Final Blog Assignment

 

         

Blog Assignment: Final Blog Assignment

 

          Upon conclusion of this semester I learned that it is important to ensure all children have access to education regardless of their household’s financial situation. From UNICEF’s website I learned about how children in Namibia suffer from poverty. One out of three children are living in poverty (“Child poverty in Namibia: A child-centered analysis of the NHIES 2009/10,” 2012). Poverty is an issue that is seen all over the world. It was interesting to learn how efforts are being made around the world to use grants to support individuals suffering from poverty. It is important to discuss issues and trends that children and individuals face internationally. 

A second issue that is shared internationally is sharing the need for early childhood education and how children can benefit from attending. I learned that in Gambia there is a need to educate children who are disadvantaged by putting together a plan to start early childhood education (“Bite off only as much as you can chew: Gambia's policy for early childhood,” 2006). The need for early childhood education has become a priority in the United States, however, ensuring that improvements are consistent state to state is an ongoing issue. The more information that is shared internationally about what works and how it works will support improvements. 

Lastly, I enjoyed speaking with my international professional contact. I enjoyed talking with her and listening to what she believed were issues and trends in early childhood education.  She is currently stationed in Italy and shared similar views as myself. One that stuck out to me was the discussion on excellence in the field of early childhood education. It is important to change families and individuals view that early childhood professionals are “babysitters.”  Mrs. Rowe and I discussed how it is important to educate individuals about what early childhood professionals do in and outside of the classroom (Taesha Rowe, personal communication, November 28, 2014). I believe that teachers and other educational professionals can continue to use the internet and other modes of communication to share issues and trends in education to assist in making changes. I wish all of my classmate success in their journey to enrich their knowledge in early childhood education.

Reference

"Bite off only as much as you can chew": Gambia's policy for early childhood. (2006). United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, (34), 1-2. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001470/147041e.pdf

Child poverty blog. (). Retrieved from http://www.unicefglobalstudy.blogspot.com/

Child poverty in Namibia: A child-centered analysis of the NHIES 2009/10. (2012). Namibia Statistics Agency, (), 1-32.

UNICEF: child poverty and social protection. (). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/index_childpoverty.html

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3 (Alternative)

This week’s blog assignment I was not able to get a response back in time from my international early childhood professional. This week I selected the alternative assignment and went to UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education” webpage. I started on the page access and equity. I then clicked on the related information and clicked on the link to “Bite off only as much as you can chew”: Gambia’s Policy for Early Childhood.  In this article I learned about Gambia’s Early Child Development Centre for children ages three to six years old.  Children of this age group that lived in areas that were considered disadvantaged could attend the program. This program was planned to increase workforce and the school infrastructure in early childhood (“Bite off only as much as you can chew: Gambia's policy for early childhood,” 2006). 

An interview was conducted between the Director of Basic and Secondary Education of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Momodou Sanneh and Soo-Hyang Choi, UNESCO, Paris. In the interview, Mr. Choi questioned Mr. Sanneh about his thoughts on creating the ECD Centres. Mr. Sanneh discussed how he wanted to provide disadvantaged children with experiences in early childhood. He also discussed how the program was a pro-poor policy to help the poorest community. To ensure children in the program were receiving a quality program Mr. Sanneh discussed how the teachers would be trained. He also discussed that the program was for children ages three to six years old. This was based on the fact that primary and secondary school did not start until children were seven to fifteen years old. Mrs. Sanneh discussed how lowering the age level for children to enter primary school to six years old was considered. However, based on projections of the cost it was too costly for the government to implement without receiving support from the outside (“Bite off only as much as you can chew: Gambia's policy for early childhood,” 2006).  

Mr. Choi questioned Mr. Sanneh about the ECD Centers providing savings. Mr. Sanneh discussed that the program would cost less due to the infrastructure of the building. The building would be a shed that is considered a playground set up by the community. Another cost saver according to Mr. Sanneh was that the ECD centre did not have a curriculum. The trained teachers would be “responsible more for childminding than for their learning process” (“Bite off only as much as you can chew: Gambia's policy for early childhood,” 2006, p. 2). Lastly, the trained teachers would come from the primary school under a polyvalent teacher training framework that includes teaching early childhood, according to the government (“Bite off only as much as you can chew: Gambia's policy for early childhood,” 2006).  

