Week 8 EDUC 6162

WEEK 8

Learning about the international early childhood field can lead people to be more sensitive to issues, become an advocate, or realize that the issues in thier area might not be that dire.  All children deserve the right to high-quality education and access to health care.  Dr. Grace stated that it is not fair to compare programs that are not on "even playing field".  However, I think that it will be very difficult to have all early childhood programs be on the same level since some countries have issues such as AIDS/HIV.  In these countries, their main goal is helping them survive to become a young child. 

My professional goal is to become a developmental therapist.  I will be working with children from birth to age three who exhibit developmental delay.  I will try to help them gain skills in order to be better prepared for school.  All children learn differently and have differing abilities.  It is important that I learn from other global situations, advocate for young children, and help families understand the laws and the services that their child is eligible for. 

International Contacts WEEK 7

I have been blessed to hear about certain early childhood programs in Canada and Hungary.  This week one contact in Canada provided me with her opinions on hopes, dreams, and current challenges in Canada. 

Here is an overview of my contact's opinions who works in Ottowa, Canada at Algonquin College. 

     "You have asked what I feel are the issues/trends in the E.C.E. field in
Canada.  Of course my response will be my opinion and I am sure if you asked
any of my colleagues they might have a different opinion entirely.
     Recently, Ontario, my province, has adopted a full day Kindergarten
program.  This means that a Kindergarten teacher works along with an E.C.E. in
a Kindergarten classroom. This is the second year of the program and some of
my friends are employed in this type of setting.  It is a very new program and
everyone is watching to see if it will be deemed a success.  As I understand
it, the focus of the full day program is "play-based" learning.  This is very
much in tune with the formal training we get as E.C.E.'s.
     The Early Learning Centre where I work has a very long waiting list.
Obviously this means we are not meeting the demand.  Consequentially, some
families look elsewhere, perhaps settling for care in an unlicensed setting.
     Some of the spaces in our centre are subsidized.  Others are not.  This
is the case in most non-profit centers in our country.  There is a debate in
Canada about whether child care should receive universal government funding.
Presently parents of young children receive a child care tax credit of about
$100.00 per month.  Some parents pay several thousand dollars per month so
this is a proverbial "drop in the bucket."
     Another hot topic is wages for Early Childhood Educators.  I am very
lucky to be working in a high-quality, licensed centre associated with a
community college and am paid better than most.  Much of the work force
consists of women, many of whom do not return to the field after having
children because all of their wages would be spent on child care.  Others
simply do not enter the field because wages are not adequate.  As I mentioned
earlier, we are very proud of our professional association so we are gaining
more recognition and hopefully respect which one hopes will lead to better
pay."
I find it interesting that many of the issues in Canada are not very different from here.  Full-day kindergarten is a hot topic here in Indianapolis as well.  Many families want this because of child care arrangements.  I had to search for a half-day program that met my requirements for my oldest son, Noah.  Also, funding is a major issue.  Many families have a difficult time affording high-quality programs. 

Here some photos of my kiddos:  Miss Diva ELLA!; Mr. Happy OWEN; Mr. Cool NOAH; the gang!

Week 6

ZERO to THREE website
This week I chose to follow the link for the 30-36 month developmental sheet.  I chose this because Owen and Ella turned 3 on December 2nd.  The developmental sheet discussed the social aspect of a typical 30-36 month old child. 

Between 30 and 36 months, toddlers really enjoy playing with friends—doing things like acting out stories, building together with blocks, or exploring the playground.  It also discussed the fact that brothers and sisters are often a child’s first friends.  Sibling relationships provide daily practice with sharing and cooperating. They also offer children opportunities to show compassion and loving support.

Social Skills-THE PARENT'S ROLE:

Make time for play.  Encourage children to play with others.  Organize playdates with friends.  Give child verbal and non-verbal feedback.  Encourage the child to use problem-solving strategies.  Help the child learn about other's feelings. 

