When I think of Research.....

• If someone were to ask me what I thought of research at the beginning of this course, I would say that research was synonymous with grueling work! I feel there are so many different resources available, and not all credible, that one can truly become lost and derailed trying to plow through and pick out the exact information they need. This course had taught me that there is an easier more reliable way to research that doesn’t require hours and hours of reading irrelevant information such as scanning a scholarly article for the abstract, discussions, and conclusion sections (Lepuschitz, 2011).
• My ideas concerning the nature of doing research has changed because I have a new respect and better understanding of it with regards to the intricacies of the research process from choosing a topic to developing subtopics that are more refined and focused to help narrow down exactly what I want to research. It allowed me to not feel as overwhelmed and frustrated during the process.
• I learned that there are many different research design practices and approached including qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, as well as various triangulation methods to explore. Once my research topic had been chosen, planning, designing and conducting research became somewhat easier to accomplish.
• One of the biggest challenges I encountered was the terminology in some of the course readings.  Because I was unfamiliar with the terms, I found t difficult to comprehend what I was read and apply it to my research topics.  By reading other sources and examples, I was able to gain a better understanding.
• My perceptions of an early childhood professional has not been modified as a result of this course, but I have a greater respect for those who choose research because although it can be overwhelming and frustrating, it is very necessary to gain knowledge and insight to address some of the issues we face in our society and with our children.

I would like to say Thank you not only to my colleagues but to Dr. Todd as well.

This group has always been very supportive and encouraging and I look forward to seeing many of you in the subsequent classes!! Good Luck!

References

Lepuschitz, J.K. (2011). A practical guide to reading research articles. Laureate Education    Inc., Baltimore, MD.

Lepuschitz, J.K. (2011). Quantitative designs: An overview. Laureate Education Inc., Baltimore, MD.

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

RESEARCH AROUND THE WORLD

     I chose to explore Early Childhood Australia (ECA) because I love the country and their culture and I especially love their accents! 

Early Childhood Australia (ECA) is a non-profit organization that promotes and works towards what is best for children and the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector. Since 1938, ECA’s main focus has been advocacy, influencing many significant issues relevant to the care, wellbeing and education of young children in Australia. We develop projects in the sector and produce a variety of resources by way of subscription-based publications for our members and the broader sector which includes early childhood educators, services, academics and students. Our vision is that every young child is thriving and learning. 

     One of their current international research topics is “Supporting literacy learning in the early years.”

The book explores the connections between speaking and listening, reading and writing and offers practical advice and reflections on how to incorporate literacy learning into everyday practice.

     

As I perused the media segment I found the article, “Restricting access to Paid Parental Leave will leave children worse off, interesting because it discusses how unfair the government is being to parents who desire to take maternity leave to bond with their newborn child(ren). They are proposing  restrictions on the Paid Parental Leave Scheme to remove so called ‘double dipping’ which in essence is parents receiving both government and employment funds during leave. Ms Samantha Page, CEO of ECA says ‘The level of attachment formed between parents and their children in the first year is critical to children’s long-term development and family wellbeing.’ ‘We totally reject that mothers and fathers are “double-dipping”.

These are parents that are cobbling together enough time to do what is in the best interest of their family—forming a relationship with their newborn children (Early Childhood Australia, 2015).’ 

     Another article I read that I found noteworthy discussed Australia’s Family Package budget that has just received another $3.5 billion over the next 5 years.

 It would make access to early childhood education and care more affordable for a majority of working families from 2017 but the concern is for the families that will be affected by the stringent requirements or activity tests, particularly:

• Children in families where both parents aren’t working / don’t meet the activity test—will only have access to 12 hours subsidy (currently have access to 24 hours Child Care Benefit)
•  Children in families earning over $65 000 and less than around $150 000 where only one parent is in work—will have no access to subsidies (currently have access to 24 hours of Child  Care Benefit per week).
•  Children in families where one parent doesn’t work sufficient hours (under eight hours per fortnight)—will lose access to 24 hours of Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate.

