When I think of research…

• What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

I gained many insights about research, though all insights gained are important, some stood out more than others. For starters, one insight I was delighted to gain is that a Code of Ethics guideline is in place to help minimize unethical practices in research.   It defines the core values of the field and is designed to protect the rights and wellbeing of children and adults.  Another insight I gained is that not all research seeks to show differences, some actually seeks to describe and explain a phenomenon.  I also gained insight of how to identify authentic research by studying Dr. Lepuschitz’s article, "A Practical Guide to Reading Research Articles" (Lepuschitz, 2011),through this course.

• In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

After taking this course, I have a greater understanding of the complexities researchers endure during the process of a study.  I must say I have a greater level of respect for the research profession.  It is very important to take into account all aspects of the study during the designing process in order to minimize unexpected delays and unethical practices.

• What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

I’ve learned that from the beginning to the end of the process each child is to be treated equitably regardless of their individual differences.  The researcher must refrain from personal biases while employ participation from children.  Children should be given the opportunity to give consent to participate in the study.   All researchers should follow the Code of Ethics guidelines to ensure the children’s best interest is always a priority.

• What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?  

One of the challenges I encountered was developing three sub-topics.  As I continued to work on the various assignments over the weeks, I was finally able to accomplish this.  Another challenge for me was to define some of the key terms in my own words.  I still haven’t totally mastered this skill, but I continue to try.  It was also difficult to understand some of the researcher verbiage

• What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

My perception of an early childhood professional has been modified by understanding the importance of research. It is essential in today’s society that any and all Early Childhood Professionals should stay informed of the various trends taking place in early childhood.  This can be accomplished by reading research articles, journals etc., networking and advocating for the betterment of children everywhere.  Research can promote successful outcomes for children, families, and society as a whole by giving them the opportunities to a good education.   


A personal "Thank you"  to each of you for sharing your knowledge and insight on research.  I've enjoyed reading your blogs and discussion questions.  Best wishes as you continue your journey in Early Childhood.

Reference

Lepuschitz, J.K. (2011). A practical guide to reading research articles.  Laureate Education Inc., Baltimore, MD

Research Around the World

1.     What are some of the current international research topics?

     Journal of Children and Poverty

a.   Teaching to learn and learning to teach

b. Research with children: three challenges for participatory research in early childhood

c. Assessing toddler language competence: agreement of parents' and  preschool teachers' assessments

d. Journal of the Institute for Children, Poverty, and  Homelessness

2.    What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?

In the journal Teaching to Learn and Learning to Teach, some researcher’s reviews have revealed that physical activities are very low in childcare centers as a result of higher sedentary activities. I found this to be a bit surprising, because in my program, we use the creative curriculum model to empower social emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development. The curriculum promotes learning through play; thus empowering children’s developmental milestones.  As Pramling Samuelsson (2010) noted in a previous editorial of this journal, ‘Accepting children as equal partners also means to make play visible, since play is supposed to be a great part of the child’s world and the way into children’s social life and learning’ (Waller, Sandseter, Wyver, Arlemaim-Hagsér & Maynard, 2011).  I can understand this more if the child was in kindergarten, because most schools focuses on learning standards and academic scores rather than learning through play.  Most three to five your olds do not have the attention span to spend a lot of time engaged in sedentary activities, this is why I found this to be insightful information.  

Another bit of insightful information I gained from this article was the fact that children who grow up in urban areas are prevented from playing freely in their neighborhoods.  I can understand this due to the increase in drugs and violence that is usually associated with these neighborhoods.   However, if play is now being minimized or alleviated during the preschool years, these children are being denied the opportunity to freely engage in meaningful play; thereby inhibiting their social emotional, cognitive, physical, and language development.    

3.What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

Anyone can access a selection of popular and leading research articles for free!  Not only does the site offers free access to research articles, but it also  provides step-by-step instructions for publishing a journal article.  The website itself was a surprise to me because I didn’t know it existed before now.  I was also surprise to have free access to these journal articles, because usually there’s a charge to gain full access to well respected journal articles of this magnitude.  There are articles and books that provide limited access, but are available for purchasing on this website as well.

