How Build a Resiliency Mindset to Combat Childhood Adversity

Audience: Early Childhood Administrators and Program Directors 
Role: Early Childhood Advocate
Goal: My goal is to communicate to early childhood administrators and program directors that they have a vital role to educate their teachers about the effects of adversity, toxic stress, and trauma and helped them build a mindset the is both aware and responsive to children are a victims of prolong exposure to stress to decrease it's long-term affects. 

Life is hard and it is not always possible to avoid day to day stressors but extreme prolong exposure to stress can have major implications for a child in your care. The impact of adversity on young children is great. There are many risk factors that are associated with adversity, toxic stress, and trauma. This impact can start even before conception and can have potential risks in to adulthood. Stress over time and stress that occurs during various developmental stages can cause structural and functional disruptions (Shonkoff et.al., 2011). These disruptions can lead to both physical and mental illness later in life (Shonkoff et.al., 2011). It is also reported that toxic stress during childhood is closely linked to the adoption of unhealthy life styles in adulthood as a way to cope with everyday stressors. Some of these life style choices may include early use of drugs and alcohol, smoking, promiscuity, and poor health habits (Shonkoff et.al., 2011). There is also a connection between attachment and adversity. Adversity can cause poor attachment, which both affect brain development. Research suggests, “parent-child interactions is related to executive function performance” (Bernier, et. al., 2012, p. 13). Adversity can also cause health problems and children who have been exposed to stress during childhood are more likely to suffer from disease including cardiovascular, obesity, and cancer. 
Let's take a moment look inside the life of a child who is experiencing adversity. 

So what can we do as school administrators and program director? How can ensure that our students have the best chance at success after being exposed to adversity? 

Fortunately, young children are resilient and their brains are remarkable. Nero-plasticity makes healing from adversity possible. Through enriched and stimulating environments created nurturing and caring adults children who have suffered from adversity can restructure their brains altering their stress response system. We can ensure that our teachers are trauma informed and resilience building (Perks, 2015). This means developing professional development to help educators understand what adversity looks like, how it can impact child development, and how to handle issues of adversity in the classroom. We must also teach our educators how to be responsive to children who have experienced extreme amounts of stress. The cause for a resiliency mindset, which is the ability to understand that the effects of stress can be altered if early responsive intervention is in place and implemented. There are a few things that teachers must be able to do in order to be able to develop this type of mindset. 
 1. Understand what is adversity, toxic stress, and trauma.
 2. How extreme about of stress effect the brain.
 3. Know the three types of stress: positive stress, tolerable stress, and toxic stress
 4. Know how to utilize resources within the school and communities to support families who are suffering from adversity, toxic stress, and trauma. 
 5. Understand how to build positive relationship with the child and their families as well as create a nurturing environment where children feel safe and secure. 

There is a lot of work that has to be done to combat childhood adversity and it requires a network of organizations, communities of practice, and educators to come together to find resolve of this major issue. So let's get together and plan, educate, and implement the mindset of resiliency. 

Reference 

Bernier, A., Carlson, S. M., Deschênes, M., & Matte-Gagné, C. (2012). Social factors in the development of early executive functioning: A closer look at the caregiving environment. Developmental Science, 15(1), 12–24.

 Shonkoff, J. P., Garner, A. S., Siegel, B. S., Dobbins, M. I., Earls, M. F., McGuinn, L.,…Wood, D. L. (2011). The lifelong effects of early childhood adversity and toxic stress. Pediatrics, 129(1),e232–e246. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/1/e232.full.pdf

Sharing Your Language and Literacy Development Journey with Your Community of Practice

My language and literacy development journey has been pretty interesting. At, first I wanted to look at a child born during the dawn of slavery and how that would impact his language and literacy development. A lot of research went into developing that story however I was not able to use that story because the time period would conflict with future parts of the assignment. This meant that I had to start from square one in developing a story. So I decided to develop a story about a child who was born premature due to maternal dress caused by domestic violence. I wanted to see how factors such as poverty, domestic violence, and community outreach programs affected language and development in young children. There were many questions that arose during the process of creating this development story.

