Early Childhood Education

I was extremely scared of childbirth. I DO NOT handle pain well at all. I had been fortunate enough to avoid any kind of surgery or stitches. I cry every time I get a needle. My entire pregnancy I heard my doctor tell my mom because of my age I would have a C-section. My mother would respond, "I promise you everything is going to be okay." Then I would proceed to tell her just how scared I was, but I was determined to get through the pregnancy. My childbirth experience began at the early age of 15. I had no idea my life would change so drastically. August 23, 1993 was the day I gave birth to my first child. I remember going through the hospital doors and up to labor and delivery. I was just a child myself and was about to experience a life changing event. I got moved into my room and my induction got started. I, amazingly, only shed a few tears after they finally managed to get the IV into my hand. They started the meds to induce labor and I felt fine. The contractions...

NAEYC Ethical Responsibilities to Families I-2.3—To welcome all family members and encourage them to participate in the program. As educators we should recognize the importance of family members involvement to the education process of the child/children. I-2.4—To listen to families, acknowledge and build upon their strengths and competencies, and learn from families as we support them in their task of nurturing children. It is their strength and self-desire that will get them through. I-2.5—To respect the dignity and preferences of each family and to make an effort to learn about its structure, culture, language, customs, and beliefs. Everyone is worthy to be respected. DEC Code of Ethics Professional and Interpersonal Behavior 3. We shall strive for the highest level of personal and professional competence by seeking and using new evidence based information to improve our practices while also responding openly to the suggestions of others.   We must continu...

              Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices 1.     NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap 2.     NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf 3.     NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf 4.     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 5.     NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an ef...

"I believe that this is one of the most constructive, and one of the most sensible, and also one of the most exciting programs that this nation has ever undertaken." — President Lyndon B. Johnson on the Head Start program, May 18, 1965                                                                  "The moment I decided to follow instead of lead, I discovered the joys of becoming part of a small child's world." ~ Janet Gonzalez-Mena "We must be the compassion we wish to see in others!" ~  Janet Gonzalez-Mena MOTIVATION: "When I attend parent meetings and actually see parents learning how to speak to policy makers, learning how to write letters, learning to share their voice that is what keeps me motivated in spite of the challeng es" }Sandy Escobido PASSION:   "I always wanted to be a...