Upon completion of reading the article about early childhood program in Gambia I gained some insights. One of the insights was that every country does not start primary education at five years old. In Gambia children do not start school until they are seven years old. I feel that it is important to expose children to education early in order to support children’s educational journey. I was happy to see that the ECD Centre will provide early childhood for children from three to five years old based on the National Education Policy of 2014-2015. Another insight I learned was that Gambia did not view early childhood education as a time where teachers should focus on educating children using a curriculum but “minding” children. I hope in time that this view will change. It has been a fight for early childhood professionals to be viewed as teachers rather than “babysitters” and it was sad to see that in Gambia the teachers are essentially babysitting (“Bite off only as much as you can chew: Gambia's policy for early childhood,” 2006).  

Lastly, I was surprised at the percentage of children that attended school in Gambia.  According to “Bite off only as much as you can chew: Gambia's policy for early childhood” (2006), the net enrollment in the primary school was 73 percent. In Gambia, providing early childhood centres was a part of universaling education with the hope of boosting enrollment in primary education. In conclusion, my hope is that more information will continue to be provided about the benefits of early childhood programs in order for it to be a part of all public school and child care programs (“Bite off only as much as you can chew: Gambia's policy for early childhood,” 2006).  

Reference

"Bite off only as much as you can chew": Gambia's policy for early childhood. (2006). United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, (34), 1-2. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001470/147041e.pdf

UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education”. (2009-2014). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

Sharing Web Resources

          The early childhood website I followed was Zero to Three at http://www.zerotothree.org/.  I browsed some of the outside links that I have not yet explored.  One of the links was resources for parents.  I clicked on early experiences counts which discussed how emotional development unfolds starting at birth.  I look for related information which led me to Early Head Start.  On the link it led to an orientation page of Early Head Start’s National Resource Center.  Some of the links to this page were on Early Head Start, School Readiness, Child Development and Education, Comprehensive Services and Systems, Program Options and Initiatives. There were also five pages that scrolled across the page.

One on the pages that scrolled across referenced an e-newsletter that individuals may access.  The e-newsletter provides individuals with “news you can use”.  The areas of focus are categorized by school readiness and learning environments.  Some of the topics related to school readiness include developmentally appropriate practices.  When I clicked on the PDF on developmentally appropriate practices, the article defined developmentally as the development of infants and toddlers to include physical, brain, language, social-emotional and thinking skills.  Appropriate was defined as something that is considered to fit or be right.  What individuals may think is appropriate depends on their culture and beliefs.  Lastly, practice is defined as what is done at home or in the classroom.  The article provides supports of how to put the learned information together.  The importance of relationships developed during early childhood to include providing consistency in care is also discussed.  At the end of the article individuals are provided with examples of words they can use ("Developmentally Appropriate Practice", 2011).   Providing understanding of how to support children and assist with meeting their educational needs supports individual’s awareness by providing information about early childhood to individuals working with children and families (Matthews & Ewen, 2010).

Below this page are other links to access information about Early Head Start, School Readiness, Multimedia, Birth to Three Initiatives, Products A-Z, and Events and Conferences.  From this list I clicked on Program Options and Initiatives.  This gave me new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field (Laureate Education, 2011).  I clicked on About Early Head Start.  I learned that the program supports infants and toddlers of low income families.  The program also supports families and women that are pregnant.  Early Head Start has goals that consist of meeting children’s developmental needs such as cognitive, social, physical and emotional needs of infants and toddlers.  The support is intended to help children in the future.  The support provided is also for the father and mother with the goal of helping them meet goals they have set and achieved.  The program also works to mobilize communities in order to provide resources and environment that supports families.  The programs also helps to ensure that high quality is provided to families with staff that cares and is trained.  Early Head Start has program options including center based, home-based, family child-care services, and combination services ("Zero To Three", 2014). 

