Child Development and Public Health

"An estimated 130 million infants are born around the world each year. Protecting these newborns from vaccine-preventable diseases requires an organized, accessible, and well-functioning immunization program as a key component of a country's public health program" (Center for Disease Control and Prevention).

     Immunizations are something that I never thought twice about! I had the luxury of having immunizations accessible and free for both of my children. We went for our baby check-ups and it was routine to give them their vaccines. Not all countries are as fortunate to have health care at their fingertips. Vaccination has been so successful that we now rarely see potentially deadly infections such as diphtheria, polio or preventable types of meningitis. J.P. Baker (Berger, 2012) states that immunization is said to have had "a greater impact on human mortality reduction and population growth than any other public health intervention besides clean water." However, children in developing countries who don't get vaccinated are still at risk of deadly infections. "Successful vaccination programs save thousands of lives, which is why organizations such as UNICEF and the World Health Organization are committed to making vaccines against measles, polio, and other serious diseases, available to as many children as possible around the world" (CDC).  Each child that has been vaccinated helps to stop the spread of disease and immunizations also protects children from complications such as; blindness, deafness, sterility, and meningitis (Berger, 2012).

     What about diseases that can't be prevented through immunizations? What about children and their families who are exposed to malaria? There is no vaccine for malaria, but there are preventable measures, but developing countries don't have the means to implement these preventable resources. According to the article, "Information on Malaria" it states that malaria is caused by a parasite that is transmitted by the bite of an Anopheles mosquito that occurs between dusk and dawn because the Anopheles mosquitoes feed at night. There are an estimated 216 million cases of malaria each year globally, which is alarming when you consider how preventable it is. I am not sure if any of you have heard of the campaign, "Spread the Net' but this campaign helps to raise money for countries that are exposed to malaria so they can purchase bug nets for when families sleep. That is why there is such a need for bed nets. One $10 bed net can protect a family of five from malaria for five years.

     Last year the Colleges and Universities across Canada were challenged with a "Spread the Net" contest to see which learning institution could raise the most amount of money in four months. The students and teachers came together at the college that I work at and over the period of four months, we as a school community raised just over $40,000 and we were the college that raised the most amount of money across Canada!! That money raised could protect as many as 19,000 lives from malaria. These bug nets protect families while they sleep which can lower the risks of being bit through the night by the mosquitoes that carry the disease.

     "Spread the Net" is a campaign that our college community continuously supports and one that I value as well. If we can keep children safe from disease by providing them and their families with one bug net and give them the quality of life they deserve then it is so worth trying to make a difference. We try and ensure that the children in our own communities have the chance to thrive and have opportunities to develop to their fullest, but it is important to think beyond our own community. Every child deserves the best and if we can make a difference then it is worth it.


Berger, K.S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th edition). New York, NY: Worth Publishers

Global Vaccines and Immunizations. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from:

http://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/immunization/

Information on Malaria. International Travel Health and Vaccination Clinic Inc. Retrieved from: http://www.doctortravel.ca/index.php?page=malaria

Childbirth in my Life and in Holland

Who would have ever thought that this......   

                       

Could result in this!!!

  

 What a journey life is, to start out as a cell then into an embryo to a fetus to a birth of a baby and then through the different stages of development!

I have been blessed with two beautiful children who are now 10 and 12 years of age. They have enriched my life with love, laughter and pure enjoyment. I had two distinct pregnancies and birth experiences with each.

I got pregnant later in life as it was never the right time…either I was in school or my husband was in school. I got pregnant with my son when I was 31 so I was considered older. I had a great pregnancy; I ate healthy, stayed fit, read every book and took my vitamins, just as I was supposed to.  We had our “birthing plan”, chose our doctor and hospital and went to prenatal classes. Home birth was never even considered for some reason. Hospital births were just what everyone did. Home birth seemed scary to me…what if there was a problem? We took time to enjoy each month as my belly grew and the baby began to move. I read to him and sang to him and so did my husband. Ben arrived two weeks early, it was fine that he was a bit early, but it was not fine as my water broke in the middle of night….the early morning of my best friend’s wedding….did I mention that I was the “maid of honor”…YIKES!!! That was the first time that I experienced any stress throughout my entire pregnancy. I had more tears about missing her wedding than I did about going into labor!

