Sharing Web Resources

The website that I chose to research was the National Association of Child Care Resources & Referral Agencies (www.naccrra.org). One area of this website that I found interesting was the tab titled “About Child Care”. It has information on the cost of child care, school readiness, poverty, and parents perspectives just to name a few. This tab also has information on child care information on each state, the state’s current governor as well as what ranking it holds across all of the states. This information is important to try and assist my state with its child care laws as well as any policy changes that need to be made. This information also shows how our state needs improvements when it comes to child care and how early child hood education needs to be made a priority again. The website also has information for parents, providers as well as military families who may need information on how to help their child or help someone who has a child. Another helpful tool I found was a “Child Care Options Calculator” which allows families to be able to budget how they can afford child care and what changes they need to make to their expenses. One insight I was able to gain after exploring this website was that poverty is an issue that they focus on as well as adequate child care. The website provides numerous resources on different agencies in your area, information on membership, as well as services for military families and providers.

Poverty Issues In India

Poverty is an issue that every single country suffers with in some sort of way. Poverty has taken a toll on families and children specifically for some time now. 600 million children across the globe are currently living i n poverty. In many countries, rates are much higher with over 60 percent of children living in households with incomes below international poverty lines (CHIP). Poverty affects all ages and races and it continues to climb. Children in poverty often suffer from malnutrition which can cause life-long difficulties in development, poor health, and/or death. As of 1999-2000, India had 260.2 million people living in poverty and it is considered home to the majority of poor people in South Asia. India social service area and education system continues to face challenges with the amount of people in which they are trying to serve. The percentage of children entering primary school has increased but still considered a daunting task because of the 33 million children needing to be enrolled. An estimated 400 million of the population are between are between 0-18 years of age (UNICEF).

UNICEF Country Statistics: India (www.unicef.org/infobycountry/india_statistics)

NAEYC's Position on Young Children

The organization that I researched was the National Association for Education of Young Children (www.naeyc.org). The National Association for Educational of Young Children is the world's largest organization whose mission is completely focused and centered around young children. NAEYC's mission is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights, and well-being of all young  children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources (NAEYC Bylaws, Article I., Section 1.1). The goals of this organization are to improve the working condition within education, be supportive of educational programs for children, and build a strong foundation of individuals who strive for high quality education and promote excellence.

On the NAEYC website I noticed a link titled " Bringing Boys and Girls Together". The article  discussed how most preschoolers play with children that are the same sex as them. Mostly it is because of their need to place things in categories that match so it is common that they play with the same sex because of similarities. An Arizona worker decided to find a way to link children of the opposite sex to play with one another. Gender can be considered as a part of diveristy and that it why I found this article interesting.

Establishing Contact for Professional Growth

Linking with other professionals can seem like a simple task of just picking up the phone to make a call but when trying to establish contact with someone who does not live in the same country as can seem intimidating. To complete this task, I decided to visit NAEYC website and look for information on how to connect globally. I came upon the Global Alliance for Education of Young Children and decided to pick two contact from Asia and one contact from Africa. I chose these three because I am curious to learn what are their specific cultures as well as job duties. I composed and email explaining why I was reaching out to them and what I hoped to gain from having them as a professional contact. I am not sure how successful and email will be but I know it is a starting point for me. In regard to organization of interest I decided to study the NAEYC's website as well as the National Head Start Association's website. I decided to chose these because their missions are not only focused on the children and bettering education but also on the amount of professional and reliable credibiltiy each one holds.

The National Association for the Education of Young Childrenhttp://www.naeyc.org/
National Head Start Associationhttp://www.nhsa.org/

My Supports

Within my daily routines I receive so much support from family and friends that I truly appreciate and I do not know what I would do without them. My husband who is my rock and my fountain of reason when I have a bad day is my #1 supporter. I truly feel that he is special and unique but I am sure that every woman feels that way about the man in her life. The everyday life of cleaning and maintaining a home can be overwhelming at times. Sometimes it feels as though I do not have enough hands and hours in the day to complete all that I have on my "To do" list. My husband tries assists me with daily house chores like cooking and cleaning (I know...a shocker right?!) to allow me time to complete my homework assignments and I am grateful for that. My friends keep pushing me forward to complete my dream of graduating with my Masters as well as my dream of one day opening up my very own childcare center. They have often come over for a girls day for us to talk, laugh and sometimes cry about the frustration of work, family, and life. My parents and sister live two hours away from me and wish that they lived much closer so that I could see them more often. We talk on the phone almost everyday and I feel that they aslo give me that emotional support I need.

