My Connections to Play

“Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs.” ~James L. Hymes Jr.

Our play was free and easy, and very much left to our imagination. Fromt that, we learned to think outside the box.

"You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing. What! Is it nothing to be happy? Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long? Never in his life will he be so busy again.” ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762

As a child in my generation, we spent our free time engaged in play that simply made us happy.


Play was an basic part of my life, and something my parents encouraged. Perhaps that was because of the times, no computers, cell phones, video games; in fact, we did not even have cable television. I am not sure I can actually say my parents supported play by providing materials or initiating it, as play was not considered an oddity or a privilege, rather, an expected behavior. We were expected to do our chores, we were expected to finish homework, and we were expected to “go play.” Unlike the children of today, it was rare to find children in my generation, inside on a nice day, or glued to a television. We played dodge ball in chase instead of dodging bullets in a video game, we rode our bikes to our friend’s house, instead of phoning, and we swung on swings or climbed trees to talk about our days and plan our futures rather than posting them over the internet. It was through play that we learned to socialize, to converse and to engage with others, and it was through play that we learned responsibility, self-regulation, and negotiation. Most importantly, I believe that through play, we learned to problem solve by thinking outside the box and we learned to enjoy life. I would hope opportunities to play would be returned to today’s children, so that they too may learn to enjoy life.

Play, an essential component of life for both children and adults, is self-initiated activities that are designed for amusement, but have a direct influence on psychosocial and biosocial development and can help reduce the symptoms of stress. Play is living in the moment, free of self-consciousness, and totally engaged in the process. Adults and children alike need opportunities for expression and engagement, with total enjoyment.

When I Think of Child Development …

"I want my children to understand the world, but not just because the world is fascinating and the human mind is curious. I want them to understand it so that they will be positioned to make it a better place. Knowledge is not the same as morality, but we need to understand if we are to avoid past mistakes and move in productive directions. An important part of that understanding is knowing who we are and what we can do... Ultimately, we must synthesize our understandings for ourselves. The performance of understanding that try matters are the ones we carry out as human beings in an imperfect world which we can affect for good or for ill. (Howard Gardner 1999: 180-181)"(Smith, 2002-2008.

Howard Gardner, to me, the pioneer of multiple intelligences believes that intelligence is the ability and skills needed to seek the knowledge needed to creatively solve problems and contribute to a culture. The quote above depicts his personal desire to educate children so that they can become active members of society, understanding how their personal contributions con either contribute to the betterment or facilitate the negative of society. To me, that is what being an early childhood professional is about, fostering the development of children so that they can one day change their world. As Lillian Katz once said, “Remember that whoever might be president of our country in 40 or 50 years is likely to be in someone’s early childhood program today; and I hope she is having a good experience!” (Katz, 2001) As early childhood professionals we have the obligation, maybe more important, the opportunity to provide children with the skills to clearly view and change their world.

Smith, M. (2002,2008). Howard Garnder Multiple Intelligence and Education. Retrieved December 10, 2010, from Infed: http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm

Katz, L. G. (2001). Last Class Notes. Retrieved December 17, 2010, from CEEP: http://ceep.crc.illinois.edu/pubs/katzsym/katz.pdf

Testing for Intelligence?