Reference:

European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA): This international early childhood organization publishes a well respected journal. All back issues are accessible from this site and are fully searchable without charge.
http://www.eecera.org/

Waller, T.,  Sandseter, E. H., Wyver,, S.Arlemaim-Hagsér  E. & Maynard, T. (2011, May 29).   The dynamics of early childhood spaces: opportunities for outdoor play? Rutledge Publishing. Retrieved from http://www.informaworld.com/

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

As I was scanning research articles, I came across an article titled Poverty Puts Struggling Readers in Jeopardy, written by Cindy Long.   The article talked about when students transition from learning to read to reading to learn.  The article suggests experts believe this transformation takes place during third grade.  There is a concern because at least two-thirds of these students are not reading at a third grade level; thus reduces the chances for graduating.   There is link within the article that directs you to a new study How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation, written by Donald Hernandez.  The study identifies poverty as the compounding problem.   The study revealed that minority groups with poor reading skills and living in poverty is eight times more likely to become drop outs; thereby, placing these children in double jeopardy.

I found this to be an interesting article because too many children never get the opportunity to rise above poverty due to lack of education.   It is imperative that we come together as a community to help educate these children so that they too will gain the necessary tools needed to survive.   Poverty is a national epidemic that is rapidly spreading and if we don’t do something as a nation to help these children, our children will continue to suffer and our country will continue to decline.   As professionals, we need to empower our children by making sure they are capable of assimilating and understanding texts and apply their understanding of the text to draw conclusions and make evaluations and decisions.  The good news is that children’s inability to read has brought about great recognitions due to the number of students dropping out of school; President Bush was committed to ensuring that every child could read by the end of third-grade and now President Obama is campaigning to “Putting Reading First.”  With such prestigious investors supporting positive educational outcomes, we are sure to see a decrease in poverty stricken families and an increase in student graduates.   

Long, C. (2011, April 12). Poverty puts struggling readers in double
            jeopardy. National Education Association. Retrieved from

http://neapriorityschools.org/2011/04/12/poverty-puts-struggling-

            readers-in-double-jeopardy/

My Personal Research Journey

Chosen Topic:

I chose to focus on the impact high-quality programs have on poverty stricken preschooler’s cognitive development.   I chose this topic because the earlier the seed is planted, the better chances for these children to be successful in life.  These are the most critical years for development to take place and we as professionals need to take advantage of this time to ensure we lay a strong foundation in which children will be able to continue building upon.  We have so many children and their families living in poverty today.  Many end up falling through the cracks, but I believe that if we get out in our communities and advocate for the well-being of these children, some will be able to rise above poverty.  If we miss these opportunities, we may never be able to get them back or spend extra time and money trying to catch up.  We can start by advocating for more funding to support social services for both the children and their families. 

I found the chart to be somewhat challenging when having to define the words using my own words, but I enjoyed the assignment.  I think this was a very useful tool and I will be more apt to remember the words and their meaning.  I think the most challenging part of the assignment was narrowing down my sub-topic.  I don’t know how many times I changed it.  Finally, I decided to start writing about what I wanted to gain more information about and then I was better able to narrow down the subtopic.  After researching my topic I realized why it’s so important to narrow the topic down.  Wow! I was all over the place trying to cite other scholar’s findings to support my interest.   This process I found to be very time consuming. One insightful piece of information I gained through the research process this week and that is, I couldn’t gain access to some of the journals.  I went to a couple of sites and the only way to gain access is by purchasing the book or journal or paying a price to gain access for a certain amount of time.  I started thinking to myself, this must be the authentic research. 

I most definitely welcome any insight or references you may be willing to share with me to make this course/process easier and in return, I will provide any insight or references I feel can be a benefit to you as well.

WEEK 8 = Final Blog Assignment

Three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for both my professional and personal development.

1.     I’ve learned that I’m not alone; there are many people all around the world facing some of the same issues as we are in America. We are able to support each other by sharing and exchanging information and new ideas to help empower our communities globally.

2.      I am now equipped with the necessary tools to educate others on my staff and within the community by sharing local resources and informing them of available programs.  Thanks to this course, I have the ability to bring forth awareness of the various issues and trends within the early childhood arena as well as recommend get well plans.