           From this page I clicked on Program Options and Initiatives.  I clicked on EHS-Child Care Partnership.  This led me to click on promoting local partnership between child care and EHS: Ideas for State Leaders which is a PDF file titled Collaboration Considerations for State Leaders.  The article focused on developing high quality child care across the country.  To fight equity in early childhood the incentive programs that are suggested in the article is one way to support programs meeting the needs of being a high quality program by providing financial initiatives.  According to Collaboration Considerations for State Leaders  (2011), “Many states are looking at building financial incentives into the child care payment systems, including CCDF subsidy payments, bonuses connected to Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS), and individual compensation or bonuses attached to higher educational attainment” (Provide financial incentives and supports for providers and grantees to join and maintain partnerships).

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

 

 

            This week I spoke to Taesha Rowe who is and early childhood professional originally from Jamaica where she was a high school teacher.  Mrs. Rowe is currently stationed in Naples, Italy on a military base. She has three children and is a wife to an active duty member. Mrs. Rowe’s husband has been in the Navy for 16 years. They have been together for 18 years but married for 11. Mrs. Rowe has been with the Department of Defense (DOD) for nine years. She started working as a flexible employees with a child development center in Connecticut.  Mrs. Rowe moved to Virginia with her husband and children and worked as a toddler program lead teacher at a DOD child development center.  Currently Mrs. Rowe works with DOD as an Assistant Director at the child development center in Naples, Italy (Taesha Rowe, personal communication, November 28, 2014). 

I asked Mrs. Taesha Rowe about issues in excellence and equality in early childhood field: How do you measure excellence in Early Childhood?  Mrs. Rowe discussed how it was difficult to do so.  However, Mrs. Rowe discussed how the lives we impact are not subjected to a particular test to measure the caregiver's success. Unlike the elementary level where the teacher's success can be measured by the academic success of her students, in early childhood it is usually about the parent's view on their child's development. Not only is this the first difficulty, but there are other obstacles. Excellence in early childhood education, I believe, is limited because of the guardians' understanding on the service offered. Many believe that early childhood education is about "baby sitting" and "potty training." Caregivers may not be encouraged to strive for excellence because of others opinions of what they do. Despite all these different pieces, Mrs. Rowe feels there is still excellence in the field. Caregivers who have identified each child in their care as an individual and treat him/her as such, focuses on how individual children meet their milestones  (Taesha Rowe, personal communication, November 28, 2014). 

There are a few issues with equality in the field. Gender is certainly a consideration in the early childhood field. There are still parents who feel "uncomfortable" with male caregivers. Mrs. Rowe discussed how she had situations where parents have approached her and asked "Does Mr....... change my daughter's diaper?" or "Is Mr...... allowed to be alone with my child during nap time?" In Mrs. Rowe’s experience, early childhood is predominantly dominated by young single females. Another issue of equality in early childhood is caregivers of the minority groups who are in management positions. While there are many caregivers of minority groups working in the classrooms, managerial positions are usually held by White Americans. It is however fair to say that this trend is changing slowly (Taesha Rowe, personal communication, November 28, 2014). 

Sharing Web Resources

    

 

          I have e-mailed Zero to Three in order to register for the e-newsletter.  I have not yet received a link to access the newsletter. Until I get a response I also e-mailed NAEYC.  I browed Zero to Three’s website at www. http://www.zerotothree.org, and I was able to access the featured update. The topic was the 2014 budget proposal of President Obama. In the proposal there is a large investment on the field of early childhood education with the focus on learning.  The funding focuses on supporting children and families that utilize or need access to Early Head Start with 1.4 billion dollars to expand these supports. To ensure programs provide high quality for the working families that need to place their children in programs, 200 million dollars is planned to be allocated. A 10 year span is planned using seven billion dollars to ensure children and their families have the ability to use programs that provide high quality such as child care  ("The President’s Budget Proposal: A Groundbreaking Moment For Our Nation’s Babies", 2013).

With the budget plans this will help support implementing home visits to reach more families in the community by investing 15 billion dollars spanning 10 years. To support children during their development the plan helps parents learn about evidence based practices to support their child’s development in all areas including their brain. With the President’s plan the budget plans to help by staring early with young children’s education by supporting children and families to ensure the programs provide consistency, implement practices that are evidence-based, and provide high-quality. These efforts also supports parents by helping them nurture and support their child’s development into adulthood ("The President’s Budget Proposal: A Groundbreaking Moment For Our Nation’s Babies", 2013).

