International Early Childhood Field

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for your professional and personal development:

• In countries that have a high-population living in poverty, international agencies are working with families to help improved child development.  For example, Saving Brains uses a curriculum that promotes responsive parenting through appropriate developmental interactions between children and parents.  A home visitor may demonstrate the use inexpensive learning materials, such as homemade toys, and developmental activities to the child and mother.

• Development of understanding of varying expectations of early childhood education for children under the age of five.  In the United States, children are typically expected to be able to read and write by the age of five.  High-quality early childhood programs are typically expensive.  In Sweden, preschool programs focus on basic values such as playing together, tolerance and consideration for others. Outdoor play and activities are essential elements of the early childhood experiences.  Swedish childcare has a maximum-fee policy, which makes childcare affordable for everyone. Fees are calculated according to income with low-income families paying nothing while the costs for more affluent parents are capped at about €139 ($158) per month. (Swedish preschool, 2018).

• I believe every child has the right to an education.  Many countries share the same belief.  In some countries, the government oversees and funds the education of the children and mandates the age that children enter early childhood programs.  While the United States spends majority of its federal funds on early childhood programs, like Head Start and subsidized child care programs for families listing in poverty, Hong Kong offers all families free child care or kindergarten for children ages 3 to 6. "The system is entirely private, though heavily regulated and subsidized by government. Many parents supplement the free care provided with paid care to cover all of their working hours. Low-income families receive proportionally more assistance than higher income families" (Hechinger Reports, 2018).  

My goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends.

As I travel along my path towards earning a master's degree in early childhood with the focus on teaching adults in early childhood education, I will continue to explore and expand my understanding and knowledge of the variations of early childhood education internationally.  This knowledge does not just benefit my understanding of the importance of early childhood worldwide; it is knowledge that will be shared with my future students.

In the spirit of collegial relations...

As we continue our journey to earning our master's degree in early childhood at Walden University, I would like to wish my professors and colleagues well.  

References:

Hechinger Reports. (2018). Time to change how we think about early education, international study finds. Retrieved December 22, 2018 from https://hechingerreport.org/time-to-change-how-we-think-about-early-education-international-study-finds/

Swedish preschool. (2018). Retrieved December 22, 2018 from https://sweden.se/collection/from-preschool-to-university-in-sweden/article/play-is-key-in-preschool/

Professional Goals, Hopes and Dreams

Professional Goals, Hopes and Dreams

High-quality prekindergarten is the hot topic in Texas.  As the early childhood special education specialist at one of the twenty regional education service centers, I partner with the general education early childhood specialist to provide guidance, resources, and information of state policies and procedures.  The Texas Education Agency (TEA) intends to “partner with families, schools and communities, TEA provides support for effective and aligned early learning opportunities, policies and programs that support a highly-skilled early learning workforce, provide resources that engage and support development of young children, and provide access to high-quality 3- and 4-year-old prekindergarten” (TEA, n.d.).

In 2017, the Texas Legislature passed Rider 78 which requires state-funded prekindergarten programs to provide high-quality early childhood education that is consistent with the High-Quality Prekindergarten program requirements per the Texas Education Codes.  “These requirements include use of a curriculum aligned with the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines, increased prekindergarten teacher training and/or qualifications, implementation of student progress monitoring, program evaluation and development of a family engagement plan” (TEA, n.d.).  Even though, districts and charter schools that offer prekindergarten programs are not currently required to comply with the High-Quality Prekindergarten requirements, many are choosing to.

To meet the teacher requirements of the High-Quality Prekindergarten program, teachers must be certified, and have a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, Montessori certification, 8 years teaching experience at an accredited child care program, completed at least 150 cumulative hours of documented professional development, or a graduate or undergraduate degree in early childhood education or early childhood special education.  Sadly, there are more teachers teaching in prekindergarten that do not meet these requirements.  For teachers who do not meet these requirements and not completed at least 150 cumulative hours, they will be required to complete the 150 cumulative professional development hours within a five-year-period.  These teachers must complete “the first 30 hours of 150 cumulative hours of documented professional development before the end of the school year. The professional development shall address topics relevant to high-quality prekindergarten including, but not limited to: 1. The revised 2015 Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines; 2. The use of student progress monitoring results to inform classroom instruction; 3. Improving the prekindergarten classroom environment to enhance student outcomes; and 4. Improving the effectiveness of teacher interaction with students as determined by an evaluation tool and the additional hours in the subsequent four years in order to continue providing instruction in a high-quality prekindergarten classroom; and at least half of the hours required shall include experiential learning, practical application, and direction interaction with specialists in early childhood education, mentors or instructional coaches” (TEA, n.d.).