The doctors and nurses made my experience as pleasant as they could…that was after they all auditioned to see who would take over the role as the new “maid of honor”. There was no doubt in my mind…I was having an epidural. If I didn’t have to feel the pain then I was signing up! Yeah for epidurals! My son was born a healthy 6 lbs. 6 oz. My son who is now 12 does have a learning disability with a diagnosis of a mild intellectual delay. School is very hard for Ben as he works academically at a grade 1 level. He has lots other strengths that we tend to focus on; he is funny, loving and caring and a wicked snowboarder!

So who knows why this happened? 

I know that we were only to talk about one experience, but I just want to share quickly how my second was quite different. My second pregnancy was exactly two years later. I was very excited to have another baby and a sibling for my son. This pregnancy was anything but relaxing. Everything was fine until we reached our fifth month. At an ultrasound appointment, they spotted that instead of having a three vessel cord there were only two. We found out this could result into two things; either renal problems (kidney problems) or trisomy-21 known as Down syndrome. That was the worst day ever!!! I was so nervous during that appointment. The doctor asked me lots of questions, measured every part of the baby. The doctor said it was too late to do an amniocentesis so we would just have to wait and see. The technician tried to reassure me that everything looked great but we didn’t know for sure. I went home and cried! I tried to stay positive and not stress, but that was impossible. Next, we found out that she was breech. They tried to turn her, but she wouldn’t turn….now I know where her stubbornness comes from. We had to schedule a C–section due to the fact that she was breech, so that made me nervous as well. Well, my daughter didn’t wait until her scheduled C-section as she decided to break my water 3 days prior. My experience was a lot different as this birthing process became surgery, so it seemed much more formal. I was more nervous because I was unsure of her health. When she arrived, my husband whispered in my ear that she was fine! J A pregnancy that was so stressful resulted with a perfectly healthy baby born at 7lbs. 2oz. No renal problems and no Down syndrome?? Now at 10 years old she thrives in school, is in competitive gymnastics and snowboards.

I decided to compare birthing experiences from what I know about the United States to Holland’s birthing practices as this is a place that I have always wanted to visit. 

Rather than seeing an obstetrician, expecting mothers are referred to a local midwife practice and doctors will only intervene if complications arise or if there are high risk cases (Schalken, 2104).  All pregnant mothers are expected to pick up a kit called a kraampakket which has all of the supplies that they will need if they have a home birth (Schalken, 2104).  If you do not decide on a home birth, the midwife will come to the house and check on the mother’s progress and let the parents know when they should go to the hospital (Schalken, 2104).   If you decide on a hospital birth, it’s unlikely that you’ll get an epidural as epidurals are usually given only if it’s convenient for the anesthesiologist’s schedule. Giving birth naturally remains ideal for the vast majority of Dutch women. If a mother gives birth early in the day without complications, she and the baby may go home in as little as two hours (Schalken, 2104). One of their customs is for the nurse to make a traditional snack to celebrate the birth and manage the visitors who come to see mom and baby (Schalken, 2104).

References

Schalken, L. (20140. Birth customs around the world. American Baby. Retrieved from:

       http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/?page=2

Ideals That are Meaningful to Me

Listed below are three ideals that are contained in NAEYC and DEC Code of Ethics that are meaningful to me.

I-2.2- To develop relationships of mutual trust and create partnerships with the families we serve. I chose this ideal as I feel that family involvement is the key to a child's success in our programs, but before you can build a partnership or have families participate in your programs, you must have mutual trust. Parents must feel that genuine trust before they will open up about their child and their family. We want to build a positive bridge between home and school as the link between educators and parents is the foundation for success. Families are the first and most powerful influence on children's early learning and development, therefore we want to make sure that we are in fact creating partnerships with them. (NAEYC 1-2.4 Code of Ethics)

