A Note of Thanks and Support

As you know, I started this graduate program with no Early Childhood Studies experiences. All I brought was my personal experiences.  And you have welcomed me and made me feel that I had something to contribute to the class. You would also affirm my passions for advocacy. I feel grateful for that.

First thing I noticed about my colleagues in Foundation: Early Childhood class was the passion that you classroom teachers have for the children, for their families, and for the community at large. You showed me what a dedicated teacher looks like.  

I did not know what to expect, but I was also astonished at the “breadth and depth” of your knowledge. Your base of knowledge is already high, and you are learning more to become better professionals. It cheers me to know that after we get our MS degree, we will be out there making positive changes in our respective communities.

Because my degree specialization will be Public Policy and Advocacy, I sincerely hope I will bump into some of you as we stand on the same advocacy soapbox! We might even collaborate on some research or papers; I would love that very much.

I thank Dr. Ferrari for her patience and persistence that we write a graduate-level paper with APA formatting. I am not there yet, but with her helpful notes, one day, you may see my name in one of those journals!

Code of Ethics for Early Childhood Studies Professional

Both Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) have similar Code of Ethics. I picked the following codes of ethical conduct and outlined my reasons for choosing those ideals:

Core Value (NAEYC)

Appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life cycle.

I would think that this core value would be intuitive in our American society but is not yet a reality in our political sphere.  John F. Kennedy said, “Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.”

Principle & Ideals: Children (NAEYC)

P-1.7 We shall strive to build individual relationships with each child.

I-1.3 to recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.

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

Building relationships with each child is the raison d’etre for the profession of early childhood education. If and when each of the early childhood education professionals has that “individual relationship” with each child, the outcomes would be phenomenal.

We must remain mindful that each child has qualities, abilities, and potential. Those traits are waiting for us to help bring them out. Most of all, we must recognize that each child is vulnerable and dependent on adults. You want to be the adult that the child can depend on for a life-long trusting relationship.

Principle (Collective)

P-4.11 When policies are enacted for purposes that do not benefit children, we have a collective responsibility to work to change these practices.

This is relevant to my goal of becoming an advocate engaged in public policy discourse.

References:

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved October 12, 2014, from: http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved October 12, 2014, from: http://dec.membershipsoftware.org/files/Position%20Statement%20and%20Papers/Member%20Code%20of%20Ethics.pdf

Resources for Early Childhood Studies

“Quality resources nourish professional wisdom.”

                               -Laureate Education, Inc. (2010).

Marla’s list of resources:

Pediatrician: T. Berry Brazelton: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._Berry_Brazelton

Book: What to Expect the First Year by Sandee Hathaway, Arlene Eisenberg, and Heidi Murkoff

Book: Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen

Documents:

NAEYC. (2014, October). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved from: http://www.naeyc.org/DAP

NAEYC. (2014, October). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved from: http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf

NAEYC. (2014, October). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved from: http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements/school_readiness

NAEYC. (2014, October). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved from: http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements/linguistic

NAEYC. (2014, October). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved from: http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements/cape

NAEYC. (2014, October). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved from: http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements/cape

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families (2014, October). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved from: http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller

FPG Child Development Institute. (2014, October). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. Retrieved from: http://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf

Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J.Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., Summers, J.A., Turnbull, R.,& Stowe, M. (2010). Knowledge-to- action guides for preparing families to be partners in making educational decisions. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.

International Support for Children’s Rights & Well-Being

World Forum Foundation. (2014, October). About Us. Retrieved from: http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/about-us/

World Organization for Early Childhood Education. (2014, October). About OMEP. Retrieved from: http://www.worldomep.org/en/about-omep-2/

Association for Childhood Education International. (2014, October). Principles/Governance. Retrieved from: http://www.worldomep.org/en/about-omep-2/

UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

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/

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/

Journals

Childhood

Child Study Journal

Developmental Psychology

Early Childhood Education Journal

Early Childhood Research Quarterly

International Journal of Early Childhood

International Journal of Early Years Education

Journal of Child & Family Studies

Journal of Early Childhood Research

Maternal & Child Health Journal

Multicultural Education

Social Studies

YC Young Children

Reference

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). The resources for early childhood. Baltimore: Author.