The past two years, in this masters program, have been such a whirlwind for me. While it now seems to have went by so quickly, it also felt like I would never reach the finish line. I have felt various emotions throughout this journey and have been challenged in ways I did not expect. I have surprised and even impressed myself, and have discovered a deep passion for politics along the way. A few major things that I learned during this journey are:
1.) That I CAN create positive social change if I put my mind to it. This capstone project has really challenged me to dig deep to produce quality work and I am really pleased with my accomplishments. I see now that if I work hard, I can make a difference in this field. I am now equipped with the tools necessary to make an impact in the field of early childhood education.
2.) That I must be an advocate for children, families, and the early childhood education field to continue to move early education forward. "Experts tell us that 90% of all brain development occurs by the age of five. If we don't begin thinking about education in the early years our children are at risk of falling behind by the time they start kindergarten" Robert L. Ehrlich. I think that it is important to continue to push for early education reform here in the United States and that is something that I will actively do and encourage my peers to do as well.
3.) That we must work towards equity across the board and ensure that anti-bias education is being implemented on all levels of education. It is so important in today's world that we embrace diversity, celebrate culture, and teach our children to love each other. I feel that this must happen so that the hate we are seeing around the country will be eradicated.
Looking forward, I have quite a few goals set for myself. The major goal that I hope to accomplish in the future is to work in politics at the state level here in my home state of North Carolina. NC really needs education reform and I feel that I can be a great advocate for early education. This capstone project has really allowed me to discover myself and realize the passion that I have for creating political change. I am grateful to have discovered such a passion within myself.
I would like to thank all of my colleagues for their support throughout this journey. You all have questioned me and caused me to rethink my own ideas, forced me to think outside the box, and have provided me with great ideas and feedback. A large part of this program has been discussions and I am so happy that I had the chance to communicate with all of you throughout this journey. I wish you all the best of luck as you begin to walk down a new path and hope that if I can help you in the future, that you will not hesitate to contact me.
I would also like to thank Dr. E, who has really helped me out these last eight weeks. You have challenged me in so many ways and have pushed me to think more, learn more, and work harder. I really appreciate all of the guidance that you have provided me with during this course and hope that I will get the opportunity to work with you in the future when I return back to Walden to pursue my Ed.D.
Moving forward, when working with children, I hope that everyone remembers to let their children be little. Let them get messy. Let them ask a million questions. Remember that according to Albert Einstein, "play is the highest form of research." Let's all embrace this fact and help raise the best little learners that we can.
Live. Love. Teach.
4.22.2015
4.09.2015
Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally
In the past I have noted organizations or communities of practice that I feel are beneficial resources on both the state and federal levels. Now, I have researched for resources on the international level. Below are the organizations that I feel the most passionate about.
- UNICEF - The United Nations Children's Fund - I chose UNICEF because I really respect and appreciate the work that they do and the values that they represent. This organization is active across 190+ countries and territories and is part of the Global Movement for Children, "a broad coalition dedicated to improving the life of every child." UNICEF promotes girls education, child protection and social inclusion, child survival such as health, nutrition, clean water, and HIV, education, gender equality, and emergencies and disasters.
On the website, www.unicef.org, there are many career opportunities posted and available at various spots around the world. The position that interests me is a position for a Senior Child Protection Specialist (Child Marriage) in New York. While I do not have any experience in child marriage, it is something that really interests me and evokes strong feelings for me. This position requires an advanced degree is social services, education, international relations, or public health, along with 10 years of relevant experience. It is also required that applicants be fluent in English as well as one other language.
- ISSA - The International Step by Step Association - The mission of ISSA is the support professional communities and develop a strong civil society that promotes high quality education, inclusion, and respect for diversity. I like this organization because they work very closely with UNICEF, among other well respected organizations, and raise awareness for a variety of issues, develop resources for practicioners, pilots and evaluates programs, and strengthens alliances. There were no career opportunities posted on the website but more information about ISSA can be found at www.issa.nl
- FHI 360 - This organization was formed when teams of experts from Family Health International and Academy for Educational Development merged. I chose this resource because I love how broad of a spectrum is covered with this organization, whose mission is to "improve lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions for human development." Issues addressed by this organization include civil society, gender, health and nutrition, environment, and education. With regards to education, they focus on education in emergencies, girls education, English language learners, teaching and learning, technology for education, and international exchange and scholarship programs. They are currently working on support for education and instruction in the Republic of South Sudan, strengthening basic education in El Salvador, teacher training in Liberia, and a reading program in Malawi.
