Assessing Children

Testing for Intelligence

I feel that there needs to be set standards to check how a child is progressing academically. Using standardized testing can help educators identify problems with children’s progress academically. This will help children that need help in certain areas be identified and get remediation where it is needed. However, I don’t feel that standardized testing is the only way to measure the intelligence of children. Other tools such as teacher observations should also play a part in how children’s intelligence is measured. The need for school systems to do well on these standardized tests makes some students feel pressured to do well. This puts unneeded stress on children and teachers.  I feel that these standardized tests focus solely on academic progress and leave out areas that need to be focused on such as how to improve students’ learning overall. Standardized testing is not helping teachers to focus on making sure each of their students is receiving the best education suited for the child’s needs. These tests cause teachers to focus on keeping their jobs in many school systems. I think that standardized testing has benefits but that improving students learning needs to be our number one focus.

Education and Assessment in China

Testing and exams are a majority of China’s tools used to monitor children’s academic progress. These tests are sometimes the only tool that is looked at to promote children to higher grades. Some assessments frequently used in China are term-end tests, year-end tests, and even primary education graduation exams.  A literacy assessment is also given.

Resource:

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EDUCATION/Resources/278200-1126210664195/1636971-1126210694253/China_Skills_Assessment.pdf

The Stress of Poverty on Children

Poverty and the Effects on Children

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For my blog this week, my focus was how poverty affects children. Poverty is directly linked with poor nutrition, lack in academic achievement, lack of proper shelter, and inadequate child care. In my childcare center, the majority of our families enrolled receive some type of government assistance. 70% of our families receive child care assistance to help them pay for daycare. These are single parent families that rely on this help from the Indiana CCDF fund so they are able to work and go to school. These families live paycheck to paycheck and worry every day about whether they are going to be able to make ends meet.

As a childcare provider, we try and keep a list of resources for families that might not be aware of help that they could qualify for such as child care vouchers, food stamps, Women, Infants, Children (WIC), and local food banks. We keep a list of local resources posted on our parent communication board. I have found in my experience that parents will come to us and ask about some of the resources because they have that trusting relationship with us as providers for their children.

Poverty causes stress on the parents as well as the children. Some children come in hungry and tell us they ran out of food at home. Children being hungry can affect their behavior, attention, and learning.

Children and Poverty in South Africa

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Poverty has been defined as “the inability of individuals, households or entire communities to command sufficient resources to satisfy a socially acceptable minimum standard of living” (Plessis, P.D. & Conley, L., 2007, p. 50). 66% of children in South Africa live in poverty. South Africa has a high rate of infant mortality due to poverty. There are also numerous cases of children infected with HIV/Aids. South African children and their families do not have enough resources available to them for these children to have proper nutrition, shelter, and medical care. Poverty is preventing these children from being able to get an education. Because of lack of nutrition, children in South Africa do not grow and develop properly. High levels of unemployment in South Africa are listed as a main reason for such high poverty rates. Sometimes one child works and supports their entire family. Children have extra responsibilities that children in America don’t have. This puts a lot of unneeded stress on these South African children.

References:

(Effects of poverty, hunger, and homelessness on children and youth). Retrieved November 22, 2011, from American Psychological Association: http://www.apa.org/pi/families/poverty.aspx#

Plessis, P. &. (2007). Children and poverty in South Africa: The right to social security. Educational Research and Review , 2 (4), 49-59.

Nutrition/ Malnutrition & Child Development

This week I chose to talk about nutrition and how it affects a child’s development. So many children today are not getting the nutrition that they need to be healthy and have healthy development.  Nutrition is one factor that is important to a child’s cognitive development. Lack of nutrition or being malnourished can hinder a child’s development. Children that are malnourished tend to be sick more than children that are eating healthier. They miss more school thus they fall behind their peers academically. Nutrition is not only a parent’s responsibility, but also child care providers and the school system.  While researching I found that poor nutrition between 12-36 months is associated with poor mental development and this can lead to problems later in life.

