Time Well Spent

Wow!  I have learned so much over the past year and a half, but the three most important things that I have learned and will stay with me forever are the awareness of my internal biases and prejudices, the importance of advocating for our children and their families to promote equality and justice for all, and the importance of building a community of practice in order to make a much needed social change.

My long term goal is to make a social change that will empower all children by providing high-quality early childhood programs for all at risk children in my community.  

Dr. Morgan, professors, and colleagues, you are a significant part of my community of practice.  I could not have made it through this program with your guidance, knowledge, experience, and feedback.   I have become accustom to collaborating with all of you; I will miss our weekly discussions.  Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to meet many of you at graduation in August.  It would be nice to finally meet you face-to-face.   I wish you all the best in ALL your endeavors.

Please view the link below...this is my hope for each of you:

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5114025/Make_a_much_needed_Social_Change 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The International Step by Step Association (ISSA), not only promotes open society values in education,  but  advocates for equal access to quality education for all children, strong family involvement, and community support in ensuring all children reach their full potential.   This organization works at uniting   individuals and organizations into a powerful network in order to foster democratic principles and promote parent and community involvement in early childhood education.  ISSA’s foundation is built on the belief that children learn best when they are active participants of their learning processes and that parents are their primary educators; therefore, must strongly advocate for parent involvement.  

Although I could not find a listing of job s or volunteer opportunities, I did find an area where I can become a member of this prestigious global organization.  However, if I had a choice, I would love to be a Program Coordinator so that I can go to various programs and help set up child-centered enriching environments to foster healthy development.  In order to be considered for this position I would need to passionate as well as committed to meeting the needs of individual children and their families have great communication skills, ability to facilitate diverse groups, open-minded and respectful of other people’s opinion and suggestions, supportive, and knowledge and experience in age appropriate practices.

Save the Children serves over 120 nations by helping impoverished marginalized and vulnerable children and their families, caregivers, community members and various organizations.  Save the Children’s advocates for saving the lives of children by protecting them from exploitation and assist them with gaining access to education and health benefits.  Save the Children also provide relief support to millions of children who are affected by natural disasters, conflicts, and ethnic violence.

Currently, Save the Children is looking for volunteers in Westport, Connecticut, and Washington D.C. areas to advocate, educate, and conduct fundraisers.  The international organization is looking for individuals who are interested in making a positive difference in the lives of children globally.  I think that I would be interested in volunteering in the Emergency Education field.   Interested applicants must be committed to empowering at risk children and their families, have great communication skills, ability to facilitate diverse groups, degree in education or at least five years of experience, experience in coordinating and chairing meetings, knowledge and experience in humanitarian response, excellent advocacy skills, and excellent writing and verbal English skills.

United Nations Children’s Fund:

I chose UNICEF because they advocate for children’s rights by helping to meet their basic needs and expanding their opportunities to reach their full potential.  They come to the aid of many at risk children during emergency situations such as war, disasters, extreme poverty, violence and exploitation, and disabilities. UNICEF is there to relieve the children and their families of pain and suffering; thus, striving to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behavior towards children.

UNICEF currently has a vacancy as a Junior Professional Programmer. This position provides experience working in international development cooperation activities with senior leaders of UNICEF, while contributing to the implementation of the organization’s country program. To be considered for this position one must be a citizen of the respective state, be between 28 – 32 years old, have at least a Bachelor’s degree, two years relevant experience, computer literate, ability to demonstrate a keen interest in the work of UNICEF’s mission, and have the ability to effectively communicate and interact with a diverse group of individuals.  The applicant must also be fluent in English and another United Nations’ language, i.e. Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, or Russian.

References

International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/nternational Step by Step Association

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

I chose the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE) because it advocates for building collaboration between home, school, and community involvement in an effort to enhance children education.  This organization understands “it takes a village to raise a child” and is; thereby, using this philosophy to guide their direction.  This organization serves as a visible representative at the national level to support strong parent and family involvement initiative.  The NCPIE is also in collaboration with IDEA in advocating for better outcomes for children with disabilities. 