I-1.3- To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child. I shouldn't assume, but I feel that if you are going to work with children and help educate them to your best ability then it should be a common practice to keep knowledgeable regarding child development, staying informed and continuing with education and training. Why I chose this ideal is that I have seen too many time educators who "paint" children with same paint brush as they don't take into account or respect the unique qualities, abilities and potential of each child. Some tend to group children together as they don't know how to support a child's unique way of thinking or learning. Some educators have a difficult time adapting their teaching styles to a variety of abilities or strengths of a child. It is key to a child's success not only to be respectful but aware of each child's individuality. (NAEYC 1-1.3 Code of Ethics)

RESPONSIVE FAMILY CENTERED PRACTICES

1. We shall demonstrate our respect and appreciation for all families' beliefs, values, customs, languages, and culture relative to their nurturance and support of their children toward achieving meaningful and relevant priorities and outcomes families' desire for themselves and their children. I chose this ideal form the Division of Early Childhood's Code of Ethics as once again I feel so strongly about family involvement, but it is disheartening how each week I have been finding resources that say how educators need more training with how to involve families who are culturally or linguistically diverse. How are we going to demonstrate respect for all families' beliefs, values, customs etc. if we don't know how to effectively embrace this diversity. This is why this ideal is so meaningful to me as we continuously open our programs to diverse families, but in reality don't know how to successfully incorporate everyone's rich differences. This ideal is stating that with diversity comes different beliefs, culture or language which may in fact alter their understanding of our programs therefore, this reinforces that we have to try harder to truly respect ALL families.

It was a pleasure sharing three ideals that I find meaningful which keep me inspired, focused and passionate.

There are so many informative and useful resources out there for us as professionals to keep us knowledgeable, informative and fresh. Here is a list of resources that was made available to us this week.

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://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://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf
• 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.
• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://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 media segment 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/
  Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.
• 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/
• 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/
• Institute for Women's Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/
• 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.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/

Here are some additional resources that I would like to share with you. A couple of these  resources are Canadian. 

New website, available for Canadian parents. Parents can find out why it's hard to find good child care, about child care options in each province and territory, general information about child care in Canada, what the best evidence says about quality, and how to improve their chances of accessing high-quality child care. I bet there is not much difference between what parents are looking for in Canada and parents in the United States. Let me know what you think??

Website: http://www.findingqualitychildcare.ca/

This is next resource is Walter Drew's new book from NAEYC, From Play to Practice: Connecting Teachers' Play to Children's Learning. I chose this book as a resource because it is so important for educators to understand the value of play. That children do not only learn from a teacher led activity, that there is so much value on open-ended play that children engage in.

http://www.naeyc.org/store/From-Play-to-Practice

The next document is one that we implement at the college that I teach at. It is called the ELECT Document, Early Learning for Every Child Today. This is a best start initiative. We tend to focus on the 6 statement of principles which starts on page 8.

http://www.cfcollaborative.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ELECT.pdf

Inspirational Quotes from Contributors and Professionals in the ECE Field

A quote by Janet Gonzalez-Mena

"Part of being who you are has to do with feeling your feelings, which means you'll have a wide range of emotions--not just constant sunshiny happiness."- Janet Gonzalez-Mena



"The moment I decided to follow instead of lead, I discovered the joys of becoming part of a small child's world."- Janet Gonzalez-Mena



Dr. Ann Turnbull

"But our greatest hope is that it's not just the responsibility of parents and individuals with intellectual disabilities to be advocates and ambassadors but the classmates, the co-workers, the neighbors, the members of religious communities."
Resource:
"Attitudes Toward the Intellectually Disabled." Talk of the Nation, Washington DC, August 11, 2009.

A quote by Raymond Hernandez Ms. Ed.
Executive Director School of Early Childhood Education

"I think my passion comes from wanting to make a difference. Like I've said before and I admit, I truly believe that I'm not here to save the world. I am here just to make a difference in the community that I am working."-Raymond Hernandez Ms. Ed.
Reference:

Laureate Education, Inc., (n.d.). The passion for early childhood.

