When I think of Research

When I think of research

I have learned so much through this research course. The most valuable lesson I learned is that I do not have to read the entire paper to know what the research is about. I also learned how to conduct a research and focus on one aspect instead of a broad issue that will make it difficult to study. One of the challenges for me was finding the topic to research. Making sure you create a schedule and stick to it is very important. I am so glad we made it through this course. I will use what I have learned in the future when it comes to research papers. Good luck to all of you in you r next classes to come.

Research Around the World

Research around the World

           

The Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVC) is a program that addresses ECD capacity building and leadership development in Africa. They have a large support group that ranges from international, local, and employees of the participants. Their mission is to further develop African ECD leadership capacity as a key strategy in support of child, family and community well-being and broader social and economic development. It is a unique training and results-oriented program that uses face-to-face and distributed learning methods including: residential seminars, web-based instruction, CD-Rom and print material support, and a 'community of learners' strategy within and among cohort countries (www.ecdvc.org).The ECDVC is currently working on a great amount of research projects that span across Africa. Below you will find some of their projects and the students that are performing the study along with the country they are representing.

Student Name	Country	Project Topic
Wunesh Woldeselassie Bairu	Nigeria	Curriculum Development Using Community Resources
Rosemary Hua	Nigeria	Involving Fathers in Early Childhood Care and Development
Celestina Ibetoh	Nigeria	A Guide for Effective School and Parent Collaboration: A Cooperative Development and Delivery Approach
Abeba Habtom	Eritrea	Improving the Quality of Childcare Through Parenting Enrichment and Training of Trainers: The Eritrean Model
Chalizamudzi Matola	Malawi	Assessment of Interaction and Stimulation in  Single-Mother Low-Income Families

 

The topics that I chose to highlight are topics that can involve my research stimulation which is parental involvement. As you can see, this Virtual University is committed to improving the quality of life for children and their families in Africa. As I look farther into this website they offer you an opportunity to review their evaluation reports so that you can see the authenticity of and benefit of the program. I enjoyed traveling through this virtual university.

References

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/index.php

http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php

                                                                  

 

Research That Benefits Children and Families

Research That Benefits Children and Families

If I could do research without any restrictions I think I would choose the long term effect on children born addicted to drugs and exposure to drugs at a young age. I have never really witnessed a child born with an addiction to drugs but I know that children born with an addiction or from addictive parents have poor nutrition and have difficulty in exercising self-control as toddlers and unusually become angry and aggressive. Children born and exposed to drugs have high medical risk and developmental problems ranging from physical, social, emotional, and cognitive. I would like to know with early intervention how it would change their lives versus the children who are not fortunate enough to receive early intervention.  I feel that doing research on this topic will help families and professionals know the true effect drugs have on children and how early intervention and prevention can make life easier for the children and family. Also it will help educators and other professionals in the early childhood field better reach and teach children that are victims of drug abuse whether they are born with drugs in their system or exposed to it early.

Research Stimulation

The topic I chose to research is the understanding of death and the fear of death in young children. I feel that it is important for children to understand the meaning of living and non-living and not be afraid of the word. Just because we do not talk about it doesn’t mean children do not want to know. I feel it is best to give them a clear but child friendly and honest understanding instead of allowing them to partake in fictional thoughts. Fellow classmates, if there is any information that you come across regarding understanding death and overcoming the fear of death in young children please pass it along, I will greatly appreciate it. Hopefully, I won’t change my mind about my topic, there is so much I want to know more about regarding early childhood.

Week 8 Final Blog

Through this course I have learned so much. The consequences from learning about issues and trends in other countries are beneficial to my studies. Connecting with teachers and other early childhood professionals is a great resource to find out some of their ways of teaching and how they solve the problems in their country. Learning about the struggles in South Africa was really heart breaking. Children that want to learn cannot because they have to take care of their younger siblings or work because there isn’t enough money for them to provide for their families. Together working with other professionals locally and globally we can work together to better the children through communication. I enjoyed learning about how other early childhood programs work. Through communication we can discuss ideas on how to make programs and curriculum work. Throughout this course I had a chance to meet great classmates and other professionals. I wish everybody good luck through the rest of your journey.