3.    I’ve learned that lack of funding is a global issue and that we have many families living on the streets because of it.  However, we can do something to help these families by getting involved.  We can help by volunteering our time, donating food and clothing, providing shelter, making monitory donations and most of all ADVOCATING.

one goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends and the spirit of collegial relations

4.    My goal is to educate others on international awareness of issues and trends as well as build collegial relations.  I want to stay connected with my international contact so that we can share valuable information that I can pass on to others.  I also plan to create a list of international organizations and foundations that advocates for the health, safety and overall well-being of our children and their families.   I will include some of the issues and trends our nation is facing globally and provide a list of websites and local resources to handout so that they can make contribution to support our children. 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

Alternative:

One of my initial goals was to ensure staff was equipped with the necessary tools to assist in providing quality care to meet the needs of individual families.  After reading the article “Every Child has the Right to an Education!’  I gained great insight on the gap between ratification and implementation.  The article stated there were 69 million children, mostly girls who are still deprived of their right to a basic education.  On top of these outrageous numbers of children who are deprived; a lot of the children who actually gain access to schools still experience poor quality education and end up acquiring basic skill levels of development at the end of 12^th grade.  I must say I was a bit surprise with the numbers still being this high with the support of various organizations and government funding. This is one of the main reasons why it is vital that we support our teachers by  providing funding to help staff obtain higher educational and training skills and knowledge; thereby, enabling them  to lay a strong foundation to empower children to rise above poverty and function fully as a citizen of society.  According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] (2011), (States have legal obligations… “As guarantors and promoters of the right to education, they must reflect these obligations in their Constitution and laws and take steps to improve education policies and strategies to give it effect,” (para. 2)  This deprivation of education is primarily due to poverty. It was also enlightening to find other organizations advocating for the rights of our children’s education, especially since another one of my goals were to advocate for more community involvement to support the well-being of our children and their families.   While reading this article, I found out that the United Nations and UNESCO have formed normative instruments to promote and develop the right of everyone to gain access to quality education, while being exempt from discrimination and exclusion (UNESCO, 2011).  These insights motivate me to strive for my goals because they support my belief of equality for all children regardless of their circumstances. They are humans just as we are and they too deserve a chance to be successful in life.

                              Reference

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (1995-2011). Every child has the right to education! Retrieved from (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/)

Sharing Web Resources

• Follow some of the outside links that you have not yet explored. Where do they lead?

Some of the outside links lead to social networking sites such as Twitter, You Tube, Facebook, MySpace, Care2, Squidoo, Flicker, and FirstGiving.

• Thoroughly search one area of the site. What do you find?

YouTube is the number one online video community resource that allows millions of viewers to watch and share original videos. Save the Children utilizes this site to connect, inform, and inspire millions of people all over the world.  This site is also used as a distribution platform for Save the Children videos and  PSAs in regards to the work they do in disaster areas as well as for the welfare of children all across the globe.  Views are able to leave comments about the video(s) they few.  The videos brings awareness of hardships families are experiencing around the world; with the intent to solicit support from society at large.

• If you receive an e-newsletter, follow a link related to one of the issues you have been studying. What new information is available?

Speak Out Today and Tell Your Senators to Stop Cuts to Children

The senate is currently considering a critical funding bill and Save the Children is asking everyone to speak up and speak out to solicit funding to continue the support of low-cost interventions that produce high- impact results.  The goal is to protect the most vulnerable victims from poverty and instability; our children.  In the past, the United States funding has supported millions of children all over the world by opening doors to education and providing support to victims of natural disasters.  One percent of all federal funding is used to save lives in the fight against disease, poverty, hunger, and illiteracy; in hopes of creating a healthier and secure world.

• Does the website or the e-newsletter contain any information that adds to your understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education?

Japan Earthquake Tsunami Relief

Immediately following the Tsunami disaster, Save the Children arranged for emergency response teams to assess the needs of children and their families.  Based on the findings, several child-friendly spaces were established in an effort to provide shelter for displaced families. These spaces promoted opportunities for children to play with other children while freeing up their parents so that they could began working on rebuilding their homes.  In an effort to meet the needs of all children and their families, there plans to establish more child-friendly spaces in the near future. These children may not have all the books and art supplies that we have access to within our classroom, but they do have one important thing that have been taken away from us and that is the opportunity to “Play.” This may actually place them at a greater advantage than we have, because children learn through the freedom of play and exploration of their environment

• What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain this week from exploring the website and/or the e-newsletter?

One insight I gained from the website is the annual Advocacy Day.  I didn’t realize that there was an Advocacy Day in honor of children all around the world.  Over 215 Save the Children advocates attended the two day event on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.  The Congressional offices conducted over 130 meetings where participants were able to boldly speak about the issues that are negatively impacting the lives of children all around the world.

