I have been asked to reflect on the ideals written in the NAEYC and DEC codes of ethics and discuss three ideals that speak to me and explain their significance to me professionally. But before I do that, I want to first say that my number one principle, one that is shared by the NAEYC, as well as most people who are working in their integrity in this field, is to do no harm. I will always check everything I do and say against this principle before I proceed in whatever I am doing. Now that that's said, here are the ideals that I have chosen...
1) To listen to families, acknowledge and build upon their strengths and competencies, and learn from families as we support them in their task of nurturing children (1-2.4 NAEYC Code of Ethics).
This ideal lies at the heart of the way that I approach all the work I do with young families. Listening and connecting are the first and most important tools that I use to assess, comfort, and devise a plan to help each individual and family. This approach is based in brain science and has proven to be effective and healing for all involved. I learn from the strengths and struggles of each family that I work with and it aids me in my professional and personal life. I will always be working to improve my ability to listen well. That is, I will be working to listen with more openness and compassion, and with less judgment or preconceived ideas. The simple act of listening heals and serves to validate the needs of parents and children. It allows them to feel valuable and build self-esteem, and, therefore, to learn. The act of listening can transform the world and, in my opinion, may just be they key to world peace.
2)We shall demonstrate our respect and concern for children, families, colleagues, and others with whom we work, honoring their beliefs, values, customs, languages, and culture.
This ideal, taken from the Division of Early Childhood's Code of Ethics is basic to my approach, as well. It is integral to one of my guiding professional principles, which is to meet each family where they are at. This means that my ability to help is based on my ability to understand, take into account, and work with the whole of a family's situation. I need to look at the circumstances, needs, wants, and worries of each individual family member and those of the family as a whole in order to do good work.
3) To welcome all family members and encourage them to participate in the program (1-2.3 NAEYC Code of Ethics).
I learned from my infant sleep consulting mentor, Angelique Millette, PhD, that I am the most effective when I am moving at the pace of whatever family member needs to move the slowest. This applies quite directly in sleep consulting to getting all members of the family to act as a united team that is as free of worry and stress as possible, but it also translates to all of the work I do. Even when I work in groups of mothers and their partners aren't present, I have to take into account the affect that my words and attitude will have on that partnership and, therefore, on their baby or child. When I address the needs of one mom in a group, I have to address the needs of all women in the room or I risk alienating someone else. Since my guiding goal is first to do no harm, I have to work to consider all members of a family or group at all times. This sometimes means thinking a few steps ahead, but I find this is a skill that can become quite second nature with practice.
I hope that you have found these ideas interesting and maybe even inspiring. They are the ideals that guide my work every day.
Thank you to all of you who are out there trying to help our wonderful children. We have a lot of work to do and I am so happy to have such wonderful colleagues!
Best,
Lauren
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Friday, November 29, 2013
COURSE RESOURCES
The following are some phenomenal resources in the early childhood field:
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 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.
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/ - 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/
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
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, fromhttp://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.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.
Favorite Resources
Hand in Hand Parenting is one of my favorite resources for parents...
Magdan Gerber and her perspective on infants inspires me to no end...
Parenting From the Inside Out is a phenomenal book that connects neuroscience to children's behavior. It is one of my bibles. I am very grateful to Siegel and Hartzell for writing this wonderful resource. I am also excited about Siegel's new book about the teenage brain, though I haven't read it yet. Here is a link to Dr. Siegel's webpage and to Parenting From the Inside Out...
Dr. Jack Newman is one of my constant go-to resources when it comes to breastfeeding issues. His videos are particularly helpful to moms struggling with breastfeeding who are having trouble understanding a proper latch from pictures in a book...
Dr. James McKenna is another regular resource of mine. He has studied infant-parent co-sleeping and provides safe guidelines for the practice...
I hope that you find these resources helpful!
-Lauren
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