The section also discussed typical behaviors or common skills at this developmental age. 

While I believe it is important to understand the typical development of this age range, I know as a mother and a special education teacher that all children develop differently and at their own pace. 

PHOTOS:  Owen and his cake!; Mommy, Owen, and Ella celebrating!; Ella and her cake!; and Noah at the Wizard of Oz play...he got a chance to be the scarecrow! 

International Resources WEEK 5

This week, I had the privelege of learning more about Canada from an excellent resource, A. Betim. 

LEGISLATION

 Each province in Canada has its own sets of rule and regulations to monitor licensed child care program, be it centre based or home based.

In the province of Ontario, we are regulated by the Day Nurseries Act. This act outlines room sizes in relation to the number of children, staff qualifications required in early childhood programs, ratios of children and staff, health and safety requirements, etc. You can browse these websites to see what the Day Nurseries Act looks like:

One is the official legislation: http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_900262_e.htm
The other is an interactive website for program operators: http://childcarelearning.on.ca/

One major change is that licensing and regulations, historically managed by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, is now being passed to the Ministry of Education, mostly because of a new initiative called Full-Day Learning (see below).

TRENDS:

Full-Day Learning

 The field of Early Childhood Education is still struggling to be as widely recognized as formal schooling, such as kindergarten. There seems to exist a perception that children in early childhood program “just play” as opposed to learn. Advocacy is strong. It is not until 2007 that the College of Early Childhood Educators came to be. Today the college of ECE is self-regulatory body striving to promote high standards within the profession. Their website is http://collegeofece.on.ca/Pages/default.aspx

 Early Childhood Education is formally defined between the ages of 0 to 12 years-old.

Historically children attended ECE programs, infant to preschoolers, before entering Junior or Senior Kindergarten at 4 or 5 years-old respectively. Then there were after-school programs and summer camps to meet the needs of children 5 to 12 years-old.

The advantages of ECE programs is that children can attend the program year-round, full day, including summers and march breaks. This has changed dramatically with the Full-Day Learning Kindergarten, where Junior and Senior Kindergarten are now being offered Full-Day programs similar to elementary school, and most school are encouraged to offer before and after school programs for children whose parents work early or finish work later. The idea is to create a seamless day but the limitation is that the parents are required to make their own childcare arrangements in the summer months and during March break or PD days when schools are closed.

More information about the Full-Day Learning can be found at http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/kindergarten/

With the FDL initiative, early childhood programs enrollments declined as elementary schools started their FDL programs and now we mostly serve a younger population, namely children 0 to 4.8 rather than 0 to 6, when children can go from ECE program directly to grade 1.

These changes caused a great number of programs to think creatively to fill up their preschool programs or open up Toddler programs to meet the demands of the community and survive.

The FDL is still fairly new and parents and the community are still advocating to see the children with special needs reflected in the strategic planning and directions of the programs.

 Funding

ECE programs (licensed daycares and home daycares) are funded 80% by the City and 20% by the Province. Up to now, the funding and subsidies components have always been managed by the City of Ottawa but now much of the responsibilities are being transferred to the Ministry of Education. They may purchase services from the city to do the work but nothing concrete has been put into place yet.

The city of Ottawa is the only city in Ontario where subsidized spaces are allocated for each centre rather than to specific families. For instance, in my program we have 39 subsidized spaces. Regardless whereas a child leaves the program we always have a subsidized spot to offer to another family. This is about to change soon, likely at the beginning of 2012, where Ottawa will follow the rest of the province and the subsidies will follow the families. If one of our children leave our program, the subsidy goes with them. We then need to find another family that has a subsidy or charge for the space used. This new systems will put a lot of strain in programs located in high risk areas or a neighborhood consisting of subsidized housing and poverty because we are not likely to find families with resources to pay for a daycare space. Once again, ECE programs are asked to think creatively to keep their doors open and programs running in face of policies changes at governmental levels.