In conclusion, I learned that it is important to continue to invest in supporting children and families early.  The need is to ensure that program are high-quality.  According to U.S. Department of Education (n.d.), “Today, fewer than three in ten 4-year olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool program...Studies prove that children who have rich early learning experiences are better prepared to thrive in kindergarten and beyond.” In the multimedia segment Dr. Grace discussed how there was not enough word about how early childhood programs need support and how funds have been “underutilized” (Laureate Education, 2011). The information provided by Zero to Three helps get more information out about how there is a plan to support early childhood education.  I think it is important for organizations to continue to provide information about research, benefits, and funding that will support children and families throughout the child’s educational journey.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 1

     On UNICEF website www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/index_childpoverty.html, I was able to access UNICEF’s Global Study on child poverty and disparities.  This led me to the Child Poverty Blog.  Once I got on the webpage I clicked on the child poverty report for Namibia.  While reading the report I gained insight on the high level of poverty among children that lived in Namibia.  According to the report, 1 out of 3 children living in Namibia live in poor households.  The households may consist of one or more adults that stay home to take care of their young children or an elderly family member. The rate of poverty also increase when no one is working in the household, a female caregiver of the children has only primary education or no education at all.  Poverty also exists in the households of Namibia when there is a lack of money to take care of everyone. Due to the low income children grow up with lasting impacts such as low birth, higher death rates, stunted growth and poor outcomes in education.  There are also concerns with children’s well-being.  In Namibia children have less access to help meet their basic needs such as medical care and receiving an education.                                                               

     I also gained insight about the immediate need to address the poverty concerns in Namibia.  There was an assessment done using the National Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2009/10  to provide “the evidence on the extent of child poverty, the children who are most likely to be poor and the impacts the social grants have on reducing child poverty” (“Child poverty in Namibia: A child-centered analysis of the NHIES 2009/10,” 2012, p. 4). According to the assessment, another level of poverty resulted in a large majority of children in the household not having access to some material goods.  Some of those goods are cell phones or telephones, vehicles, refrigerators, televisions, stoves that are gas or electric and bicycles.                                             

     Finally, I learned that social grants play a role in reducing poverty levels in Namibia.  According to the assessment report, one of the grants that has supported a large number of children in poverty is the old age pension support.  The old age pension supports individuals over the age of 60.  There are also child maintenance grants that are for children under 18 years old.  The grant extends to 21 years old if the child attend college.  In order to be eligible for the grant the household has to fall in a certain level of poverty.  Implementing the social grants in Namibia have shown some improvements to decrease the number of children growing up in poverty.  “If the household would not receive any grants, the poverty rate among them would be 61.9 percent rather than the 38.9 percent currently experienced in household receiving grants” (“Child poverty in Namibia: A child-centered analysis of the NHIES 2009/10,” 2012, p. 18). 

 

Sharing Web Resources

The newsletter I subscribed to was Zero To Three.  The website is ZERO TO THREE Community online: http://www.zerotothree.org.  I got an e-mail response from the site administrator on November 1, 2014.  In the e-mail I was notified that I would not have access to the E-newsletter for two weeks.  I chose Zero to Three to learn more about the organization.  It is a nonprofit organization that provides information on how to nurture children during early childhood.  Information is available to parents, teachers, professionals and policymakers. The organization also provides trainings and support to individuals involved with young children.  Zero to Three’s mission is to ensure young children ranging from birth to toddler are provided a good start in life.

I was able to browse the website to find out more information.  While browsing an issue that caught my eye was the topic challenging behavior.  Currently I work at a child development center where we are noticing an increase in challenging behaviors.  I am the trainer for the facility and I am always looking for information to bring back to the teachers and families.  One training opportunity stood out to me specifically.  The training is for professionals working with military and veteran families.  I work at a military child development center.  The program is not open to the public only to military personal and department of defense employees.  The training charges a fee for the trainers to provide training at a fee of three thousand dollars for a full day.  Some of the training topics offered are: coming together around military families: supporting young children through challenging times and coming together around military families what babies need.  Teachers and families also have an opportunity to listen to audio-conferences and webinars on the same topics.

