Time Well Spent

Here it is....the final post...the final blog. I remember dreaming about this moment but it seemed so far away. To be honest I will miss these courses, faculty, and my fellow classmates because each of you has helped me to grow as a person and a professional. I have been able to think about how I want to continue in advocating for children and their families on a greater scale. I am no longer afraid to speak up about injustices I see because of the courses here at Walden University. First and foremost I want to thank my instructors because you have pushed me to my limits and challenged me so much as a person. You made me realize that just doing the work was not enough that I needed to do more. My father always made me do more than what was required and I am glad that I had instructors that think just like him.

To my classmates (there are so many) I want to say thank you for all of the wonderful feedback that you have given me. Thank you to those classmates who shared personal and private experiences with me to help me get a better understanding of the work that we do. Thank you for the words of encourgement and for not laughing when I would vent about my confusion when understanding assignments. The three things that I have learned in this program is that to do this work of advocacy we need compassion, understanding, and willing to fight for what is right. I have learned in this program that I need to realize my own limitations and not to be afraid to ask for help. Finally I have learned how to accept myself and all of my strengths and flaws because it makes me who I am as  person. I can help everyone realize this about themselves and learn to accept themselves.

My long term goal is to continue my work in educating young children. Many people get in this field and then leave once they advance in their degrees and/or career but my goal is to retire in early childhood education as well as being one of the authors of a famous publication. Another goal or dream I should say would be to be featured in one of Walden Universtiy's videos that are used to educate students who are pursuing their degree.

I wish everyone success in their future goals, dreams,and visions. Best of luck to the class of 2015....we did it.

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."- Maya Angelou

International Organizations for Positive Social Change

For this assignment the first international organization that I chose was World Health Organization. This organization provides leadership for health issues across the globe and is the authority for health within the United Nations. The main focus right now is the Ebola outbreak but they also focus on other healt matters such as nutrition in malnourished countries. The view health as a shared responsibility for everyone to get involved and its the main reason that I picked them. As far has jobs the position that caught my interest was the Development Coodinator Specialist. This position supports countries seeking to strengthen the governance of financing of their health systems to attain and maintain universal health coverage. It requires that you have an advanced secondary degree and experience in economcs and or public health or related field and you must be proficient in English.

The next organization that I chose was the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. Their whole focus is to increase awareness in regard to child neglect and to protect the rights of children. I believe this is a great organization because here in the United States we here stories about abused children but I am sure that other countries have the same horrible stories if not worse. This organization is collaborating to bring awareness across the globe. I did not find any career possibilities that I would be interested in but I would love to volunteer at some point because it's such a great cause.

The final organization that I chose was UNICEF and this organization also focuses on child rights as well as the overall care of children. They are concerned with the health of children especially when it comes to immunizations and child nutrition. They also focus on health issues of HIV and water sanitation in countries with severe poverty. One position I came across that sounds interesting is the Nutrition Cluster Coordinator who has the responsibility of networking emergency nutrition interventions. It requires that you have an advanced degree in Health or Human Nutrition and it also requires 5 year experience within the UN which I currently do not have.

www.who.int.
www.ispcan.org
www.unicef.org

Job/Roles in the ECE Community

The first organization that I chose for this assignment was Early Learning Leaders. This organization is committed to the enhancement of early child education programs. One position that I found interesting was Early Intervention Service Specialist. This position requires a Bachelor degree and knowledge of supervisory practices. It requires the person to have knowledge of intervention specialties regarding infants and toddlers. The next organization is NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) which happens to be the world's largest organization that focuses on young children. One position that I found interesting in this organization was the Senior Director, Higher Education Accreditation and Support. This position requires a Masters degree and to have a working knowledge of early childhood education as well as the current issues. This would be a field that I could definitely see myself working in. The final organization that I picked was American Academy of Pediatrics. The whole purpose of this organization is to provide education and support as well as a policy on advocacy. If I were to work in this field I would choose to be a Manager of Community-based Intiatives which aids in managing activities, securing funding, and other resources for the community. I picked these three organizations because of the connection that it has with my challenge and the amount of information i could obtain if they were to be a part of my COP.

www.aap.org
www.earlylearningleaders.org
www.naeyc.org

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

When scanning through Google I came across so many websites for organizations around my state and the country that peeked my interest but I knew I needed to tailor back and just pick a few for this assignment. The agencies I chose to focus on where the United Way of Acadiana, WIC (Women, Infants and Children) office, and  Easter Seals of Louisiana. I live in Lafayette, Louisiana and in this city we are known as the Acadiana Area and then it branches off to the Greater New Orleans area as well as the Greater Baton Rouge area. United Way is an organization that is known across the country as a system of volunteers and workers whose whole mission is to raise awareness on social movement and improvement in education and overall health. There are no requirements to be a volunteer but in order to work at my local branch they do require a degree from a 4 year college as well as outside experience in the field. There is a current position that is open for a Early Head Start teacher and they require at least 2 years experience working in early childhood education. This organization is exactly what my focus is for my capstone which is the education of young children and their health care.