Here are a few questions I had:
1. How does poverty impact domestic violence?
2. What factors contributes to domestic violence?
3. How does maternal stress impact the fetal development and what implications does this have for future language development?

These questions are critical to the development of my child and how I create her storyline outlining her language and development story development. Here is a segment, from the story for you to review.

A Language and Development Story: Toddlerhood

            For this application assignment, I will conceptualize the language development and story of a child who was born three months premature. I will create a story envisioning the language development of a child from parental development to about 8 years old. My story will be set in the Atlanta, Georgia in 2007. The child will be born to a newly married couple who recently moved to Atlanta.  This application assignment will look at the language development over time and how various factors contributed to the development of language for this child. For this section of the assignment, I will describe the family culture and socioeconomic status and discuss how it impacts the child’s language development. Provide an overview of how the child is progressing through the developmental milestone of toddlerhood in the areas of psychical, social-emotional, cognitive, and language and literacy development.  I will conclude this assignment, by reflecting on how various dynamics intertwined with each other and affect the child’s language ability and acquisition.

            In the previous sections, I introduced Sarah’s home life, family, and community as well as her prenatal and infant development. Sarah was born to Kimberly and Michael on September 20, 2007. She was born three months premature due to a physical altercation between her parents. The dramatic experience sent her mother into labor three months early. Sarah was born only three pounds and struggled for the first couple of months. She had many episode where she struggled to breathe due to her underdeveloped lungs. She also developed an infection in her lungs that caused her an extended stay in the neo-intensive care unit. Her mother and father were both ashamed at the turn of events and dedicated the last months spending time with her in the hospital until she was well enough to come home.

Once she as home she spent and additional month on a breathing machine to help regulate her breathing patterns. He mother was able to stay home with her for the first six months and her father picked up work wherever he could. Being that Sarah’s mother has exhausted all her medical leave the family could only survive off of any little money the father could bring in. Money, food, and resources were scarce for Sarah and her family for the first year of her life but through family counseling, community resources, and early intervention programs they were able to enter toddlerhood with a glimpse of hope. 

Family Culture & Socioeconomic Status

        Home life for Kimberly, Michael, and Sarah has improve tremendously since she has turned one. There weekly family counseling session has helped to provide the family with valuable resources that offered in their community. Being able to talk to a professional about the domestic violence in their marriage helped them to resolve many issues that cause previous fights. Kimberly and Michael realized that their financial hardship has placed a strain on their marriage and that Michael inability to find a job made him feel inadequate as a husband and a father. Kimberly discovered that she had developed a sense of insecurity due to their financial situation in which she built resentment against her husband. They also experienced pressure from their perception of what each other role would be in their marriage. Kimberly grew up with parents who were college educated and had careers with steady income in a Christian middle class home. Michael’s father died before he turned two and his mother raised him as a single parent. She struggles and never went to college her jobs changed often and they moved many times. Michael also grew up Muslim and developed strong beliefs about the traditional role of a husband as being the head of house hold and finically supporting home. In the first two years of marriage their past experiences and view caused major problems that contributed to the volatile family culture that had established.

     Through counseling, Sarah’s family begin to create a new family culture one that was based on them discovering what roles they were going to play based on their family’s current situation. Utilizing new communication strategies and establishing short-term and long term goals helps them to great a vision for their family and builds a sense of identity as to who they are and what they bring to their community. Kimberly was able emotionally recovered from the disappointment of having to return to work before she wanted to and Michael was able to find a full-time job through the local bonding program. Sarah continues to receive benefits to attended daycare and has just transitioned into the toddler program. She has increased her hours of sleep each night and reduced her crying episodes in half. With her home life more stable and peaceful Sarah smiles and makes eye contact more. She is starting to express interests in things that she wants  and is attempting to verbalize one word phases.

Some areas I would like feedback is the structure of the story and if I have made all the outside as well as inside factor's that can affect my chid's ability to develop language and literacy skills. 

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