Reference

Save the Children. (2011). Japan Earthquake Tsunami Relief. Retrieved from  http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6621121/k.3D08/JapanEarthq uakeTsunami_Relief.htm

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

Alternative:

While exploring the Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” [GCI] website, I gained a few new insights about early childhood systems around the globe.  It was enlightening to find out that the GCI first priority in early childhood development is to target key international agencies to educate them on the most effective ways to translate the science of child development for global policymakers based on data collected from research.  Their second priority focuses on the health and developmental needs of young children in a variety of settings.  GCI’s goal is to address these issues by conducting more research and apply knowledge gained from such research to train individuals, researchers, policymakers, and institutions on the importance of supporting early childhood development in an effort to empower children’s well-being (GCI, 2011).

Another piece of insightful information I’ve gained from browsing the site is that GCI has already launched a few global projects to improve quality in early childhood.  They’ve began a pilot assessment in Zambia to measure the connection between child development and malaria control as well as implemented effective interventions to improve preschool quality in Chile.  Their future plans are to conduct research forums in an effort to build a global alliance with scholars to share findings and build publications to improve quality programming around the world (GCI, 2011).

In an effort to address the critical issues of  how mental health negatively impacts child development and society as whole, some of Harvard’s faculty is developing a group that will focus on research, education and public engagement to address the gap between knowledge and service delivery.  This will include assessments of child mental health services conducted in China, the development of preventives of mental health problems for victims of HIV/AIDS in Rwanda, and addressing child maltreatment and mental health issues in Barbados, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname (GCI, 2011).

I found this website to be very informative, because I was not aware that GCI even existed.  Just like Save the Children’s foundation, GCI is working globally to aid in the betterment of our children.  By living in America, it is so easy to forget about other counties who are not privy to the same level of opportunities we are given, but it is great to know that there are organizations such as this who are advocating for all children and their families.

Reference

Global Children’s Initiative. (2011). Early child development. Retrieved from (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/

Sharing Web Resources:

• What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

Save the Children website has an article that states the opening of their first child-friendly space in Japan.  This information is particularly relevant to my current professional development because like my program, the space is designed for children to learn through play under the care of professional caregivers.  According to the article, trained and nurturing adults provide opportunities for children to play and share their experiences. It is great to know that after all the hardships these children have been faced with, that they have access to caring adults who are available to provide nurturing support. 

• Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?

The world’s leading toy company, Mattel, Inc., has pledged $500,000, over a five year span to Save the Children’s Proactive Disaster Preparedness and Responses to Crisis.  The funding will help support the children’s health care, education, early childhood development and emergency initiatives.   This committed contribution made me realize that there really are mega corporations and community resources that care about the future of our nation and that actually put their money where their mouth is.  I know a lot of people say they care about the well-being of our children, but I never really see the children reaping the rewards.  It’s is rewarding to see companies of this stature contributing to such a wonderful cause.   It is good to know that we don’t stand alone in advocating for our children and their families and that our community has enough faith in research to invest their dollars in our children.

• What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?

Save the Children foundation receives funds through sponsorships.  They are able to provide goods in services such as food, water, shelter, health care and education through the support of many economic business leaders.   I have a greater understanding of the role in which the economists play in the increased public investments in early childhood.   They advocate for the well-being of children by educating the public on the importance of providing a child with a strong foundation.  Their passion is driven by research findings that emphasize the importance of early interventions and how it positively impacts the child’s development.   Thanks to the economist who are speaking up and out for the early childhood arena, people all over the world are beginning to take an interest in and invest in early childhood interventions.

• What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

Other insightful information that I gained through exploration of the website is the fact that there are a number of different organizations that continues to support the Save the Children Foundation by investing in the future of our children.  For instance, there are numerous corporate community supporters that have pledged to support the response efforts in Japan.  Goldman Sachs Gives, Toys “R” Us, and Zynga have all pledged over a million dollars to support the Japan Earthquake Tsunami Relief fund.  There are many other organizations and individuals pledging various amounts in support of children’s well-being.  As long as this continues and we continue to make commitments to helping at risk children and their families, we will continue to see positive changes within our nations as well as in our communities.

Save the Children Federation. (2011). Child-friendly spaces help kids smile again. Retrieved March, 2011, from  http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1

What I’ve learned thus for:  

My communicator for this week is Mohamed Megahed; Megahed is a Communication Assistant for UNICEF Egypt.

Megahed and I discussed the issues related to poverty in Egypt.

