A Note Of Thanks And Support

Wow, eight weeks up already? Amazing. I would like to say 'thank you' to my colleagues for your words of wisdom, encouragement, support and feedback. This has truly been an exciting journey thus far and I look forward to crossing paths with you all in the near future. Good luck and God bless. 

Examining Code Of Ethics

The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct offers guidelines for responsible behavior and sets forth a common basis for resolving the principal ethical dilemmas encountered in early childhood care and education (NAEYC, 2005).

Being a member of NAEYC and an educator who works with young children, I have committed myself to the values as they reflect in the ideals and principles of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct.

To the best of my ability I will:

·        Never harm children

·        Ensure that programs for young children are based on current knowledge and research of child development and early childhood education

·        Respect and support families in their task of nurturing children

·        Respect colleagues in early childhood care and education and support them in maintaining the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct

·        Serve as an advocate for children, their families, and their teachers in community and society

·        Stay informed of and maintain high standards of professional conduct

·        Engage in an ongoing process of self-reflection, realizing that personal characteristics, biases, and beliefs have an impact on children and families

·        Be open to new ideas and be willing to learn from the suggestion of others

·        Continue to learn, grow, and contribute as a professional

·        Honor the ideals and principles of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct

(NAEYC, 2005)

Here are a few ideals that I found meaningful from the NAEYC code of ethical conduct:

I-1.5 – To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity and their contributions (NAEYC, 2005)

I believe all children have a right to feel safe in their environment and it is my responsibility as an educator to foster their social, emotional, cognitive and physical development while treating them with respect.

Our ethical responsibilities to families:

I-2.2 – To develop relationships of mutual trust and create partnerships with the families we serve (NAEYC, 2005)

Parents, families, and educators it is imperative that we must work together to create the best possible environment that fosters a child's development.  

In the Code of Ethics written by the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Here is where I found the following ideal to be meaningful for me as it relates to professional and interpersonal behavior:

2. We shall demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all our professional activities in order to inspire the trust and confidence of the children and families and of those with whom we work (DEC, 2009)

Parents of course are the child's first teacher, but as an educator I am a role model for the children in my care. If I want children to treat other children with respect, they must see me treat them and others with respect.

After examining these codes of ethics I know now that I am better prepared to act responsibly for the benefit of the children that I teach.

References

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.dec-sped.org/

"The Resources for Early Childhood"

 "The Resources for Early Childhood"

 This page consist of resources from my Foundations: Early Childhood class.  Additionally, I have found and posted 3 additional websites at the end that are filled with more resources that I think educators and parents will find helpful.

 Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

• 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
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Part 2: Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
• Websites:
• • World Forum Foundation
    http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep-usnc.org/
    Read about OMEP's mission.
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/
    Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/
• Children's Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org/
• Institute for Women's Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/

Part 4: Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

Tip: Use the Journal option under Search & Find on the library website to find journals by title.

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education
•                                                              Additional Resource: 


• Google Scholar:
  http://scholar.google.com/
  Article: National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2004). Young children develop in an environment of relationships (Working Paper No. 1). Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/resources/reports_and_working_papers/working_papers/wp1/
  Article: Hagel, J. (2009, November). Pursuing passion. Message posted to http://edgeperspectives.typepad.com/edge_perspectives/2009/11/pursuing-passion.html
  Streaming Media: ”The Value of Reflection” (approximately 3 minutes) Tom Beech, President and CEO, Fetzer Institute, Kalamazoo, Michigan, discusses the value of reflection and self-examination. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_g38WZZgGA
  Website:  http://www.realclassroomideas.com/
  A website for activities and ideas to use in the classroom