Assignment:
Child Care, Schools, and Teaching
"NAEYC's vision in terms of early childhood education is to provide access for all children to a safe and accessible, high-quality early childhood education that includes a developmentally appropriate curriculum; knowledgeable and well-trained program staff and educators; and comprehensive services that support their health, nutrition, and social well-being, in an environment that respects and supports diversity."
-NAEYC Vision Statement
You will explore the impact that early childhood programs can have on young children's development, and how you as a professional may use this understanding to help positively impact children and families you will work with in the future.
Your Action Plan this week combines information you learned from last week's readings with information you will learn this week about responsibilities of early childhood professionals in safeguarding young children. For your third Action Plan, you will identify procedures and strategies for addressing the issue of child maltreatment.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Identify factors associated with the provision of high-quality care and the role of organizations such as NAEYC and NAFCC in ensuring quality care
- Explain the difference between cultural assimilation and cultural pluralism
- Identify key responsibilities of early childhood educators in the identification of children with disabilities, the IEP process, and inclusive settings
- Discuss the roles and responsibilities of early childhood professionals with regard to fair and equitable interactions with all children
- Create an Action Plan focused on identification and intervention issues and strategies with regard to child maltreatment
Photo Credit: Susan Chiang / E+ / Getty Images
Prior Knowledge
Think about a childhood teacher (or teachers) who impacted your life. What memories do you have of this teacher? Why do you think you still remember him or her? What lasting impact would you like to have on the children and families with whom you work as a professional?
No written response is required.
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Berns, R. M. (2016). Child, family, school, community: Socialization and support (10th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
"Ecology of Nonparental Child Care" (pp. 169-186, read up to "Nonparent Child Care and Socialization Outcomes"; pp. 194-201, read from "Nonparental Child-care Ideaologies and Socialization Practices")
"Ecology of the School" (pp. 205-207; pp. 211-216, read from "Diversity and Equity" to "Chronosystem Influences on Schools"; pp. 203-211, read from "Mesosystem Influences on Schools")
"Ecology of Teaching" (pp. 239-272, read up to "Mesosystem Influences on the Peer Group: Adult-Child Interaction"; pp. 320-325)
Resources for Action Plan 3
Prevent Child Abuse America
State Guides and Manuals Search
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2008). Supporting parents and preventing child maltreatment. In D. Koralek, Caregivers of young children: Preventing and responding to child maltreatment.
Baker, L. L., & Cunningham, A. J. (2004). Helping children thrive: Supporting woman abuse survivors as mothers. London, Ontario: Centre for Children & Families in the Justice System.
Review the "For Service Providers" sections (see the Index for pages).
Prevent Child Abuse America. (2005). Promoting effective and nurturing parenting. Chicago, IL: Author.
NAEYC. (2008). Building circles, breaking cycles-Preventing child abuse and neglect: The early childhood educator's role. Washington, DC: Author.
Optional Resources
Caring for Children of Color: The Child Care Patterns of White, Black, and Hispanic Children under 5
Child Abuse and Neglect Fact Sheet
Content Review
Directions:
Respond to each item. Each response should be concise and between 2 to 3 paragraphs in length.
Use MS Word to write your responses, and submit your answers to all three questions in one Word document.
Copy and paste each question within the document, so that your Instructor can see which question you are responding to.
- High-quality early childhood care and education is related to many positive outcomes for children. Review pages 169-174 in the course text. Identify three ways in which organizations such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and/or the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) work to positively impact quality child care and education. Describe one way that individual early childhood professionals can also work to positively impact the lives of young children and their families.
- Schools have a definite role the socialization process. Explain the difference between the concepts of cultural assimilation and cultural pluralism. Why is the concept of bilingual/multicultural education an example of cultural pluralism?
- Identify and explain key responsibilities of early childhood classroom teachers with regard to children who have disabilities, the IEP process, and their work in inclusive settings.
Explain the role of the early childhood classroom teacher in each of these areas, identifying and explaining examples of the key responsibilities of early childhood educators.
Discussion: Fair and Equitable?
As you have learned from the text and perhaps from your own experiences, characteristics such as gender, culture, socioeconomic status, learning styles, disabilities, and at-risk status can impact the ways that adults relate to and interact with children. As a professional, it is vital that you evaluate your own attitudes and strive to be fair, equitable, and proactive in your interactions with children and families.
Review the "Student Characteristics and Teacher Interaction" section (pages 245-266) of your text.
Then consider the following questions:
- What are some of the complex issues related to gender?
- What are some of the complex issues related to culture and diversity?
- Do all children have an equal opportunity to succeed in school?
Choose two characteristics covered in the section you reviewed that concern you the most in terms of the potential for inequitable treatment of young children.
Post your thoughts with regard to the following:
- Identify the two characteristics you chose, and explain why each is of special concern to you.
- Explain how you as a professional can advocate for young children and families in each area. Be sure to also explain how you will ensure that your own behavior with regard to each characteristic is fair and equitable to children you work with and their families.