Module 2 Assignment 4 Ly'chel Baker

The Research

Many early childhood educators are unaware of the developmental importance of brain development.  Those who are aware do not think about how critical brain development begins at conception and continues through the first five years of life. For example, if we look at how sound develops during pregnancy fetuses begin to hear in the second trimester around 18 weeks and then “by 24 weeks, those ears are rapidly developing” (Timmons, 2015).  Then when we look at infants, “their receptive language abilities begin growing leaps and bounds from the moment they are born” (2012, p. 155).  Prenatal care, fetal development, nutrition, and economics are all factors that impact receptive language and brain development (2012).

Early childhood educators have a stake in this development.  Each early childhood stakeholder plays a vital role in the developmental architecture of a young child’s brain (2012). The experience we provide for the child both inside and outside of the womb can have both positive and negatives effects on the developing brain. Research suggests that providing quality enriched experiences help to build neurons in the brains that become the passageway for the transferal of information (2012).  These neuro-connections will be pruned later in life. When a child can establish more neuro-connections early on and sustain those connections through enriched experiences the stronger the foundation for learning.  Providing enriching early experiences for young children promotes healthy brain development. As early childhood professionals it is our responsibility to advocate for the children that we serve. However even as professionals we must be aware of the impact of fetal and infant brain development on learning.

The Message

The message that is essential for early childhood stakeholders is that they play a crucial role in brain development.  There are many experiences in which we can provide children and their families in order to support this development.  There are many practices that provide high quality enriched experiences through play, attachment, and environment.  This is essential especially when you consider how “children’s brains develop at fantastic rates” which is why we should take advantage of this rich time to connect children with well-trained teachers and high-quality programs to stimulate their learning” (2004, 46).

The Importance

This topic is of importance to me because “positive early experiences forge the foundations for lifelong learning and behavior” (2008).  This sets children up for lifelong success in their pursuit of college and career.  “Better yet…children need [this foundation] to be prepared for school because school prepares children to participate in life: as engaged citizens… and as contributing members of their neighborhoods, workplaces, and society” (2004, p. 48).

Call to Action

Join this campaign which will target early childhood professionals, new mothers, as well as, early childhood programs.  The goal of this campaign will be to provide information on providing experiences to promote brain development.  We will host a conference that will not only provide current research on fetal and infant brain development, but it will also review best practices in providing experiences to children through play, healthy attachments, and environments.  There will be obstacles along the way but with your support we will be able to achieve buy-in from early childhood stakeholders.

References

Berkeley Media Studies Group. (2004). Making the case for early care and education: A message development guide for advocates. Retrieved from

http://bsmg.org/sites/default/files/bmsg_handbook_making_the_case_for_early_care_and_education.pdf

Gabbard, C., & Rodrigues, L. (2008). Earlychildhood NEWS - Article Reading Center. Retrieved January 5, 2016, from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=360

Pence Turnbull, K. L., & Justice, L. M. (2012). Language development from theory to practice (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, Inc.

Timmons, J. (n.d.). When Can a Fetus Hear? Retrieved January 5, 2016, from http://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/when-can-a-fetus-hear

What Does It Mean to Be an Early Childhood Professional?

The role of an early childhood professional is one that has been over looked for too long. Some may even believe that all we are just babysitters but I challenge you for a moment to think about all the people who have helped you through your childhood both good and bad and how those experiences has influenced your adult life. The truth is that all the people we encounter when we were younger are critical to our development. This is why I am so passionate about my career as an early childhood educator and leader of change. It is my job to ensure the all the children receive the best educational experiences to foster a positive outcome for their future because they are the future of our society. 

Let me share some quick facts, with you, about the benefits early childhood professionals have on the development of young children, their families, and the communities in which they serve. Did you know that there is research to support that enriched early childhood experiences can increase student achievement, graduations rates, employment opportunities, and overall income; while reducing special needs programming, delinquent behaviors, crimes, and dependence on welfare (Barnett, 2008)? Not to mention the impact we have on a child’s cognitive, physical, emotional, and social development providing them opportunities to grow these areas of development through exploring the world around them (Barnett, 1995). All while helping young children to develop positive self-concepts and an unique identity they will be proud to claim as their own (Barnett, 1995). Or how about the fact that we help parents care for, educate, and socialize their children into our society. For this reason and more, I am so passionate about what I do and this why I have dedicated today to spending time with others who share in the love of advocating for young children and their families. So to answer your question, No we are not babysitter but early childhood professional changing the lives of young children everyday!  