There are several career opportunities listed on the website, located at www.fhi360.org. These jobs include a variety of specialties across the globe, from nutrition specialist in Nigeria to project director in Atlanta, Ga. Personally, I found the project director position to be very intriguing. This person is responsible for leading a team to help with the development and implementation of the Four Pillars PLUS project in Nigeria. It requires a masters degree in social science, gender studies, international development, or education, as well as strong computer skills. Experience in this arena is a plus but not required, making it within reach for me.
Overall, I found that there are many international resources devoted to the further development and advocacy for quality early childhood education. I found the three listed above to be the most interesting to myself and hope that everyone else will find them useful as well.
3.27.2015
Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: National / Federal Level
With thanks to these past couple of blog assignments, I have had the opportunity to find SO MANY helpful resources that are relevant to the early childhood education field. I have already highlighted some of the local resources that I found, available to those of us in North Carolina. Now I am highlighting the resources that I feel are the most helpful at the national level.
Zero to Three is a "national nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals, and policymakers the knowledge and the know-how to nurture early development" (www.zerotothree.org). Zero to Three has so many great resources on their website. There are articles on topics related to behavior and development, maltreatment, care and education, and public policy. I find this website particularly helpful because it provides information for all ECE professionals. Teachers, administration, and even law makers can all find this website helpful.
There is a job opportunity that Zero to Three has posted on their website for a program manager for the National Center on Early Head Start - Child Care. This position For me, this is a dream job. It is based in Washington, DC and you get to work with all of the major ECE researchers and analysts. This position requires applicants to have at least 10 years experience in ECE on a variety of levels, as well as a masters degree in ECE.
The National Child Care Association (NCCA) is an organization whose "mission is to promote the growth and safeguard the interest of quality early childhood care and education, focusing on licensed, private providers of these services (www.nccanet.org). I like this organization because since 1987, NCCA is the only voice for the private early childhood care sector. Being that I am currently in private ECE and have previously only worked on this sector, I think that it is great to have a resource dedicated to that specific situation. While you do have to pay to become a member, the fee is very small ($25) and gives you access to a plethora of articles on a number of different topics. NCCA is also very active in lobbying and advocating for the rights of children.
The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) is a resource that I came across when researching my challenge for my Capstone Project. I found NIEER to be super helpful in terms of data and statistics, as they publish an annual State Preschool Yearbook, showcasing state funded Pre-K programs. www.nieer.org offers users access to tons of research articles, public policy publications, videos, and current news and events.
While there was a couple of job opportunities offered by NIEER, it is not something that interests me. However, I will mention it here in case it does interest others. The positions offered are for: assistant research professor and for data collectors. Both positions are located in New Jersey, as NIEER is a unit of the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. The assistant research professor position requires a doctorate in the field while the other position only requires a bachelors degree.
Zero to Three is a "national nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals, and policymakers the knowledge and the know-how to nurture early development" (www.zerotothree.org). Zero to Three has so many great resources on their website. There are articles on topics related to behavior and development, maltreatment, care and education, and public policy. I find this website particularly helpful because it provides information for all ECE professionals. Teachers, administration, and even law makers can all find this website helpful.
There is a job opportunity that Zero to Three has posted on their website for a program manager for the National Center on Early Head Start - Child Care. This position For me, this is a dream job. It is based in Washington, DC and you get to work with all of the major ECE researchers and analysts. This position requires applicants to have at least 10 years experience in ECE on a variety of levels, as well as a masters degree in ECE.
The National Child Care Association (NCCA) is an organization whose "mission is to promote the growth and safeguard the interest of quality early childhood care and education, focusing on licensed, private providers of these services (www.nccanet.org). I like this organization because since 1987, NCCA is the only voice for the private early childhood care sector. Being that I am currently in private ECE and have previously only worked on this sector, I think that it is great to have a resource dedicated to that specific situation. While you do have to pay to become a member, the fee is very small ($25) and gives you access to a plethora of articles on a number of different topics. NCCA is also very active in lobbying and advocating for the rights of children.
