When I think of Child Development

"Adult support and reassurance is the key to helping children through a traumatic time."
Source: http://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content/SMA12-4732/SMA12-4732.pdf

I think this quote is important. It helps to give people the main thing that they should focus on when trying to help others dealing with trauma. It is important to be caring, and supportive for the child or person going through trauma.

Testing for Intelligence

I feel that the developmental milestones of each area of development that the child demonstrates should be measured or assessed. If the child meets most of the developmental milestones, then move them to the next level. If not, see if they have a delay. If they have an IEP, the school work is tailored to the child. Why don't we do that for all children. Meet the children where they are at developmentally.

I was curious about what assessments children in Germany have to go through. I found that they had to conduct research and do presentations on concepts that they had to learn through the year. They had to do a reflection of what they had learned. The children are asked to not only evaluate themselves but also their peers. The teachers evaluate each child individually. The teachers also have parent teacher conferences 2 times a year. The teachers go over the academic level of the child, and the results of the assessments.

All the test that we put children through to pass a standardized test to be able to go to the next grade level, does not prove anything but the fact that they may not be a good test taker. It also puts a huge amount of stress on the children. The same thing is true of education with the praxis test. It does not prove that the person will be a good teacher or not. Just that they can or can not pass a test. Sometimes adults and children are not good test takers especially when being timed. In my case, I was labeled ADD in college and was allowed to tape record classes and get extra time on test. I tried to get help with the praxis test but they turned me down because I did not have a "history" of ADD. How can someone prove a history when they have just recently been diagnosed. Labeling should be done based on the whole child.

References: International School of Bochum. Retrieved from  http://www.internationalschoolgermany.de/bochum/en/parents/assessments

Consequences of Stress on Children's Developmnet

 

Poverty

 

My dad grew up in a home that did not have a bathroom. He went to the doctor when he was 18 because he had a cyst on his spine. He had it removed and the doctor had told him to soak in the bath tub. He told the doctor that he did not have a bath tub or bathroom. His dad was told by the doctor that he had to have a bathroom in the house. They ended up having someone to build a bathroom in the house. My dad said that they would wash with using water used from the well. They had to heat the water on their wood stove in the kitchen. Later, they got a hot water heater and had water from the sink. They used a wood stove to cook their food as well.

 

 

Africa

 

The area of Africa is impacted by poverty, war, hunger, disease. The site I looked at mentioned that the disease there was Aids, Malaria, Cholera. Kids are used in war and receive no education. They are also sold as slaves. The poverty in Africa has been helped by china cutting poverty and thereby helping other places like Africa cut poverty. The site also mentioned that receiving aid in a non loan format from the government would help with the poverty.

 

 

References:

World Poverty. Poverty in Africa, famine and disease. Retrieved from http://world-poverty.org/povertyinafrica.htm

 





Child Development and Public Health

Malnutrition

 

I chose this topic because I understand how devastating severe malnutrition can be. My grandfather died this year from severe malnutrition. He was having problems swallowing and could not eat. He even had trouble swallowing liquid. We were trying to find out what was causing his problems, but by the time we started getting answers after many months of doctor visits and tests, it was too late. Malnutrition is a severe problem in the world. 925 million people in the world do not have food to eat. In developing countries, 1 out of 4 children younger than age 5 are underweight. People can become malnourished if they do not get the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals they need. The most common deficiency is iron and leads to Anemia. In Cambodia, 44% of children under 5 have stunted growth. As a result of poor nutrition, 28% of children under 5 are underweight. One out of 12 children die from malnutrition before they turn 5. Malnutrition causes people not to be able to resist infection very well, and they are less likely to survive common diseases. Poor growth and development leaves them physically and mentally impaired for life. AmeriCares provides meal packs that contain nutrients needed for healthy diets for 6 to 18 weeks. They found major reversals in malnutrition with these. Shanouk Center for HOPE found 9 out of 10 children improved their BMI enough to not be considered underweight. This information may impact my future work. You never know when you will be working with a child that may become malnourished or the child may have a family member that dies from malnutrition.

 

References

AmeriCares http://www.americares.org

Kids Health http://www.kidshealth.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

  



Child birth in my life and Around the World

My daughter was born on October 18, 2011. I had a long delivery with her. She was born at 1:05am and weighed 8 lbs and 4 oz. I carried her full term, and she was born a week later. I was supposed to be induced the morning of the 17th if I had not gone into labor. That morning my water broke at home so I went to the hospital. I remember the staff kept telling me I would have her by lunch time that day but she was not born until 1:05 am on the 18th. I named my daughter Zoey Lynn Bragg. I had the support of my husband and my family. My husband helped the doctors some during the delivery. He even got to cut the umbilical cord. He was there with me the whole time. I enjoyed having the chance to hold her once she was born. Zoey is our only child so far. She was like our anniversary gift. Our anniversary was Oct 9th and her due date was Oct 10. Zoey is now 2 years old.

I chose to write about Zoey's birth because it is my only birth experience besides what my mom has told me about my birth. The things that can happen during the pregnancy and during birth can impact a child for life. For example, the use of drugs during pregnancy impacts the development of the child and the child might show characteristics of addiction after birth.