I did not find any vacancies or volunteer positions currently available, but I would be interested in becoming a Family Coordinator so that I could act as a liaison between families and schools and organize family activities.   I would have to be able to complete a background check, have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in either social work, human service, education, or something similar. I think that I would have to possess the skills and knowledge of the classroom and cultural backgrounds; respect ethnic, culture, and language diversity, be an effective communicator with the families, teachers, administrators, and students.  Have experience in collaborative leadership, and show organization skills. It is also important that I have patience, compassion, and a strong desire to work with families with disabilities, disadvantages and any other health or social problems the families may be dealing with. 

The second organization I chose was the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF), because its mission is to ensure every child meet their full potential in education, career, and life.  The organization advocates for the support of policymakers in creating and developing effective youth policy that helps to protect their rights.  The AYPF is a non-profit organization that provides learning opportunities to policymakers, practitioners, and researchers working on youth and education issues at the national, state, and local levels. Their goal is to develop and implement sound policies that will enhance communication, understanding and provide and trust amongst youth policy professionals (American Youth Policy Forum, 2012).

The only position available is an internship. An internship will help me gain great knowledge, experience and publicity.  I will be in a position to collaborate with various national leading researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. To be considered for an intern position, I must be organized, highly self-motivated, detailed-oriented, and self-confident.  I must be able to work effectively and independently. I must possess strong writing, research, and communication skills as well as experience with MS office and Access data base.  I must be either an undergraduate or graduate student intern with an interest in and commitment to improving lives of youth (American Youth Policy Forum, 2012).

The third foundation that I chose is The Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), because its goal is to build better futures for disadvantage children living in the United States.  The foundation fosters public policies, human-service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of disadvantage children and their families. They are able to accomplish this by creating grants to help states, cities, and neighborhoods meet the needs of disadvantage families. 

 

The AECF currently have three vacancies; Intern in Human Resources, Special Assistant in Office of the President, and Vice President for the Center for Effective Family Services and Systems.  Out of the three, I think that I would be most interested in pursuing the Special Assistant in Office of the President.  To be considered for this position, I will need to have a Master’s degree in human services, social work, business, education or related field.  In addition to the degree, I will need a minimum of three years experience working with community-based organizations and/or policy organizations that focused on health and human services, education, and/or economic and community development. I will also need to possess the following skills; strong analytical skills and abilities to prepare reports, ability to work discreetly and independently, exceptional written and oral communication skills, consensus builder, proficiency with database, internet, and presentation software, and committed to improving outcomes for disadvantage children and families.

References

American Youth Policy Forum. (2012). Retrieved March 19, 2012 from http://www.aypf.org/about/index.htm

National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education. (2012). Retrieved March 19, 2012 from http://ncpie.org/

The Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2012). Retrieved March 19, 2012 from http://www.aecf.org

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

1.      I chose Child Youth and Family Services because they work towards helping children become healthy, happy, and productive adults through early learning, counseling and shelter for youth, and education and support for families.  I like the fact that they have programs in place to meet the needs of the family as a whole.

In order to be considered for any position at Child Youth and Family Services, I would have to first satisfactory complete a Child Protective Service and Criminal History Check.   One job that I would be interested in learning is the Director of Corporate and Foundation giving.  This position requires me to research, write, and prepare proposals for submissions to potential funding sources to extend programs and add new ones.  I would need a four year college degree and experience in the nonprofit sector, including grant writing experience in order to qualify for this position.

2.      Neediest Kids helps at risk students obtain the basic essentials they need such as eyeglasses, clothes, personal hygiene items, school supplies and uniforms, food, and so much more to help them be successful in school.   There are corporations, foundations, associate members, and retailers such as American Airlines, Mobile Giving Foundation, Scott Brickman, Brickman, Staples, and so many more that gives generous contributions to support more than 21,000 low-income students annually.

There were no job opportunities available at this time, but I would love to volunteer in any way that I can in supporting such a wonderful cause.  I would like to separate and organize gift bags for the students and help deliver them to their homes or schools just to be able to see the look on their face.  I think that this position would require me to have passion to want to help others be successful in life.