At the education service center, my early childhood counterpart and I provide a wide range of professional development opportunities to teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals that meet the High-Quality Prekindergarten requirements.  We visit schools and their prekindergarten classrooms in our regional area to provide guidance, instructional and environmental coaching.  While she focuses her coaching and mentoring on curriculum aligned instruction, progress monitoring, and family engagement plans, I prefer to focus on the classroom environment becoming a safe, nurturing learning environment that provides a classroom arrangement, management system, visual supports, structures, and materials that are developmentally appropriate for all students.  We encourage teachers to attend workshops and training sessions at the educational service center or around the state of Texas.

As a special education specialist, I primarily focus on meeting the social-emotional, physical, linguistic, and cognitive needs of children with special needs receiving special education services in a self-contained special education classroom or in a general education prekindergarten classroom.  There are children in prekindergarten classrooms that may not have been identified as having a disability or needing special education services.  These children may need modifications and accommodations to meet their social-emotional, linguistic, and cognitive needs, too.  If a learning environment is set up to meet the developmental needs of three-, four-, and five-year-old children, then there is a greater chance that all children, no matter their abilities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and culture will attain a high-quality early childhood education experience.

As a specialist at the educational service center, I can provide recommendations, resources, and guidance.  I am non-regulatory, which means I cannot enforce policies, procedures, or regulations.  At times this is very frustrating.  At times, I leave schools and classrooms feeling deflated and powerless.  At this time, reentering the classroom as an early childhood educator is not an option, so after I complete my coursework and earn my master’s degree in Early Childhood, I am thinking about focusing my professional energy and knowledge and passion for high-quality early childhood towards preparing future educators at the college level.  I may not be able to change the habits, beliefs, perspectives, and practices of the teachers currently teaching three- and four-year-olds, but maybe I can share my knowledge, skills, and beliefs with future early childhood educators and guide their paths and assist them in becoming the highly-qualified, high-quality early childhood teachers all children need and deserve.

Reference:

Texas Education Agency (TEA). (n.d.) Early Childhood Education in Texas.  Retrieved December 15, 2018 from https://tea.texas.gov/earlychildhoodeducation.aspx.

Texas Education Agency (TEA). (n.d.) High-Quality Prekindergarten Program.  Retrieved December 15, 2018 from https://tea.texas.gov/earlychildhoodeducation.aspx.

Continuing to Share Web Resources

https://www.gettingsmart.com/

I regularly review multiple early childhood websites for new information to improve my knowledge and resource bank as an early childhood special education specialist.  At the beginning of the Walden course Issues and Trends in the Early Childhood Field, I chose three different early childhood organizational websites to follow: 1. Division of Early Childhood of the Council of Exceptional Children (DEC-SPED), 2. National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER).  All three organizations’ websites chocked full of information and resources that benefit educators, administrators, and families.  To me, these sites are like Pinterest, in that I can go looking for one topic or resources and can get lost for hours reading and exploring new topics and resources.

Typically, DEC-SPED and NAEYC share links and resources within their organization.  NIEER, however, shares links and resources from other agencies and organizations.  This past week, I ventured on all three organization’s webpages searching for new information on high-quality early childhood, equity, and inequities.  When I entered the keyword equity in NIEER’s search tool, I found myself on the Getting Smart Services website.  Getting Smart is learning design firm that provides services in advocacy for educational foundations, advisory for educational organizations, and coaching to school districts.  They “partner with education focused foundations, learning organizations, schools and districts to invent the future of learning” (Innovations in Learning, n.d.).  Just this statement on their website was enough to hook me.  The following articles can be located on their website: “Inequity in Education is Your (and My) Responsibility” (February 2018), “Why True Equity in Learning Depends on Proactive, not Reactive, Design” (February 2018), “Quality Early Learning Makes Tulsa a Great Place to Grow Up” (May 2018), “Early Childhood: What We Know, and What’s Possible” (January 2018), and “Why Early Childhood Education Matters Now More than Ever” (January 2017).