“High-stakes testing has significant negative impacts in terms of narrowing the curriculum in order to teach to the test. “ (Education Interantional, 2009) Not only does standardized testing limit curriculum, it measures only a small portion of a child’s ability, as it only test one intelligence. Howard Gardner, to me, the pioneer of multiple intelligences believes that intelligence is the ability and skills needed to seek the knowledge needed to creatively solve problems and contribute to a culture. According to Gardner, intelligence is not limited to one combined function of the brain to be assessed through standardized testing, but rather, there are 9 different intelligences located in different areas of the brain. All humans possess the nine intelligences to some degree, the variances in which intelligences are more prominent makes not only each person’s intellectual composition different and unique, but each person’s learning style unique as well. The nine intelligences include:
• VISUAL/SPATIAL - children who learn best visually and organizing things spatially. They like to see what you are talking about in order to understand. They enjoy charts, graphs, maps, tables, illustrations, art, puzzles, costumes - anything eye catching.
• VERBAL/LINGUISTIC - children who demonstrate strength in the language arts: speaking, writing, reading, listening. These students have always been successful in traditional classrooms because their intelligence lends itself to traditional teaching.
• MATHEMATICAL/LOGICAL - children who display an aptitude for numbers, reasoning and problem solving. This is the other half of the children who typically do well in traditional classrooms where teaching is logically sequenced and students are asked to conform.
• BODILY/KINESTHETIC - children who experience learning best through activity: games, movement, hands-on tasks, building. These children were often labeled "overly active" in traditional classrooms where they were told to sit and be still!
• MUSICAL/RHYTHMIC - children who learn well through songs, patterns, rhythms, instruments and musical expression. It is easy to overlook children with this intelligence in traditional education.
• INTRAPERSONAL - children who are especially in touch with their own feelings, values and ideas. They may tend to be more reserved, but they are actually quite intuitive about what they learn and how it relates to themselves.
• INTERPERSONAL - children who are noticeably people oriented and outgoing, and do their learning cooperatively in groups or with a partner. These children may have typically been identified as "talkative" or " too concerned about being social" in a traditional setting.
• NATURALIST - children who love the outdoors, animals, field trips. More than this, though, these students love to pick up on subtle differences in meanings. The traditional classroom has not been accommodating to these children.
• EXISTENTIALIST - children who learn in the context of where humankind stands in the "big picture" of existence. They ask "Why are we here?" and "What is our role in the world?" This intelligence is seen in the discipline of philosophy. (Smith, 2002,2008; Katz, 2008)

By understanding the different intelligences, as well as each child’s strengths and weaknesses, early childhood professionals ascertain a picture of the whole child, as well as knowledge of individual learning styles. In turn, the information can used to can improve education by providing children with learning that meets their individual learning styles while at the same time strengthens areas of weakness. This requires evaluating intelligences through a multidisciplinary approach, which assesses knowledge through observation and assessments which are based on student performance on real learning tasks, as this is more useful and accurate for measuring achievement and milestones. Because schools often use the results from standardized testing to base curriculum and teaching methods, using a multidisciplinary approach would provide a more accurate measure of areas needing improvement and learning styles that are not being addressed.

Korean children must endure an even more rigorous academic schedule than children of the United States. Perhaps, because education is viewed as a privilege, and an appreciated view to future success, as it was once not easily obtained. South Korea, like the United States uses standardized testing to assess academic progress, which creates the same negative results. According to the article, South Korean Teachers Fired over Standardized Testing, written by Education International, “The South Korean education system is highly competitive, with government policy compelling all elementary and middle school students across the country to sit the standardized tests. High school students endure extremely intense schedules of study seven days a week in advance of critical university entrance exams.” (Education Interantional, 2009)

Education Interantional. (2009, January 20). South Korean Teachers Fired over Standardized Testing. Retrieved December 10, 2010, from Education International: http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=944&theme=statusofteachers&country=korea

Katz, J. (2008). TEACHING TO DIVERSITY: CREATING COMPASSIONATE LEARNING COMMUNITIES FOR DIVERSE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS THE EFFECTS OF DEMYSTIFICATION ON SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING. Retrieved December 10, 2010, from The University of British Columbia: http://www.sec.gov.qa/research/samples/MultipleIntelligences.pdf

Smith, M. (2002,2008). Howard Garnder Multiple Intelligence and Education. Retrieved December 10, 2010, from Infed: http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm

Consequences of Stress on Children’s Development

War and its effect on children is a topic military childcare facilities contend with daily, as while we are not in direct combat, a member of our immediate community is either deployed to a combat zone, recently returned from a combat zone, or anticipating their turn. It is almost impossible to avoid exposing military children to the stress associated with war and combat, as it is discussed between adults, reported on TV, and published in newspapers. War violates every right of the child. Everybody has a role to play to stop these violations. We cannot let war continue to destroy childhood.” (Karwal, 2008). The devastation is not limited to children in immediate combat areas; research has proven that increases in suicide, mental health problems, alcohol abuse and divorce are all symptoms experience by adults connected with the military. In turn the additional problems encountered by adults, trickles down to children of military families, and compiled with the child’s own stress, increased levels of anxiety and behavioral issues have been associated with military children. According to the article, Troops Kids Feel War Tolls, “Six out of 10 U.S. military parents told researchers their children have increased levels of fear and anxiety when a parent is sent to war, according to a survey of more than 13,000 military spouses of active-duty service members (Zoroya, 2009) In large, this is associated with the anxiety of a parent not returning. Patricia Lester, a UCLA psychiatry professor claims, "When the parent puts on the uniform," she says, "The child becomes distressed that they're not going to be coming back." (Zoroya, 2009)
The impact on child development is astronomical, as parents can deploy when children are newborns. Research has proven that lack of bonding early in life as a profound effect on the ability to form relationships later in life. In addition, the stress and anxiety of fearing for a parent can cause emotional problems. According to our text,