The WIC office is a state as well as federal recognized program for low-income mothers and families that provides monthly vouchers to help purchase food for children from birth to age 5. It helps with the purchase of formula and baby food for children birth to age 1 and then provides monthly vouchers to purchase milk, cheese, cereal, eggs, bread, juice, beans, and fresh fruits and vegetables. It is a way to help supplement the expenses of having to pay for these items out of pocket. This program also aids to assist pregnant women with food as well up until 60 days after the birth of their child and even longer if they choose to breastfeed. This is a state job so a college degree is required but I did not find any real specifications if your degree had to be within the realm of early childhood or just social service itself.

Easter Seals of Louisiana is a program that is designed to work with children who have physical as well as developmental disabilities. It helps parents and families apply for Medicaid. Medicare, and Social Security Disability. They not only assist with applying for services but they also play a vital role in the corrdination of these services.


www.unitedwayofacadiana.org
www.easterseals.com/louisiana
www.dhh.louisiana.gov/WIC

Reflecting on Learning

My future for my professional career working with children will be a great one because I am speaking it into existence. I would hope to be able to be able to continue to break down the walls surrounding stereotypes, prejudices, and low self esteem. I hope to continue to build confidence in children and families to help them develop pride about themselves and the culture and/or traditions that make up who they are. Children can greatly make a difference in what this world can be if they are given every opportunity to explore the likes and differences between one another. To learn that being different is unique and a wonderful thing to be. I would like to take this time to wish all of my fellow classmates as Merry Christmas as well as much success in their future courses and careers. I hope that through this course we were able to develop a professional connection with one another that will continue to help us grow as Anti-Bias educators. Good Luck!

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

The region that I chose to focus on was the Eastern and Southern Africa region. I decided this based on the recent events of Ebola and the constant plague of HIV/AIDS that still affects are larger portion of this area. This area suffers from drought, floods, and political wars that affects the people who live in this area. In 1990 1 in 6 children died before the age of five but with the help of UNICEF that number has declined to 1 in 13. More than 40 % of child deaths are caused by pneumonia as well as under nutrition which is the biggest factor causing more than half of all deaths. More and more children are being vaccinated which helps to protect them from deadly diseases but there is still 13% who go unprotected every single year and more and more babies are being born. HIV/AIDS  affects 90% of pregnant women and with out medical care this disease can be passed to her unborn child.

I would discuss the events of this region in my classroom and I am sure some students would be saddened by this but it may help to bring some awareness to the those around them that children of other countries are suffering. We can have an open discussion about their advantages living in this country and how other children do not have those same privileges. Children care deeply about one another and I feel that their emotions can bring me and others back to the basics of just caring for others well being.

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/

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The Sexulaization of Early Childhood

I feel that this subject needs to be discussed heavily and at the same time I am almost feel that it is taboo to the words "sex" and "children" in the same sentence. In today's society everything we see is surrounded by sex because let's face it "sex sells". When it comes to the sake of young children we have to be able to step back and really look at the world through their eyes and see if we are putting sex at the headline of everything. Girls and boys constantly encounter messages and images that they cannot understand and that can confuse and even frighten them (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). One event that I can think of on a personal note is the annual Victoria Secret Fashion Show. This airs every year and has done so for the best 10 years more than likely if not more. Young women prance across the walkway in beautiful lingerie/pajamas that reveals all of their curves, flat stomachs, tight rear ends, and long lean legs. It gives the image of what society thinks sexy looks like. If most women are like me and I mean they could lose a few more pounds (or alot more due to children :) ), they be short, flat chested or big breast, and our backside is not our best side then this show does damage to our self image. What do you think young girl feel like? The image is showing that to be attractive you must look a certain way and that is not true. Young boys are taught that men hold power, they are the CEO's of company's, they wear Axe body spray, and drive luxury cars. Can all little boys really hold up to this image?

We are setting our children up for failure without even knowing it. We are making them change their body image to meet a criteria before they fully develop the mindset of who they are. Children are engaging in sexual activity at an earlier age. How often have I heard of a 13 year old girl being pregnant! Too often let me tell you. STDS and HIV are happening at such an alarming rate this is another indicator that sex is being displayed way too much. Children are engaging in conversations and activity that they have not learned how to process yet. A third example that is on a professional level is when I had an encounter with a 7 year old girl. She stated that her boyfriend was cute and his parents had three cars and he lived in a big house in their neighborhood. I asked her if her parents knew she had a "boyfriend" and she replied no that they started dating that day. It blew my mind that at the age of 7 this child had a boyfriend. I believe that we need to make a stand against this over stimulation of sex. As parents we need to monitor more closely what I children are watching, for example, Disney channel is not as child like as it used to be. We need to pay attention to the clothes we by and ask if we are helping to portray the image that society is showcasing. As professionals we need to be able to have an open positive discussion with parents if we hear or see anything alarming in reference to image that a child may be feeling. If we have the discussions early on it may help to benefit that child. Because of this course I am able to look at this issue with a different set of eyes and it has made a great impact on what I will allow my children to engage in. Children need to remain innocent as long as possible until they are able to make sense of the world around them.