     It is not surprising that Australia contends with the same issues as the US when it comes to child care costs and government funding.  It there is money available to the severely disadvantaged but it’s the middle class that needs it most and unfortunately, they make just enough to be disqualified from services.  As ECE we must continue to advocate for equity and inclusion for all children and families.

References

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

Eating Breakfast

Research that Benefits Children and Families

I am not and never have been a breakfast eater and as a child, I hated when my mother made me eat breakfast!  First, my stomach, I felt, was not “awake” enough to consume anything and second, I wanted to take advantage of all the sleep I was able to get. Although she had her own reasons why she made us eat, research has proven that when children habitually eat breakfast, whether well-nourished, undernourished and/or from deprived or low socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds, their academic and behavioral school performances improved. Undernourished, deprived, and children from low SES backgrounds showed a particular improvement in mathematics and arithmetic grades.

I love this type of research because not only does it adhere to the OHRP regulations regarding research not involving greater than minimal risks, it provides children an opportunity to eat everyday who does not receive that luxury and this is definitely a positive example of the effects of research on children and/or families. 

The CDC reports the following:

Evidence on dietary behaviors and academic achievement

·         Student participation in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) School Breakfast Program (SBP) is associated with increased academic grades and standardized test scores, reduced absenteeism, and improved cognitive performance (e.g., memory).

·         Skipping breakfast is associated with decreased cognitive performance (e.g., alertness, attention, memory, processing of complex visual display, problem solving) among students.

·         Lack of adequate consumption of specific foods, such as fruits, vegetables, or dairy products, is associated with lower grades among students.

·          Deficits of specific nutrients (i.e., vitamins A, B6, B12, C, folate, iron, zinc, and calcium) are associated with lower grades and higher rates of absenteeism and tardiness among students.

·          Hunger due to insufficient food intake is associated with lower grades, higher rates of absenteeism, repeating a grade, and an inability to focus among students.

Evidence on physical activity and academic achievement

·          Students who are physically active tend to have better grades, school attendance, cognitive performance (e.g., memory), and classroom behaviors (e.g., on-task behavior).

·          Higher physical activity and physical fitness levels are associated with improved cognitive performance (e.g., concentration, memory) among students.

·         More participation in physical education class has been associated with better grades, standardized test scores, and classroom behavior (e.g., on-task behavior) among students.

·         Increased time spent for physical education does not negatively affect students’ academic achievement.

·         Time spent in recess has been shown to positively affect students’ cognitive performance (e.g., attention, concentration) and classroom behaviors (e.g., not misbehaving).

·         Brief classroom physical activity breaks (i.e., 5-10 minutes) are associated with improved cognitive performance (e.g., attention, concentration), classroom behavior (e.g., on-task behavior), and educational outcomes (e.g., standardized test scores, reading literacy scores, math fluency scores) among students.

·         Participation in extracurricular physical activities such as interscholastic sports has been associated with higher grade point averages (GPAs), lower drop-out rates, and fewer disciplinary problems among students.

References

Adolphus, K., Lawton, C. L., & Dye, L. (2013). The effects of breakfast on behavior and academic performance in children and adolescents. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7,425. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00425

Health and Academic Achievement. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/health-academic-achievement.pdf

RESEARCH    

 Even the word carries the eminent dread of time, scouring through pages of data only to get redirected a hundred times and still not find what you need or if it is even credible!!  This class is quite necessary for me personally because quite simply, I need to know what the heck I’m talking about as a professional and currently I don’t have enough knowledge or experience to be credible. Also, even if I did, staying up to date on current issues is critical because things are changing so quickly especially with regards to early childhood education. The resource, “A practical guide to reading research articles” has already helped tremendously as well as knowing the principles for high quality research, how to critically analyze information, and use certain criteria and tools to evaluate electronic resources. Now I am not as apprehensive and even look forward to gathering the information I need.  

There is NOTHING wrong with My Child!

