I chose was the National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org.

"The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children" ("About NAEYC | National Association for the Education of Young Children | NAEYC," n.d.).

What Parents Have to Teach Us About Their Dual Language Children

http://www.naeyc.org/yc/article/What-Parents-Have-to-Teach-Us-About-Their-Dual-Language-Children

This article talks about a 2 year case study on families that speak one or more languages in the home. They focused on four areas:

1. Home language context: Who speaks what language to whom and when 
2. Family language and behavior observations: What families hear and see at home
3. Language and literacy practices in the home 
4. Family concerns, assumptions, and questions about language learning 

We as educators try to connect home-school by sending home daily sheets, making phone calls or emails, or generating a weekly and/or monthly newsletters. As a way to help teachers understand home life, the preschool expanded home–school communication by adding parent focus groups, a home language survey, individual interviews, and family workshops on bilingualism and home–school projects (NAEYC, n.d.). These are all great ways for the teacher to get to know the child and their family. I would like to use several of this ideas in my center. I especially like family workshops in bilingualism and home-school projects. Both will get parents together so they are able to share their backgrounds with other parents as well as the staff and have fun while doing so. 

Resources

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

NAEYC. (n.d.). What Parents Have to Teach Us About Their Dual Language Children | National Association for the Education of Young Children | NAEYC YC | Young Children Journal. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/yc/article/What-Parents-Have-to-Teach-Us-About-Their-Dual-Language-Children

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Part 1: Establishing Professional Contacts 

For this week's assignment I have reached out to two people that may be able to assist me with international resources.

First, I have a girlfriend that lives in Germany. She has a little girl and will be asking one of her teachers if she would be interested in sharing information with me throughout this course. I also have a close friend who is from Peru and Has sent emails on my behalf to some of the early childhood educators that she knows. At this point, I have not heard a response from either party. 

These pictures were taken in 2014 when I visited Germany.

Part 2: Expanding Resources

I am a member of the Childcare Education Institute:
http://www.cceionline.com/index.cfm?id=3
and The National Association for the Education of Young Children:
http://www.naeyc.org/
along with other organizations since around 2008.

Both of these sites offer a plethora of information for educators and I am torn on which one I want to focus one for this assignment.

I am very excited about these blog assignments over the next eight weeks!