Even though I am not a big advocate of technology devices, such as iPads, touch screen devices, et.al., being a key element in early childhood classrooms, Tammy Kwan’s article about using AI-powered technology can be beneficial to young learners.  In her article, she shared a quote from a White House report on AI and the U.S. economy.  “All children [need to] get off to the right start with access to high-quality early education. In a world of AI-driven skill-biased technological change, people with low levels of even basic skill such as reading and math are at higher risk of displacement” (Kwan, 2017). She continued to explain that digital media can be a tool used to close the language gap for children by using video chat, screen media, and video trainings.  As today’s society is becoming more and more technology based, evidence-based digital programs and apps are being developed and are more accessible for educators and parents.  While I will continue to advocate for hands-on, interactive learning experiences in early childhood education programs, I do understand that technology can be a tool used in the classroom to supplement the learning experiences for children who are English language learners or identified with a physical or intellectual disability.

Emily Liebtag and Janice Walton wrote an article that shared information obtained through research referencing early learning experiences and existing and emerging practices in early childhood programs.  They identified five findings about early learning that correlate with what we have been learning and discussing throughout this course: “ECCE promotes brain development and has positive long-term economic benefits. Developing 21st Century Skills in early learners helps prepare them for success in school and life. ECCE can make a positive difference in the lives of young children. Age-appropriate use of technology can enhance learning. Uneven access.” (Liebtag & Walton, 2018).  In this article, they shared the video from Dr. Patricia Kuhl and Dr. Andrew Meltzoff’s presentation the Education Nation Summit describing how a child's first years impact their academic achievement.  Below is the 22-minute video.

 https://youtu.be/pWJ_Z1Qwhnk

I could continue to break down what I learned from each article, but I might run out of space on my blog.  I highly encourage you to explore the Getting Smart website and read the articles that I have mentioned throughout this blog post.  Check out the article about Tulsa, Oklahoma's early childhood programs.  In Oklahoma passed a law in 1998 that provides free access to prekindergarten, and Tulsa is has programs that supported by different foundations to increase the potential of high-quality early childhood programs supporting families and children.  Two summers ago, I had the opportunity to tour one of the early childhood programs located in Tulsa.  I was overwhelmed by the structures established throughout the classrooms and overall building that nurtured family-child-school relationships, the social-emotional, physical, language, and cognitive develop of the children.  I have included these articles in the reference section.

Resources:

Fisher, J.F. & Parsi, A. (2018, February 14). Why True Equity in Learning Depends on Proactive, not Reactive, Design. Retrieved December 8, 2018 from https://www.gettingsmart.com/2018/02/why-true-equity-in-learning-depends-on-proactive-not-reactive-design/.

Gerson, K. (2018, February 26). Inequity in Education is Your (and My) Responsibility. Retrieved December 8, 2018 from https://www.gettingsmart.com/2018/02/inequity-in-education-is-your-and-my-responsibility/?platform=hootsuite.

Innovations in Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2018 from https://www.gettingsmart.com/

Kwan, T. (2017, January 20). Why Early Education Matters Now More than Ever. Retrieved December 8, 2018 from https://www.gettingsmart.com/2017/01/why-early-childhood-education-matters-now-more-than-ever/.

Liebtag, E. (2018, January 30). Early Childhood: What We Know, and What's Possible. Retrieved December 8, 2018 from https://www.gettingsmart.com/2018/01/early-learning-what-we-know-and-where-we-are-headed/.

Saorín, J. L. (2015, September 25). Dr. Patricia Kuhl and Dr. Andrew Meltzoff on Brain Power: Why Early Learning Matters. Retrieved December 8, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=93&v=pWJ_Z1Qwhnk.

Staff, G. S. (2018, May 11). Quality Early Learning Makes Tulsa a Great Place to Grow Up. Retrieved December 8, 2018 from https://www.gettingsmart.com/2018/05/quality-early-learning-makes-tulsa-a-great-place-to-grow-up/.