Congress is spending more than $700 million on programs for military families in the current supplemental bill to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 15% more than the Pentagon requested. Programs targeting the problem include:
• Offering $6,000 to military spouses to pay for education, training and licensing or credentialing for careers that can be easily re-established should the family move to a different military post. (War Child International, 2007)
• Dissemination of more than 1 million bilingual Sesame Street kits that include Elmo videos designed to help children ages 3-5 cope with deployment and family changes. Also a video will be released later this year addressing the emotional trauma of losing a parent, Thompson says.
• Distribution of more than 200,000 copies of a graphic novel aimed at military families titled Coming Home, which looks at problems family face when the service members come home.
• The Pentagon's creation of child and youth behavioral health specialists who work with families and educators to identify and help struggling children and families. The program has more than 300 full-time and temporary positions and is expanding.
• Offering free YMCA memberships to primarily families of deployed National Guard members and reservists. The program, which began last October, has provided nearly 26,000 memberships.
• Expanding teams of specially trained family counselors that the Pentagon provides to state military family program directors. " (Zoroya, 2009)

In comparison to the efforts taken by the US Military to help their children affected, there are several international organizations such as UNICEF and War Child, which are designed to help children worldwide, affected by war. The War Child organization, stationed in both Holland and Canada, “...strives for the healthy mental development of children who have lived through war, so that they can contribute to a peaceful future. War Child specializes in providing psychosocial assistance to children in former war zones, using creative methods” (War Child International, 2007) according to their mission statement. UNICEF, states, that its “...mission is to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential” (Conventions on the Rights of the Child, 2008)

Conventions on the Rights of the Child. (2008, August 26). Retrieved November 23, 2010, from UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/crc/index_30160.html

Karwal, R. (2008, November 24). Effects of war in focus on the Universal Day of the Child. Retrieved November 23, 2010, from UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_46494.html

War Child International. (2007). War Child Holland. Retrieved November 23, 2010, from War Child International: http://www.warchild.org/projects/WC_Holland/wc_holland.html

Zoroya, G. (2009, June 25). Troops Kids Feel War Toll. Retrieved November 23, 2010, from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-06-24-military-kids_N.htm

Child Development and Public Health

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome has no personal meaning to me, as there has not been a death from SIDS in my immediate family or circle of friends. However, the birth of my granddaughter has sparked an interest, as my daughter has been struggling with best sleeping arraignments for fear of SIDS. The Mayo Clinic defines SIDS as,” …the unexplained death, usually during sleep, of a seemingly healthy baby. For parents, it's a devastating and shocking childhood illness — there's no warning and there's no definitive cause” (Mayo Clinic, 2009). SIDS is the leading cause of death for infants in the first year of life, with 50 deaths per 100,000 births in the US, and remains a constant area of research. While current research has not identified the causes of SIDS, it has identified several possible risk factors in infants, as well as concluded that the health of the mother during pregnancy can also increase the risk for SIDS.
Risk factors
• Male
• Between 1 month and 6 months of age
• Premature or of low birth weight
• Black, American Indian or Native Alaskan
• Placed to sleep on their stomachs Cultural differences in child care practices — such as whether babies are placed to sleep on their backs — may be a factor.
• Born to mothers who smoke or use drugs
• Exposed to environmental tobacco smoke.
• Born during the fall or winter months
• Overheated
• Recently recovered from an upper respiratory infection
• Siblings of a baby who died of SIDS (Mayo Clinic, 2009)