International Contacts Part 3

While exploring the site UNESCO, we seem to share a lot of views. I looked into their quality tab. I believe the same as they do as far as high quality childcare for children from disadvantage backgrounds. The UNESCO believes that high quality childcare promotes motivation, confidence, good cognitive and linguistic development and school readiness (www.unesco.org); which are characteristics I feel will make a high quality childcare. I looked deeper in the section for Africa, and how they determine a high quality teacher. I listened to their staff interview on the website. I have copied the url so that you can listen in as well.   The website is http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qWdZm7KhvVw. In Africa, they celebrated their world teachers’ day and that is when they set up interviews for teachers. This website is incredible and full of information. I plan on being the best child advocate I can be and to educate other teachers so they can reach their goals.

 

Sharing Web Resources Week 6

The website I chose to explore more is http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc. It provides so much information about the function of head start programs. However due to the government shutdown there were some areas that were not updated. I explored the tab titled school readiness and the first thing that caught my eye was the title Raising Quality in Head Start. I researched the Use of Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) in Head Start. It provides a list of frequently asked questions and the use and importance of the assessment system. As I continued to look through the website there are a lot of useful and resourceful information for professionals in the early childhood field to gain more knowledge.

Reference

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/

Getting To Know Your International Connections Part 2

I explored http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative for this week’s blog. I only focused on three new ideas/ insights that I gained about early childhood systems around the globe.

For example, according to Global Children’s Initiative they view healthy child development as the foundation of economic prosperity, strong communities, and a just society, and our mission is to advance that vision by using science to enhance child well-being through innovations in policy and practices. The Global Children’s Initiative is focused on three strategic objectives:

 To reframe public discourse about the early childhood period by educating high-level decision-makers about the common underlying science of learning, behavior, and health;

 To support innovative, multidisciplinary research and demonstration projects in selected countries or regions to expand global understanding of how healthy development happens, how it can be derailed, and how to get it back on track; and

 To build leadership capacity in child development research and policy among individuals and institutions in low- and middle-income countries in order to increase the number and influence of diverse

perspectives that are contributing to the global movement on behalf of young children.  

As an advocate of early childhood and children everywhere, it is great to see that universities and countries across the world are doing their part in trying to ensure the overall healthy development both physical and mental as well as the well-being and safety of children so that they can grow into productive adults.

Reference

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative

Sharing Web Resources 2

Connecting with different countries and different programs has really helped me in understanding different ways people view early childhood and the similarities that they all share. I really find the e-newsletter Early Childhood News very informing. It touches on different issues and concerns across the board. It provides resources for teachers and parents. Another resource is the Head Start program. It allows me to view different cultures and families throughout the world. The NAEYC is also an important resource that I have become very familiar with as I continue my studies in Early Childhood. Every resource is very useful and important. Other than reading articles, I like connecting with other professionals throughout the world. Speaking to people and hearing their advice, testimonies, concerns, etc. is one of the most reliable and valuable resources. Every resource has really helped and provided information to guide me through my course and career.

Getting To Know Your International Connections

With much joy, I was able to get in contact with a relative that has been studying in Africa for the past 2 years. I asked her several questions about the poverty in Africa. She is located in South Africa in city called Cape Town.

Me: How is poverty in Cape Town?

Relative: When I first landed in Africa the airport was beautiful but when you got on the road it was a township in the center of all this beauty and modernization of South Africa. The poverty is right in the middle of progress which is very shocking. There are three major townships; Langa (which means “Sun”), Nyanga (which means “Moon”), and Gugulethu (which means “Our Treasure”).  Townships are homes that all of the poor Africans live in. Townships are homes that are built out of tin majority have no electricity or water. When visiting these townships you should have an escort because there are no street signs, so you need to be accompanied by someone who knows their way around.

Me: How does this affect the children?

Relative: There is no playground or grass for the kids to play safely. The kids do not have a place to study and they live in a place of filth and they are prone to more diseases. Even though the kids are poor and they do not have much at all, they seem really happy playing with their stick and rocks. : Children ages 0-4 years top 20 reasons of death is because of HIV/AIDS. In 2007 60% of children were dying because they were underweight for their age and 50% was because they were in stages 3 and 4 of HIV.

