Early Childhood Resources

One test of the educational procedure is the happiness of the child- Maria Montessori

Love and Logic. (2012). What is love and logic for teachers? Retrieved March 25, 2012, from: http://www.loveandlogic.com/

Peltzman, B. (1998). Pioneers of early childhood education: A bio-bibliographical guide. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press

Stern,W. & Barwell, A. (1924) of early childhood: Up to the sixth year of age (3rd ed.).

New York, NY: Henry Holt and Co. doi: 10.1037/11539-000

Course Resources:

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, fromhttp://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, fromhttp://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf

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.

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.pd

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/main/about.cfm

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//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home

Institute for Women’s Policy Research
http://www.iwpr.org/index.cfm

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.preknow.org/

Voices for America’s Children
http://www.voices.org/

The Erikson Institute
http://www.erikson.edu/

Inspiration & Motivation

I found some quotes this week that made me think. Although at first glance Lilian Katz quote seems funny, she is hits the nail on the head with it. She is referring to how we need to help children learn from their experiences, as opposed to giving out worksheets and adopted structured curriculums that limit children’s capability and love of learning. All of these quotes taken from early childhood education professionals demonstrate how important children and the foundation they receive are. Not only is this important to the development of the child, but also to society as a whole.

“Curriculum is not delivered. Milk is delivered.” –Lilian Katz

“Parenting is a relationship with a history” – Stanley Greenspan

“It made me feel whole, it made me feel creative”- Louise Derman-Sparks

 “ I see early childhood education …as a civil rights issue…a childhood leaves you ready for optimal life experiences.”-Renatta M. Cooper

Reference:

Empowered By Play, (2011, June 19). Words of wisdom from Dr. Lilian Katz. Retrieved

from http://www.empoweredbyplay.org/2011/06/words-of-wisdom-from-dr-lilian-katz/.

Miller, G. (1989). Giving children a chance: The case for more effective national

policies. Lanham: University Press of America.

Let's Blog

In my third week of blogging I am finally getting the hang of it. To the right is my personal childhood web. As a child we moved around a lot, and we never lived by family. This created a limited web of support, something I have realized as an adult with children. For this reason my husband and I made the decision 4 1/2 years ago to live by family. We live within 20 minutes of both of my sisters and their families, as well as my parents. We also are very close to my brother-in-laws 5 siblings and all of their families, parents, and grand parents, creating an overabundance of love and connection! As an adult I have wanted to create a much larger network of support for my children. My kids have attended the same school, church, dance classes, and soccer organization for the last 4 1/2 years. So now their web of support is not just their immediate family, but very extensive! It is my hope that my children all grow to feel love and support from a multitude of caring adults, helping them to grow to be more phenomenal than they already are!

A Mother's Love

 “Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever”. –Unknown

       This quote is one of my favorite quotes. Being a mom to my 5 children is truly a rewarding experience. I love being a mom, and would be completely content to do nothing else, but be their mom. Having children between the ages of 15 to 8 months I realize how fast they grow. This saying is so true, they don’t want to hold their mommies hand long enough, but they are always my little babies! Having children has made me realize how vulnerable children really are. They need an advocate, they need love, compassion, understanding, and most of all someone that will be there for them unconditionally- a mom and dad!

As a child my favorite book was Green Eggs and Ham. Something about that book sparked my imagination. I still to this day think every time I read that book I can smell the green eggs and ham.  I have imagined so many times what I think they actually taste like, maybe a little dry. Dr. Seuss had a way of making me happy just with the rhymes, creativity, and Sam I Am. Now as an adult I love the books, I Miss You Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt, and I’m Gonna Like Me by Jamie Lee Curtis. Both books feed the creativity of young minds, but also work on increasing self esteem, positive self-concept, and assurance in their support systems. These two books just exemplify to me how to show young children they are loved and important no matter what.  

I think I most like these two books based on my experience working with children with SED and at risk behaviors. One thing these children often struggle with is broken homes, feeling unaccepted in their environments, and feeling as if they are so bad no one can handle them. When I left my previous agency to take a new position for a different agency an 8 year old boy I work with said to me as I was explaining to him that we would not be working together any longer, “That’s okay, I am used to it. I have had a lot of people leave me.”

One thing I struggle with working with children is boundaries and attachment. These children often just need a mom, a little guidance, and acceptance. Unfortunately, I cannot be everyone’s mom. Also, I wonder at what price does all of this comes to my own children? Do I give too much of myself to other children, and not have enough for them when I come home?

Welcome To My Journey

Monday, February 27, 2012

 

My first blog ever. I begin as an undergraduate in the Spring of 2007. I was very excited about the idea of eventually becoming a Neurological Research Psychologist or Clinical Psychologist. Four years later as I finished my undergraduate degree my sentiments started to change, but I was still up in the air. I began working to take a break from school and decide what I wanted to pursue. I immediately got a job working as a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist for a mental health agency. I help children that have been labeled severely emotionally disturbed or have a mental illness; develop coping strategies, social skills, and other life skills. I offer support to their families and/or parents by helping them to learn their own set of coping techniques as well. I applied at Walden University to enter into the M.S. program specializing in Social Psychology with a tentative start date of March 2012.
When I began my undergraduate degree my third child was just 6 months old. Now, I have FIVE children, the youngest just 8 months old. Throughout the years I have volunteered with my children's schools, activities, religious education classes, Mothers of Preschoolers. I feel most comfortable when I am with my children, and working with young children. I have found that mental health work is exhausting emotionally. It is rewarding yet challenging work. A light switched on for me one evening as I was discussing what my future goals are with my brother-in-law. Now is the time to do what I eventually want to be doing. I would hate to follow a goal I set for myself so long ago that I don't find joy or fulfillment in. Ultimately, I would like to be a director of a program called Child Development Services. It is a program designed to screen young children age birth -5 for speech delays, emotional disturbances, hearing impairments, cognitive impairments, and social delays. Screening is free for all children and those that have delays or impairments may qualify for services from CDS. Preventative methods are the key to the program to give children the best possible start in life. I quickly switched gears with the assistance of the wonderful advising staff at Walden, and now here I am!!