Just as researchers have identified risk factors that increase the chances of SIDS, they have also identified several precautionary measures, to reduce risk.
• Put your baby to sleep on his or her back
• Be sure your baby is placed to sleep on his or her back when in the care of others
• Don't smoke
• Select bedding carefully
• Place your baby to sleep in a crib or bassinet — not in your bed
• Keep your baby nearby
• Consider breast-feeding. Offer a pacifier
• Moderate room temperature (Mayo Clinic, 2009)
•
In researching SIDS in other countries, I was surprised to find that the number of SIDS death was much lower in southern Europe, Asia, Africa and Central and South America because co-sleeping is practiced. Co-sleeping takes on many forms from sharing a form sharing a bed with parents to sharing a family sleeping area. According to the article, Co-sleeping Around the World by James J. McKenna Ph.D, “Most cultures that routinely practice co-sleeping, in any form, have very rare instances of SIDS” (McKenna).
I found this information extremely interesting and valuable to my future work. Working with the military, we service a vast variety of cultures, as well as new parents. This information not only helped me to understand other cultural practices, but will help me in assisting new parents.

Mayo Clinic. (2009, June 13). Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Retrieved November 12, 2010, from MayoClinic.com: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sudden-infant-death-syndrome/DS00145

McKenna, J. J. (n.d.). Cosleeping Around The World. Retrieved November 12, 2010, from The Natural Child Project: http://www.naturalchild.org/james_mckenna/cosleeping_world.html

sleep-baby-sleep.com. (n.d.). SIDS Statistics. Retrieved November 12, 2010, from sleep-baby-sleep.com: http://www.sleep-baby-sleep.com/SIDS/statistics.htm

Childbirth––In Your Life and Around the World

While the birth of my daughter was relatively easy and without major complication, my daughter, who recently gave birth to my first grandchild, was not as fortunate. Two weeks before the due date, my granddaughter turned in the womb and became breech. The fetal heart rate indicated need for concern and my daughter was immediately admitted for delivery, which increased her blood pressure and added additional concern for the baby. After performing an ultra sound and making an attempt to turn the baby, the heart rate dropped rapidly, and my daughter was rushed for an emergency C Section, as low heart rate can cause long term complications, including brain damage. I remember the amount of stress and anxiety we all felt when the baby became distressed, and how grateful I was for the immediate medical attention, as I was several thousand miles away and awaiting the next available flight. I chose this example, because it brings to the forefront the importance of medical intervention and quality hospital care.

In such countries as Afghanistan, the majority of births occur at home as hospital and clinic care is rare. According to the article Bamyan Maternity Waiting Home: A Safe Place to give Birth in Afghanistan, which quotes Peter Crowley, a UNICEF representative in Afghanistan “Every 30 minutes an Afghan woman dies from pregnancy of childbirth-related causes – giving Afghanistan one of world’s highest rates of maternal death” (UNICEF, 2010). Additionally, women in countries such as Afghanistan, often suffer from lack of proper nutrition and health care. The consequences of poverty were substantiated by Sandra Smidt in her book The Developing Child in the 21st Century, who states, “Pregnant woman living in developing countries without clean water, sanitation, pre-natal care or enough food, may suffer miscarriage, premature, or low birth weight infants “(Smidt, 2006). In addition, lack of immediate medical intervention can have profound effect on a child’s future development, as permanent long term complications can occur.


UNICEF. (2010, July 10). Afghanistan: Bamyan maternity waiting home: A safe place to give birth in Afghanistan. Retrieved November 5, 2010, from UNICEF: Unite for Children: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_54272.html

Examining Codes of Ethics

The purpose of the code of ethics for both the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and The Division of Early Childhood (DEC) is to define appropriate behavior to support ethical conduct for early childhood professionals. As NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment states, it, “…offers guidelines for responsible behavior and sets forth a common basis for resolving the principal ethical dilemmas encountered in early childhood care and education" (National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), 2005). Both statements of ethical conduct, set forth principals and ideas that promote quality care and as a an employee in a NAEYC accredited center, they are guidelines that support and practice. The principals and ideals set forth in the statements are dependent on one another and none is less important, making it difficult for me to pick three ideas that are significant to my professional life. I have picked the three most influential principals from each statement that are significant to my professional beliefs.

NAEYC: Ethical Responsibilities to ChildrenChildhood is a unique and valuable stage in the human life cycle. Our paramount responsibility is to provide care and education in settings that are safe, healthy, nurturing, and responsive for each child. We are committed to supporting children’s development and learning; respecting individual differences; and helping children learn to live, play, and work cooperatively. We are also committed to promoting children’s self-awareness, competence, self-worth, resiliency, and physical well-being.

