Child Development and Public Health

 I chose breastfeeding as my topic of focus. As I looked at the list, it immediately sparked my interest.  I have a friend who is a huge advocate for breastfeeding and it's benefits. Until recently, I did not give breastfeeding much thought and did not realize the controversy and the need for advocacy for this topic. I knew it was "good" for babies and brain development and that it helped mom burn extra calories but couldn't tell you  much beyond that.  Through my research, I was able to explore many resources and take an in depth look at the host of  breastfeeding benefits.  For example, immediately after birth, breastfeeding provides infants with colostrum or "pre- milk" that contains  antibodies and  all necessary essential nutrients for baby. Breastfeeding exclusively for the first three months can reduce babies chances of  childhood diseases,  respiratory illness and gastrointestinal illness. It also has a positive economic impact in that with less illness, comes less money paid out by families for medical bills. Psychologically and emotionally, the skin to skin contact fosters secure attachment of infant and caregiver. 
  As I looked over the breastfeeding statics both at a national and global level, I was surprised to learn that despite the research on benefits, the United States ranked in the bottom 5 countries for babies that are breastfed at 3 or more months old. 74% of mom's attempt to breastfeed at birth, 33% are still breastfeeding infant at 3 months old and only 14% of infants are breastfeed exclusively at the age of 6 months.  The decrease seen from birth to 6 months is attributed to lack of support, cultural views , and lack of policies regarding breastfeeding. Unfortunately, controversy of breastfeeding in public and at the work place discourage many women from doing so. 
   I found that Southeast Asia has the highest rates of breastfed infants at 45% at 6 months of age. This sounds high in comparison to the other countries statics but is actually a  decline from 61%  of breastfed babies over the past 10 years.
  This topic is important to me as it is connected to other childhood public health issues such as malnutrition,  immunizations and clean water. Working in the early childhood field, it is up to me to become and remain informed so that I may share my knowledge and provide a support system as I advocate for children to ensure their healthy development and overall well being. 
References and good resources!
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/breastfeeding/breastfeeding_benefits.html
http://www.prb.org/Search.aspx?q=Breastfeeding%20Patterns%20in%20the%20Developing%20World
http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/faq/index.htm
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/30/56/43136964.pdf
http://www.unicef.org/

Birthing Experience

When reading about this assignment, the birth of my first son.  He was born at 2:35 p.m. on March 24, 1997. This was quite an experience.  When I arrived at the hospital on Friday with contractions 3 minutes apart, I had no idea I would not deliver for another 4 days!  Long story short, I failed to progress,pushed for 6 hours and  eventually  the baby and I went into distress and I had an emergency c-section. My son was 9.12 oz 24 3/4 inches long and jaundice, he was the "freak of nature" in the nursery. My father said he looked like he had the hell beat out of him. He had a huge cone for a head. :(  After all that I have been learning about child development, I can't help but think this must have been a traumatic experience for him.
    At any rate, for the second part of this assignment I chose to research birth in the Netherlands.  In the Netherlands, a woman visits her doctor to confirm her pregnancy and upon confirmation, chooses a midwife.  Unless there are worries of complications, most women prepare for an at home natural birth. This is not at all like my experience as I saw an OB and planned a hospital birth the entire pregnancy.  I received an epidural and pain meds.  In the Netherlands, mothers must "sign-up" for a hospital birth and make their intentions of using pain meds known in writing. When  a woman enters labor, the midwife visits and soon a nurse to aid with the birth and check the child out after birth.  If a birth occurs in a hospital, mothers are sent home within hours of birth.  In my experience, had I had a vaginal birth I would have to stay only 24-48 hours, but since I had a C-section I stayed for 4 days.  In the Netherlands, there is a post natal program that all mothers are entitled to.  A nurse visits for a week to help with the baby and even house chores!  I wish that would have been the case for me!  Being a young mother I was "clueless" and felt overwhelmed.  Another interesting thing I learned about birth in the Netherlands was that Maternity leave must be taken for 10 weeks and it is paid!  If the mother is sick after the leave is up, she is entitled to 100% of her daily pay while she is home.  Unfortunately, I had to return to work, even after an infection, after 8 weeks or I would not be paid. :(

Reference:www.expatica.com/nl/family/kids/Maternity-matters-What-to-expect-in-the-Netherlands

Much Thanks! :)

Here I am at the end of my very first graduate course.  What a learning experience this has been!  Thank you to all of my classmates for the wonderful attitudes, resources and rich discussions that each of you brought to our foundations course.   I look forward to working with each of you again as we move another step forward in our ECS journey! Congratulations and best of luck to you as you continue your studies! :)

Examining Codes of Ethics

Every piece of these two documents is of great value and applicable to my profession! Although it was difficult to choose a few , below are three ideals that are particularly meaningful to me. 

1.To be familiar with the knowledge base of early

childhood care and education and to stay informed

through continuing education and training.
Teachers must be life-long learners.  It is crucial to remain current on best practices in order to continually meet the needs of all children in our classrooms.  The teaching profession is ever changing and the paradigm shifts often.  I MUST make it a priority to  remain up to date on current  research in order to implement best teaching practices in my classroom.    

2.To ensure that each child’s culture, language,

ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and

valued in the program.
  Diversity should be celebrated!  U.S. classrooms are the most diverse in the world.  As a teacher of Enlish Language Developmet,  I must foster safe and inviting learning environments in which students can feel comfortable actively engaging. so that they can learn.   In order to do so,  I must  lead by example to teach patience, tolerence and respect towards all. 

3.To establish and maintain relationships of

respect, trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and

cooperation with co-workers.
  As Hillary Rodham Clinton said "It takes a village to raise a child."  Through collaboration with collegues,  we learn from each other and grow in professional knowledge as we work together towards a common goal of doing what is best for all studentss.  I know that if we do not trust and respect one another, we will not be able to effectively collaborate.

References:
Article: NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdfArticle: The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from
http://www.dec-sped.org/

Course Resources

I added a gadget and created a running list of course resources under my profile information.Below are my additional resources.
Here is one of my personal favorites.  She puts "songs in the hearts of children."
http://www.drjean.org/
I particularly like the research section on the National Kindergarten Alliance website.
http://www.nkateach.org/
Last but not least.....National Education Association website.
http://www.nea.org/


Week 5 Course Resources
Video Program: “The Resources for Early Childhood”
Five early childhood professionals discuss their preferred and trusted resources.

Postition 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/53029/CRS-CW-4477713/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://www.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/~images/pdfs/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://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php
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.org.gu.se/English/about_OMEP/
Read about OMEP’s mission. 
Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/about/

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/pages/page.asp?page_id=22807
The Erikson Institute
http://www.erikson.edu/
  
Selected Journals
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

Inspirational Quotes and Words of Wisdom

"The highest stake of all is our ability to help children realize their full potential."
  ~~Samuel J. Meisels

“The way we teach teachers should be congruent in many basic aspects—but not all—with the way we want them to teach children”  Dr. Lilian Katz

"I had a built in passion that it was important to make a real contribution to the world;to fix all the injustices in the world.  I wanted to do that as a teacher."  
 Louise Derman-Sparks
Professor Emeritus

My Personal Childhood Web