Excellence and Equity in the Early Childhood Field

The “Excellence and Equity of Care and Education for Children and Families Part 1” podcast was an interview with Ms. Delila Vasquez, the Director of Program Services for the Los Angeles Universal Preschool, in reference to early childhood education standards, curriculum assessment, and the achievement gaps that affect both young children and their families.  During the interview, Ms. Vasquez described standards as being a set pattern or goal for educators to know where, how, and what children will acquire their knowledge and skills as they progress through an early childhood program. She, also, describes a downside to having standards.  That is, they do not “take account where the children are coming from, and how much do they know before they enter the preschool programs, and how much they have learned.  It only tells you what they need to have, but it doesn’t’ take into account the whole child as we are used in our field” (Laureate Education, 2011).  In other words, standards are good at telling you what to teach, when to teach it, and how to teach it, but they do not take in consideration an individual child’s previous knowledge and experiences or the child’s learning needs.  The assessments help the educator know what the child has learned; however, as soon as a child passes the assessment, it is time to move on to more knowledge.  This is all seen as preparing a child for school-readiness.

Towards the end of the interview, Ms. Vasquez touches on the most important topic for me.  By focusing on the standards, curriculum, and assessment, we lose focus on the essential school-readiness skill…social skills.  She stated that “we don’t give children the tools that they need to cope, to survive, to communicate, to ask for help, to maneuver everything else that we put in front of them through the K-12 system and beyond” (Laureate Education, 2011).  Classrooms and schools are a place of education.  We need to help develop the cognitive and physical skills, but more importantly we need to help nurture and enhance the social and emotional skills of children.  Social and emotional skills development is not just a school-readiness skill; it is a life skill necessary for success in the community, career, and family life.

Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child focuses on programs that support child development in the United States and globally, in countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Canada.  They provide a variety of professional development platforms for educators, policy makers, and families to encourage educational equity for children and their families.  As I explored the Center on the Developing Child: Working Globally webpage, I came across the Saving Brains program that is led by Grand Challenges Canada.  The Saving Brains focuses on improving nutritional, educational, and overall life outcomes for children living in poverty through “interventions that nurture and protect early brain development in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life” (Partnerships with Global Early Childhood Organizations, n.d.). 

Saving Brains focuses on three primary area of healthy child development – health & nutrition, enrichment, and protection.  During the first 1,000 days, is when the child’s brain is developing rapidly and learning from experiences.  The early experiences of stable and supportive relationships in a child’s life can help develop healthy responses to stress, adversity, and failure.  If a child has protective relationships when experience extraordinary stress, there is chance that the children will have a “sense of control and adaptive coping” abilities (Evans, 2014).  The video on the webpage on the Center on the Developing Child about the Saving Brains project shared that there are two primary ways to help children living in adverse situations, such as poverty, are to provide a platform for health and nutrition along with creating a focus on play-based responsive stimulation between children and their parents or caregivers.  It focused on the research program in which children were either provided healthy nutrition, playful stimulation, or both extra nutrition and stimulation.  During a 2-year followed, it was discovered that the children that received extra nutrition or the playful stimulation improved their child development scores.  The children that received both extra nutrition and playful stimulation had significantly improved their child development scores and had caught up to their typically developing peers.  The playful stimulation, which involved caretaker and/or parents being responsive to a child’s needs, contributes to the child feeling loved and secure. 

Mike Evans’ statement “making some early investments in nutrition and stimulation to children can lead to less impoverished brains and hopefully break the complex cascades that lead to impoverished brains and hopefully break the complex cascades that lead to impoverished communities…This may require some courage from policy-makers as the return on investment tend to be farther down the road after they have left office” (Evans, 2014).  As educators, policy makers, parents, and society-overall, we need to focus on the nutritional welfare and play for children not only in the first years but also when they enter early childhood education.  Both Delila Vasquez and Mike Evans emphasized that it is about the children – building relationships through play and responsive interactions.  If the children are not getting what they need to nurture their development, then it is up to the educators to provide what they need in the classrooms.

I highly encourage you to watch Mike Evan’s Saving Brains, A Grand Challenge video.

