NAEYC
I.1.1----To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.
This Ideal is important to me because continued education is vital to the success of early childhood development. We require our staff to obtain 24 hours of continued education or training annually. Too many people still view early childhood as babysitting and not a profession, this way of thinking contributes to lack of knowledge gained. Therefore, it is very important that we as professionals continue to gain knowledge and skills so that we are better able to articulate and educate others on what being a childcare professional really means. We have to become educated before we can educate others.
I-1.3—To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.
This Ideal is very dear to my heart, because a lot of professionals look at children as a whole or a group instead of an individual. By doing this, children often get lost within the group and miss out on the opportunity to develop appropriately. Not all children have the same developmental needs or develop at the same time. It is very important to focus on individual needs in order to ensure each child needs are being met. It is also important to get to know each child and their family’s unique qualities, abilities, and potential. This can be accomplished through observations and meaningful discussions.
I-1.10—To ensure that each child’s culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and valued in the program.
This Ideal is important to me because I feel that parent involvement is essential to the development of each child. The parent is the glue between the staff, health professionals, and child. The parents can provide insight to the professionals concerning the child’s development. Without insightful information from the parent, the professionals may not be able to identify or meet the needs of the child. Children feel a sense of belonging and acceptance when teachers incorporate and support their family culture, language, ethnicity, and structures within the classroom. It is our responsibility as professionals to provide a caring emotional and social environment to support children development, culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure.
I-3A.3—To support co-workers in meeting their professional needs and in their professional development.
This Ideal is important to me because we promote professional development by partnering with one of the community colleges in our area by offering early childhood courses on site each semester. We also encourage staff to apply for state grants to cover tuition cost of each class offered. Our program purchase course material so there is no out of pocket cost for staff members. We also pay for staff’s Child Development Associates Credentials (CDA). I feel it is very important to help staff achieve educational goals (if your program can afford to) because by doing this, we are investing in and developing professionals to help improve the early childhood arena.
DEC
Professional and interpersonal behavior:
2. We shall demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all
our professional activities in order to inspire the trust and confidence of the children and families
and of those with whom we work.
“Integrity in all we do” is the first statement in the Air Force core values. One of the goals of a childcare professional is to gain the trust of a child and his family. Once a child feels confident that he can trust his childcare provider, he is more apt to learn and develop under their leadership. By building a trusting relationship with the parents, helps make the parent feel comfortable leaving their child in the care of the professional.
Professional Collaboration:
3. We shall honor and respect the diverse backgrounds of our colleagues including such diverse
characteristics as sexual orientation, race, national origin, religious beliefs, or other affiliations.
Acceptance of diverse backgrounds are essential in the early childhood arena, because we are all different, with different experiences who brings something unique to the field. There is no one correct way of doing things; it is a collaboration of a group of things. We shouldn’t shun someone away because they are different than what we are accustomed to. Instead we should embrace their contribution and see how we could implement it to improve the childcare field. The childcare arena will continue to struggle for change if we continue to display discriminative behaviors and mindsets towards others.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PREPARATION
4. We shall support professionals new to the field by mentoring them in the practice of evidence and
ethically based services.
We definitely need to support new professionals to the field of early childhood by training and mentoring them. We need to provide them with the necessary tools to successfully meet the needs of individual children and their families.
Introspective process:
One thing that I took for granted before I enrolled in this class was the fact that I never really consider my colleagues resources. Everyone we come in contact with can be a resource to include a child. We learn from each other every day.
“Being a voice for the voiceless” ~Renatta Cooper
Wow! That’s a powerful quote…
“Effective teachers have the knowledge to make informed decisions and adapt for individual differences in children throughout the day”.
"Safety and security don't just happen; they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."