I thought about what life would be like if I had a physical disabilty like being wheelchair bound and the thought of that is horrifying. To be completely depending on my husband to help me cook, cleaning, bath, dress, and drive me to work would be a difficult task for him I am sure. With the mindset I have I know that I would be determined to be as independent as possible because I hate the idea of having to completely depend on a person. I know I should not feel that way about my husband but that is the kind of person that  I am. I would need to the support of my husband physically, emotionally and financially but I would also need the support of my parents as well to limit the burden off of my husband. I would probably appreciate the simple task of brushing my teeth because I know that I take that for granted now because I am completely able to do it on my own. I have often heard from people with disabilities say how appreciative they are for the simple things in life.

My Connections to Play

“Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play.”

Henri Matisse
French painter
1869–1954

“Play, while it cannot change the external realities of children’s lives, can be a vehicle for children to explore and enjoy their differences and similarities and to create, even for a brief time, a more just world where everyone is an equal and valued participant.”

Patricia G. Ramsey
Contemporary American educational psychologist

When I was younger my parents supported me a great deal when I had my play time. My mother would sit at the kitchen table and allow me to cook special meals for her as if I was at a restaurant. My famous dish was soup, which as nothing more than dish water that I poured in small bowls with a plastic spoon. I remember when my dad would come home after working offshore for two weeks at a time and he would sit and play with me for a few hours. We would make all kinds of things out of play-dough and often used my mother’s cookie cutters to make different shapes. It was a way for us to bond and spend quality father and daughter time and I truly loved it. I used to love to play with my magic troll dolls and pretend that they were a huge family in a vacation house in Florida. I would use the tub as my ocean, popsicle sticks as surfs and I would imagine that they were surfing on the waves in the ocean. Play was extremely important to me growing up because it allowed me to express my imagination without and boundaries. My parents have always stated that I was creative and full of life and I am glad they allowed me to express that.

As a child I remember everyone supporting childhood play. In elementary school my kindergarten teacher would allow us to dress in costumes and when often played games to learn the letters of the alphabet and numbers. She incorporated play into our learning time which I feel is very important for young children. In a way I believe that play is similar in some ways that I remember when growing up. Teachers are still engaged in learning and the understand play is needed in order to enhance a child’s learning ability. For example, some teachers have attached songs to help students remember their time tables or help them remember a part of history. I remember my teacher telling us “Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in the year 1492”. By her rhyming blue and 2 it helped me remember the year he discovered the “New World”. My hope for the future is for the states to give teachers some breathing room when it comes to standards, and allow their love for teaching and a child’s love for learning to shine through.

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because I believe it allows to me to have a healthy normal life. I take pride in all the relationships that I have with my husband, parents, siblings,friends and co-workers. Above is a picture of my co-worker who recently as of this year became my friend and a great workout buddy. Because of her I have  found the energy to put my health first again and I thank our wonderful friendship for that. Relationships can help to ease the pain of grief, give you extreme excitement through events like wedding or the birth of a child, or (like me) allow you to realize what it really important in life and help you reach that goal. I currently have positive relationships with my husband (Jonathan), father (Phil), mother (Carmalisa), sister (Yaka), nephew (Dillon), brother in law (Gershom), best friend (Pam), and my newest buddy (Tara shown above). Included in this list of positive relationships I can not forget about my four legged children Mia and Lucky because I do feel strongly that dogs bring great joy to human lives.

My husband gives me the push that I need every day to complete my goals and he never forgets to tell me how much he loves me and how proud he is of me. My parents sacrificed so much for my sister and I growing up and education was always something they pushed for. My mother decided to go back to get her degree when I was in the 8th grade and I admired her for that. My parents remind me that it is never too late to try new things and have supported me in all of my endeavors. My sister and brother in law or my comedian when I need a good laugh. My sister has always been there for me and even though she only has a high school education I am so proud of her for where she is today. My nephew is that little spark of sunshine that I love. The day he was born I felt that my heart had melted and I love him as if he was my own. Even though I am his aunt he gives me the greatest support out of my entire family because he always makes sure that Nanny's "homework" is done. Pam has been my best friend for 16 years and she has seen me at my best and my worst and she loves me just the same. Tara has been my biggest fan since my journey on living a healthier lifestyle. She has helped me to be open and honest with myself and I love her to death because of that. That is why she is pictured above, she helped to realize that although I focused my energy on work, family, and school that I deserved to put that much energy into myself.

In life we all have faced challenges in relationships with family as well as friends. Yes aunt so and so comes to grandma's house every year for Christmas every year with her drama but you must find a way (if possible) to make the experience positive because you may be the support that she needs. My mother's sister used to drive me crazy with the stories (lies) she would tell about how much money she had and how people were beneath her. I thought she was rude and inconsiderate until I realized that she was looking for attention and acceptance for what she did not have. One day I told her that although I did not like the way she acts from time to time, that she is family I still love her. Since then she is not as boastful with her comments and has learned how to say the words "thank you" when someone does something nice for her. With all of the positive relationships that I have I know it will assist me with building and developing working relationships in my career as the years go on.