Assignment:
Discussion
Access to High Quality Early Childhood Education Programs
Children's access to high quality programs in the United States is influenced by the state in which they live. For this discussion, visit the Children's Defense Fund website and access the Children in the States Factsheet 2015 for your state and a neighboring state of your choice. Review the fact sheet for your state and the other state of your choosing. Find data for the following for the two states:
• Number of children in poverty.
• One fact pertaining to child health.
• One fact pertaining to early childhood education.
• One interesting statistic that you gained from the data.
For your initial post,
• Create a graphic representation (e.g., chart, table, or graph) that clearly illustrates differences in the selected statistics between your state and the other state you chose. You are encouraged to use Chart, Table, or SmartArt features in Word or Excel to create your graphic. Here is an example:
• In the written part of your post, analyze your findings to interpret what the data you provided tells us about the appropriateness of childcare services relative to the other state. Justify your analysis by providing a comparison between the funding, percentage of students served, and percentage of identified poor children based on the data for the two states.
• Provide two to three specific recommendations for families to access quality childcare in your community. Also, locate two organizations that can aid families in identifying quality care.
A Reflection on Early Childhood Education Themes
You will take a comprehensive examination to determine how you are performing compared to other early childhood education students throughout the United States. As you enter the later stages of your degree program, you will be assessed on your mastery of topics covered throughout the program. The academic coursework you have already completed in your program should be sufficient for preparation for this exam. The topics are as follows:
• Learner Development
• Learning Differences
• Learning Environments
• Content Knowledge
• Application of Content
• Assessment
• Planning for Instruction
• Instructional Strategies
• Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
• Leadership and Collaboration
For the final journal, reflect on the above topics and how they are aligned with the main content covered in this course. This course is focused on multicultural and anti-bias issues that support the development of cultural competence when working with children and families in early childhood settings. With this in mind,
• Describe how you will demonstrate cultural competence in five of the exam topic areas of your choosing.
• For each chosen topic area, develop a commitment statement that you can use in your future role. For example:
• Learner Development: In order to support language development to meet the individual needs of the children in my classroom, I will use checklists to observe where children need additional assistance. Once I observe each child and document where each individual child needs assistance, I will support him or her one-on-one using developmentally appropriate language and literacy approaches. Some examples include providing a print-rich environment, reading aloud to children as a model of language, developing vocabulary through dual-language exploration, and providing engaging learning experiences in which children can use vocabulary and make meaningful connections across instructional activities.
Reflect carefully on how you would apply your chosen principles and construct a 250 to 300 word journal entry using critical thinking. Since this is a journal activity, scholarly sources are not required; however, they may help you support your ideas.