I chose to research births in Germany. I found in my research that in Germany births are performed by midwifes. Doctors are not mandated like the midwifes. Moms can stop work 6 weeks before due date. Moms are not allowed to work until 8 weeks after the birth. They get the full amount of pay while on maternity leave. The mother can take up to 3 years off of unpaid leave. The 3rd year is a floating year and can be taken any time. The mother or father can take off during the 3rd year. The Germany government has a list of names that is acceptable names to name a child. This is supposed to be to keep children from being picked on by other children.  In my experience, I had unpaid maternity leave. I also chose to have a doctor deliver Zoey because of the chance of complications that were likely due to me having a heart murmur.

Ideals of NAEYC

 

1. To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training. Things are always changing in the Early Childhood field. It is important to go to trainings to learn more about how to do things in other ways. Research in the field is also changing. I not only have to have training hours each year for DCD; I also have to have 150 contact hours each 5 year period to keep my license current.

 

2. To advocate for and ensure that all children including those with special needs, have access to the support services needed to be successful. Some children need extra help and support beyond what you can give them in the classroom. I feel these children need to have these services to develop to their fullest potential. Teachers have to be advocates for these children to receive the services that are needed. Each year I have children that I advocate for. Sometimes they receive the services and sometimes they don't. I do every thing I can for them but the parents have to make the choice.

 

3. To share information about each child's education and development with families and to help them understand and appreciate the current knowledge base of the early childhood profession. I work with my families to share information with them about their child and where they are developmentally. I give some suggestions on how they can work with them at home. I provide the suggestions based on what the children need help with and I give the activities in steps to the families. This way the children are being challenged as they are ready but not to the point that they are overwhelmed.

 

 



Classroom Resources

Classroom Resources

 

Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf
  
  Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.
  Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title.

Part 2: Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
• Websites:
• • World Forum Foundation
    http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep-usnc.org/
    Read about OMEP's mission.
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/
    Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.

 

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/
• Children's Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org/
• Institute for Women's Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/

Part 4: Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education

Other Resources:

Dr. Becky Bailey
http://consciousdiscipline.com/about/dr_becky_bailey.asp

Star Falls
http://starfalls.com

Francis Marion University School of Education
Center of Excellence to Prepare Teachers of Children of Poverty
http://fmucenterofexcellence.org

Parents as Teachers
http://parentsasteachers.org

Seeds of Empathy
http://seedsofempathy.org

http://ncee.org










Quotes of Inspiration and Motivation, etc

"Stressed that children will thrive only if all of society provides for them."
Hillary Clinton

"All have an obligation to give something of ourselves to our community."
Hillary Clinton

"To build a great society, a place where the meaning of man's life matches the marvels of man's labor."
President Lyndon B. Johnson

"It is not about you. Take your ego out of it. Think about what is best for the child."
Renatta M. Cooper

Personal Childhood Web

Deborah Womack (Mom)
My mom is a very special person to me. Growing up my mom always made sure to take me to the places that I wanted to go to when she could. She took me to the library, swimming lessons, church, girl scouts, and to the park. We would play games together on Saturdays while she was waiting for the clothes to wash and dry. We went to eat pizza every Saturday for lunch at Mr. Gattiis. I now visit my mom every weekend and we eat together, shop, go places together, and go to church together.

Ben Womack (Dad)
I was daddy's little girl growing up. The first few years of my childhood that I remember, I would go with my dad to flea markets on the weekend. We also went fishing together when I was growing up. We also went to my grandmothers house to visit. I still see my dad every weekend to have some time just to sit and talk with each other.

Steve Womack (Brother)
My brother and I played together growing up but we would fight a lot when we were younger. We played video games and pool together. My relationship with my brother has improved over the years as we help each other out and we do not fight any more. I do not get to see him as much as I would like but we have a close relationship.

Arlie Wright (Grandpa)
My grandpa always would joke with everyone. I would go with him on company outings. I would also go to the beach with him and my grandma with my mom. The biggest things my Grandpa was known for was his love for church, NASCAR racing, gospel singing, fishing, joking, eating tomatoes, chocolate candy and ice cream, and hot dogs from Scoops Grill. My grandfather passed away a few months ago, but I will always remember him for all the things he loved and his joking.

Mary Anne Womack (Grandma)
My grandmother was the best person that I have ever met. She was always joyful and found the good in everyone. She let me help her any time that I wanted to. I helped her in the house, garden, and at the grocery store. She let me stay at her house when I wanted to. She always would try to get you to eat when you came to visit. She always fixed biscuits and cornbread fresh every day. My grandma will always hold a special place in my heart. I will always strive to be as kind of a person as she was. She was truly an inspiration to me.

Elizabeth Wright (Grandma)
My grandma and me would go places together like the library, McDonalds, Hardees, and Mrs. Wingers. She would want to get something to eat on Saturday mornings, so I would go with her. Sometimes she drove and other times we walked. My grandma stayed at home and was crippled since she was two years old when she fell and broke her hip. She was determined and did not let that stop her. We also played games like rummy, Chinese checkers, and aggravation together. I was grateful that my grandmother always played games with me when I was bored.

Alexandra, a child who touched my heart

One year, I had a child in my preschool class named Alexandra. He was a special needs child that was shown love while in my class. During the school year, Alexandra learned how to control his emotions when he got upset about things. One thing that really touched my heart was that at nap time, he would pat his cot with his hand to let me know that he wanted me to lay down with him on his cot. He made a lot of improvement during the school year and was a very sweet and loving child.

Quote

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6