 Curriculum

ECE in Ontario have various models of curriculums depending of the philosophy of each program: Headstart, High Scope, Waldorf, Montessori, Play Based, Emergent Curriculum, Reggio Emilia, etc. The Kindergarten model is also a different approach to curriculum but serves the same purpose, educate children.

A new trend is the Early Learning for Every Child Today: A Framework for Ontario Early Childhood Settings. This framework describes how young children learn and develop, and provides a guide for curriculum in Ontario’s early childhood settings, including child care centres, regulated home child care, nursery schools, kindergarten, Ontario Early Years Centres, family resource programs, parenting centres, readiness centres, family literacy, child development programs in Community Action Program for Children, Healthy Babies Healthy Children and early intervention services. The idea with the new framework is the regardless to the curriculum model the program uses, every ECE program in Ontario still offer high quality programs and follow similar principles.

You can download the Guide and browse the framework at http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/earlychildhood/early_learning_for_every_child_today.aspx

PHOTOS:  I chose to add this photo because Owen and Ella turn 3 tomorrow!!!  (I WAS HUGE, but I guess you should be with triplets! This was the day before I had Owen, Ella, and our Angel.) The second photo is of their first Christmas with Noah, Mekhi, Masen, and Maddy.  I love my family!

Sharing Web Resources-Part 2 (Week 4)

Zero to Three

On the website, there was a section titled, “I Like Me”: Developing Self-Esteem in the Early Years.  Dr. Jeree Pawl describes how young children develop self-esteem, and how parents can nurture a strong, positive sense of self in their young children.   Dr. Pawl is a clinical psychologist who has worked with babies, toddlers and their families for 40 years. She is also on the Board of Directors at ZERO TO THREE.

This section could be controversial because it did not talk about how environmental factors impact self-esteem.  I know from teaching in an emotional disabilities classroom, that often times environmental factors play a part in behavioral issues. 

 BRAIN QUIZ  (I love to look at articles about the brain because of my youngest son’s unique brain issues.  The brain is very resilient and I love to read about it.)

This Brain Quiz was created to introduce some of the basic concepts concerning early brain research in a way that challenges early childhood professionals or parents to think critically and creatively about what we have heard about the research. Test yourself to see what facts and misinformation you have heard concerning infants and brain development.  This was a very interesting quiz regarding the research of the brain.  This research could help economists and policy makers with funding issues in regards to early childhood education. 

 

I think that this website provides great information for parents, pediatricians, and early childhood professionals.  It separates some age ranges and provides what developmental milestones occur during this time frame. 

                                               

Getting to Know your International Contacts-Part 1

I have had the pleasure of learning about the early childhood field in Canada and in Hungary. 

Three of my sources work at Algonquin College in Canada.  One works in a private center. 

G. Reynolds stated that adequate funding is a major issue and that many are lobbying to have federal dollars to be used for high-quality programs.  She stated that many people simply cannot afford high-quality care for their children. 

J. Barton also works at Algonquin College.  She stated that availability and funding are major issues.  She stated that many parents work multiple jobs and have a difficult time finding a child care that meets their scheduling needs. 

J. Schultz stated that many parents are on a LONG wait list for high-quality programs, so many parents find an unlicensed child care center.  Some of the spots at her facility are subsidized and others are not.  She stated that there is current debate in Canada whether childcare should receive government funding.  Parents of early children get a $100 tax credit, but she says that it is just a "drop in the bucket".  She stated that some parents spend thousands of dollars for quality care.  The average family simply cannot afford this. 

E. Szatmari is from Hungary.  She stated that in some parts of Hungary.  There is very little money.  Schools currently are over populated and cannot fill the needs.  Where she is from, many people try to get loans from the school to try to pay for their child's care, but there is little money at the school.  She stated that many young children are being watched by grandparents in an over populated home. 