Me: Are there any improvements?

Relative: The Government built an Apartment Building. These buildings are very old and rundown but it is a step up from the shacks. However, they are still located in the townships. In one apartment there are three rooms with three beds in each room. It is not setup where one bed is for one person, one bed is for one entire family. Some of the apartments are still without electricity and running water.

Me: How are the schools?

Relative: The schools are only three mini buildings. The school that I visited was a secondary school with only three rooms for fifth, sixth, and seventh grade. There are not enough desks, the books are few and outdated; there are no windows and nothing to protect them from the rain and winter. There is no cafeteria, no playground, and no gym. There are a lot of students because they are eager to learn. Parents are expected to pay for their child to go to school, which is hard for many because they are ill and have AIDS and other diseases.

Me:  How do you fix poverty?

Relative: Fix the family structure. There needs to be health care coming to the family regardless of their current health situation. There needs to be education provided for these parents and job placement programs. A lot of children drop out of school after secondary because they need to help support the family or raise their younger siblings because their parents have died from either curable diseases or they cannot get access to HIV care.

South Africa has nine provinces (communities) for a total population of 47 million people. Of those 47 million 86% are African, 9% are Colored, 9% are White. All of the resources and funds are going to the two 9% populations. So the question is, how are you supposed to bring them out of poverty when most of the funds and resources are going to the minority and not the majority. If the cycle is not broken then poverty will never improve.

 From this conversation I was able to get a better understanding of the poverty level in Africa. I realized that the people that are well off are never going to struggle but the ones that are struggling will continue to struggle with minimum assistance. The children seem happy with what they play with but what happens when their parents die. They are left to become orphans and drop out of school.


Picture of the Township homes

Sharing Web Resources

The topic I choose was the post-quake in Haiti and how the kids are coping with the change since 2010. The earthquake killed thousands of people and destroyed hundreds of homes and also tore apart families. There are a lot of children in foster care because they lost their parents and other family members, therefore the orphan rate doubled since then. There are many organizations that are supporting Haiti. Here is the mission statement for one of them called, New Life Community Project of Thomazeau, Haiti, Inc. The Day Care Program mission will provide early childhood education and intervention services for preschool age children who have been unable to attend school due to health issues, transportation and financial difficulties.  A significant number of children do not receive the educational benefits of preschool.  This program will be designed to serve two hundred children from ages two and a half to five years old (newlifeofthomazeau.org).

The UNICEF is also an organization that is providing support and materials for the children in Haiti. The UNICEF provides the children with early childhood development kits that includes dominos, coloring pencils, construction blocks, hand puppets, puzzle pieces, and memory game just to name a few. They realize how important it is to educate children under the age of five and the difference it will make when they enter school. The UNICEF is also training the teachers who will spread their skills to other teachers on how to monitor pupils on a daily basis and evaluating individual children’s well-being (unicef.org). The ECD programme also includes education for parents on non-classroom aspects of child development. Parents learn proper nutrition and sanitation to protect children from waterborne diseases, and what they can do at home to help their children prepare for school (unicef.org) This is very important it allows the parents to be a part of their child’s education and how to help them at home and how to be health conscious and safe. This website was very helpful and I want to continue my research on the children in Haiti and how they have learned to deal with trauma and poverty.

                                   

These additional resources are very informative about the young children in Haiti and their programs. There are a lot more that I will be adding as I continue my research.
www.unicef.org
www.newlifeofthomazeau.org
www.jrs.net

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

For part one of the blog assignment, I left several messages and sent emails to different groups and organizations around the world. I have not received a response yet but I know I will. I was able to sign up and contact professionals in Global Fund for Children. I also have a personal contact in Africa but she has yet to respond to my email. I will continue to reach out to more people until I receive a response.

For part two of the blog assignment I expanded my resources by researching and exploring Harlem Children’s Zone (http://www.hcz.org)  and Pre-k Now (http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now28067).  There were a lot of websites that interest me so I am sure that I will expand my research even further. Even though I have not got in contact with other people I am very confident I will and look forward to the information I will gain when I do.