References:

Evans, M.. (2014). Saving Brains, A Grand Challenge. Retrieved December 1, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw0TkwjjpZU.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Issues and trends in the early childhood field: Excellence and equity of care and education for children and families—Part 1. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Partnerships with Global Early Childhood Organizations. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2018 from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/.

Sharing Resources

Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC-CEC)

www.dec-sped.org

Exploring the DEC-CEC website I was reminded of the newly released position statement that is relevant to my current position as an early childhood special education specialist.  In September 2018, the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) published the DEC Position Statement on Low Birth Weight, Prematurity & Early Intervention.  "The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) endorses the development of national guidelines for the identification and eligibility for Part C Early Intervention (EI) services of children born low birth weight (LBW) and preterm in the United States" (DEC, 2018).

In Texas, the Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) serves children birth to age 3 who have been diagnosed with developmental delays, auditory or visual impairments, and/or disabilities or certain medical diagnoses that impact the child's development.  The addition of low birth weight and prematurity will increase the number of children possibly identified for ECI services.  Currently, ECI programs are experiencing financial challenges which is leading to a lower number of children (birth to age 3) being served by agencies.  With fewer numbers of children being identified and served, the number of children and the severity of special needs of children enrolling in early childhood programs, such as Head Start, prekindergarten, early childhood special education, and child care, is increasing.

Based on research studies shared in the DEC position statement, cognitive and behavior impairments may discovered in later ages of children that were born premature but did not exhibit any major disabilities in the first three years of life.  According to one study referenced, "parents have reported that their child did not qualify for EI, or "graduated" out of EI, but later manifested learning difficulties at school-age" (DEC, 2018).  The DEC strongly recommends that state early childhood intervention (ECI) programs include low-birth weight and prematurity in their eligibility criteria.  The statement shared that delays in cognitive development, difficulties in language acquisition and competency, vulnerability to social-emotional delays and/or behavioral challenges, and/or deficits and delays in motor are well documented in children born with low-birth weight and/or preterm (DEC,2018). 

With more and more of these children entering early childhood programs without receiving ECI services, the need for high-quality early childhood programs and qualified educators and staff is even greater.  Serving these children in early childhood programs that nurture healthy cognitive, social, emotional, motor, and linguistic development in children birth to age 5 should become a priority of our society, politicians, and economists.  I say this because this is one way to be proactive in meeting the needs of these children before they become school-age.  These programs can improve the school-readiness outcomes and possibly reduce the long-term costs of remedial programs during the school-age years and post-school years.

The DEC policy is relevant not only for special education but for general education, too.  I am currently receiving an increased number of requests from primary and elementary administrators to visit classroom with the sole purpose of observing and providing intervention strategies for students in early childhood classrooms (PK-2nd) that are behavioral challenges and/or "out of control" but do not qualify for special education services.  As I learn more about these children from the teacher, counselor, and school staff, some of these children were born prematurely but not all.  Most, however, attended an early childhood program prior to becoming school age.  There is a chance that if these programs were highly-qualified and staffed by highly trained staff, the child(ren) might have learned self-regulation skills, social skills, and improved communication skills that could assist in their success in the classroom.  The might experience less stress and frustration academically, too.  This is just one more reason why high-quality early childhood education should be a priority.

References: 

Division of Early Childhood (DEC). (n.d.)  Retrieved November 24, 2018 from http://www.dec-sped.org/

Division of Early Childhood (DEC). (2018). Position Statement - Low Birth Weight, Prematurity, Early Intervention. Retrieved November 24, 2018 from https://www.decdocs.org/position-statement-low-birth-weight 

The Hunger Project

www.thp.org 

The Hunger Project was founded in 1977 after the first Rome World Food Conference.  From 1979-1986, the Hunger Project played an instrumental role is recruiting international support to prevent famines in Cambodia, Somalia, and the African continent.  In 1990, they partnered with the Planning Commission of India to establish the Strategic Planning in Action (SPIA), which is a holistic, people-centered approach.  According to their website, approximately 21,000 villages in Africa, Asia and Latin America have applied the SPIA approach to empower people to develop improvements in health, education, nutrition and family income (THP, n.d.).   Over the years, the Hunger Project has advocated and called attention to the issues of hunger and poverty.  “The Hunger Project’s designed a strategic direction to expand their scope via three key priorities: partnerships, advocacy, and impact” (THP, n.d.).

