Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who has helped support me throughout this course.  Blogging has definitely been a new experience for me so thanks for having patience as I have learned more and more.  This has been a great first class and I hope I have the opportunity to work with some of you as we continue through our studies at Walden.  :)

Codes of Ethics

There are many ideals in the NAEYC Code of Ethics that I find valuable to learn and put into effect as an educator. The following three are a few that I feel very strongly about:

I-1.4—To appreciate the vulnerability of children and their dependence on adults. 

-This is so important to remember because children often can not speak or do things for themselves so it is up to adults to make sure that get and  have every they need.  Children are so precious and, as educators, we must always try to do whatever we can to give them all the opportunities available.  

P-1.8—We shall be familiar with the risk factors for and symptoms of child abuse and neglect, including

physical, sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse and physical, emotional, educational, and medical neglect.

We shall know and follow state laws and community procedures that protect children against abuse and

neglect.

-The more anyone in the field can learn about risk factors and how to best handle situations such as these is so vital to children.  Teachers spend a lot of time with children and sometimes see them more than their own parents so we must try to always be on the look out for what is going on in their home life.  Abuse to a child is such a sad thing for any child to have to go through and the more information we can have the more services we can offer to the families suffering with such issues.

I-2.5—To respect the dignity and preferences of each family and to make an effort to learn about its structure, culture, language, customs, and beliefs.

-Today, more than ever, children come from such diverse home settings.  Often they are different from our own but we must remember to respect everyone and try to do whatever is best for each family.  The more we can communicate and learn about one other the better the support can be for each child accordingly.  It is an ever changing world but we must not judge but instead try and understand one another's points of  view and find a way to reach each family in a respectable and professional manner.  

Course Resources

Important Course 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, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://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, fromhttp://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, fromhttp://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, fromhttp://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://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.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.

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, fromhttp://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.

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//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
• 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/

Professional Journals

• 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

Additional Resources

http://www.montessori.org/ - This is a great site for all things Montessori.  It has online learning tools for parents as well as the latest information happening in the Montessori community.  It also has information on how to become a certified Montessori teacher. 

http://www.thescea.org/ - This is the website for The South Carolina Education Association that I have been a part of since my undergraduate studies.  

http://www.sc.gov/education/ - A detailed list of the standards and test scores for the State of South Carolina.