Week 4 Sharing Web Resources

Website: http://www.nbcdi.org/

The specific sections of this website that were revelent to me were the New Sections the showed the current things happening with this association and the events. I also found the section with resources and policy and advocacy.


I found the statements that substantial funding should be available to help programs to move up the quality ladder through environmental improvement and professional development to be the goal of all educational organizations.

I think I received not a better understanding but just again recognized the importance of the investment in Early care quality programs and how in the long run the investment saves money and taxpayers reap the benefits of lower special education classes.

Week 3 Poverty

I have not made any connections and the website that is listed as the alternative didn't work. But I did chose the country of Africa to research.

 Mandela once said " Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity, it's an act of justice".

Zimbabwe in Africa has not even established that children have rights. And with them not having rights this denies them the basic rights of healthcare, education and food and water and these rights that we guarantee our children have here in America are denied to them on a daily basis.

1 out of every 2 children live in poverty and since the children's rights are no established they are forced into labor or slavery.

The water supply in this area of the country is not sufficient to provide for the population and the children have to drink water that is polluted which then leads to health complications. With the lack of water in the country and the rationing of the water that is available, hygiene is difficult to maintain also.

Retrieved from www.humanium.org/en/zimbabwe

Week 2: Sharing Web Resources

The name of the organization that I selected was NBCDI: National Black Child Development Institute, www.nbcdi.org.is org
This organization is committed to improving and advancing the quality of life for black children and their families through education and advocacy. they provide resources for families  of black children in areas of child welfare, literacy and family engagement, early care and education.

An issue that caught my attention was their section on Early Care and Education Initiative that leads with the quote from Barack Obama, 2008 "Life doesn't count for much unless you're willing to do your small part to leave our children-all our children-a better world"
The organization has a commitment to ensuring cultural and racial diversity in the workforce. They are  on top of that need since our population has grown so much more diverse.

I was also lead to another site resource on Diversity and equality in Early childhood system. www.buildinitiative.org


References


http://www.nbcdi.org/

http://www.buildinitiative.org/

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

I decided to go with the option of the world forum podcast, but I could not find any on the site. So I will continue this week to try to make contact with 2 colleagues from other countries. I have chosen the website http://www.nbcdi.org/. I found this website while looking on the world forum website. It is the National Black Child Development Institute who's mission is “to improve and advance the quality of life for Black children and their families through education and advocacy.”  and has a vision to NBCDI envisions a society that ensures a successful future for all children.

My Supports.

sup·port

səˈpôrt/

verb

1. 1.

   bear all or part of the weight of; hold up.

   "the dome was supported by a hundred white columns"

   synonyms:

   hold up, bear, carry, prop up, keep up, brace, shore up, underpin,buttress, reinforce, under gird More
2. 2.

   give assistance to, esp. financially; enable to function or act.

   "the government gives $2.5 billion a year to support the activities of the voluntary sector"

   synonyms:

   help, aid, assist; More

noun

1. 1.

   a thing that bears the weight of something or keeps it upright.

   "the best support for a camera is a tripod"

   synonyms:

   pillar, post, prop, upright, crutch, plinth, brace, buttress; More
2. 2.

   material assistance.

   "he urged that military support be sent to protect humanitarian convoys"

   synonyms:

   maintenance, keep, sustenance,

Support to me means the help, guidance given to me by people or things that helps me to complete my goals,or job or dreams or just to move through life.

My family is very supportive of me and my goals. My children are adults but I have raised my grandson since his birth(he just turned 11 this week) and with the support of my mom and step dad i have had so much support with him that I have still been able to continue my education, they took care of him while I pursued my undergraduate degrees and he is there after school every day to complete homework and have dinner. My step dad is like a father to him and even coaches his basketball team at the recreation center. Like all parents we never want to be the grandparents that are raising the grandchildren and I know that I couldn't do it without them, they are retired and they are always there for him and I.

My new glasses. I have really had alot of problems with my eyes and headaches with all the computer time I get from work,school and just cell phone time. World of difference since I have received them. Without them I would continue to have headaches and not be albe to see and my eyesight continuing to deteriate .

 Picture of my mom who is very supportive like I meantinoned above. She helps Dj with his homeowrk daily. Dj is a A student because of her efforts. Without the support of her and my step Dad I would hate to imagine how my life would be different. I don't have to worry about having  to leave work for a sick child and always know that they are going to be there to make things easier for me, I feel bad for others who don't have that support

My Samsung galaxy Note 3.... I'm obsessed with it and it holds everything. I use it for everything and is like my laptop on the go in addition to being my phone. I depend on it to keep up with all my numbers for all the people I know, I message to my child's basketball team members parents, I send group messages to my staff when we were closed for snow days the past two weeks. I can remember my life before cell phones, but I can't imagine it without it now. I have got to work and left it and had to turn around and get it because it's like the life line.