The Hunger Project stated that their “programs in 16,075 communities throughout Africa, South Asia and Latin America are based on an innovative, holistic approach, which empowers women and men living in rural villages to become the agents of their own development and make sustainable progress in overcoming hunger and poverty” (THP, n.d.).  The inspire people to move from “I can’t” to “I can” or “We can” by focusing on these three elements: “1. Empowering women as key change agents; 2. Mobilizing communities for self-reliant actions; and 3. Fostering effective partnerships with local government” (THP, m.d.)

As a explored the Hunger Project’s website, I discovered that approximately 896 million people in developing countries live a $1.90 a day or less.   It is well-known that poverty, food prices and hunger are linked.  Many are hungry and malnourished because they cannot afford to buy enough food, cannot afford healthy, nutritious foods, or afford the farming supplies and materials to grow their own food.  I, also, discovered that sadly over 30 percent of rural girls and 15 percent of urban girls living in poverty are kept out of school to save money.  The Hunger Project believes that a lack of general education leads to higher adolescent birth rates, which “over-burdens an already economically strained community” (n.d.).  All these factors lead to a continuing cycle of gender inequality, poverty, and hunger.

It is essential to build capacity of men and women to surpass poverty through education and training programs.  The Hunger Project offers such programs with the goal of “teaching the skills, methods, knowledge, and leadership needed to take self-reliant actions so they can meet their own basic needs, improve their communities and build better futures for themselves and their children” (n.d.). Educational programs for individuals living in poverty do not just provide access to knowledge and resources, they provide an opportunity for change and the ability for individuals and communities to be self-reliant and self-sufficient as they overcome poverty and hunger.

Reference:

The Hunger Project (THP). (n.d.) Retrieved November 17, 2018 from www.thp.org.

Sharing Web Resources

Just recently, I received my copy of NAEYC’s journal Teaching Young Children for October-November.  It featured article about family conferences and The Kindness Movement.  I always enjoy perusing the varying articles on teaching strategies, ideas, and random tips.  Even though this issue focused primarily on family-teacher conferences, it was the articles on classroom practices and strategies that interested me.  One article that truly caught my attention was titled “Look, Listen, Learn: The Kindness Movement” which in many ways connects to our current course.

It begins sharing a story about conflict between two students in an early childhood classroom.  The conflict was over a roll of tape at the art table.  The two young children were having a tug-a-war over the roll of tape and arguing over who had it first.  The teacher stepped in to calm the situation and possibly solve the conflict for the children.  Instead of offering a simple solution, the teacher allowed the classmates to help the two students resolve the conflict. The students brainstormed solutions, and one student presented an idea about making signs to promote kindness.  He shared, “I have an idea! Let’s make signs that say ‘Be Kind,’ and we can give them to people to put int heir windows!  This world needs more kindness!” (Jaboneta & Curtis, 2018).  The class worked together to make signs about kindness and distributed them around the school’s neighborhood.

This story is a great example of teaching conflict resolution in an early childhood classroom.  Conflict resolution is a life time skill.  Teaching conflict resolution skills and problem solving to young children is a way to foster a foundation for social and emotional development.  As the authors shared in the article, “when given an opportunity to solve their own problems, young children show us how capable they are during social conflicts” (Jaboneta & Curtis, 2018).

I learned about the Peace Place, which teaches children about thinking and talking together to solve problems or conflicts.  The Peace Place encourages children to use a five-step process for working out problems.  The steps are 1. Get together; 2. Take turns talking and listening; 3. Think and talk about what will help; 4. Choose a plan; and 5. Do it (Jaboneta & Curtis, 2018).

This article reminds me how impactful teaching life skills lessons in the early childhood classroom is. Through the teacher’s facilitation, the children were able to find a resolution to a conflict and inspire others by sharing their motto about kindness.  This is a skill that essential for children of all ages and adults.

References:

Jaboneta, N. & Curtis, D. (2018).  Look, Listen, Learn: The Kindness Movement. TYC Teaching Young Children, 12(1).  Retrieved November 10, 2018 from https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/oct2018/kindness-movement.