Poverty can impact anyone at anytime often without warning.  When Owen and Ella were 10 weeks old, my husband lost his job without warning.  Owen was in the hospital at the time and we had major medical bills piling up.  We also had two newborns going through a ton of diapers.  It was so scary.  Thankfully, Brian found a job a few months later, but it was a scary time.  It is important as an educator to know where the child is coming from and help meet their needs while at school. 

Sharing Web Resources

ZERO TO THREE www.zerotothree.com This resource has links for behavior and development, health related issues, education and schooling, as well as a variety of other resources. 

I found the section labeled School Readiness Interactive Birth to 3 (www.zerotothree.org/early-care-education) to be very informative and interesting.  It was a web-based, interactive learning tool designed to help parents or caregivers support young children’s early learning. It had age-based information on how children develop the four key skills—language and literacy skills, thinking skills, self-confidence and self-control—that are so very important to school success.

The photos are of Owen doing some physical therapy exercises, Ella spinning like a princess, and Noah's missing tooth...I just wanted to include him!  Love my kiddos!

I also found the training for physicians to be interesting.  It is so very important for pediatricians or family doctors to be knowledgeable about development, be able to spot delays, and encourage parents to seek intervention when necessary. 

Getting Ready-Establishing Contacts and Expanding Resources

Hello!  I am excited to be starting another course and "chugging" through these courses.  I must say, this educational experience is soooooo much different (with a husband, kids, bills, etc) than my experience at Purdue, but I am learning so much. 

Part 1: Establishing Professional Contacts
I have emailed several people and have a response from one that is willing to discuss the information with me.  I am excited to learn more about her and Hungary's early childhood system.  Many of the people are concerned about the time constraint, so I am trying to contact more than one so I have a back up each week. 
Part 2: Expanding Resources
I am excited about the www.zerotothree.org organization.  I have looked at specific articles on the website before, but never took the time to really read it.  It has a lot of information.  One thing that caught my attention was the BRAIN MAP section this week.  My son, Owen, has significant diffuse white matter loss throughout his brain, so I am always intrigued by articles concerning the brain.  (Owen is still undergoing genetic testing and HOPEFULLY his condition is non-progressive.  Feel free to visit his site at www.caringbridge.org/visit/owenred)  I signed up for mail from them and registered.  Excited to learn more. 

My advice to you about establishing contacts is try a lot of people.  I am always so nervous that I will not have the information that I need when I have to post, so hopefully with more than one person I will have at least one person respond in time. 

Best wishes to you all!!!
Sarah

Request...

Thank you all for great posts during this course.
It has been a pleasure getting to know each of you. 

I have a favor to ask each of you.  My son, Owen, is going through some major genetic testing.  Would you mind saying a prayer to whom ever you pray to or ask for guidance for normal test results for him.  We pray that the white matter loss in his brain shows no progression, he continues to gain skills, and NEVER shows signs of regression.  Thank you all! 

My Supports!

I feel as though I have a wonderful support system.  My family is my rock.  They keep me going.  My children help me to be patient.  My husband helps me to find humor in things.  My parents keep me grounded.  I find comfort daily in my FAITH. 

I am a list maker.  Creating a list helps me stay organized and on-time.  It also allows me to calm down and be less anxious. Without my list, I get distracted, spend more, and lose my train of thought. 

I always make time to play with my kids each and every day.  While I often find myself being busy (often with homework...), I take the time to play with them.  I learn so much from their innocence, their attitude, and their patience with me.  It helps me to be the mom that I want to be.  I would be lost without my babies. 

I pray a lot during the day.  This helps me relax and comforted.  There have been times in my life when I have not prayed as much and I often find myself to be more uptight.  Prayer helps me find my inner peace. 
Photos:  Noah, Owen, and Ella...my little playmates!
              Brian and I...I fell in love with his humor!
              The Holtz's going to church last Easter.  We love to go to church together, play together, and PRAY together!

 

My Connections to Play!