Egyptians defines poverty as deprivation in multiple dimensions and not only a lack of income or low consumption.  Poverty is the result of global economic crisis.  Recent economic reforms, social policies and programmers have consequently excluded children as an imperative entity within the budget allocations.  As a result of this exclusion, studies show that more than seven million Egyptian children (one in four) live deprived of one or more of their rights to enjoy their childhood and about five million are deprived of appropriate housing conditions to include shelter, water and sanitation.  At least 1.6 million who are under the age of five suffer from health and food deprivation.

My new insights and information about issues of poverty.

Even though significant progress has been made to include legislative reform, to minimize poverty in Egypt, there are still millions of Egyptian families living in poverty today and the numbers continues to increase.  Megahed (personal communication, March 15, 2011) noted that if something is not done to stop intergenerational transmission of poverty the growth and development of the nation will no longer exist.  I must say “I agree with him.” If the policy makers are not concerned with the well-being of the children, then how will they ever be given the opportunity to rise above poverty?  I feel that the policy makers need to develop an action plan to reevaluate the budget allocations to include the social protection and well-being of the children.  These children make up at least one-third Egyptian’s citizen and if someone doesn’t invest in their future today, to break the cycle of poverty, they just may end up being our poverty stricken parents of tomorrow.  

Sharing Web Resources

Save the Children

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

Save the Children organization focuses on empowering the health, education, and opportunities for at risk children as well as provides assistance to children who fall victims to war and natural disasters.  The organization advocates for funds and resources to support families experiencing adverse situations.   

Current Issue:

Support the Libya Children in Crisis Fund

Save the Children is increasing relief efforts in support of Libya children who are being separated from their families due to the mutiny of violence against the embattled Libyan’s leader.  Due to the separation from their parents, some of these children end up living on the streets, homeless and starving for food with no one to protect them.  These children fall victims to exploitation and trafficking.

This crisis is steadily rising.  Save the Children are partnering with the humanitarian community to help supply the basic food, shelter, and health care to these children.  They will also be working together to reunite the children with their families as well as provide support to children who was negatively impacted by these harsh conditions.   Save the Children is advocating for the well-being of these children by asking for the nation’s unwavering support to help these vulnerable children’s ongoing and urgent needs.

Getting Started—Establishing Professional Contacts

Establishing Professional Contacts

After reading the Blog assignment for this week, I figured it was going to be a bit difficult to connect with someone from another county to share information with, so I decided to e-mail several individuals and organizations. On Monday, I e-mailed 17 individuals only to receive 13 undeliverable e-mails, 1 read receipt, and 1 response.  I was excited to see that I had received a response from at least one individual, that is until I read the response Buzov (personal communication, March 8, 2011) noted Dear Brenda, This is very good news but are you sure that this e-mail is for me!?! Regards Prof. Emil Buzov.  I replied by explaining to her how I obtained her e-mail information from The Global Alliance of NAEYC.  On Tuesday I decided to e-mail some of the organizations from UNICEF.  I e-mailed 11 organizations and received a response on Wednesday from EGY-Cairo UNICEF (personal communication, March 9, 2011) stating Thank you for your interest in UNICEF, your email will be forwarded to the concerned staff.   When I checked my e-mail on Thursday, the following e-mail was in my box; Rios (personal communication, March 10, 2011) noted it’s our honor to be part of your coursework just send us the details. Needless to say, I was ecstatic!

Expanding Resources

I looked at a few websites to see what their concerns and issues were.  I subscribed to several other sites, but Save the Children were the first to respond with an Enewsletter.  I decided to subscribe to Save the Children website because it focuses on the betterment of children in over 100 countries globally. The organization focus is on empowering the health, education, and opportunities for at risk children as well as provides assistance to children who fall victims to war and natural disasters.   This touched home for me, because I work with military families and I want to ensure that I’m well informed about trends and issues they are experiencing so that I am better equipped to meet their needs.

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm
(Newsletter

My Support

My husband gives me daily emotional support.  He is my sounding board whom I can share anything with.  He listens to me and gives me advice when needed.  I like the fact that he can be unbiased and is brave enough to tell me when I’m wrong (even when I don’t want to hear it).  He helps me to transform from my culture biases and see things from a different perspective.  I respect and value his opinion and honesty.  I rely on his insight to keep me grounded and I hope that I never have to find out what my life would be like, without his valued contribution.