A quote by Sandy Escobido 
Deputy Field Director, Los Angeles Preschool Advocacy Initiative

"We as professionals in the Early Childhood field have an opportunity to shape a child's life for the better." -Sandy Escobido
Reference:

Laureate Education, Inc., (n.d.). The passion for early childhood.

My Personal Childhood Web

I identified 4 different groups of people in my life who have surrounded me with a supporting, loving and nurturing environment throughout the years from when I was little to now….. a little older!!!

                My mom                                                                                   My dad

Both my parents have had such a big impact on the paths I have taken that have led me to who I am today. They have always trusted my decisions…whether good or bad. If it was a wrong decision, it was never, “I told you so!” but rather, “What did you learn?” My fondest memories of my family is being at our cottage. We bought our cottage when I was 4 and we spent every week-end and every summer up at the lake. We swam, had camp fires where we sang silly songs, played games and just took time to enjoy one another. I was always close to both my parents, but extra close to my dad. He never showed his love with kisses, but “wet willies” was how he expressed his love. I wouldn’t trade all those wet yucky ears for anything! My parents have guided me in the many different paths that have come my way. My dad passed away 15 years ago and there isn’t a moment that I still don’t think of him or wish that I could just get one more “wet willie”. Even though he wasn’t there to walk me down the aisle or witness the birth of my 2 children, I know that he was looking down with such love and joy.  I still seek his advice or approval daily as I know that he is still guiding me with everything that I do. That may seem weird to some, but have you ever watched, “The Long Island Medium”? I never miss it and I truly believe that even though I can’t physically see my dad, that he is there with a smile as I know that he is proud of who I have become. 

My grandparents

My grandparents were a big part of my life. Every Sunday night was a big dinner at my grandparent’s house where we all gathered together at the table sharing great food and then playing with my cousins. There was a great feeling of community where everyone had a sense of belonging. My grandparents always made me feel special. I was always greeted with the biggest kisses and the squishiest of hugs. Every time my grandfather would kiss me he would say, “You are sooooo beautiful!” He was so genuine that I truly believed him. I remember that I use to have these great sleepovers at their house. They lived on the water and I always remember getting up and feeding the ducks with my grandmother. They were very special and I always cherished their genuine love they had for me.

                                                                My siblings

 What can you say about siblings???? I am the youngest of four children. My sister is 8 years older than I am, so when I was 10 she was already married.  We are close now, but when I was young and playing Barbies, she was kissing boys!! Although, I do remember her making clothes for all of my Barbies! She is more than a sister to me now.  She is also my friend who I share things with. She is also very close to my children and my children adore her as well.  I also have 2 older brothers….what can I say about brothers?  Jane Austen said, “What strange creatures brothers are!”  If you have some, you will know what I am talking about. They teased me, bugged me and would scare me daily!!! I honestly think that is a job of a brother. Even with all the teasing, they always watched out for me, especially at school. I am especially close to one of my brothers today…even after all that teasing. Our children are the same ages and we do a lot together with our families.

                                                                My friends

I was very lucky and still am to be surrounded by a diverse group of friends who have brought out the best in me and me in them. Friends offer you a different type of support. You can trust them; you share the same interests and you are there for one another. I am still friends with a girl I have known since I was 7 years old. I cherish her friendship.

I can honestly say that all of the people who care or cared about me have made me a better, daughter, sister, friend, mother and wife. Their encouragement to foster my strengths and work on my needs has made me who I am. I still look for their encouragement. When I hesitated about applying to Walden due to my lack of confidence, they all encouraged me and said that I could do it and guess what? I am!!!

A True Work of Art!

This is a picture that my daughter painted when she was 5 years old. When I look at the picture I always say, "Wow, she made this!!" My daughter was and still is fascinated with frogs. She has a frog room and when we spend the summer at the cottage, the frogs become her best friends. I find that when something is relevant and meaningful to children it can be represented in their art work. They create in much more detail and put more work into their drawings when it means something to them. Have you ever asked a child to just paint a picture? If you have, they may make a few strokes with paint brushes, but if a child really likes something and you ask them to represent what they like with the paint, you will be amazed at what they will create. When there is meaning they to can show their own passion through representation.