"Play energizes us and enlivens us.  It eases our burdents.  It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities." -Stuart Brown

"In play a child always behaves beyond his average age, above his daily behavior.  In play it is as though he were a head taller than himself." -Lev Vygotsky

My parents both encouraged play in different ways.  My dad encouraged me to build by making drawings and creating them.  He is a very literal-type player.  My mom encouraged play that involved nature.  We lived in the country and I would map maps, go on hikes, build forts, and play adventurer.  My sister is 3 years older than me and I idolized her.  She did not particullary enjoy being outside.  She liked dolls, playing house, and drawing.  I loved interacting with others.  Growing up, I particullarly enjoyed painting, building, and being outside.  I was also a pretty literal player. 

Times have changed a bit since I was little.  Technology is everywhere.  While I think that there can be some educational benefits to electronic games, it can allow the child to not use their entire creative ability or social skills.  Families are very busy.  Organized sports are starting at a very young age.  In some cases, these organized sports have taken the place of playtime. 

I hope that young children are encouraged to play and use their imagination.  I hope that children are encouraged to play in various ways other then their preferred way.  For example, my oldest son, Noah, is a very imaginative player.  He loves to create new themes for play and use toys for various other ways other than their purpose.  Our little neighbor boy, Ty, is a few months older than Noah.  Ty is a very literal player.  I think that it is great to watch them interact and push each other to play in various forms. 

Photos:  (These are examples of things that I enjoyed doing as a child!)
Noah, Owen, and Ella playing outside and enjoying each other! 
Noah loves play-doh! 
The boys playing with my old Legos.
Ella playing babies. 
Owen playing with his blocks and trucks.   

Play has given me adventures that I may never actually experience in my lifetime.  It allowed me to learn social skills, build friendships, create new ideas, and become comfortable being by myself.  As an adult, I try to encourage my children to play in various ways.  Noah is very imaginative.  Ella loves to play babies and make-believe.  Owen loves order in his play.  He loves to line up trucks and stack blocks.  All of my kids like to play outside and I enjoy watching them learn! 

Relationship Reflection

*What do I look for in a friendship?  -honesty, straightforward communication, mutual respect, nonjudgemental
*What special characteristics helps them stand out from other relationships? -I think that it is important to have a lot of mutual communication, to not feel that I am the only one trying in the relationship, honesty, not feeling judged, and feeling respected. 
*What would my life be without the "influential" relationships? -I love being able to be open and honest.  I like having a good time and helping others when needed.  I would be lonely without these wonderful relationships. 
*What helps maintain these relationships over time? -mutual respect, honesty, open communication
*How can the experiences learned from these relationships impact my work as an effective early childhood professional? -I learn a lot from my loved ones.  I have learned to be open and honest.  I trust my loved ones and love not being judged. 
My parents have taught me a lot about relationships.  I have a wonderful relationship with each of my parents.  We speak daily.  We are honest with each other.  They do not judge me and help me in deciding important points in my life.  They talk openly with me and are caring.  This is type of relationship that I sought after in a mate.  I formed a wonderful relationship with my husband, Brian.  He is caring, honest, respectful, and nonjudgmental.  I hope that this is the type of relationship that I am forming with my own children. 
While writing down my "important" factors in a relationship, all of the points were things that this week's information encouraged in between parents and teachers. 

"Mommy, all you have to do is look at the sunny side of the egg all the time and it will make you smile." -Noah Holtz (My son said this to me when he was 3 years old.  It is my favorite quote!)

Whole Child Approach

It is important for educators to align resources to students’ multiple needs and advocate

for a more balanced approach.