 

 

Getting Ready-Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

       To begin establishing professional contacts early childhood professionals I referred the blog resource pages.  My initial instinct was to contact my sister who is also an early childhood professional who is currently stationed in Korea.  I emailed her to see if she could help connect me to some professionals that work at the military child development center.  I also emailed several early childhood professionals listed on the research page.  I went onto The Global Alliance of NAEYC and e-mailed several professionals that were listed.  I e-mailed Jane Lim from Association for Early childhood Education, Blesilda Rios from the center for Early Childhood Care & Development, Juan Sanchez from World Association of Early childhood Educators, Yvonne Dionne from Canadian Child Care Federation, and Dominique Hudicourt from Step by Step Program/ Tipa Tipa.  I have not yet had a response from anyone that I e-mailed.  My plan is to call NAEYC directly to see if they can refer me to some professionals I can make contact with or use the alternate choice for the blog assignment.

           I decided to study and find out more information about PEW Charitable Trusts.  I subscribed to their newsletter to find out information.  I chose this organization because I have had the most experience working with preschool age children.  I also chose to find out more information about National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators because most of my early childhood jobs have followed standards set by NAEYC.  Lastly, I subscribed to Zero to Three because to find out more information because I work as a training specialist and support children and families in my program about children’s development.

My Supports

In my daily environment I have several different supports to assist me in my daily journey.  From birth to present my parents have always been my biggest supporters.  My mom and dad provide encouragement to me by reminding me of my accomplishments in order to continue my current pursuit.  I am a wife, mother of two, employed full-time and a full time student.  My parents know that my plate is full.  When I am feeling down or wanting to quit they support me by “filling my cup.”  Without my parents support I’m sure it would be tough.  I feel blessed to live within walking distance of them.  I enjoy my daily talks and weekly visits.                                                                              I also have a supportive husband.  He knows how busy I am and reminds me to take breathers when I need to.  He knows what my “stress face” looks like.  He reminds me to take time out for myself.  I am so busy taking care of others that I often forget about myself.  He provides me with a listening ear, especially when I just need to vent about life’s challenges.                                                         I also get support from my friends and co-workers.  From my co-workers they share my stressors and concerns about our job.  It is nice to talk to someone who truly understands and will listen.  My friends outside of work help distract me from those worries.  My friends are there to provide a listening ear and take me out to do fun things.  They remind me to focus on the good things in life.                                                                                                                                                              I feel that if I had to imagine myself with a challenge it would be losing my sight.  I currently wear glasses and am fortunate that I can see.  If I was blind I think I would still rely on the same support systems to assist me through life.  I would have to learn how to use the resources that are available to me as a source of support.  For example: reading braille and a walking stick.   My support system may include resource teachers and individuals who share my disability to discuss goals, accomplishments and challenges.  If I didn’t have supports in my life I wouldn’t know just how important they are in my life or how to be a source of support to others.  Support systems are important in my life and they have helped make me who I am today. 

Childhood Connections to Play

"It is in playing, and only in playing, that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self." D.W. Winnicott, British pediatrician

“Play energizes us and enlivens us.  It eases our burdens.  It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens up to new possibilities.” Stuart Brown, MD Contemporary American Psychiatrist

Growing up I felt that my parents gave me the opportunity to play during my childhood.  My parents encouraged my sisters and me to go outside and play.  My parents did not want us spending the day “vegetating” in front of the television all day.  Once outside I remember enjoying running around outside with my friends and siblings.  We would play games such as hide and seek, tag and red rover.  We would also ride our bikes up and down the neighborhood.  I remember placing cards in the spikes of the tire to make the motorcycle sound.  The only rule my parents had with us playing outside was to be in before it got dark.  My parents also encouraged us to play freely with toys like Barbie dolls and art materials.  I felt that my parents helped facilitate the importance of play growing up by ensuring we had items to use our imagination.  My mom would play along with us with our Barbie dolls and other toys.  My dad was great for taking us outside for family bike rides.  

Having the opportunity to ride outside, especially on sunny days was my favorite thing to do.  I loved being outside and exploring nature.

         

 
 

I enjoyed drawing pictures.  Especially

cartoons,.

                                                                                        

I loved barbies.  My favorite was to be mommy.