Reference

Barnett, W. S.. (1995). Long-Term Effects of Early Childhood Programs on Cognitive and School Outcomes. The Future of Children, 5(3), 25–50. http://doi.org/10.2307/1602366

Barnett, W. S. (2008). Preschool education and its lasting effects: Research and policy implications. Boulder and Tempe: Education and the Public Interest Center & Education Policy Research Unit. Retrieved [date] from http://epicpolicy.org/publication/preschool- education

Time Well Spent

Wow, 18 month can really fly by! I would not have been able to imagine that I would have been able to attend an online university and felt this connected with others. My journey through this experience has been life changing. My evolution as an individual is due to my educational experiences here at Walden University. I have established a new mindset, one that is open to the ideas and perspective of others, self-reflective, to continuously learn, and become a leader of social change to impact the greater good of society. 

I thank my colleague who have supported me along the way and have helped guide my thinking through discussion post and blog comments. I am honored to have worked alongside talented individuals who motivated me, encouraged me, and inspired me to get out of my own way and succeed. I am so proud of all of you and I can't wait to see the amazing things you will do in the future.

I would also like to thank Dr. Dratt your guidance was amazing! I did not think that I would be able to complete my Capstone but you were able to walk me through the process and keep me on track. Thank you for providing us with opportunities to think beyond our current situation, look a vast job opportunities with in the field of early childhood, and providing meaningful feedback to promote growth. I have grown because of you and all the amazing professors a Walden. 

Now, I will begin a new chapter in my educational career earning a doctoral degree in Early Childhood Education. I know that road of head of me is not easy but I have gained abilities, resources, and tools through my experience in this program that will support me through the next chapter. I have a new self-confidence that was established here a Walden University.

Before we leave I would like to share the video that I watch to help me remember why I do my job and lifts me up when my work overwhelms me and seems to difficult to handle. 

Be inspired, Be encourage, Be connected, Be present, and Be an innovator of social change!

Please keep in touch.

 Ly'chel Baker: lychele.carmichael@pgcps.org

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

As I prepare to finish my master's in early childhood education, it is important to think about the vast job opportunities that are available for me both domestic and international. Below are a list of international organizations and agencies that I found interesting, which are dedicated to making social change in the lives of young children and their families.

1. Child Trends- "Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center that provides valuable information and insights on the well-being of children and youth" (childtrends.org). Their mission is to "improve the lives and prospects of children and youth by conducting high-quality research and sharing the resulting knowledge with practitioners and policymakers" (childtrends.org). Although this is an international company it is locally based and have an office located in Maryland. One of the jobs that I found most interesting was the Research Assistant- Early Childhood. I liked this position because it evolved assisting scientist in conducting research in the early childhood field. The requirements for this position are having a bachelor's degree (P.H.D preferred) in their field of early childhood, strong written skills, good verbal communication, and the ability to analyze data. 

2. International Step By Step Association- "ISSA’s vision is a society where families, communities and professionals work together to empower each child to reach her or his full potential and embrace values of social justice and equity (issa.nl). Their mission is to "support professional communities and develop a strong civil society that influences and assists decision makers to provide high quality care and educational services for all children from birth through primary school (birth through 10 years old), with a focus on the poorest and most disadvantaged, ensure greater inclusion of family and community participation in children's development and learning, and ensure social inclusion and respect for diversity" (issa.nl). Job opportunities were not as clear as other organizations that I discovered. You can become a member of the organization and many of its members hold job positions in other early childhood fields. They do have the following positions although none of them are currently open: executive director, program director, senior program manager, membership officer, officer coordinator, and communications officer. I was drawn to this organization for it's mission and vision and felt a connection to them. 

3. Art Building Children's Dreams (ABCD): ABCD's mission is to provide support to vulnerable children and families around the world so that they can accomplish their dreams (abcdreams.ca). "Art Building Children’s Dreams is to provide financial assistance to the schools and families of orphans and children at risk by using the children’s art to raise funds for their education and for community development" (abcdreams.ca). One of the jobs that most interested me was the instructional design and facilitator position which designs, plans, and facilitate trainings for developing countries educational systems services young children (abcdreams.ca). They qualification for this position were not listed because this position is not available at this time. 

Reference 

Art Building Children's Dreams. 2015. Retrieved from http://abcdreams.ca/

Child Trends. 20105. Retrieved from http://www.childtrends.org/

International Step By Step Association. n.d. Retrieved from http://www.issa.nl/

This week I have been challenged to look at national organizations and federal agencies that provide services to young children. This is an extremely important task because there are many jobs in the field of early childhood that are not publicly recognized. I feel this is the perfect challenge for me because I need to look outside the box for possible jobs in my field and really explore my options so that I can find one that speaks to my passion.

