Professional Thank YOU!

To all my colleagues and peers who have supported me in this first leg of my professional journey with Walden University---THANK YOU! I could not have gotten started without your support and I appreciate each one of you! Best of luck in your educational journey! I sincerely hope we cross paths again!
Remember each day to make a true difference in someone's life. <3

Professional Insight

My first term as a student in the Walden University online learning community has been one of the most rewarding personal and professional experiences of my life. I have learned things about the profession that I am so passionate about and I have learned things about myself. The value of self-reflection, the self direction and motivation necessary for success as an online learner, making friends in "cyberspace" and learning about many enlightening professional resources are just a few of the experiences that have enriched my life in unimaginable ways....I can only dream about what the future holds. Learning has taken on a whole new meaning for me. Thanks to all of my peers, colleagues, and those profesionals at Walden University who are helping me along the way!

Ideals from NAEYC.....These ideals are solid reasons to TEACH!

Ideal #1

—To create and maintain safe and healthy settings

that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and

physical development and that respect their dignity

and their contributions.

This ideal is the most important one to me. If I cannot provide a safe and healthy environment that nurtures the WHOLE child then I am not providing the BEST education possible to the children entrusted to me. I must maintain a place where not only they are safe but they FEEL safe. Meeting and exceeding this ideal ensures an excellent quality education will be delivered. I must provide a setting that ensures that the social and emotional, cognitive, and pyhsical needs of the child are met in a developmentally appropriate manner.



Ideal #2

---To be familiar with the knowledge base of early

childhood care and education and to stay informed

through continuing education and training.

To be good at anything in life, you must first know the details of the area you wish to excel in. You can hardly be an effective early childhood educator if you do not know much about young children and how they develop. The field of early childhood is an everchanging parade of new information. Emerging research and exciting new findings about the importance of our great profession are changing the way the world views early childhood education. Staying up on the latest research and staying informed on policy changes, as well as changes in ways we find what works and what doesn't, is critical to the success of our programs.




Ideal #3

—To recognize and respect the unique qualities,

abilities, and potential of each child.

This ideal is the "individual"component of the picture. While it is important to learn new information and enhance professionalism and to create safe and healthy environments, it is of the utmost importance to value each child as an individual and to respect and celebrate his or her individual differences. Every child can learn!! It is our responsibility to reach and teach each and every one that we are lucky enough to have put in our path. Respect must be earned and created.....abilities recognized and potential maximized. These are important words to live and teach by. Take them to heart.

My Favorite Professional Resources

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/
This website offers a great variety of wonderful information. I use this one often. It has links to state liscensing requirements for each state. It also has links to Head Start Outcomes for each domain and activities to address them. This is one of the most helpful websites I use....It sparks my own thoughts for activities. I LOVE IT!!

LAECA: Louisiana Early Childhood Association

laeca.org

This is Louisiana's Early Childhood Association official website. They have an upcoming convention that I will be attending. I get to do a Make and Take with Dr. Jean!! YAY! I am so excited! There is great information on this website. I am a member of LAECA and use their resources frequently.

“I've continued to recognize the power individuals have to change virtually anything and everything in their lives in an instant. I've learned that the resources we need to turn our dreams into reality are within us, merely waiting for the day when we decide to wake up and claim our birthright.”

Anthony Robbins I like this quote because if we do not utilize our internal resources and tap into what we have to offer others as educators, we cannot achieve true success. Resources are only useful if we use them. Let us be our first and most valuable resource.

Professional Resources---Open your MIND!

Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
  
  
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
  
  
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
  
  
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
  
  
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
  
  
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
  
  
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
  
  
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
  
  Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
  
  
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42–53.
  Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title.

Part 2: Global Support for Children’s Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
  
  
• Websites:
  • World Forum Foundation
    http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the video on this webpage
    
    
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep-usnc.org/
    Read about OMEP’s mission.
    
    
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/about/
    Click on “Mission/Vision” and “Guiding Principles and Beliefs” and read these statements.

Note: Explore the resources in Parts 3 and 4 in preparation for this week’s Application assignment.

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
  
  
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
  
  
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
  
  
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
  
  
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
  
  
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm
  
  
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart’s National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
  
  
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/
  
  
• Children’s Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
  
  
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
  
  
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
  
  
• Institute for Women’s Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/index.cfm
  
  
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
  
  
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
  
  
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
  
  
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.preknow.org/
  
  
• Voices for America’s Children
  http://www.voices.org/
  
  
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/
  

Part 4: Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

Tip: Use the A-to-Z e-journal list to search for specific journal titles. (Go to “How Do I...?”, select “Tips for Specific Formats and Resources,” and then “e-journals” to find this search interface.)

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education