In other countries most children only consume grains such as rice and maize. Children do not have access to fruits, vegetables, and proteins. Less than 1% of aids to these countries are spent focusing on malnutrition of children and their families. I focused on the country of Bangladesh where child malnutrition rates are one of the highest in the world.  UNICEF has a program in place to help children receive vitamin A supplements each year to help with their malnutrition. A lot of children die from curable diseases such as pneumonia because they are so under nourished. Their bodies are frail and they have stunted growth.

In order for children to grow and develop like they should they need to have good nutrition. Good nutrition habits need to start with the mother when they are pregnant. Schools, child care providers, and parents all need to work together to make sure that children are eating healthy so they can have optimal success in life.

Resources on Nutrition:

http://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/Child_and_Maternal_Nutrition.pdf

http://hungerreport.org/2011/report/chapters/one/nutrition

http://www.pediatriconcall.com/nutrition/adult_health.asp

http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=4&tax_level=3&tax_subject=358&topic_id=1612&level3_id=5949&level4_id=0&level5_id=0&placement_default=0

http://www.brightfutures.org/nutrition/pdf/ec.pdf

The Birthing Process

My Personal Birthing Experience

For this blog I chose to write about the birthing experience with my son Layton. Layton was born December 26, 2006. I chose this birthing experience because I had to have a C-Section. My older two boys both were born vaginally and this was my first experience needing to have an emergency C-Section. I went into the hospital at 8:00 am and my water was broke and I was given pitocin to help my labor and dilation progress. I was doing great until I hit 5 centimeters. After this point I was not dilating anymore. The doctor gave me a little more medicine and wanted to give me some more time. At 10:30 I was still only a 6 and he decided that we needed to do a C-section because Layton was starting to become distressed. At 11:57 p.m. I delivered a beautiful 9lb 12oz baby boy. This was a scary experience for me, but I knew it was necessary for the safety of my child. I was concerned about the distress causing problems for Layton later on.

Birthing in Japan

I chose to focus on the birthing process in Japan for my assignment. Japan is similar to the United States in that they use hospitals, doctors, and nurses. I found it interesting that women giving birth in Japan do not like to use painkillers. In Japanese culture they feel the pain associated with the birthing process prepares women for motherhood. Another interesting fact I found is that fathers are only allowed to go into the delivery room with the mother if they participate in prenatal classes. Another custom in Japan is the mother and baby not go home after leaving the hospital, but they go to the mother’s parent’s house for 21 days. During these 21 days the new mom stays in bed with the newborn for bonding time.

I found it interesting that mothers in Japan have their parents help for the first 21 days. This gives new moms time to bond with their babies. In the United States you have many single parents that are sent home with no one to help them after the birthing process. This can be overwhelming for a first time mother and could play a role in post partum depression.

References:

Japan. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2011, from American Baby: http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/?page=4

Thank you to Dr. Kien and all my colleagues for providing me with great resources that I am able to take back to my job. I have enjoyed the experience of this class and meeting such great early childhood professionals. Good luck in your other classes throughout this program!

Code of Ethics

            Three ideals from NAEYC and DEC code of ethics statements that are important to me and that I try and use daily are:

1)       “To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child”

2)        “We shall advocate for equal access to high quality services and supports for all children and families to enhance their quality of lives.”

3)      “To provide the community with high-quality early childhood care and education programs and services.”

            All children learn in different ways and it is my responsibility as an educator to make sure that I recognize and respect the abilities that each child brings into the classroom. I try offer children activities that touch on different learning styles so each child is getting meaningful learning experiences. As a professional I want to become more comfortable with advocating for children in early childhood.

            All children deserve to have high quality education experiences regardless of socioeconomic status or culture. It is my goal to start sharing with my families and others in the community how important it is that children receive a good early childhood education. It is my goal to be the voice for children.

            Not only is it my goal to advocate for children to receive a high quality early childhood education, but I also am going to lead by example by being a provider of a good early childhood education experience. I plan to keep staying current on the trends and issues in the field and to further my knowledge in the field so I can provide meaningful learning experiences to children.

It is my goal as an early childhood provider to abide by these ethical ideals to promote success in children.