The topic I’ve chosen for the simulation process revolves around the detection, diagnosis, and treatment/services for children with special needs and varying exceptionalities.  As everyone knows, this is my passion and at the heart of my business because of my own personal experiences with my son who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and Autism at age 2 and Sensory Integration Dysfunction by age 4. I believe early intervention is the key to helping these children develop, as much as they are able, into happy, healthy, independent adults. The first step is detection, which is an area that requires observation, honesty and action on the part of the parents and unfortunately, many either deny any possibilities that something may be amiss or don’t know where to go to get help obtaining a proper diagnosis for their child.  I believe when a parent or caregiver Denies the existence of a need in their child, they have become the greatest Barrier to that child achieving their fullest potential.

In order for me to truly help the children and families I will work with, I need to have accurate knowledge and resources available. Even though the thought of research is intimidating to me, learning how to properly research, deciphering what is and isn’t relevant through the guides and charts we have already begun to use saves times and energy. Also, by actually using a topic that is of great interest and relevance to me allows me to begin collecting the information that I need and can use!

To my classmates and colleagues I would ask that you share any new information and credible resources as I will do the same!

Lepuschitz, J.K. (2011). A practical guide to reading research articles. Laureate Education Inc., Baltimore, MD.

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Over the weeks I have studied Issues and Trends in Early Childhood Education and have gained very valuable information as an ECE from a professional and personal perspective. Although I was unable to connect with an international contact, the site I chose NAEYC has a lot of information with regards to education and children. There are many consequences of learning about the international childhood field and the three I chose are:

          

   Awareness

                                                                      

                                                                                                                 

        Knowledge                                                                                                                                  

         

     Sharing

Being aware of current early childhood education programs in other countries and any issues they may experience and the knowledge we gain can help us to compare, collaborative and share their strengths, lessons learned, and diverse approaches for supporting early childhood development.  It is clear that as early childhood educators and advocates, we have a shared goals for young children and their families, despite the long distances between our home countries and the varying cultural perspectives from which we view the world.

Early Childhood Care and Education

As ECE, we all know that learning begins at birth but the focus on the value of high-quality early childhood education eludes many and unfortunately, by the time a child reached the primary education level, some are faced with cognitive, social and emotional challenges that can have lifelong impacts for them.   Four areas that are discussed in the article are quality; access and equity; investment and financing; coordination and integration.

Quality: Early childhood care and education programs should emphasize the child’s holistic development and extend beyond assisting the child’s transition to formal schooling. High quality childcare, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, promotes motivation, confidence, good cognitive and linguistic development and school readiness.

Access and Equity: The problems with high quality programs are the costs to access them.  Many are not able and must settle for less which is where the main issues lie.  Yes there are some funds for the severely disadvantaged, but unfortunately, the majority of the population exists in a gap where they make too much to receive assistance and too little to truly afford high quality services. So the real question is how can we bridge the gap so every child has equal access, regardless of the socioeconomic status, to a high quality early childhood program?

Investment and Financing: The government has limited the allocation of the funds dedicated to education with stipulations that make it impossible for the group mentioned above to access and if they deal with the issue at all, often approach early childhood from the context of national social policy or health services. The 1990 Jomtien Declaration on Education for All (EFA), stated that countries should view early childhood as part of basic education. Once countries recognize the positive value of state investment in this area, the next challenge is to mobilize funds and that is where the private sector businesses are encouraged to assist.

Coordination and Integration: Coordination issues include coherent regulation, funding and staffing schemes and a common vision of care and education. Effective coordination must exist among sectors at both national and local level, and also between public and private establishments.

Each of these areas must be addressed if we are to make positive strides to provide quality education for our children and fair compensation for the wonderful educators out there struggling to do their jobs on the very limited resources available to them.

Reference

Early Childhood | Education | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization." Early Education. Early Childhood Education United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, n.d. Web. 19 June 2015.