The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) is a resource that I came across when researching my challenge for my Capstone Project. I found NIEER to be super helpful in terms of data and statistics, as they publish an annual State Preschool Yearbook, showcasing state funded Pre-K programs. www.nieer.org offers users access to tons of research articles, public policy publications, videos, and current news and events.
While there was a couple of job opportunities offered by NIEER, it is not something that interests me. However, I will mention it here in case it does interest others. The positions offered are for: assistant research professor and for data collectors. Both positions are located in New Jersey, as NIEER is a unit of the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. The assistant research professor position requires a doctorate in the field while the other position only requires a bachelors degree.
3.12.2015
Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels
In order to truly be an involved professional within the field of early childhood education, I feel that it is important to be familiar with the different types of organizations and communities of practice (CoP) that exist within your area. These organizations and CoP’s are groups that actively work to improve ECE and are groups that I not only want to know and understand, but groups that I want to be a part of! I am listing some of my favorites from North Carolina, where I live, below.
There are so many different job opportunities that interest me within the field of ECE. One is the job in which I currently work, preschool director. As a director I’m able to work hands-on with families every, single day. The qualifications for this position are a BS/BA in ECE and 3+ years of experience. I would also love to work on the curriculum development team for the state of North Carolina, working with Smart Start, Head Start, or NC Pre-K. To be considered for this type of position, a MS in ECE is required along with field experience. It excites me that in six short weeks I will be fully qualified for this type of position. My ultimate goal in my career is to work with the state to help reform ECE. I’m not sure in what aspect I will achieve this goal, nor what I need to do to get there. All I know is that I have decided that I will continue to further my education after I receive my MS, and will pursue the Ed.D program for ECE. I hope that by continuing my education and getting more actively involved in these organizations and CoP’s, I will find the road that will lead me to this accomplishment.
- NC Institute for Child Development Professionals - I am very familiar with this organization as it is changing the way that educators are ranked (based on education and experience) in my state. This organization is actively working to help educators get the respect and wages that they deserve. They also push the importance of continuing education and showcase that on their website and via newsletters that are delivered to preschool directors across the state. The website, www.ncicdp.org, contains many useful resources to every type of ECE professional.
- The North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children (NCAEYC) is the state affiliate of The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), which I’m sure everyone is quite familiar with. This group’s members consist of all different types of ECE professionals across NC. Members get assigned to a local affiliate chapter in which the group focuses on challenges that face them in their particular community. More information on NCAEYC can be found at www.ncaeyc.org
- Smart Start and The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc. work to build and implement high quality learning environments for children of low-income backgrounds. They focus on the importance of school readiness, a topic that I feel very strongly about. Smart Start not only focuses on ECE however, they are focused on the whole child and work to ensure that each and every child in NC has access to health screenings as well, such as hearing, dental, vision, and developmental. You can visit www.smartstart.org to learn more about this organization.
There are so many different job opportunities that interest me within the field of ECE. One is the job in which I currently work, preschool director. As a director I’m able to work hands-on with families every, single day. The qualifications for this position are a BS/BA in ECE and 3+ years of experience. I would also love to work on the curriculum development team for the state of North Carolina, working with Smart Start, Head Start, or NC Pre-K. To be considered for this type of position, a MS in ECE is required along with field experience. It excites me that in six short weeks I will be fully qualified for this type of position. My ultimate goal in my career is to work with the state to help reform ECE. I’m not sure in what aspect I will achieve this goal, nor what I need to do to get there. All I know is that I have decided that I will continue to further my education after I receive my MS, and will pursue the Ed.D program for ECE. I hope that by continuing my education and getting more actively involved in these organizations and CoP’s, I will find the road that will lead me to this accomplishment.
10.24.2014
Reflecting on Learning
Over the past 8 weeks, I have continued to learn about anti-bias education and its importance in early childhood education. I have experience volunteering and working in many child care centers across my home state of North Carolina and can tell you that from experience, anti-bias education is not something that is practiced everywhere. It is my hope that through advocacy, we can get an anti-bias curriculum in every child care center and preschool not only in North Carolina, but across the country. Anti-bias education is so important to the positive self image and development of our children; our future.