 

                                                                                               

       Play today still occurs but at a different level.  I feel that children play with items that take away their imagination.  Children are playing more with video games, tablets, and cell phones.  When I observe children in my neighborhood I do not see as many children outside riding bikes or playing outdoor games.  Granted growing up as I child I did not have access to the electronics of children today but I was encouraged by my parents to be outside to play.  I also think part of the change for encouraging children to play outside freely is due to parents feeling less secure in the child’s environment.  I feel that having the freedom to play with material that increased my imagination and physical activity helped me into my adulthood.  When I need to escape from stress I go outside for a nice bike ride.  I truly feel that I am reenergized when I come back home.  I hope is that play continues to be important in children’s development.  The tools children gain from play I feel will help them once they reach adulthood by relying on things that make them happy.

Relationship Reflection

The relationships I have in my life are very important to me.  Family has always been an important part of my life.  I was blessed to be born as an identical twin to my sister Nicole Williams.  She was my best friend and confidant.  My relationship with her was a positive and close relationship.  We did everything together.  She was the only person who knew me inside and out.  We could tell each other anything.  Whenever I need to be distracted from life’s challenges she would through visits and late night talks.  Unfortunately my sister passed away expectantly at 30 years old during childbirth.  After her passing I couldn’t help on reflecting on what she meant to me.  I noticed that after her passing I have not been as social with other people and would like to do a better job at this.  It is important to have a relationship with someone you value as a friend.  A friend who will be there for you no matter what.

Thankfully I have my husband and partner who has been a source of constant support.  My relationship with him is valuable.  I am blessed that we have been married for 18 years.  We have grown up together and created a family of our own.  When I met my husband Darryl I enjoyed the fact the he would listen to me.  I felt comforted talking to him about anything.  He also gave me a lot of attention by making sure I remembered that I am important and to take time out for myself.  He still helps me remember this as a busy mom, educator and student.  He loves to see me happy and as his wife I want to do the same for him.  Our relationship is based on communication and remembering to take time for each other and family. 

As I mentioned from my marriage we have two wonderful boys.  They are turning into great young men.  Our oldest is 16 and the youngest is 13.  It is important for me to have a close relationship with my boys.  As they develop into their own they like to do things independently.  Whenever they ask to go somewhere I make time for them.  I enjoy spending quality time with my boys.  They may feel that I am a hovering mother sometimes but I am grateful to be their mom.  The relationship I have with my mom and dad is loving and supportive.  I want my boys to feel the same way about our relationship.  My hope for my boys is that they will also be loving and supportive with their own children.  They are definitely growing up way to fast.  After losing my sister prematurely it made me reflect on how important time is with your family.  I want my boys to know that I truly value our time together.

 

 

In my professional life I value having relationships with my coworkers that are trusting, inspiring, working as a team and providing great communication.  My job keeps me very busy daily.  It is important to be surrounded by people who can support me and others when accomplishing our daily tasks.  We are considered support staff to the director and assistant director.  We have to set an example for the teachers we work with daily.  It is important that teachers feel inspired, supported and that we are working together as a team.  We have to keep the lines of communication open daily to ensure we are all trying to accomplish the same goals of working with children.

When I think of child development

Growing up I have always enjoyed working with children.  I feel that my job is very important in a young child’s life.  Teachers have a profound impact on the lives of children.  I looked for quotes that best stated how I feel about my job as an educator.  I selected two quotes below:

Emma Goldman, author

"No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure."

"Every child deserves a champion - an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be."

~ Rita F. Pierson

 

Testing for intelligence

When considering the commitment of evaluating the “whole child” to measure their intelligence I think it is important to focus on the child’s social competence.  In today’s society the primary focus on children’s development is in academics to ensure the child’s future success in adulthood.  I feel that it is also important to ensure that a child can function in the world by meeting social competencies.  Understanding a child’s social competency assist with how children relate to their peers, teachers and others especially while in school.  The focus can also assist with observing how children are treated by others.  “Unless children achieve minimal social competence by about the age of 6 years, they have a probability of being at risk into adulthood in several ways” (McClellan & Katz, 2001, para.).                                                        

I believe it is important to continue to support children by looking at how social competencies can be strengthened throughout childhood in areas such as academics, how a child adapts to emotional situations, and the level of a child’s cognitive development.  It is important to also look at how children get along with their peers.  In today’s news there is discussion on children suffering from depression leading to suicide.  Children are experiencing stressors from how others treat them or make them feel.  It is important to look at these relationships with peers to minimize risks of suicide.  Children may also experience risks that include not finishing school, poor mental health, difficulties in school and issues with employment (McClellan & Katz, 2001).   Utilizing teachers to perform assessments that focus on social competencies can provide much needed insight on children’s social and emotional development.  This can serve as a form of early intervention to support the child into adulthood. 