National Association for Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2018 from https://www.naeyc.org/.

Getting Ready—Expanding Horizons and

Expanding Resources

In 1919, Save the Children was founded by Eglantyne Jebb in London during the wake of World War 1.  It is said to be first global movement for children.  Save the Children encompasses a variety of worldwide initiatives that focus on topics directly impacting young children, which includes early childhood education, health/medical care, nutrition, disaster relief, hunger/famine relief, and public policy. They are funded by contribution, gifts, and government grants.  Approximately 90% of the donations are allocated towards the mission of helping children.  The other percentage is used to support the program and fundraising.  They have programs in the United States, Africa, Asia, the Greater Middle East and Eurasia regions, Latin America, and the Caribbean.  To learn more about the programs in these countries visit https://www.savethechildren.org/us/what-we-do/where-we-work.  One program that caught my attention was the KinderBoost program offered in the United States.  It is a “two-week, 10-day school readiness program provides children and families the opportunity to get to know their new school, meet teachers and staff, make new friends and engage in early learning activities” (Save the Children, n.d.).

According to their website, “NIEER conducts academic research to inform policy supporting high-quality, early education for all young children promoting the physical, cognitive and social development needed for children to succeed in school and later life. NIEER provides independent, research-based analysis and technical assistance to policymakers, journalists, researchers, and educators” (NIEER, n.d.).  The information and resources provided on the NIEER website are extremely beneficial to me as an early childhood special education specialist.  In my position, I support special education and general education prekindergarten programs in public independent school districts and charter schools, so it is imperative that I remain knowledgeable of current research and policies to support high-quality early childhood education.

I have been a member of the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children for several years.  Their website is rich with resources, such as DEC recommended practices, professional development Learning Decks, journals, and position statements.  I currently receive their two journals, Journal of Early Intervention and Young Exceptional Children, in the mail.  The knowledge and information that I gain from these journals are regularly embedded in my trainings and technical assistance with teachers and administrators that work with children receiving special education services.  It is recommended for educators to be members of at least one professional education organization, the DEC is one that I encourage young special education teachers to join.

The National Association for Education of Young Children, NAEYC, has one primary vision statement that describes the overall purpose.  It is for “all young children thrive and learn in a society dedicated to ensuring they reach their full potential” (NAEYC, n.d.).  The NAEYC website is packed full of resources that benefit educators, administrators, and families.  They offer their members access to professional development opportunities, exploration of early childhood topics (new and classic), updated position statements, varying publications (books, articles, and journals), and a blog.  Their two journals, Teaching Young Children and Young Children) are chock-full of articles that relate to classroom teachers and parents.  Young Children’s article “Mr. Joe Becomes a Dad: A Former Preschool Teacher Reflects on His First Child Starting School” is one that I like to share.  It is a wonderful example of developing empathy for parents on the first day of school, developing a plan of action to help smooth the transition to school for the children and parents, and building connections with not just the moms, but the dads, too.

References:

Division of Early Childhood. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2018 from http://www.dec-sped.org/

Save the Children. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2018 from https://www.savethechildren.org/

National Association for Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2018 from http://naeyc.org/

National Institute for Early Education Research. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2018 from http://nieer.org

Valente, Joseph M.. (2018).. Mr. Joe Becomes a Dad: A Former Preschool Teacher Reflects on His First Child Starting School YC Young Children, 73(4).  Retrieved November 3, 2018 from https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/sep2018/mr-joe-becomes-a-dad. 

My Supports

My Supports

My every daily support system is my family – my husband, Jim, our sons, Jake and Zack.  Jim supports me in more ways then one.  He is my emotional support system; not only is he my best friend, confidant, and counselor, he encourages and pushes me everyday to go above and beyond expectations.  Jim provides more support at home than most husbands that I know.  He drops our fourteen-year-old off at school every morning on his way to work and picks him up after school, so that I can work in another city and travel for work.  Since Jim and Jake get home at least an hour before me, Jim cooks dinner during the work week.  Since he grew up working on a farm, Jim willingly works around the house fixing anything and everything that breaks.  Jake helps me with chores around the house.  Being fourteen is a trying time, but Jake still finds time to hang out with me and sometimes even give me a hug.  And Zack, who is across the ocean, checks in and chats at least once a week.