3.      The Child and Family Network Centers provides high-quality, free education and related services to at risk-children and their families in an effort to prepare them for life successes.  I like this program because it focuses on at risk families, provides a full range of educational, family, and health services based on the needs of the family, and all the programs are offered within the neighborhoods where the families live.   Annie E. Casey Foundation partnered with Virginia Governor Mark Warner in providing services to over 172 children and their families.   Their services include free preschool education, developmental screenings, speech and occupational therapy, psychological assessments, and individual therapy. A nurse practitioner screens clients, refers them to medical resources, and advises them about insurance.  There are five full-time social workers provide counseling, case management, job training, and ESL to parents who need the services.

Currently, there are no job opportunities available.  I would be very interested in a position that advocated for additional funding so that more families could be helped annually.  I feel that I would need a strong foundation in grant writing and experience in the nonprofit sector to accomplish this.  Most importantly, I would need communtities of practice; therefore, I need you.

Reflecting on Leaning

My most passionate hope for my future is to make a positive impact on the lives of not only the children in my classroom, but for children all around the world.   I want to contribute in making a difference so that all children are given the opportunity to hope and dream and to turn those hopes and dreams into reality the same as I was given.  I know that there will be many obstacles to overcome, but thanks to the knowledge and skills I have gained through the various courses here at Walden, I am better equipped to deal with whatever comes my way.   I want my children to learn to be proud of who they are regardless of their skin color, race, gender, economic class, culture, or ability.  We were all created equally and should be treated as such.  I believe anything is achievable if we all work together to achieve it.  Early intervention is key in achieving this; therefore, we must start by creating and maintaining anti-bias learning environments that empowers children’s ability to thrive and succeed in school, work, and life (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

A special thanks, to my college professors and colleagues for your never ending support, encouragement, feedback, and suggestions.   The bonding partnership that we formed over the past year will stay with me forever.  Our journey has begun to advocating for the betterment of our children and their families.  I wish each of you nothing but success in all your future endeavors.

Reference:

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).



Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I chose the Middle East and North Africa region where I decided to focus on Saudi Arabia because I work on a military base and many of our troops are deployed to this area each year.  This affects many of our children and their families in our program. I wanted to find out why there was such a great need to continue sending our troops to help protect and defend this area of the country.

After reviewing this site, I found that many children are facing challenges in this region that negatively effects their emotional growth and development.   Many are often victims of brutality and slavery.  They are not allowed to attend school so that they can get an education.  Instead they have to work very long hours each day in order to help support their families.  Thanks to an 11 year old girl who was rescued from such devastating conditions, telling her story of never having the opportunity to attend school; large corporations have donated funds in the sum of $4.5 billion to help some 15 million children globally for the next three years (Karwal, 2008).   Although this is a great step forward, there are still 75 million children who have not gained access to primary schools as well as a shortage of teachers to teach the children. 

The children health is another challenge these children have to face.  There is a global malaria crisis going on in the area.  There is a wild outbreak of poliovirus in Nigeria and if the children do not receive vaccinations, they could die.   Unfortunately, due to the poverty stricken families living in this area of the world, they cannot afford health care.   Thanks to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s contribution of $1,588.000, up to 3.77 million children under the age of five years old were able to receive Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV)in 2011 (Boher, 2011).  The Nigerian government and community partners are on a quest to reach every child before it is too late.  Unfortunately, this brings forth another challenge with the influx of migrants and nomadic groups moving in the area.  This makes it difficult to vaccinate all the children.

                                                   

It is always heartbreaking to hear how children are being mistreated.  I could not imagine my child not being given the opportunity to attend school or receive her vaccinations when needed.  Many third world countries are still living in the era where education is not a priority, especially for young girls.  These countries rely on the children to work and become soldiers in their army at a very early age.  The violence and trauma that comes along with such life styles causes the children to accept this as the way of life.   For many, this is all they know and come to believe that everyone lives this way.   These children grow up in fear and terror of being beaten and raped if they do not follow their society’s rules.   Many have never seen the inside of a classroom, doctors office, watched a television, talked on a phone, rode in a car, ate ice cream,  or experienced any of the joys that most of our American children have experienced.   These children are made to feel inferior, unworthy, incapable, powerless, and often unloved.    