"What works best for children? What must we all—educators, families, policymakers, and

community members—do to ensure their success? Answering those questions pushes us to

redefine what a successful learner is and how we measure success. A child who enters school

healthy and feels safe is ready to learn. A student who feels connected to school is more likely

to stay in school. All students who have access to challenging and engaging academic programs

are better prepared for further education, work, and civic life. These components must work

together, not in isolation. That is the goal of whole child education."  (Retrieved from: http://www.afterschoolnetwork.org/)
United States and Poland
In both countries children are obligated to attend schools up to certain age. In the USA there are public primary schools and secondary schools. If someone wants to attend colleges or universities, he or she has to pay for it. In Poland the government pays for all schools- there are public primary, secondary and high schools, as well as colleges and universities. Of course there are private schools in Poland, but every citizen has an opportunity to educate for free from pre-kindergarten up to the university.  This is a wonderful opportunity. 
In America there exists an imperative to work harder and harder and to keep on looking for a better paid job. There are many people, who spend up to 18 hours a day at work. They have no time for social or private life. They have fewer friends and pay no attention to their neighbors. In Poland people usually know their neighbors, they also make friends and meet them regularly.
In America there are less unemployed and really poor people. Of course, there are some, but in reality, people, who want to work hard and are quite intelligent have a chance to achieve success. The living conditions in the USA are much better than in Poland. If you get a job in America and you work hard, you can afford a car, nice holidays and you do not have to worry about your future. In Poland the salaries hardly ever let you live on such level and you can never be sure, what your future will be like. Polish people are paid less money for a job, for which the Americans are paid much more. At the same time, the costs of living in Poland and in America are not much different.
http://www.afterschoolnetwork.org/
www.wiki.com/poland

Racism

Unfortunately racism still exists.  Growing up we lived in a small, country town.  Our school was small and not racially diverse.  My parents instilled values that were accepting and open to diversity of many kinds (socioeconomic, religious, racial, and cultural).  However, I can distinctly remember my senior year of high school when a new freshman moved to our small school.  She was a foster child and her parents were in the process of adopting her.  She was also African American.  She was the only African American in our school.  She was such a sweet girl.  She was very shy.  The guidance counselor asked me to show her around the school.  She had never played organized sports before, but said that she loved volleyball.  I encouraged her to try out for the volleyball team.  As a senior, I was allowed to practice for an hour before school if I wished.  I would pick up Sandy and help her work on some serving.  One day in the locker room before school, I noticed that something had been written on her locker.  It was a horrible racial slur.  I was shocked that someone in our small community could be so ignorant and hateful.  Sandy was scared to tell our coaches, but I told her that I would go in with her. She told me that this had happened at her last foster home.  She told me that one of her foster brothers was racist and would torture her daily.   It was so sad.  I found out who had written the words on Sandy’s locker and notified the coaches.  My teammate was suspended for a game.  Her parents were livid about the punishment, not upset with their daughter’s ignorance.  This was shocking to me.  Sandy seemed to enjoy the rest of the year and I believe our friendship helped shield her from some of the stupidity of others.  Unfortunately, the remaining years of high school for her were troublesome.  Each year, she had to endure at least one incidence of hate mostly while playing other teams in sports.  I wish that all parents were as wonderful as my own and would teach love and acceptance of others. 

In the US, racism is a talked about issue. Since the horrific terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, Security concerns have understandably increased, but so too has racial profiling and discrimination. I was in college in 2001 and I noticed several instances when signs for different clubs were defaced with a racial slur. 

Different countries have cultural and racial differences.  While visiting Egypt, my parents were told by their guide not to discuss American issues, not to divulge that they were Americans, and not to speak loudly in public.  During their visit, several Americans were raided and killed.  Very scary. 

Unfortunately, racial issues still exist.  I worry about my niece and nephews (who are bi-racial) and hope that they never have to endure any problems.  I pray that people view people for their actions and not superficial reasons.  It is important for parents to teach their children understanding and acceptance.