DEC: ETHICAL AND EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICES in the field of early childhood special education relies upon sound research methodologies and research based practices to ensure high quality services for children and families. As professionals researching and practicing within the field, it is our responsibility to maintain ethical conduct in building a cadre of practices based on evidence. Establishing an evidence base not only involves critically examining available research evidence relative to our professional practices, it also involves continually engaging in research to further refine our research-based or recommended practices. Sound and ethical research strategies always should be used including adherence to institutional review board procedures and guidelines prior to the conduct of research and use of peer-reviewed venues for published dissemination of findings. Honoring and respecting the diversity of children and families should guide all research activities.

As an early childhood professional, I feel that my responsibility lies first and foremost with the children and it is my ultimate responsibility to promote, provide, and support quality care that fosters development of the whole child.

NAEYC: Ethical Responsibilities to FamiliesFamilies* are of primary importance in children’s development. Because the family and the early childhood practitioner have a common interest in the child’s well-being, we acknowledge a primary responsibility to bring about communication, cooperation, and collaboration between the home and early childhood program in ways that enhance the child’s development.

DEC: RESPONSIVE FAMILY CENTERED PRACTICES ensure that families receive individualized, meaningful, and relevant services responsive to their beliefs, values, customs, languages, and culture. We are committed to enhancing the quality of children’s and families’ lives by promoting family well-being and participation in typical life activities. The early childhood special education professional will demonstrate respect for all families, taking into consideration and acknowledging diverse family structures, culture, language, values, and customs. Finally, families will be given equal voice in all decision making relative to their children. The following practice guidelines provide a framework for enhancing children’s and families’ quality of lives.

Promoting, providing, and supporting quality care that fosters the development of the whole child, includes supporting the families. Research has proven that family influence and environment have a profound effect on a child’s development. In addition, while it is our responsibility to foster development, parents are their child’s first teacher.


NAYEC: Ethical Responsibilities to Community and SocietyEarly childhood programs operate within the context of their immediate community made up of families and other institutions concerned with children’s welfare. Our responsibilities to the community are to provide programs that meet the diverse needs of families, to cooperate with agencies and professions that share the responsibility for children, to assist families in gaining access to those agencies and allied professionals, and to assist in the development of community programs that are needed but not currently available. As individuals, we acknowledge our responsibility to provide the best possible programs of care and education for children and to conduct ourselves with honesty and integrity. Because of our specialized expertise in early childhood development and education and because the larger society shares responsibility for the welfare and protection of young children, we acknowledge a collective obligation to advocate for the best interests of children within early childhood programs and in the larger community and to serve as a voice for young to distinguish between those that pertain to the work of the individual early childhood educator and those that more typically are engaged in collectively on behalf of the best interests of children—with the understanding that individual early childhood educators have a shared responsibility for addressing the ideals and principles that are identified as “collective.”

DEC: PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE encompasses the practice principles to promote and maintain high standards of conduct for the early childhood special education professional. The early childhood special education professional should base his or her behaviors on ethical reasoning surrounding practice and professional issues as well as an empathic reflection regarding interactions with others. We are committed to beneficence acts for improving the quality of lives of young children with disabilities and their families. The guidelines for practice outlined below provide a framework for everyday practice when working with children and families and with other professionals in the field of early childhood special education.
4. We shall serve as advocates for children with disabilities and their families and for the
professionals who serve them by supporting both policy and programmatic decisions that
enhance the quality of their lives.

Finally, promoting, providing, and supporting quality care requires advocating for the rights of young children and families.

As Louise Derman-Sparks Professor Emeritus Pacific Oak College CA states, “Recognizing that working with young children and families requires us to participate in the larger arenas of our society that policies around children and families money that becomes available for programs for children and families is a critical part of our ability to actually carry out a good job as professionals.”(Walden University, 2010).

Division for Early Childhood (DEC). (2009, August). Code of Ethics. Retrieved October 18, 2010, from Division for Early Childhood (DEC): http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/53029/CRS-CW-4465394/educ6005_readings/dec_codeofethics.pdf

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2005, April). Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Committment. Retrieved October 18, 2010, from National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/53029/CRS-CW-4465394/educ6005_readings/naeyc_codeofethicspdf.pdf

Walden, University (Producer). (2010). Professionalism, Advocacy, and Leadership in Early Childhood. [Multimedia Presentation]
Retrieved October 17, 2010 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4465394&Survey=1&47=7412264&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1