I would thank to thank everyone for taking the time to read and comment on my blog week after week. I learn not only from my instructors and research, but through my interactions with each of you. Thank you and I wish you all well on your journeys.
I would thank to thank everyone for taking the time to read and comment on my blog week after week. I learn not only from my instructors and research, but through my interactions with each of you. Thank you and I wish you all well on your journeys.
9.30.2014
Impacts on Early Emotional Development
This assignment asked us to do some research through UNICEF to discover challenges that children face around the world. This really opened my eyes and put my own life into perspective, making me feel as if my life is extravagant, which is very well is in comparison to the millions of children living in poverty and poor health conditions around the globe.
For my research, I chose to take a look at Latin America and the Caribbean. I chose this region because I am somewhat familiar with this region, as I have had extended stays in both Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. My stays there really shined a light onto the way that these people live. Through my experiences and conversations with the natives of these two places, hunger and poverty are no stranger. It is not uncommon for people to travel hours to a job, work 12-14 hours, and then travel hours home. Most homes in these very hot places do not have air conditioning and all of them do not have safe drinking water. My love for these beautiful countries and the amazing people that I encountered really sparked a passion in me and caused me to want to help these people and their beautiful homelands. I donate regularly to organizations that go to this region and stay there, building safe homes for families. I try to stay up to date on relevant issues in this region and donate my time, money, etc. to helping out when I can.
With Latin America and the Caribbean being the most unequal regions in the world, it is to no surprise that the residents live in extreme poverty and hunger. Achieving primary education is an accomplishment, as only 1 in 4 children in the poorest 20% complete primary education. Safe drinking water, sanitation, health care, and safe homes are among the problems that families and children face. In fact, there are about 60 million people in the region that do not have access to safe drinking water, and about 100 million without sanitation. Natural disasters are also a problem, leaving more than 100,000 residents homeless just last year. (Source: UNICEF)
With all of these struggles that families and children in this region face, how in the world do we expect these children to develop into healthy adults? A lot of these children are going hungry, have no access to clean drinking water, and are not receiving immunizations, leaving them suseptible to things like malaria. When looking at their lives, education is the least of their worries, they are simply trying to survive. Facing these types of struggles leaves these children suffering. Their brains can not properly develop when they are starving. Their bodies are dehydrated due to a lack of water. They are often sick and have no access to health care.
As an American, I am obviously very privileged. I have a full time job, a car, a house, and food in my kitchen. I have more than enough clothing and am often wasteful without even realizing it. I think that anyone who is privileged should really open their eyes to what goes on in the rest of the world. We can help these children and make a difference. We need to shine a light onto these issues and get people involved. If we are in a position to help, why wouldn't we? Innocent children should not suffer because they happened to be born in a poor country. I think that it is important that we advocate for ALL children, all around the world.
For my research, I chose to take a look at Latin America and the Caribbean. I chose this region because I am somewhat familiar with this region, as I have had extended stays in both Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. My stays there really shined a light onto the way that these people live. Through my experiences and conversations with the natives of these two places, hunger and poverty are no stranger. It is not uncommon for people to travel hours to a job, work 12-14 hours, and then travel hours home. Most homes in these very hot places do not have air conditioning and all of them do not have safe drinking water. My love for these beautiful countries and the amazing people that I encountered really sparked a passion in me and caused me to want to help these people and their beautiful homelands. I donate regularly to organizations that go to this region and stay there, building safe homes for families. I try to stay up to date on relevant issues in this region and donate my time, money, etc. to helping out when I can.