References: http://www.globalissues.org/article/165/racism

Breastfeeding

This week I chose to look more closely at the practice of breastfeeding.  This topic is very personal to each expectant mother.  In some countries there is a pressure to breastfeed, while in others it is very rare to breastfeed. 
Breastfeeding provides many benefits to the mother and baby.  These benefits include: bonding, cost savings, healthy benefits, and reduction of many illnesses for the mother and child.
The cells, hormones, and antibodies in breast milk protect babies from illness.  Breastfeeding may reduce the babies risk of:
Necrotizing entercolitis (a disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract in preterm infants)
Lower Respiratory infections
Asthma
Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Obesity
Childhood Leukemia
Lower risk of SIDS
Lower risk of water contamination

Since I have Type 1 Diabetes, I chose to breastfeed my children.  Since they are at higher risk of having diabetes because of me, I wanted to try to reduce this risk in any way possible.  I nursed Noah for 11 months while teaching full-time.  I only quit when he became too nosy.  I also nursed Owen and Ella.  They were both preterm and were born during RSV season.  I wanted to provide them with as many antibodies as possible to help reduce infections.  I nursed Ella until she was 10.5 months and became a biter.  I nursed Owen until he was 16 months old.  He would probably still nurse if I let him.  He loved it!  Since Owen has many health issues, I believe that this provided him with the best start possible.  Please visit his Caringbridge site at www.caringbridge.org/visit/owenred to see his page.  Prayers are welcomed and appreciated.  :)

Breastfeeding around the world is different.
In Africa, many women breastfeed.  It is open to the public eye and they use a feed on-demand style with the baby. 
In the United Kingdom, many women go back to work quickly.  It is not practiced in public. 
In Ireland, very few women breastfeed.  It is not encouraged or talked about openly.
In France, about 50% of mothers breastfeed.  Many mothers are working moms and nursing is done in private. 
Resources:
www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding
http://www.breastfeed.com/nursing-mothers-life/nursing-facts

Birthing Experience

My last pregnancy was very complicated.  I was pregnant with triplets and lost one baby at 20 weeks gestation.  I was placed on modified activity at 12 weeks.  Bedrest came at 20 weeks and hospitalized bedrest for the last 6 1/2 weeks of my pregnancy.  I was on a combination of medications to try to stop the contractions and buy the babies time in utero.  Very early in the morning on the day that I turned 36 weeks, the contractions became increasingly more intense and it was evident that the babies would be born that day.  Because I had to deliver our baby that had passed away, I had to have a c-section.  I remember being wheeled back to the OR and being a nervous wreck.  I had previously had a c-section with our oldest son, Noah due to him being transverse breech.  Once in the OR, I noticed that it was packed full of people.  There was a team of people for me, a team of four people each for Owen and Ella, and a representative from the morgue.  It was very emotional for my husband and I.
I chose this example because I know that none of my babies would be here if I had not been watched so closely.  There were severe complications that required immediate action.  I am grateful that we have 3 beautiful children here on earth.  I do not think that if this had been my first birth experience that I would have tried to have more children.  I am very thankful for modern medicine and the expertice of the medical staff. 

Netherlands-
In Netherlands, most women do not see an obstetrician.  They see a midwife.  Doctors only intervene in high-risk cases.  More than half of Dutch women deliver at home.  It is required that all women pick up all the medical supplies needed for a home delivery.  If you wish to have a hospital birth, the midwife determines when you should arrive.  Very few women get an epidural.  Most anesthesiologists only work from 9am to 5pm.  Many women go home the day of delivery with a home nurse provided and paid for by benefits.  The home nurse not only helps with the baby, but cleans, cooks, and instructs on parenting skills. 

My pregnancy was high-risk, so I would have been seen by an obstetrician and would have delivered at the hospital.  Owen and Ella stayed for a week in the NICU, so I would have had to go home without them.  I gained the insight that many deliveries are without complications.  I am thankful that many babies are born without complications. 

Reflection

I have enjoyed learning more about the early childhood field.  Learning about it is different than "living it" with your children.  I am excited to learn more and fulfill my professional goals!

