QUALITY CARE

My views on high quality childcare is, there isn’t enough of it.  I believe that High Quality Childcare is providing care without thinking about making money from doing it.  It’s what you do because you want to do it.  It’s making sure the only thought on your mind is loving, nurturing, providing, caring, molding, educating, sculpting, developing, accepting, mentoring, and protecting the children in your care.   Also, stimulating the child’s cognitive, physical, social/emotional and language development is quality childcare as well as having teachable moments with the children.  Real Quality is teaching the parents what quality really is. 

Some may say that the many degrees, credentials, stars and colors one has is quality, but I believe if you don’t have the love for what you do, all the rest means nothing.

WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A CHILD CARE PROGRAM

At Tara’s DayCamp, we believe a good daycare program is designed to meet the cognitive, social, physical, intellectual and emotional needs of the child. As an educator it is my obligation to help guide children in a positive direction.  I will nurture as well as educate, provide quality professional care and much more.

In our infant and toddler classrooms, we provide a curriculum that will promote the child’s individual growth and well-being with the development of gross and fine motor skills, sensory, language, cognitive and positive self-concept.  We encourage the children to be independent.  They learn to master such tasks as proper hand washing, stringing shoe laces, going to the bathroom and brushing their teeth. We also adhere to the Developmental Milestone Checklist, where we prepare programs of appropriate activities that meet the needs of all children at a particular stage of development.

With our Preschool Group, the children are developing skills they will need to be successful in Kindergarten.  We encourage each child to feel confident about him or herself, as they continue to master and develop their many skills.

Childbirth––In My Life and Around the World

My birthing experience was a sad end to a beautiful beginning.  On February 6, 1994, Aurthour, (my boyfriend at the time now my husband) and I were at friend’s house having a beautiful dinner.  We had spaghetti, cabbage, corn beef, corn bread, and a tall glass of strawberry Kool-Aid.  After dinner we found out as we were on our way home that his car was parked on private property and was towed.  As soon as he left to go get his car I received several calls from his brother who was very adamant about talking to only him.  Of course, I tried to find out what was going on that couldn’t wait.  Well, after the forth phone call he realized that telling me was his only option.  He was very calm when he let me know that the reason he could not talk to me was because the urgency involved my family.  He was told not to talk to me because no one wanted me to go into labor, not to mention I was already ten months pregnant.  Well, as you can imagine that didn’t go very well.  I found out from my now brother-in-law that my grandmother, the only mother and best friend I knew, and both my uncles were killed in a horrible house fire in Mound Bayou Mississippi.  When Aurthour finally returned I couldn’t hardly breathe.  I tried to calm down on our trip home because I definitely wasn’t ready to have the baby now.  I didn’t want anyone to inform me of the old saying about how God takes three and give one.  That I couldn’t handle.  That was my sad ending.  Once we got home and I called my other siblings and told them about the horrible news, I tried to lie down.  Not happening.  My baby was ready to come rather I wanted her to or not.  After walking for several hours after checking in we finally delivered a beautiful 8lbs. baby girl.  This was my beautiful beginning.

I chose to write about this experience to show that things happen both good and bad.  We have to choose how we pick ourselves up, dust off and keep it moving.  If I allowed this tragic to keep me down who would have been there to take care of my daughter better than me.  I don’t feel anyone could have truly loved her better than me.  That is why I had to be here for her.  I could not allow post-partum to take over because that would have had a huge impact on her development.           

I chose to find out about delivering a baby in Spain. 

The birthing experience in Spain is very different than the United States.  Not many hospitals offer prenatal care and there is very little support after you deliver your baby.  Caesarian sections occur at a high rate in Spain.  If you have a child in Spain you have to register your baby.  Here in the United States all registering is done before the baby leaves the hospital. 

My hospital stay was great.  The doctors and nurses made me feel very comfortable.  We don’t have to worry about the lack of prenatal care or a birth certificate for our baby.  I gained a greater appreciation to what we have here in the United States.  We are blessed to have our hospitals well equipped with everything we need.

Examining Codes of Ethics

I-1.8—To support the right of each child to play and

learn in an inclusive environment that meets the

needs of children with and without disabilities.

I-1.9—To advocate for and ensure that all children,

including those with special needs, have access to the

support services needed to be successful.

II. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PREPARATION is critical to providing the most effective services for young children with disabilities and their families. Professional development is viewed and valued as an ongoing process guided by high standards and competencies for professional performance and practice.

Professionals acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to work with a variety of young children with

disabilities and their families within natural and inclusive environments promoting children’s overall growth, development and learning, and enhancing family quality of life. Finally, professionals continually should seek and interpret evidence based information for planning and implementing individually appropriate learning environments linked to ongoing assessment and collaboration with parents and professional team members.

1. We shall engage in ongoing and systematic reflective inquiry and self-assessment for the

purpose of continuous improvement of professional performance and services to young children

with disabilities and their families.

2. We shall continually be aware of issues challenging the field of early childhood special education

and advocate for changes in laws, regulations, and policies leading to improved outcomes and

services for young children with disabilities and their families.

3. We shall be responsible for maintaining the appropriate national, state, or other credential or

licensure requirements for the services we provide while maintaining our competence in practice

and research by ongoing participation in professional development and education activities.

4. We shall support professionals new to the field by mentoring them in the practice of evidence and ethically based services.

These three were most meaningful to me because I feel that all children should have an equal chance to learn and play without being judged.  Children with and without disabilities should be treated fairly all the time. My daughter has a disability which has caused me to be an advocate for families with children with disabilities.  I have assisted families with getting help for their children to insure that they receive the assistance that they deserve.

Course Resource

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://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/74759/CRS-CW-6136827/educ6005_readings/naeyc_dap_position_statement.pdf

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

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.

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
• 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/

          
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/

Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

• 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   

  My 3 Additional Resources

• ·         Association for the Education of Young Children           
                    www.chicagometroaeyc.org
  
  
  ·         Child Care Magazines
             http://www.childcaremagazine.us/
  
  
  ·         Child Care Professional
                                   www.actforchildren.org

Quotes of Passion

"I had a built in passion that it was important to make a real contribution to the world and to fix all of the injustices that exist in the world.  The passion to make sure that all children were taught in environments and ways that truly nurtured their ability to grow and develop to their fullest ability." Louise Derman-Sparks

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

They can because they think they can.
Virgil