The challenge I chose was a single parent or grandparent with no family support and new to the area so no friendship supports either. I think I take for granted that I have lived near my parents and have their support. But for a single mother or father responsible for children but still having to work and then a child ends up sick who do you turn to, maybe you can't afford to take off work but you have no choice because there is no one there to take care of your child while you go on to work. This would be a hard situation if you didn't have this support. But I would hope you could look to several agencies in your community that would support the parent and lead her or him to the right services to help and maybe to groups that parents in similar situations could connect.

"My Connections to Play"

“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.” – Mr. Rogers

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” -  Fred Rogers

 toys for young children need to match their stages of development and emerging abilities. 

    

 Blocks, Musical Instruments and Dolls are three essential toys.

The only memories I have of play in my younger years is that of being outside with friends, inside activities with my younger siblings. I think that these opportunities were provided and encouraged by my parents. We always were provided educational activities to museums when we lived in duty stations that provided these opportunities. I don't have anymore specific memories of play in my childhood because I don't really have a full memory of my early childhood at all but I do personally feel that it is important to provide several different types of opportunities for play to stimulate all the child's senses thus to develop all the child's areas of development.

I think that in the past we participated in a lot more outdoor play and activities and not specific directed play that was intended to help develop our educational development. I think that know there is so many advances in technology and research so that now we know how important it is to stimulate their development.

As an early childhood educator I know the importance of play in the children that are in my care and I try to convey that importance to the staff and families in my care. Parents still want to see the worksheets and physical proff that they can hold to prove that their child is learning but they learn through play.

References

www.naeyc.org/toys

RELATIONSHIP REFLECTION.

re·la·tion·ship

riˈlāSHənˌSHip/

noun

1. 1.

   the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected.
2. 
   
3. I think that Relationships are important to me and my life because all of the different ones have helped shaped my life and who I am. Some relationships happen just to teach you something.

This is a picture of my oldest daughter and her family, including three of my "gran girls". My daughter, Whitney and her husband Aki, who is a marine got stationed in New Jersey Two years ago and the distance has been hard because this is really the first time Whitney has not been here for all the events, holidays and all. It's hard to accept that she's all grown up with her own family. We stay in contact with calls and skype so that the gran girls continue to know who "Nana" is.

All of my "Gran Girls, Alaia, Anaya and Amara who are Whitney's children. And Felicity, AKA. Pootie and her brother my only Gran Boy.Dj, who are Nicole's children. I have raised Dj since he was born so that is a really different bond. He is with me day and night and at an age when I thought I would be long done raising a child, I still am.

This is Ms. Sherry and she is one of my Sister Directors, we are both Directors for the same company and this is a picture from our annual Directors conference that our company holds for our region and we were celebrating this night. It is great to have a relationship with Ms. Sherry because we can support each other in regards to work and personal matters and be there to vent if necessary.

This is a picture of my staff, the relationships between me and them is important to us all and the families that we serve. Because we have a good relationship it boils over into the relationships we are able to build with our families and played into our school becoming a FIVE STAR school.

This is my "Trigger". He is like my little baby and he gives that unconditional love and is always glad to see me, I would say he doesn't ever give me trouble or "Talk back", but he does.

Having a pet is said to be good for your health and I know once my DJ get a little older and starts leading his own "teenage" life Trigger will be here to keep me company.

 From Top to bottom: My step Dad Ron who is very important to my relationship and that with Dj who he helps to raise with me. He is very important to the development of Dj.

Next two are my friends Fran and Carolyn and the relationship with them are very important . We like to hang out, go out to eat, and shop together and we are each important to the other as we offer support to one another when needed.

This is a picture of me and my second ex husband. Even though he is my ex we do have a friendship that is important to both of us. We have been divorced for seven years now but still are part of each others lives.

My Youngest daughter, Nicole and mother to Dj and my youngest gran girl, Felicity. Everyone has that one child..well she is mine. Love her to death but it has been a strained relationship through the years, I am raising her oldest child and I have since birth. She lives here in town so we do interact and share family events together. She is very close to her Step father pictured above.

 Last but least, my mom and friend. I am the oldest of her three daughters and I live here right in town and she also is a great help with the raising of my grandson and her great grandson. Without her and Ron I couldn't do it and still have my life. With there help and support I was able to finish my BS degree. Couldn't function without them two.

The challenges of developing and maintaining relationships is difficult me, I am very introverted so I think that makes it difficult for me develop  and maintain relationships, I often think it's odd that I don't really have a "Best Friend".

The relationships I have listed are mostly family and coworkers or employees so these are relationships that you don't have to work hard to maintain.

I think that all of the relationships are partnerships because it is a give an take relationship, some times I may give more and sometimes the other side but we are all in it together.

I think my limited experience with other relationships including my ability to be an active, reflective contributor sometimes make me less effective in my relationships with parents, I have to work harder because I am not so outgoing and bubbly and don't do a lot of "small talking" 

This was put on my facebook page by a former co worker who knows me so well. It sums me up.