NAEYC/DEC Code of Ethics

NAEYC-
*Appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life cycle.
DEC-
*We shall recognize our responsiblity to improve the developmental outcomes of children and to provide services and support in a fair and equitable manner to all families and children. 
**I value all the stages of the human life cycle.  I think that all children progress at their own rate with commonalities making it typical.  As a developmental therapist, I will have to determine delay and provide services to make developmental gains.  Improving developmental outcomes is the goal of a developmental therapist. 

References

Websites:
World Forum Foundation
http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php
World Organization for Early Childhood Education
http://www.omep-usnc.org/
Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/about/
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/index.cfm
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/
MY 3 REFERENCES:
CENTRAL INDIANA FIRST STEPS:  www.cibaby.com
The Jackson Center for Conductive Education:  www.thejacksoncenter.org
The Applied Behavior Center: www.appliedbehaviorcenter.org
*I have personal experience with Central Indiana First Steps.  My son's therapists are through First Steps.  It is a wonderful program where therapist come to the home to provide services from birth to age three. 
*My friend's son attends The Jackson Center.  It has been a wonderful experience for them. 
*I worked at a summer program in college at The Applied Behavior Center.  It was a very interesting experience. 

PASSION...

"I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A TEACHER." -Louise Derman-Sparks
Passion...it is about following your dreams!

Week 4...

"What a great moment for me, my son, the world. What you have made possible for so many people defies all reason." LOWELL WEICKER, JR.
Former United States Senator

Special Olympics oath:

Let me win,
but if I cannot win
let me be brave
in the attempt.

Family...

My family is my world.  This week was very rough for us.  Our daughter, Ella, had multiple seizures.  She had 10 in two hours.  She had a fever; however, the amount of seizures is abnormal for febrile seizures.  She saw our son's neurologist this morning and has an EEG on Monday.  This is very hard on our family as it has not even been a year since our youngest son, Owen, knocked over his high chair at a restaurant and we discovered that he has white matter loss throughout his brain.  Owen has been tested for leukodystrophies and thankfully they have all came back normal.  He will have another MRI on his brain and spine in July. I am praying that this is just how his brain has developed and it is not progressive.  It is very scary.  Through it all, our oldest son, Noah, has been our little comic relief.  He is funny like my husband.  Just praying. 

This week...

This week is a big week.
Noah's preschool is winding down.  He goes until the end of the month.  We have a preview of his school for next year.  He will be going to a 1/2 day Kindergarten program. 
Ella is doing great!  She is such a little cuddle bug.  She is doing well with potty training...this is day 5 of no pull-ups.  YEAH!
Owen is not feeling great.  He is on breathing treatments again.  They make him a bit tired.  He has DT and PT this week.  His therapists are great!  He loves working with them. 

Mother's Day! 
My weekend was wonderful.  It was filled with family and friends.  Noah had two soccer games this weekend.  He did great and scored 3 goals!  Ella is doing terrific potty-training!  I am so proud of her.  Owen worked hard showing off for our families today and was physically tired tonight.  I am one PROUD momma!

Early Childhood

Hello. My name is Sarah. 
I graduated from Purdue University in 2002 with a degree in Special Education.  I worked for several years in the IPS school system and greatly enjoyed teaching.  I taught inclusion at the 5th grade level.  I loved it.  After my first son was born, I taught for one year at a township school.  I taught 6th-8th grade self-contained Emotional Disabilities.  This position was very challenging, but rewarding.  I loved working with these students.  After my son's first birthday, I became a stay at home mom.  I love it.  I watched my youngest nephew and niece for a few years prior to having Owen and Ella in December 2008. 
My youngest son, Owen, has physical and developmental delays.  He receives physical, occupational, developmental, and speech therapies in our home several times a week.  It is wonderful to see my children develop!  I am so proud of all their developments; however, seeing my Owen work so hard at mastering a skill makes me swell up with pride.  I am so proud of him!!!