Sharing Web Resources II

 

http://www.zerotothree.org/

 

 

 

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

 

There is a Public Policy tab that is available on the website that provides research-based resources for federal and state policymakers and advocates on the unique developmental needs of infants and toddlers.  One resource in particular is called Closing the Opportunity Gap for Babies and Families which you are able to download, it provides a comprehensive road map for the Administration and Congress to ensure families are supported in giving all babies the same chance to thrive and succeed.

 

http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/ 

 

 

 

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?

 

One resource that made me take a closer look into it was the Military Family Projects section. ZERO TO THREE has developed resources and materials especially for professionals serving military and Veteran families, as well as products parents may use as they navigate the many transitions that are a part of military-connected life. This was intriguing to me because my husband is in the Navy and that is what brought us to San Diego, CA.  Not only do I know many military families but San Diego region is also home to the largest military community in the world with numerous units of the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard calling this home for over the past 100 years (MilitaryPress).  With so many military in the community that I teach in, I have had the opportunity to work every year with military families.  Until now I was unaware of this resource and will be using it often along with letting the families I work with know that it is available. 

 

http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/funded-projects/military-families/

 

http://www.militarypress.com/about-military-press/

 

 

 

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?

 

As discussed in the first response the public policy tab is a wonderful resource for early childhood professionals and it engages policymakers and economists by providing public policy solutions and investments for the health and development of very young children and their families. Another resource that stood out to me I found via the ZERO TO THREE e-newsletter.  It is a series of podcasts called Little Kids, Big Questions that translates the research of early childhood development into parenting practices that families can have access to.  There are many different topics that are covered and one of the ones that I listened to was called Creating Healthy Connections: Nurturing Brain Development From Birth to Three Featuring Alison Gopnik, Ph.D. This podcast was very interesting, it discussed brain development in the early years and how to support brain development.    

 

http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/funded-projects/parenting-resources/podcast/

 

 

 

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

 

I decided to go to the Find it Fast dropdown bar that allows you to quickly access any of the topics listed.  Since one of the topics this week dealt with the science of brain development, I selected brain development as my topic.  I went through the resources that were available but spent the most time on the Baby Brain Map from BrainWonders. This is an interactive learning opportunity to see how different areas of the brain are working.  You are able to click on a "hotspot" of the brain to reveal questions to find out how a baby's brain develops during this period of brain growth. You'll also learn what you can do to enrich a very young child's development.

http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/brain-development/baby-brain-map.html

 

 

My Connections to Play

 

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”  
― Plato

 

 

Essential Toys from My Childhood

 

Cabbage Patch dolls

 

                                                                           Barbie

 

Pretend Food

 

 

Pool Toys

 

Puzzles

The people in my life, mostly my parents supported the play in my life by allowing me the time to play and providing me toys to play with.  My parents but especially my grandmother when she lived with us, played with me often.  She would take on different roles, she would pretend to be a student or a veterinarian, so I could be a teacher or bring my stuffed animals to her when they were sick.   I feel that the play especially within home life today is different from my experience with play.  I was allowed to roam outside pretty freely with the other children in the neighborhood.  I had access to a pool growing up, my neighborhood and cranberry bogs that were behind my backyard.  I had toys but I did not need them to play, my friends and I would make up scenarios and create props from what we had around us.  If we were outside and playing doctor then leaves, flowers and sticks became the pretend medicine and bandages. Parents today are often afraid to let their child play freely outside and many children are consumed with technology.  My parents are still in the house that I grew up in and when I visit I do not see the younger families with children outside as much.  Nowadays, even in safe neighborhoods bad things can happen.  I think the role of play was essential in my learning.  I had many opportunities to explore and make connections to the world around me.  Play was the strong foundation in my learning and continued to be an outlet for me even in the latter years of school. 

