Early Childhood Code of Ethics

Ideals of Particular Importance to Me

NAEYC
I-4.2—To promote cooperation among professionals and agencies and interdisciplinary collaboration
among professions concerned with addressing issues in the health, education, and well-being of young
children, their families, and their early childhood educators.

My Input: Education in general is all about community and sharing, and in early childhood this is just as true.  More than ever I see the importance of cooperating and collaborating with colleagues and community to provide the highest quality care.

I-2.4—To listen to families, acknowledge and build upon their strengths and competencies, and learn from
families as we support them in their task of nurturing children.

My Input: This is so important to quality early childhood care!  Parents are their child's first and most important and teachers, so it is important we work with families to provide the best care for children.

 DEC
3. We shall strive for the highest level of personal and professional competence by seeking and
using new evidence based information to improve our practices while also responding openly to
the suggestions of others.

My Input:  This is the basis for my decision to begin my master's degree at Walden University.  It is important for me as an educator to continue to dig deeper and learn more about the current research in the field.

Early Childhood Resources

My Early Childhood Resources

• Early Childhood Research and Practice
  Introducing the Project Approach and Use of Visual Representation to Early Childhood Education in Bhutan (Volume 13 Number 1) http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v13n1/brooks.html 
• This article has background information on the teachers in Bhutan, and then described how the Project Approach was implemented with pictures of student work
• National Head Start Association
• http://www.nhsa.org/
• This website is the official National Head Start Association.  It has several articles on early childhood, links to early chilhood websites, current findings and accomplishments in the field, and resources for community support.
• Conscious Discipline
• http://consciousdiscipline.com/about/research_papers.asp
• This website has several resources for early childhood behavior management, and this link specifically has several research papers on Conscious Discipline.

EDUC 6005: Class 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://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/74759/CRS-CW-6060772/educ6005_readings/naeyc_dap_position_statement.pdf
  
• 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://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
  

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 video 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/about/
  Click on “Mission/Vision” and “Guiding Principles and Beliefs” and read these statements.
  Note: Explore the resources in Parts 3 and 4 in preparation for this week’s Application assignment.

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/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/

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

Quotes on Early Childhood

“To make sure that all children were taught in environments and in ways that truly nurtured their ability to grow and develop to their to their fullest ability.” –Louise Derman-Sparks

“Parents need supports with resources and with access to resources parents can thrive.”  --Leticia Lara LCSW

 “I believed that poor children suffered from a lack of money, not a lack of intelligence”  --Dr. Zigler

“The project is an investigation—a piece of research that involves children in seeking answers to questions they have formulated by themselves or in cooperation with their teacher and that arise in the investigation process” Dr. Lilian Katz

Personal Childhood Web

(From top left clockwise Grandma, Father, Best Friend, Mother, Sister in the middle Me!)

My personal chilhood web begins with my mother.  My mom was my primary parent and she sacrifices everything to make sure my sister and I had the best childhood she could offer us.  She always took time to listen to my ideas, support my adventures, and hold me when I needed her.  Today she is still my closest friend, and the person I call when I need support.

The next person on my web is my maternal grandmother.  My grandma and grandpa lived very close to us, and were always there to help my mom out while my dad was away on work.  My grandma always had time for my sister and me.  She taught me to bake, sew, and read.  She was always honest, and ready to help.  She continues to be there when I need an honest opinion or some extra help with my latest craft project.

My sister is six years younger than me, and during my childhood she was more of an annoyance to me than a sister.  However, after my parents split she looked to me for guidance.  Through the years I can look back on our relationship, and she is a large part of the reason I have chosen the field of early childhood.  Now, my sister challenges me everyday to look beyond myself, and see that each person is unique.

My father was a very loving man who wanted his the best for me.  He worked in a career that took him away from home for long periods of time, so growing up I didn't see him often, but when I did it was a special time.  My dad was always so interested in what I had to say.  He was always so intriqued by my ideas, school clubs, and athletics.  He wasn't able to be around for most of it, but he always made me feel like a genius.  His love for the people in his life still influences me today.

Finally my best friend in school showed me how to be a good friend.  She was there for me when I was at the highest, and she was there for me when things were the lowest.  She made me a part of her family, and offered me the opportunity to do many things that I would have never experienced with my own family.  Today we have grown apart, but each time we get together it is as if not time has passed at all.

Early Childhood Quotes

"Play, while it cannot change the external realities of children’s lives, can be a vehicle for children to explore and enjoy their differences and similarities and to create, even for a brief time, a more just world where everyone is an equal and valued participant."

Patricia G. Ramsey
Contemporary American educational psychologist

"Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand."
- Chinese proverb

These two quotes are two of my favorites that I believe go hand-in-hand.  Play is the cornerstone of my philosophy of early childhood education, and the first quote describes one of the biggest reasons I believe it to be true.  The second quote deals with learning, and simply and perfectly describes why play is so important to learning in early childhood environments.

Favorite Book: I Knew You Could

My favorite children's book is I Knew You Could by Craig Dorfman.  I received this book for my high school graduation, and I have used it so many times with so many different ages since.  It is a book about the track you take in life.  It talks about choosing your own track, how sometimes you will have friends along on the journey, and sometime you have to go alone, and how sometimes you have to rest, because it is inevitable there will be hill ahead, and that's when you have to dig in and push hard.  It is an amazing book that preschoolers as well as high school students can relate to.  Recently I had a girl from a varsity softball team I coached contact me.  She was so excited to tell me that she used I Knew You Could in a lesson she was teaching a third grade class.  This book has a great rhythm, rhyme and storyline, it is definately worth picking up.

http://www.amazon.com/Knew-You-Could-Craig-Dorfman/dp/0448431483/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320728169&sr=8-1

A Picture of Me

This is a photo of me and my daughter.  We were enjoying a beautiful full moon, and some fresh fallen leaves!  As you can see, she was very excited when daddy brought out the camera. 

It All Begins Somewhere

Today is the first day of a new adventure!  Yesterday began my graduate studies, and today begins my time as a blogger.  I look forward to reading and learning from the news each person in the learning community will post.  Here's to a new adventure!