In Australia the use of a curriculum allows students to develop their social and personal ability in in order to develop the sense of self, manage relationships with peers and others.  Australia recognizes that when children have a strong social and emotional development they are motivated to learn at a higher level.  Teachers are encouraged to use personal and social capability continuum of learning to help students with needs that are set per each individual student (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2013).                                           

 As educator I feel that it is important to continue to support children in their social and emotional development.  Throughout childhood children will continue to face challenges of fitting in with their peers, adapting to emotional situations, and academics.  It is important to be able to identify when a child needs support with handling these challenges using the social competency assessment.  With the support provided by this assessment, my hope is to decrease bullying, suicides, and other challenges with students in the classroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

 

Growing up I had a childhood with both parents in the household with my two sisters.  I am the oldest twin of my sister Nicole and our younger sister Rosalind.  I didn’t feel like I had any major stressors in my childhood.  My father was in the Marines and we moved around frequently.  Others may find this pretty chaotic, however, I enjoyed moving and meeting new people.  Out of all of the listed stressors for this assignment I chose chaos.  This stressor was felt in my adulthood with the stress of losing my twin sister in childbirth.  My immediate thought was about what life would be like for the three young girls she left behind ages 5, 8 and an infant.                                       

When my sister passed life changed as we knew it.  Changes were rapid and chaotic.  My sister’s husband made the move to be by my sister’s side of the family.  We pitched in to help him raise his three girls.  It was hard on all of us to adjust to the changes.  When I took the three girls and my two boys out for an outings people would assume all 5 children belonged to me.  This was especially difficult on the girls because they looked like me due to the fact of their mother was my identical twin.  The girls often yearned to call me their mother because they did not have one.  I would share things that their mother and I would do and reminded them that I would never take the place of their mother but would support them in ways their mother would.                      

My heart broke for the youngest baby because she would never know her mother.  She was forced to rely on what we shared with her about her mother.  When she was in pre-k I came to the school to pick her up and a girl asked her if I was her mother.  My niece said “no, that’s my aunt, my mom died having me.  My mom and auntie were twins.”   My heart sank.  I quickly responded to my niece and the other child by saying “yes we are twins that is why my niece looks like me.”  I couldn’t help but wonder if my niece felt that she caused her mother’s death.  As a family we have tried to reassure her that she was not the cause of her mother’s death and that God needed her to be with him.  Just recently, we were at the park.  My niece is now 9 years old.  She asked me, “auntie, why does my mommy have to be in heaven looking down on me?  Why can’t’ she be her with me now?”  I didn’t know how to answer her other than to say “she is an angel in heaven helping God.”  I told her she was a special gift from God.                          

Ensuring that my niece’s childhood continues to be one where they feel supported and love is what I feel their mother would love.  The girls do not live with me and my family but we still get to have our visits.  I am thankful for the times we get to share to remind them of memories of their mother.  Losing a parent is a challenge and stress on children of any age.  Life is not promised daily.  This event has cause our family to take one day and moment at a time.  We cherish every moment together.  My goal is to be there for the girls as much as I can to provide them with any ongoing assurances needed through their childhood. 

In South Asia children experience stressors also.  One source of stress for children is their academic performance requirements by their parents.  Children are expected to receive grades no less than a B plus.  Often the parent’s main focus is on what mistakes have occurred with the child.  Children are expected to be successful in school to ensure success as adults.  To minimize this stress parents are encouraged to talk to others if they recognize stress in their child or children.  Parents are also encouraged to listen to their children and allow them to play and be children.  Parents need to value and enjoy the time they have with their children ("Stress Facts For South Asian Children And Teens", 2011).

I feel that it is important for American and South Asian parents to observe children and have open discussions with children in order to minimize stress.  I worry for my nieces about feeling sad that they do not have their mother in their lives anymore.  This causes my family to play an active role in their emotional development by having honest conversations about how they are feeling. This will continue to be an ongoing process throughout their development.