MY SUPPORT!

My Support!!!

My support system includes my husband, children, mom and dad, and family. My husband is my biggest and greatest support. He has always been here for me. He knows the moment when I feel overwhelmed and discouraged and sometimes before I can say anything he would send me a positive message through email or text. He would send flowers with a motivational message or leave an inspiring letter or note for me to read. These things put a smile on my face and keep me going. I am the type of mother and wife that does everything around the house and outside the home. When he sees that I have a lot on my plate he takes over. He will prepare dinner and get the kids ready for bed, run errands, and more. He is also there for me emotionally and mentally he helps keep my spirit high and we pray together. My children are supportive as well. My oldest is 11 years old and she will do extra stuff around the house, help with dinner, and entertain her little brother and sister. All three of them will give hugs and kisses and tell me they love me throughout the day which is all I need to put a smile on my face and keep me going. My mother was a great support before she passed. She would keep the kids cook dinner and invite us over. Hang out with me and call just to talk and we would counsel each other.  Remembering our great conversations and her positive words see me through tough times and knowing that strong bond and love always put a smile on my face. My dad supports me too. He gives me words of encouragement and he is there for me whenever I need him. I love my dad and he always knows the right thing to say. My family is very close so they will support you anyway they can. I realize that having that support really help life run a little smoother and without it, it can make life a little more stressful. Appreciate the support that you get whether it is a kind word, a smile, a hug, a gesture, etc. I know I do.

My Connectons to Play!

          

When I was a young girl I spent many days outside playing with my siblings, cousins, and friends. There were two-hand touch football, basketball, kick ball, jump rope, hide-n-seek, relay races, skating, swimming, games we would make up, and so much more. We would wake up eat breakfast and go outside and play. There was four of us so it was plenty to do and plenty of children to play with and we also had cousins spend the night all the time especially during the summer. I played everything and I was very competitive. It was important for us to go outside not only to keep our parents sane from the rough house play and noise in the house but to stay physically fit and it was what we loved to do. My favorite is skating and running. To this day I still skate and have a good time doing it. I still play outside with my children and husband and we also introduce them to the games we played as children. It is important for my children to go outside and experience the great outdoors. We go on nature walks, play tag, swim, and other activities. On rainy days we play electronics, board games, read, and play with dolls (my girls) and action figures and cars (my son). I also enjoy outside activities with my students when I am at work. One activity my students love me playing with them is when I turn the playground into a big ship and the ground is the water and if anyone gets down they are eaten by sharks unless the ship stops. It is a game we made up as a class, so when we go outside that is one of the games we play along with me chasing them playing freeze tag. I want all children to experience how much fun you can have by playing outside instead of watching TV or playing with electronics. Play today is very different because kids are so drawn to technology and that takes away from their outdoor creativity, some social skills, and physical fitness. I make sure I stay physically fit so that I can keep up with my 3 children and my students.

“We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything, than when we are at play.”
― Charles Schaefer

“How would your life be different if...You decided to give freely, love fully, and play feverously? Let today be the day...You free yourself from the conditioned rules that limit your happiness and dilute the beautiful life experience. Have fun. Give - Love - Play!”
― Steve Maraboli, The Power of One

 
“Go and play. Run around. Build something. Break something. Climb a tree. Get dirty. Get in some trouble. Have some fun.”
― Brom, The Child Thief

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.”
― Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

 

Relationships!

I have close relationships with very select people in my life. Relationships mean a lot to me and I value them and learn from them. My Lord and Savior, my husband, my dad, and my mom are the people I have a very close relationship with. Each relationship is different of course but they all hold a special place in my heart.

My most important relationship is my spiritual relationship with My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This relationship helps me have a positive and effective relationship with the people in my life. Through Christ I can do all things and that has been proven time and time again. I love my Lord and he has been there for me all the time. When I felt I could not go on I would pray and God would give me strength I need to make it through. I would also pray just to say thank you! I love my Lord!