My daughter provides emotional support as well.  She helps start my day with a phone call to say “I love you” and “Have a nice day!”  After hearing this, I am ready to tackle the many challenges I may face throughout the day.  My daughter makes me smile and gives me a sense of empowerment and I hope that I do the same for her.  Sometimes I need this call for encouragement and reassurance and other times, just to widen my smile.  It would be extremely difficult if I no longer received this daily call before I go to work. 

My Staff provides daily report, by showing up to work and doing their job.  My staff ensures that the program continues to run as smoothly as possible whether I’m there or not.  This support lessons my stress level and provides a sense of pride and honor, because I know that I have a team of professionals working for me and with me.  It would be very difficult to run a high quality program without the support of my team.  I would not be able to meet the needs of the families in my community without their support.

Technology is crucially supportive to me.  I am able to retrieve and forward information in a matter of seconds.  Even when I am away from my desk, I am still able to conduct business just as easily.  Without this support, business will take longer to conduct and we will continue to destroy nature by cutting down more trees to make paper.  Without technology, my blood pressure would be elevated along with my stress levels. I would have tons of files and nowhere to store them; thus causing clutter and lack of organizational skills.  Time management would be blown out the window.

Challenge

Scenario:  I have a meeting with my supervisor concerning an irate parent in 15 minutes; a child had an allergic reaction to something he ate, so 911 had to be called. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is on the way and a teacher called out sick at the last minute and there is no one to cover her classroom.

For starters, I would need the support of my clerk, so that she could call 911 and the child’s parents.  Once she has made contact with EMS and the parents, I will need her to contact a substitute to cover the classroom.  I would also need the support of my assistant to cover the classroom until a substitute arrives to teach the class.  I would also need the support of my cell phone to contact my supervisor to inform her that I will be running late because of what is going on with the child and the classroom.  I would stay with the child until EMS and the parents arrived and then I would contact my supervisor to let her know the status of the child and that I was on the way.  I would need the support of my computer to write-up an official report of the child’s incident once I returned to the office.  The potential benefits of these supports are having them available to me.  Thanks to the support of government funding, I can afford to have a desk clerk and an assistant.  Due to the fact that the program is located on a military base, EMS is a part of the base community and is only five minutes away.  Without these supports in place, a child could have died, a classroom could have been out of ratio and full of chaos, and I could have gotten reprimanded for being late to my meeting with my supervisor.  Thank heaven for such an awesome supportive team!

My Connection to Play

The essence of childhood, of course, is play, which my friends and I did endlessly on streets that we reluctantly shared with traffic.

~ Bill Cosby

 It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.

                                                                                                                                ~Leo Buscaglia

Play Items

   

       My friends

When I was growing up, I played mostly with my siblings and cousins.  We would play marbles, make rings and bracelets out of wire, draw the game Hopscotch in the sand and throw a rock in the blocks as we hopped on one leg.   I remember playing Red Rover, Ring Around the Roses, and Hide-and-Seek.   We spent a lot of time outside playing when I was growing up, because this was during the time adults used the term “Children should be seen and not heard.”  If we were not doing chores, we were outside playing.    

Compared to my upbringing, play is much different today.  According to Almon (2002), "Children no longer have the freedom to explore woods and fields and find their own special places.  Informal neighborhood ball games are a thing of the past, as children are herded into athletic leagues at increasingly younger ages. Add to this mixture the hours spent sitting still in front of screens - television, video game, and computer - absorbing other people’s stories and imaginations, and the result is a steady decline in children’s play" (p. 1).  Play has taken on a whole new meaning today than it had during my era.  For starters the economy is better now so families can afford to buy their child almost anything they want.  We on the other hand had to make up games to play and make do with what we had.  We also didn’t have the luxury of cable television, Wii games, cell phones, IPods, computers, etc during my time.  Children today have so many choices to choose from that little time is spent outside.  A lot of children today become what we consider couch potatoes; thus displaying health issues such as childhood obesity.   I wish that every child could experience the childhood that I did, because I appreciated and cherished this time with my family.   We didn’t take things for granted like children and families do today.   I remember one year, my dad bought me the biggest red bicycle you would ever want to see (at least that is how I saw it) and I remember feeling as if he had just bought me a brand new car.  I feel that the pure essence of play is something all children should be given the opportunity to experience, because without it, they risk the chance of missing out on a world of valuable information that otherwise may not be obtainable.

Article: Almon, K. (2002). The vital role of play in early childhood education. Gateways, 43. Retrieved from http://www.waldorfresearchinstitute.org/pdf/BAPlayAlmon.pdf