Week: 6 Issues and Trends in Early Childhood Education

Sharing Web Resources

As I continue to study the National Association for the Education of Young Children's website, I increase my knowledge and understanding on the importance of my commitment to the young children and families in my community.  This week I had an opportunity to research current issues and trends involving the field of early childhood.  As I continue to gain insights and information I gain great appreciate for NAEYC organization because they do not only share valuable information and ideas with educators but with parent, caregivers and family members as well. 

The first outside link that I explored was the current issues link. An article that caught my attention was titled; 

Welcoming Dual Language Learners, by Karen Nemeth

   

"It's important for teachers to create a welcoming environment for children and families from all cultures and who speak different languages" (NAEYC.org). I have learned a few quick tips to make great beginnings for young dual language learners (DLLs):

1. Find out what languages will be spoken by children in your class and focus your classroom setup on what will most effectively support children who speak those languages.
2. Stock bookshelves with bilingual and monolingual books in each of the languages needed. Look for storybooks and nonfiction books that come with CDs or books available as apps with sound to help you learn to pronounce words in each child's language. Wordless books are also great for multilingual classes.
3. Ask families to send in photos of things that are meaningful to each child, such as foods, celebrations, and family activities. Ask them to help you label the images with words in both English and the home language to give you lots to talk about with the children. Use the pictures to make personalized posters, displays, and class books that children can relate to. 
4. Add labels that reflect the represented languages. Ask families or volunteers to help with the proper and the phonetic spelling. Labels don't build language and literacy unless you and the children really use them. 
5. Play music from different countries and in different languages. Ask families to send in their favorites to build that home-school connection. 
6. Learn to say 10 to 20 key words in each child's home language to help them feel welcome, safe, and comfortable starting from their first day. Use an online translation app like Google Translate or ask parents to record words for you to learn. Try hello, my name is, eat, drink, hurt, bathroom, your parents will be here soon, wash your hands, help, yes, and no to start. 
7. Make a picture communication board to help all children communicate their needs and feelings. Post photos of the children looking sad and happy, helping each other, cleaning up toys, going outside, solving a conflict, and participating in daily routines". TYC

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This information was retrieved from naeyc.org, by KAREN NEMETH who is an author, consultant, and Language Castle website host supporting better early childhood education for dual language learners.

After searching the NAEYC's website thoroughly I found a helpful resource article titled a Message in a Backpack, addressed to parents to help them connect with their child's teacher :)

"Connecting With Your Child’s Preschool/Family Child Care Program Whether your child is starting school for the first time, entering a new classroom, or in a year-round program, back-to-school time is a good chance to connect with your child’s teachers. Here are some tips for supporting your child in school.

 Connect with teachers

 • Establish relationships with your child’s teachers—it confirms to your child that his teachers are important adults in your life as well as his. Let teachers know how to contact you and that you are interested in what is happening at school.

 • Every family’s schedule is different. Tell teachers when you’re available. If you can’t help during school hours, ask how else you might become involved. Attend class events and meetings whenever you can, and let teachers know if your schedule doesn’t allow you to attend. Participate in school activities 

• Join the school Parent Teacher Association (PTA) or equivalent. You might not be able to attend meetings, but you can reach out and ofer to help in ways that ft your schedule. 

• Sign up to volunteer when possible—even an hour a month makes a difference. 

• Attend school events when you can—it helps your child see that you value school and what is happening there" ( NAEYC.ORG/TYC).

New information available: 

In this next article I found some very positive AND inspirational information for teachers and educators.


"Advice for teachers on starting off the new school year: Teaching is a balance of laughter and tears. You control these two emotions in your teaching life, so make sure that you learn from every moment and find those moments that make you laugh"(Dunn 2015 ).  Jimmy Dunn is a pre-K/K teacher in a classroom for children with multiple disabilities/autism spectrum disorder (MD/ASD) at William Cullen Bryant School in Teaneck, New Jersey.

Advice for New Teachers

TEACHING YOUNG CHILDREN  |  VOL. 9 NO. 5 

"New teachers bring so much to early childhood classrooms—fresh ideas, different perspectives, and energy that is contagious. It can be the most terrifying, exciting, exhausting, and dream-fulfilling time of your life. We wish you the best for the start of your teaching journey!

Your first year of teaching is like a roller coaster ride. Along the way you might feel scared, anxious, or overwhelmed. 

