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!