References

The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved August 13, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/63694/CRS-CW-5364585/educ6005_readings/dec_codeofethics.pdf

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical condict and statement of commitment. Retrieved August 13, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/63694/CRS-CW-5364585/educ6005_readings/naeyc_codeofethicspdf.pdf

Additional Course Resources

National Association for Family Child Care

• http://nafcc.org/

Scholastic Early Childhood Today

• http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/ect/

The Whole Child

• http://www.pbs.org/wholechild/

Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning

• http://www.playbasedlearning.com.au/

Inspiring Words From Early Childhood Professionals

"We know that teachers are the key to good child care - and as long as teachers are undervalued, American children, too, will keep getting less than they deserve"                                - Dr. Marcy Whitebook


"For as long as the sun is up, children's minds and bodies are seldom still. They are continuously acting and reacting, thinking and speaking, anticipating and reflecting. Children gain so much simply by living their world." - Sylvia Chard and Yvonne Kogan 


"I had a built in passion that it was important to make a real contribution to the world; to fix all the injustices that existed in the world. I wanted to do that through teaching."                                          -  Louise Derman-Sparks, Professor Emeritus


"We as professionals, in the Early childhood field have an opportunity to shape a child's life for the better and that is what makes me passionate." - Sandy Escobido


"I'm not here to save the world, just to make a difference in the community in which I'm working"               - Raymond Hernandez,  MS Ed


It's not all about you. You have to take your ego out of it and think about what is best for the child." - Renatta M. Cooper, 


"When I think about passion as a person I also embrace who I am; who I am as a woman, as a Latina leader, and what my family has taught me. It creates a foundation for my passion."             - Leticia Lara, LCSW

My Childhood Web

              

           Throughout my early childhood, I had four people that were a support network for me. My mom was the foundation of our family working long hours to provide for us. She taught me that hard work pays off and characteristics such as dedication, responsibility, and honesty. She encouraged us to work hard and do well in school so that we could go to college and be whatever we wanted. She made me feel special because I knew she wanted the best for me and even though she was gone a lot I knew that she loved me and made sure that was taken care of.

            My Grandma was also supportive of me and took care of me after school and made sure that my homework was done. My siblings and I spent a lot of time with our grandma until she passed on when I was 12. We then learned how to help and take of each other and offer each other support when needed. My Grandma made me feel special by doing things with me such as baking, shopping, and going to church.

            My brother and sister are also in my support network because we had to take care of each other while my mom worked. We made sure each other’s homework was done and that everyone ate and bathed and completed their chores before my mom got home. It was definitely a team effort to make sure that everyone was being responsible.  Today we would have been labeled as latchkey children.  “Latchkey” defines children whom are left to take care of themselves, to use group recreational systems, stay home alone, or in general, supervise themselves (Long 1983). My brother and sister made me feel special because we were there for each other and we also had each other’s backs when we were being mischievous.

 This is my sister April

                                                                        My beautiful mother

                                                                           

This is my older brother Joshua and my baby brother Chaz.

Who has ever seen an angry Santa?

This is a blob art painting that my son did for me. When I asked him what it was he told me that it was Santa Claus with a mad face. I love children's creativity!

Why Early Childhood...

Early childhood education is a very important part of a child's life. These are the years when you can reach a child and start fueling their excitement about learning. It's all those teachable moments you have with children that fuels my passion for early childhood. I am asked at least once a day how I do what I do. I have to continually explain to my preschool parents that I love what I do and I love to see children making messes and creating. Being passionate about early childhood doesn't have to be hard work all the time. You can still have fun and be passionate. I know that my passion is not only going to drive me to reach my goals but also touch the lives of many children along the way.

Mommy Do You Love Me?

My favorite children's book of all time is Mommy Do You Love Me? I love this book because it reminds children that even though sometimes they have behaviors or act in a way that makes their moms upset that they are always still loved. This is a great story about the unconditional love parents and children have.

Mommy Do You Love Me? is about Little Chick that likes to splash in the mud, make faces, and he even likes to chirp and shout very loudly. After his mother asks him to stop, he always has the same question for her: Mommy, do you love me? She always responds with a yes.

Hello Everyone!

I am so excited to step into the world of blogging. I read them all time but I have never actually blogged. I look forward to reading everyone's posts and sharing new ideas. I also am looking forward to being able to use this as a learning tool throughout my journey at Walden. Good luck to everyone!