These are innocent children who are being forced to skip their childhood and become uneducated adults before their time.   Many of us take education and health care privileges for granted while we have children in other parts of the world who wish they had the opportunity to receive them both.  We do not know how important something is until we do not have access to it.  This is sad, but true.  After reading about the lives of children in Saudi Arabia, India and Africa, my mind started spinning and my heart melted.  These articles touched me both personal and professional because I want to contribute to helping some of these children gain access to health care benefits and educational privileges the same way most of our children have here in America.  In the past, I have hesitated on sending money to support certain causes because I often hear in the media how the funds are misused and do not go towards helping the ones in need, but now, my thought process has changed.  As long as I do my part, it will be between that person and God of how they distribute the funds received.   I would also like to share this information with students and their families to see if we could do something as a program to support the children in these areas.  I was thinking maybe donating books, paper, pencils etc., to some of these areas in an effort to help educate our children and their families, but to petition for community support as well.  

References

Boher, A. (2011) Saudi Arabia provides critical support for polio eradication in Niger. Unicef.  Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/media_61021.html

Karwal, R. (2008) UN event features $4.5 billion pledge to support ‘education for all’. Unicef.  Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/media_61021.html

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

As I read the article So Sex So Soon, I noticed all the blame was placed on the media, but I feel that parents should share in some of the blame as well.  Our children cannot afford to buy their clothes, cell phones, Ipods, get their nails done, eyelashes arched and so on.  We all need to take responsibility in the part we play in devaluing our children’s self worth.    Our children’s foundation begins at home.

Yes, I agree children are paying an enormous price for their childhood.   In actuality, their childhood is being taken away from them because they are being forced to grow up before their time.   According to Levin & Kilbourne (2009) “Children are robbed of valuable time for age-appropriate developmental tasks, and they may begin to engage in precocious sexual behavior” (p. 3).  I think parents look at this as providing the best for their children without considering how their efforts are negatively impacting the development of their children.    Our ignorance is putting our children at risk for sexual violence, low self-esteem and depression, to name a few risk factors.   The industry’s goal is to make money and unfortunately, this is done by promoting sex and violence.  

Sexualization treats individuals as objects of sexual desire instead of as people with genuine sexual emotions and appeal of their own (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009).   This sends the wrong messages to our children that their value and success are dependent upon the way in which they look.   Movies, music, TV programs, video games, and even toys marketed to children are rife with degrading images that objectify and sexualize girls and woman.  Boys are also affected when sex is commodified, presented in the context of harmful stereotypes, and intertwined with power and violence.  Unfortunately, I see how sexualization negatively impacts the lives of our children every day.

A four year old girl comes to school every week with her nails freshly polished

and a new hairdo.  She is dressed in clothes that a teenager would wear.  Boots with hills, designer jeans, and tops that either reveals her midriff or shapes her upper body.  

A five year old boy walks into the classroom wearing shades, baggy jeans that are hanging half way his buttocks, revealing a clear view of his jockey shorts, and an oversize blue t-shirt with matching jacket displaying a violent character on the front.

A parent rides through the parking lot playing loud offensive music while he drops his child off to school.  The lyrics by Usher are screaming,

“She don't know that she makin' me want her, (Yeah.)
No more she tryna keep me from her.
She don't know that she makin' me me love her, (yeah.)
No more she tryna keep me from her.”

“That girl is so cold, she know what I know,

but she keep her mouth closed.

She's so sexual, and she knows.

She don't know it's killin' me inside cause I want her body.”

When I see this, I think to myself, how can we, as professional educators change our children’s way of thinking if the parents are their number one role models.  Many of our parents are dressing the children the way they dress.  They are exploiting their children without even realizing it.  We have to get the parents buy-in first.

            

Therefore, I think is our responsibility as early childhood educators, to educate our parents on ways in which the media is negatively impacting the lives of our children now and in the future.  I feel that we can discuss this one-on-one or in an open form in order for everyone to share their thoughts concerning this issue.  I think it would be a good idea to have the So Sexy So Soon article readily available for their reading along with related articles so that they can see how the trends have evolved over the past decades.   I have always been aware of sexualization, but reading the article So Sexy So Soon has brought the issue to the forefront.

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