With Latin America and the Caribbean being the most unequal regions in the world, it is to no surprise that the residents live in extreme poverty and hunger. Achieving primary education is an accomplishment, as only 1 in 4 children in the poorest 20% complete primary education. Safe drinking water, sanitation, health care, and safe homes are among the problems that families and children face. In fact, there are about 60 million people in the region that do not have access to safe drinking water, and about 100 million without sanitation. Natural disasters are also a problem, leaving more than 100,000 residents homeless just last year. (Source: UNICEF)
With all of these struggles that families and children in this region face, how in the world do we expect these children to develop into healthy adults? A lot of these children are going hungry, have no access to clean drinking water, and are not receiving immunizations, leaving them suseptible to things like malaria. When looking at their lives, education is the least of their worries, they are simply trying to survive. Facing these types of struggles leaves these children suffering. Their brains can not properly develop when they are starving. Their bodies are dehydrated due to a lack of water. They are often sick and have no access to health care.
As an American, I am obviously very privileged. I have a full time job, a car, a house, and food in my kitchen. I have more than enough clothing and am often wasteful without even realizing it. I think that anyone who is privileged should really open their eyes to what goes on in the rest of the world. We can help these children and make a difference. We need to shine a light onto these issues and get people involved. If we are in a position to help, why wouldn't we? Innocent children should not suffer because they happened to be born in a poor country. I think that it is important that we advocate for ALL children, all around the world.
9.29.2014
The Sexualization of Early Childhood
This weeks topic is something that, for lack of a better phrase, really lights a fire under my behind. It is something that strikes a nerve with me and makes me want to run out into the streets to try to change it right this second. It is the topic of the sexualization of young children.
Next time you are taking a stroll through the mall, take a few minutes and just people watch. See how many "couples" walk by holding hands and try to guess their age. Are they 13? 14? See if you notice any little girls, I'm talking 8 and 9 year olds, wearing pants that have saying on the back such as "juicy" written across the butt, thus drawing attention. Walk into Victoria's Secret and look for the thongs designed for tweens, ages 12-18, because they are there. Things like this are not only showcasing sex, but promoting it!
Children living in a highly sexualized environment is more than just inappropriate, it is detrimental to healthy development. Levin and Kilbourne (2009) sum it up nicely when they write that [children] living in these highly sexualized environments "...can seriously harm their ability to grow up to have healthy attitudes about themselves and their bodies and to have caring relationships in which sex is an important part" (p.4).
While this is a topic that I am very passionate about, it is something that a lot of people pay no attention to. Recently, when walking through the children's clothing section of my local Kohl's, a friend pointed out how cute a pair of jogging pants were. They were hot pink with the word "cute" written across the butt. I mentioned that I thought it was inappropriate and she responded that it was only inappropriate because people like me point things like that out, and that we should let kids be innocent. While I do agree that children should be innocent, I still believe that it is our job to always protect them. Flashing words across their rear ends draw attention to them, and whether we want to talk about it or not, there are pedophiles everywhere. In fact, "as many as 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 boys will be sexually abused at some point during their childhood" (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). This is a staggering statistic that I think is very important for parents everywhere to realize.
Reference
Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf
Next time you are taking a stroll through the mall, take a few minutes and just people watch. See how many "couples" walk by holding hands and try to guess their age. Are they 13? 14? See if you notice any little girls, I'm talking 8 and 9 year olds, wearing pants that have saying on the back such as "juicy" written across the butt, thus drawing attention. Walk into Victoria's Secret and look for the thongs designed for tweens, ages 12-18, because they are there. Things like this are not only showcasing sex, but promoting it!
Children living in a highly sexualized environment is more than just inappropriate, it is detrimental to healthy development. Levin and Kilbourne (2009) sum it up nicely when they write that [children] living in these highly sexualized environments "...can seriously harm their ability to grow up to have healthy attitudes about themselves and their bodies and to have caring relationships in which sex is an important part" (p.4).
While this is a topic that I am very passionate about, it is something that a lot of people pay no attention to. Recently, when walking through the children's clothing section of my local Kohl's, a friend pointed out how cute a pair of jogging pants were. They were hot pink with the word "cute" written across the butt. I mentioned that I thought it was inappropriate and she responded that it was only inappropriate because people like me point things like that out, and that we should let kids be innocent. While I do agree that children should be innocent, I still believe that it is our job to always protect them. Flashing words across their rear ends draw attention to them, and whether we want to talk about it or not, there are pedophiles everywhere. In fact, "as many as 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 boys will be sexually abused at some point during their childhood" (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). This is a staggering statistic that I think is very important for parents everywhere to realize.
Reference
Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)