My husband is my all, he is my best friend and we have been together since 1995. This is a man who truly knows me and loves me. This man knows EVERYTHING about me!  I can be myself around him and he accepts me for whom I am and supports everything I want to do and become. He pushes me when I feel like giving up and he holds my hand to help me through my troubles. I love him unconditionally and I know he loves me unconditionally. He makes me laugh and we are a great team. He is my soul mate and I cannot see my life without him. We are a team! Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, communication, and trust are the key to our healthy relationship. I love this man!

My mom is my life. Even though she is not with me here on earth she will forever be with me in my heart. I had/have a wonderful relationship with my mom. She knew me inside and out. She knew the decisions I was going to make before I made them and she knew when I was keeping something from her. I could tell my mother any and everything and not worry about her judging me but giving me the best advice that she could give. My mother is my everything, and I will always have a close relationship with her.  I love my mom with all my heart!

I have a close relationship with my daddy as well, but it is different from the relationship I have with my mom. My dad is always there for me when I need him. He calls to check on me and to give me a word of advice, encouragement, or just to talk. He motivates me to pursue my dreams. He still treats me like his little girl. We go to the movies together and I enjoy the time we spend when it is just us. He gives me plenty of spiritual advice. I love my dad!

I only highlighted three people that I have a close relationship with. However, I have a close relationship with my three children, my three siblings, my grandparents, my aunt, and my best friend. Each relationship is different but I love them all. With losing my mother, I have learned to cherish, value, and respect each relationship, and to not take them for granted. Relationships are important and everyone needs to have at least one person they can have a positive relationship with. I’ve learned that relationships are give and take. The relationships I have had and still have taught me a lot. They have transformed me into the person I am and I am proud of that person.

  

Inspirational Quotes

"Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate."

Anonymous

"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."

Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa

 

"I continue to believe that if children are given the necessary tools to succeed, they will succeed beyond their wildest dreams!"

David Vitter, U.S. senator

 

              

             

 

Assessments

Assessments is a topic that I kind of straddle the fence about. I believe assessments are good because the teacher and parent need to know how their child is doing academically. By doing this teachers can know what type of interventions need to be in placed to ensure that the child can be successful and so that the parent is aware of their child’s academic standing and they can implement any strategies on their end.  I do not believe that standardized test should be a determining factor of whether or not a child is going to the next grade level. Some children are not good test takers but can make straight A’s on their report card all year and fail their test and have to go to summer school to attempt to past the test again or repeat the grade. These tests are looking at the academic level of the child, but what about the social level. This is very important as well. Also these tests are taking the fun out of learning and teaching. Teachers are teaching to the test and are not teaching the necessary skills to be successful socially and skillfully. It has become clear to me that we're spending way too much time focusing on assessment and evaluation. In fact, conversations about data driven decision-making, authentic assessment practices, design-down planning and testing protocols have now worked their way into the everyday vernacular of teachers and students, and have become such a strong plot line in the narrative of modern-day schooling, to the point where I fear that the very ideas and practices that are supposed to make our children's education richer and more meaningful are actually having the opposite effect. All indications point to the fact that we have somehow convinced ourselves that assessment and evaluation policy and practice is our raison d’être in public schools. Now don't get me wrong; I'm not opposed to strong, equitable and responsive assessment practice. This needs to be an important pillar in modern schooling. I am, however, opposed to anything that suggests that assessment and evaluation are the new horses and that imaginative, passionate and inspired teaching is somehow secondary to the project. When richly complex and engaging learning experiences are sidelined because they are "too difficult to assess", we are taking something precious away from our children. When our curriculum design and lesson planning is engineered and guided primarily by the set of expectations that will be measured and commented on come report card time, then we run the risk of losing sight of the real needs of the real students that we work with each day.
When our teachers feel that they have to rush through their work with students so that arbitrary reporting deadlines can be met, then they are forced into covering curriculum as opposed to uncovering or discovering it. When our school days continue to be compartmentalized in order to reflect the boxes on our report cards, then we prevent both students and teachers from exploring the world in all of its integrated beauty. In essence, if we want to encourage our teachers and students to become more deeply involved with what we are asking them to do, then we need to place our conversations about assessment and evaluation in their proper place. And believe me, that place is not in front of engaging, flexible and responsive teaching (www.cea-ace.ca).  I really enjoyed reading this article because it allowed me to think more in depth about tests and how it is taking away from our teacher and students.