As I perused NAEYC’s site I came across this topic that reflects our issue this week.  I was amazed how closely my thoughts align with theirs.  As I delved deeper I discovered they are very specific and have a step by step approach to achieving excellence in early childhood. The bottom line is that if we truly want to provide excellence and equity in early childhood, everyone must work together to make it happen. Below are NAEYC’s goals and beliefs:

A Call for Excellence in Early Childhood Education

Early Years Are Learning Years

The demand for early childhood care and education programs continues to increase not only in response to the growing demand for out-of-home child care but also in recognition of the critical importance of educational experiences during the early years. Several decades of research clearly demonstrate that high-quality, developmentally appropriate early childhood programs produce short- and long-term positive effects on children's cognitive and social development.

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. 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.

A Renewed Call to Action

Our goal is not to simply defend the status quo. NAEYC’s convictions about early childhood care and education set forth a vision of a system that is still unmet.

• That all young children deserve excellent early care and education

There are a large percentage of child care classrooms and family child care homes that are of mediocre or poor quality. An alarming number of infants and toddlers are found to be in unsafe settings. We know that children in schools with fewer resources, a larger percentage of teachers that are new or have emergency certificates, and lacking parental involvement in their education are not receiving the excellent early education they deserve.

• That high quality early experiences make a difference in children’s lifelong academic and social success

Several decades of research clearly demonstrate that high-quality, developmentally appropriate early childhood programs produce short- and long-term positive effects on children's cognitive and social development. Specifically, children who experience high-quality, stable child care engage in more complex play, demonstrate more secure attachments to adults and other children, and score higher on measures of thinking ability and language development. High-quality child care can predict academic success, adjustment to school, and reduced behavioral problems for children in first grade. Studies demonstrate that children's success or failure during the first years of school often predicts the course of later schooling. A growing body of research indicates that more developmentally appropriate teaching in preschool and kindergarten predicts greater success in the early grades.

• That these programs must be accessible to all families

Access to child care, particularly high quality child care, remains out of reach for many families. Programs outside of K-12 public education have the greatest difficulty in meeting the criteria of good quality, equitable compensation, and affordable access. Unlike K-12 education -- a publicly financed system with a relatively stable funding base -- most early childhood care and education services operate in a very price-sensitive market financed primarily by fees from families and supplemented by public and private contributions. Many families cannot pay the full cost of quality care, and the ongoing commitment from public and private contributions is seldom guaranteed. For other children, there are insufficient numbers of child care providers trained in or connected to others who can help support their special educational or other needs to develop to their full potential.

• That early childhood professionals must have excellent preparation, ongoing professional development, and compensation commensurate with their qualifications and experience

A key component of quality programs is the quality of teacher. Recruitment and retention of child care staff is extremely difficult. The average child care teaching assistant earns roughly $10,500 a year and the highest paid child care teachers are paid roughly $18,000 a year. Turnover of staff averages 31 percent. In public schools, although salaries are much higher than for child care teachers, there is difficulty retaining talented teachers and recruiting more experienced teachers to troubled schools. Scholarships, financial aid, and loan forgiveness are insufficient to help many early childhood educators obtain excellent preparation and ongoing professional development.

• That effective early education must be both challenging and appropriate to young children’s ages, individual needs, and culture

To guide their decisions about practice, all early childhood teachers need to understand the developmental changes that typically occur in the years from birth through age 8 and beyond, variations in development that may occur, and how best to support children's learning and development during these years. Children's development is best understood within the sociocultural context of the family, educational setting, community, and broader society. These various contexts are interrelated, and all have an impact on the developing child.

• That everyone needs to work together to build a successful future for our youngest children

An equitable and sufficient system of financing early childhood education in the United States is still elusive. Child care is financed through a patchwork of government, parent, and private sector resources. Families contribute roughly 60 percent of the costs of child care; federal, state, and local governments combined contribute 39 percent, and business contributes one percent. Public schools are financed largely through property taxes, which has created an inequitable distribution of resources within school districts and states, despite additional resources from states and the federal government. An equitable system of financing child care and early education requires a strong partnership between government, families, and the private sector.

A Vision for Excellence

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.

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 millennium, 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.

References

http://www.naeyc.org/policy/excellence