The first organization I discovered was the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Education. This organization mission is to enhance professional develop opportunities for teachers, advocate for improvements, discuss educational issues, provide a communication network, and work with other organizations but local and national (naecte.org). There are various board positions, regional representative positions, and non-board members paid positions. You can also find and search research and journals about early childhood issues and trends.

The second organization is the National Child Care Association supports public policies that benefits children. They host conferences, professional developments, special events, and programs. They provide the latest news, journals, and research in the field of early childhood. I was not able to find any job postings but they did have a like to become apart of the NCCA's Lobbing Team.

The third organization I found is one the Association for Early Learners and their mission is to "promote  leadership development and enhancing program quality through the National Accreditation Commission's standards. Since 1984, Early Learning Leaders have been serving childcare directors, owners and administrators" (earlylearningleaders.org). They provide online training, conferences registration, accreditation registration, and webinars. Again, I was not able to find job posting for this organization. 

In conclusion, I was disappointed in my research because I did not discover the information I was looking for in possible positions that are with in these organizations. I looked at several organization and agencies I had the same problem. I hope that others were more successful and that I will be able to learn and discover new position through my colleagues. 

References

Association for Early Learning Leaders (Association for Early Learning Leaders)

http://www.earlylearningleaders.org/

National Child Care Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.nccanet.org/

NAECTE - Home (NAECTE - Home)

http://naecte.org/

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

This week, I was challenged to find at least three local or state organizations that I found appealing and find job opportunities that I thought were interesting, listing skills and experiences that I would need to fulfill each of these roles. In the state of Maryland I was able to find three organizations that I found appealing. The first organization is the Maryland State Child Care Association their mission is to assist in the growth and advancement of Maryland licensed childcares and learning centers (mscca.org). I found this organization interesting because I have a close connection to their mission and vision. I understand the professional development and growth it takes for child care center to become licensed and to maintain that license. This organization supports these centers by providing them with valuable state resources to help them stay on top of current changes and new information. They also provide trainings and conferences in the state of Maryland. The second organization, I discovered was the National Child Care Association based out of Washington, DC. This organization mission is to support policies and regulations that are good for all children (ncc.site-ym.com). They hold special conferences, professional developments, provide articles and resources for members to access. The third organization I chose was the National Early Childhood Teacher Training Association which thrives to build and implement a bi-lingual eLearning experience that uses technology to allow early childhood leaders to reach their goals (nectta.org). They host training all over the state of Maryland for early childhood professional through online classes for an affordable price. I found this organization interesting because I have a passion for training early childhood professionals. These organizations would be great assets to my community of practice because they have valuable information and resources that will be useful in my efforts to extend pre-k to all children in Maryland regardless of economic status. 

There were many teaching opportunities in Maryland and opportunities to work as a director of a daycare center but since I already have experience in those fields I wanted to look deeper at other job opportunities that were not commonly known to early childhood professionals. I came across three that I thought were really interesting, the first job was a position with the State of Maryland as an Education Program Specialist 1. The salary for this position is between $ 60,543.00 and $97, 203.00. The duties include providing support to early childhood programs focusing on early childhood inventions, progress monitoring, and assessment practice. Applicants for this position must have a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Special Education, Early Childhood Education and four year teaching in the field of early childhood. The second job opportunity that I discovered was Professional Development Manager for Apples for Children, which is located in Hagerstown, MD. It did not list the salary range for this position but the duties are developing and implementing professional development for early childhood professionals. Applicants for this position must have a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education, experience teaching adults, and developing professional development sessions. The last job I saw that was different was at John Hopkins University for a CEO position for their partnership school. The CEO will be responsible for establishing evidence-based practice and innovation in Early Childhood Education and Elementary and lead in creating high performing school servicing a diverse community. The salary range for this position is between $90,000.00 to $120, 000.00 and applicants must have a Doctorate degree in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, with experience in school leadership. 

For each of these positions I will have to have a graduate degree in the field of Early Childhood and experience working with young children. Some of the positions require that I have leadership experience, understand how to work with adults, and develop and implement trainings. I feel that I will be able to meet these standards with the completion of my Master's degree and entering in to the Doctoral program at Walden University for Early Childhood Education in October. I am also entering in to a teacher leadership program, which starts at the end of this month as well as continue to provide professional development sessions for my school and the professional development training coordinator. I was glad to find position outside the norm that meet what I am currently doing and where I feel I can greatly impact the field of early childhood education.