 India

In India the schools are overcrowded, there is not much material, and the teacher-student ratio is very poor. The enrollment rate in India is 95% but there are signs that the children are not benefiting from being in school because of it is overcrowded and lack of materials and teachers. Although the school is given money it is not being used in the proper areas. The government carried out a national sample assessment once every three to four years, so how can you determine what the child has learned within that time frame granted that they are still in school. This assessment did not cover all educational districts. Pratham took on the liberty to find out what the kids are learning and the results show that after five years in school 50% could not read at a level expected after two years of school (www.guardian.co.uk). Pratham's annual status education report, Aser, is conducted across all 600 educational districts of India and assesses 700,000 children every year. What it has exposed over the last six years is that in some states, schools may be well-funded but they have failed to translate that into effective education (www.guardian.co.uk). Now all of the states and districts in India are aware of the educational gaps in their students and low performance schools. One of the strengths of the Aser programme, explains Banerji on a visit to London last week, is that it puts information in the hands of citizens and helps engage the whole community in educational issues (www.guardian.co.uk).  It takes a village to raise a child. When everyone knows the issues then they can be a voice that will be heard to make the educational issues get better for their children.

References
Is our focus on assessment taking away from our children's education?,=. Retrieved June 16, 2013 from http://www.cea-ace.ca/blog/stephen-hurley/2012/01/1/our-focus-assessment-taking-away-our-childrens-education.

India pioneers volunteer-led assessment of educational standards. Retrieved June 16, 2013 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/mar/15/education-goals-assessment-india-school.

Stressors: Divorce


Stress can come in many forms for young children and some we think should not affect children but they do. As a child I grew up in a two parent home until I was around six years old. My parents divorced when I was young and my mother raised me and my other three siblings, but my father was always there. Even though my mother had custody of us he would get us every other weekend and holidays like he was suppose to and was at every event for us. Not having both of my parents under one roof was kind of stressful because there would be times that I would want them both with me. My oldest brother took it hard because he wanted my dad around. He started having low performance in school and becoming rebellious. He received counseling and love and support from both of my parents and became strong again.Overall, I believe I had a great childhood and loving parents that did everything in the world to make sure I was never without.

I understand that in today's society alot of children are not that fortunate. Divorce affects children in so many ways. Especially if the mother or father abandons the child with the marriage. Divorce has emotional, physical, and long term effects on children. Below I listed an example of each emotional, physical, and long term effect.

Teenage children of divorce are three times more likely (35% instead of 13%) to need psychological help within a given year. (Peter Hill - Recent Advances in Selected Aspects of Adolescent Development- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 1993)

Between children of divorced parents there are relatively more cases of injury, asthma, headaches and speech defects than among children whose parents have remained married. (Dawson -Family Structure and Children's Health and Well Being- National Health Interview Survey on Child Health, Journal of Marriage and Family)

In 1991 a study was done of children from which the parents were divorced six years earlier. The study found that even after all that time, these children tended to be lonely, unhappy, anxious and insecure. (Wallerstein - The Long-Term Effects of Divorce on Children -Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 1991)

As you can see divorce is a stressor in many ways.
Refernce
Children Divorce Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.children-and-divorce.com/children-divorce-statistics.html. on June 1, 2013.

Malnutrition

          

                                          
Malnutrition
This topic means a lot to me because of the many health concerns we encounter today. There are many young children in other countries that are losing their lives from malnutrition. There is enough food in the world to stop hunger yet there are millions of children dying from malnutrition. The worst disease caused by malnutrition is marasmus. This is a disease where growth stops, body tissues waste away, and an infant victim dies (pp.156, Berger). This disease can be prevented before the child is born, with healthy nutrition in the mother. Kwashiorkor happens after the age of one. The child’s growth slows down; the liver is damaged; the immune system is weakened; the face, legs, and abdomen swell with fluid; energy is reduced, hair becomes thin, brittle, and colorless; skin becomes blotchy (pp. 156, Berger). This disease can also be prevented and treated. Providing the protein that has been long lacked is treatment for kwashiorkor. It is very sad that these young children have to suffer from lack of food. I learned about marasmus and kwashiorkor, even though I have seen the commercials and pictures of the young children with swollen tummies, I did not know the name of the illnesses. I truly believe that no child should ever be hungry. Different parts of the world suffer more than others. Haiti is ranked at number 1 with a 53.3 precentage of malnutrition; the United States come in at number 140 with a 1.0 percentage, and Monaco is number 192 with a 0.0 percentage rate of malnutriton.
References
Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Childbirth in My Life and Around the World