I cannot imagine a life without my boys – Jim, Zack, and Jake.  They push me to be the best I can be.  They give me a purpose in life to continue when all is dark and bleak.  Without their support, I would not be able to balance everyday life, work, and school.

I am dependent on technology to help me during the day.  My cell phone is not used just to make phone calls.  Its alarm wakes me every morning (Mondays – Fridays) at 5:30 am.  It is my calendar and daily reminder.  Without it, I would not remember which district I was going to visit and work with or when I had a workshop to present.  My phone is my gps getting me from one district to the next safely and in a timely manner.  It is my connection to friends and family on Facebook.  Many teachers and administrators contact me via text to ask questions, clarify information, or just chat.  My work laptop is my primary support when presenting workshops, providing support and resource information to district personnel, and working in the office.  My personal laptop allows me to email friends and family, provide support to my son with homework, access my online courses, and locate and purchase items for my family and home.  Without my technology (laptops and cell phone), I would be disconnected from friends, family, and clients.  I would be unable to provide support to the school personnel in our regional area.

After my surgery this summer, I wondered what it would be like if something had gone awry during the surgery.  One side effect could have been a disturbance in my thought and speech process.  My coworkers and their knowledge, experience, and passion for special education would become the primary support system for me and my family.  I would possibly need assistance with everyday conversations and communications.  Visual prompts may need to be readily available for the occasions that I am unable to process my thoughts and voice my thoughts.  Depending on my speech clarity, a low-tech communication board may be necessary to help me clarify my basic needs and wants.  On the days that my speech was increasingly challenged, an iPad with communication apps or program may be necessary to assist during face-to-face conversations with family, friends, co-workers, and clients.  Without assistive technology devices, low-tech and/or high-tech, my ability to connect with other and develop relationships would be greatly hindered. Losing the ability to communicate with others can greatly affect the quality of life, since we are such social creatures.

Core Board (low-tech)

iPad with Proloquo2Go (high-tech)

My Connections to Play

My Connections to Play

Backyard Play Set

Fisher Price Little People

For me, play was a way to escape reality.  Solitary play was my preferred play.  I would spend hours in my bedroom playing with my Fisher Price Little People toys. My older brother and sister would be at a friend’s house or school, my dad worked a typical 9-5 office job, and my mother would do housework on good days, so I would be on my own to entertain myself.  On not so good days, my mom would sleep on the couch.  My mom fell ill from a reaction to a swine flu vaccination when I was four years old, so I preferred to play with toys that I could use my imagination.  On weekends, the neighborhood kids would run and play.  Since we had a pool in our backyard, our metal playset was between our house and another.  It was accessible to all the kids.  We would swing on swings and imagine flying to faraway places.  Imagination play was my escape from reality and a way to go to novel places and meet new people.

Play today is different from yesterday’s play.  Children still use imaginative play to escape reality and travel to new worlds.  Some still play with play figures, some read books, and some only watch television or play video games.  In my opinion, playing with figures, reading books, and playing on playgrounds allows for a child to freely use their imagination and creativity to travel to new place and meet new people while technology directs the children to the places and people.  Hopefully, with the assistance and guidance from teachers and parents, children will learn to develop a healthy balance between play with technology and unplugging and playing with low-tech or no-tech toys. Creativity and imagination are essential for school readiness and a lifetime skill.  Educator should offer children opportunities on a regular basis to freely explore and express their creativity and imagination.

Even though play was my escape from reality growing up, it was also my way of learning about the world around me, learning new skills, new concepts, and much more.  The Fisher Price Little People play sets were my favorite solitary and imagination play items.  I had other play items that made play important and memorable for me.  One year, my parents bought me a Texas Instruments Speak & Spell that I loved to play games on and challenge myself to learn to spell new and unfamiliar words. I still have that Speak & Spell and grew up enjoying grammar and spelling.  On her good days, my mom and I would play board games.  I would use my birthday money to buy a new board game, so my mom and I would have a new game to learn to play.  These games would be played when a friend would spend the night.  Today, I cherish the evenings that we get together with friends and play card games.  The conversation, laughter, bonding are irreplaceable memories that link back to the days of playing board games with my mom.