You most definitely will laugh, question why you got on this ride, and maybe even throw your hands up in the air and scream a little. 

Despite the mixed emotions you experience, when you get to the end, you will want to hop on again. 

Experiencing the thrill of teaching will hook you" (NAEYC’sYoung Professionals Advisory Council (YPAC). 

The information that I have gained from NAEYC that adds to my understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education.

A Call for Excellence in Early Childhood Education

Early Years Are Learning Years

The article states that, "NAEYC members, most of whom work directly with young children and families, see daily the toll of ill-conceived policies on the lives of the children and families we serve. Existing programs have too often taken fragmented, piecemeal approaches to the complex issues facing children and families. Effective policies have seldom been funded at sufficient levels to provide adequate support to all families who might benefit.

NAEYC believes that our nation is at a crossroads. We must develop an integrated system of early childhood care and education that includes comprehensive approaches that directly involve families and communities in program design, implementation, and evaluation. We can invest now in our children and families and enjoy long-term savings, with a more vibrant nation of healthy, achieving children and more stable families. Or, we can fail to make the investment and pay the price: increased delinquency, greater educational failures, lowered productivity, less economic competitiveness, and fewer adults prepared to be effective, loving parents to the next generation of children. 

The article expresses that Federal, state and local government, communities, parents, and the private sector must share in the responsibility of ensuring the well-being of children and families.

Our nation can and must do better to 

create opportunities that help all children 

and families succeed. The time for action 

is now" (naeyc.org).

New Insights 

A Vision for Excellence

I have learned that "all states must develop a system of early childhood care and education with appropriate regulatory, governance, finance, and accountability mechanisms so that --

• All Children have access to a safe and accessible, high quality early childhood education that includes a developmentally appropriate curriculum, knowledgeable and well-trained program staff and educators, comprehensive services that support their health, nutrition, and social well-being, in an environment that respects and supports diversity.
• All Early Childhood Professionals are supported as professionals with a career ladder, ongoing professional development opportunities, and compensation that will attract and retain high quality educators.
• All Families have access to early care and education programs that are affordable and of high quality, and are participants in the education and well being of their children through family involvement in programs and schools, as well as opportunities to increase their educational attainment.
• All Communities are accountable for the quality of early childhood programs provided to all children, backed by the local, state, and federal funding needed to deliver quality programs and services.

To achieve these goals at the national, state, and local levels, policies and decisions must be guided of principles of Excellence, Access, Equity, Diversity, and Accountability.

• Excellence: The design, funding, and implementation of systems necessary to support best practices in all early childhood programs.
• Access: The absence of barriers for all children to attend high-quality programs.
• Equity: Opportunities for all children, regardless of family status, income, disability, gender, national origin, ethnicity, religion, or race to attend high quality programs, with an emphasis on targeting funding to ensure that those families with the fewest resources are served.
• Diversity: Flexibility in the ways in which programs are provided and services are tailored to the needs of families and children. Responsive and supportive programs that recognize and respect the whole child and family, their cultural backgrounds, and the community’s culture.
• Accountability: Clearly defined standards for program quality and personnel, with input from the early childhood professionals, families, and communities, with ongoing planning and evaluation processes, to ensure positive educational, health, and social outcomes for children.

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Making the Vision a Reality

Early childhood programs have the potential for producing positive and lasting effects on children, but this potential will not be achieved unless more attention is paid to ensuring that all programs meet the highest standards of quality. As the number and type of early childhood programs increase, the need increases for a shared vision and agreed-upon standards of professional practice.

Making this vision of excellence a reality will require a commitment from and a partnership among the federal, state, and local governments, business and labor, private institutions, and the public. As we stand at the beginning of a new millenium, we must join forces to advocate and implement the policies at the appropriate federal, state, and local levels that will lead to excellence in early childhood education programs"( NAEYC.org).

References:

© National Association for the Education of Young Children - Promoting excellence in early childhood education 1313 L St. NW, Suite 500, Washington, D.C. 20005 | (202)232-8777 | (800)424-2460 | webmaster@naeyc.org

Retrieved from:

www.naeyc.org/policy/excellence

http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/dual-language-learners

http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/advice-for-new-teachers

http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/files/tyc/August%20Message%20in%20a%20Backpack%20_0.pdf

http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/files/tyc/aug%20what%20do%20i%20do%20.pdf