 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1 (Alternative Assignment)

 

 

I did not receive any response from the six emails that I sent in hopes to contact an early childhood professional in Italy.  I then found an archived broadcast from the NAEYC Radio that is called Five Things Every Teacher Should Know About Poverty.  I was most curious about what one of the guests, Eric Jensen, who is a former teacher and has authored over 26 books including Teaching with Poverty in Mind, had to say.  He discusses how teaching students who are struggling with poverty and survival is a challenge and that most teachers are simply unprepared to handle it. He states that a recent study has shown that poverty can result in an IQ up to 13 points lower than their non-poverty peers, and teachers need to understand and be sensitive to this.  He says that teachers can help children in poverty by allowing them to have a voice within the classroom, allowing them to make some decisions and speak because they don’t get that often in their life, they are usually in survival mode.  Another suggestion that he makes is to allow children to have movement opportunities within the classroom regardless of their age.  He says that movement helps promote the correct biochemistry within the body which helps to promote the well-being of the student.  Both of those suggestions are very helpful and I also feel that they should be part of every early childhood classroom, as all children can benefit from them.

 

I tried to make contact with Eric Jensen but did not hear back so I decided after reviewing the UNICEF website, I would select Italy to look at because there is a good chance my husband and I could be moving there next year.    

I was very surprised to read about childhood poverty in Italy.  In my mind, Italy is all about beauty, art, and culture.  Here are the three facts from the article that stood out to me the most:

-Italy is a country in which nearly 2 million children are struggling to survive. 

-Italy has the highest percentage of children living below the poverty line of 25 European nations.

-One in two minors in Italy lives in what is considered “absolute poverty,” a condition under which basic needs are not met. This mean that families are able to provide only one adequate meal every two days and little to no medical treatment is provided or they cannot buy simple over-the-counter medicines like aspirin or even Band-Aids for their children.

 

BAM Radio Network, found as an archive through the NAEYC Radio

Eric Jensen @EricJensenBrain

http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/index_childpoverty.html

Nadeau, B. (2102, March 4). Italy Has Europe’s Highest Percentage of Children in Poverty, Says UNICEF. Retrieved July 18, 2015, from http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/03/04/italy-has-europe-s-highest-percentage-of-children-in-poverty-says-unicef.html

Sharing Web Resources I

ZERO TO THREE

 

http://www.zerotothree.org/

 

ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development. Their mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life.

I signed up to receive updates and their e-newsletter.  Within the same day of doing that I received my first email about some helpful tips on how to browse their website along with different resources that they have available.  They also listed a few of the resources in the areas of behavior and development, care and education, public policy and maltreatment that they thought may be of interest.  For the purpose of this class I decided to check out the link to the maltreatment topic, this section includes resources on responding to the needs of very young children and their families when they have been impacted by maltreatment, violence, loss, or disaster. There are articles that are available pertaining to this topic, there is a report that discusses the impact that maltreatment has on young children. They also offer links to other organizations that deal with the issues of maltreatment such as The Children’s Bureau and The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. 

Two Website Highlights

The first highlight I chose from the website was the new video series, “The Magic of Everyday Moments.”  The first three videos of the series are available to watch now and are useful to both parents and early childhood professionals.  Each video offers ideas for what can be done to nurture brain development in infants and toddlers.  The videos also have a beautiful way of expressing the importance of forming relationships with young children, and how parents are also their child’s first teacher.  The second highlight is from the homepage where on the right side there is the option under “Find It Fast” to select a key topic. Using this tool will bring you to all the available resources on the particular topic you select.  It is a quick and easy way to have access to valuable resources.

Relationship Reflection

My Husband

I met my husband Adam in Newport, Rhode Island through a mutual friend and we quickly became best friends.  He is in the Navy and was there for Department Head School. The more we hung out with each other, with our friends and talked about everything the closer we became.  We started dating and eventually we got married in San Diego, California.  I cannot imagine my life with anyone else, we are a great balance for each other, and we complement each other so well.  He is very honest, supportive and very dependable.  When we can’t be together which is often because he is working on a ship right now, even when they are not deployed they are out to sea for trainings, he finds ways to stay connected with me.  It might be leaving notes around our place that I randomly find, sending a quick email or having a friend of his check up on me and take me out to dinner.  Regardless of the ways he does it, he is very thoughtful and sincere in what he does.

 

My Parents

My parents have been married for just over forty years and are wonderful role models.  I am pretty close with them and talk to them often.  They have had to work hard for everything they have and have always pushed me to do things they did not have the opportunity to do, like go to college.  They still live on the east coast in Massachusetts and although I haven’t lived with them since I graduated high school in 1999 this is the farthest I have lived away in San Diego, California.  Due to the distance our relationship has changed because it is mostly dependent on phone calls.  We try a few times a year to see each other and often send cards and care packages of the local goodies to each other. 