The birthing experience I chose to write about is my personal experience of my first born. In my opinion, no matter how many books you read, shows you watch, and/or testimonies you hear it never prepares you fully for the actual birth, especially after you feel that first hard contraction. For my first pregnancy there are so many different emotions. There is excitement, fear, nervousness, happiness, anticipation, etc. I remember I had to be induced and my mother was at my side the whole time. I didn’t want any nurses to touch me but my mother calmly said I had no choice. I was in labor for 12 hours with my mom and husband by my side. My labor was quick after my water broke. After two or three pushes my 7lb 3oz daughter was welcomed into the world by my mother first. With the proper prenatal care, supporting family, wonderful nurses and doctors I was able to deliver a healthy baby girl.

In South Africa women deliver their babies under different and sometimes unhealthy conditions. They have a high maternal death rate because of unskilled midwives, obstructed labor, diseases, etc.  A lot of the women cannot afford the proper prenatal care or postnatal care because of social status and lack of education, which leaves them open for the diseases. In rural areas mothers may give birth in community health centers and/or district hospitals. In populated areas it is usual to go to provincial tertiary and national central hospitals where wards can be crowded. Mothers may also give birth at home. In private sectors mothers have an option of home or hospital birth. Pain relief is available at private facilities but it is different for public facilities and rural care facilities offer fewer resources.

Through my comparison I feel that giving birth in South Africa will only be positive if you have that high social economic status. They offer the best care depending on the type of area you live in. I believe they should offer the best care all over therefore the maternal death rate can decrease.

Reference

Anglo Info. www.southafrica.angloinfo.com/healthcare/pregnancy-birth/giving-birth. Retrieved May 11, 2013.

Examining Codes of Ethics

NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct

· Ethical Responsibilities to Children:

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

This ideal means a lot to me. As an educator it is very important to understand and respect the differences in all children and that they all have something special to bring to their learning environment. I enjoy the differences that all children bring. Their uniqueness teaches us and in return as an educator I grow and find different and creative ways to teach them and enhance their qualities, abilities, and potential.

· Ethical Responsibilities to Families

          I-2.3-To welcome all family members and encourage them to participate in the program.

As an educator it is very important to have parental/family involvement in their child's education and development. As a parent I can also see the importance of being involved and staying abreast of all the current events and information regarding my children's education and ways the program/school offer classes for parents. Being and involved parent in a welcoming environment is also important to your child.

· Ethical Responsibilities to Colleagues

          A-Responsibilities to co-workers

  I-3A.2-To share resources with co-workers, collaborating to ensure that the best possible early childhood care and education program is provided.

Everybody in this field is there to better the lives of children and their families. If you have a great idea it will not benefit others if you keep it to yourself. We are not here to get "brownie points" for out shining our co-workers. The "brownie points" come in when you work together and share resources and creativity that will make a difference in the lives of young children and find ways to improve and make the program better.

DEC Code of Ethics

·         Responsive Family Centered Practices

4. We shall empower families with information and resources so that they are informed consumers of services for their children.

We want families to have all the resources they need to make sure they have the best care and education for their child. As a professional in this field I believe it is our responsibility to provide families with the information they need to ensure the best quality care and programs.

·         Evidence Based Practices

2. We shall use every resource, including referral when appropriate, to ensure high quality services are accessible and are provided to children and families.

I believe this is so important and it ensures that children and families will have the services they need for success.

·         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.

It is important to make yourself resourceful for new professionals. It can be overwhelming for new teachers in this field but with the help of a mentor it can make it a little smoother. I am mentoring a new teacher now and she has grown and learned so much. I also have learned how to mentor and become a better co-worker and professional through the mentoring program as this is my first time mentoring.