 

My Best Friend

I met my best friend right out of college in 2004, we were co-teachers in a toddler classroom.  Our friendship grew from a mutual love of working with young children and also on how well our working styles complemented each other.  We started spending time with each other outside of work and learning more about each other’s personal life.  We were in each other’s weddings and eventually both ending up working together again at a charter school.  Danielle also ended up marrying someone in the military and is now stationed in Mississippi.  Distance is again a challenging factor in maintaining relationships but luckily technology has helped fill in some of the gaps.  We talk, text often and send each other lots of pictures.  I am hoping to make it out to Mississippi in September for her daughter’s first birthday. 

 

The Newport Crew

I have a group of friends that we all refer to each other as “The Newport Crew” basically because we all met in Newport, Rhode Island.  My friend Melissa and I started a run club in Newport and the rest is history.  We all originally came together to run and it grew in to a group of friends that are like family.  We met at all different points in our lives but all of us looking for some kind of change.  Looking back at when we were all there is bittersweet because the memories are so wonderful but I know we will all never be in the same area like that again.  Many of the people in our group have married since so we are able to see each other at those milestone events and during the holidays we do a long distance secret gift swap.  One of the friends from the group married my husband and me.  We often plan vacations and trips to visit each other, we all acknowledge the importance of being able to see each other at least once a year. 

  

My Military Spouse Friends

It is really a wonderful feeling to know that I know have friends all over the world.  The relationships that military spouses build with each other is unlike any other relationship I have ever known.  We move to areas where sometimes we do not know anyone and that can be very overwhelming combined with the fact that you also do not know the area which is now considered your home.  I have met some of the most amazing spouses who are so open and invested in being there for others because they know how it is.  It is often the older more senior spouses I have found who jump right in introducing themselves and take you under their wing.  Without having to explain how you feel and the emotions that being a Navy spouse can bring, you have spouses that just get you.  I joined a local Navy officer’s spouses group when we first moved to San Diego and now I am a board member.  The relationships are very fast paced because we do not have much time with each other before someone is moving to a new station.  For as much as we say goodbye to people it does not get easier, however the hope that our paths will cross again keeps our spirits high.

 

Mojo

Last but not least I have to include my dog, Mojo.  I show dogs as a hobby but he is my baby that my husband has also grown to love.  Right now he is snuggled up in my lap as I am typing.  I love that he is always there and happy to see me.  He also makes me get outside and exercise on days that I might not want to.  I can’t imagine not having him here especially when my husband is away.  San Diego is very dog friendly and we take him a lot of places with us, having that similar connection with people has also lead to friendships. 

 

 In all my relationships (with people) even my husband, distance is the challenging factor.  It comes down to taking the time and calling or sending a card or care package to show the person that you are still there and care.  I am very thankful of technology and the ways in which I can still feel connected to people who are so far away.  Through social media like Facebook I can still see pictures all the time of the people I care about.  By reflecting on the important relationships in my life and what the factors are that contribute to them, it makes me more aware of what is takes to establish and maintain a high quality relationship.  I understand that these relationships do not just happen overnight that it is a process but a very rewarding process that affects many people.  Every relationship was started on some kind of similarity which made it easier to be comfortable with one another.  No matter how important technology is in keeping and enhancing a relationship there is nothing that can replace the importance of face to face interaction. My relationships teach me lessons, even my dog has showed me that being happy and welcoming is very powerful, it makes people feel comfortable and happy.

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

 

Part 1:

I contacted the Italian Committee for UNICEF and the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, both located in Italy.  I have received an automated email from one of them that I had to put in Google Translate, informing me that they would respond at the beginning of the workweek.  I am hoping that they will respond to my email in English.  I have also reached out to some American teachers in Italy that may be able to provide me with contact information for an early childhood professional.  I decided to try to find some contacts in Italy because there is a chance that the Navy could send my husband and I there, so we could be living there in the near future.  I figured it would be a great opportunity either way to find out more about Italy in regards to the early childhood issues, education and development.

 

 

Part 2:

After examining many of the websites I decided to focus on the ZERO TO THREE organization.  I do not spend as much time on this age because most of my concentration is on preschool and kindergarten age, the age I most often work with.  This is a good opportunity to spend some research time focusing on infants and toddlers.

 

ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development. Their mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life.

 

http://www.zerotothree.org/