Just wanted to extend a heartfelt "Thank You" to all my colleagues in (Group 2) during our past eight weeks of class. I have truly enjoyed getting to know each of you and working together to accomplish our dream but most importantly listening to you all express your personal ideas and views in the early childhood field. Each one of us has brought something different to the blog and discussions and all have impacted us in one way or another. As we continue throughout this program, I wish everyone much success... Keep in touch and I'm sure we will blog and discuss throughout the upcoming courses!  A special thanks to Dr. Dartt!  

Respectfully,

Barbara A. Robinson 

Meaningful Code of Ethics

NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct 

The following are several ideals from NAEYCs Code of Ethical Conducts that I have selected that are of importance and are worth emulating within my professional life and growth development. 

Section I. 

Ethical Responsibilities to Children:

Ideals:

I-1.1- To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training. 

This code of ethical conduct is significant to me because it encourages me to remain on the path of being a life long learner as it pertains to the early childhood and educational field. By staying connected through obtaining available resources, attend trainings, receive educational awareness, as well as keep up-to-date NAEYC affiliates and other memberships current will only promote for continual growth and development in my professional career. In addition, consistent engagement and hands on work will also help to bridge the gap and form better relationships with the children, families and communities that I serve and impact.

I-1.8- to support the right of each child to play and learn in an inclusive environment that meets the needs of children with and without disabilities. 

This code of conduct helps me to remain focus and aware of the many challenges that children and families may encounter. For me, this helps me to keep things in perspective in my decision making as a director to ensure that all children and families are treated fairly and are helped in my program regardless of the situational need of the child/children. Whether that is placing a child from one home to another, or by ensuring that the child will benefit from a larger or smaller group setting and ratio is what is most important for the child in ensuring the child's growth and development. 

I-1.9- To advocate for and ensure that all children, including those with special needs, have  access to the support services needed to be successful. 

This one is also significant to me because of my heart of compassion and genuine concern for children and my desire to ensure that they receive whatever help and assistance is needed to help improve their circumstance. There are times when parents may not know how to receive or get the help or know of what types of resources and support that are available for them and to them and the child. Being an advocate in this way will have lasting results and ensuring to continue to stay abreast on current trends and practices in early childhood and education will result in great benefits and rewards. On a personal note, my grand daughter, Khloe has special needs and being able to advocate on her behalf  by taking charge of her health and well being in all aspects brings such satisfaction and joy to my heart. 

DEC CODE OF ETHICS 

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. 

I strongly believe that personal integrity and displaying Godly character is such an important part of my life and represents who I am as a person. Being true to my self and setting standards that are ethical, honest, integral and truthful as a  professional speaks volumes of who I am as a person. This plays an important role in establishing trusting relationships with my peers, staff, parents/providers and families and children. Having and displaying these qualities are rewarding and sets a standard and precedence of how people view and interact with me. As a person and professional, I strive to live an ethical and integral life on a daily basis. 

Responsive Family Centered Practices 

#6. We shall be responsible for protecting the confidentiality of the children and families we serve by protecting all forms of verbal, written, and electronic communication.

As a professional I strongly believe that confidentiality is essential in protecting children and families in both my professional and personal life. Every family and child has a right to privacy and protection as it relates to their own personal situations. When professionals take on the responsibility of doing certain types of work, they make a statement in saying that at all cost it is advantageous to protect the child and/or children. Someone once shared with me a statement saying that "gossip betrays a trust". I strongly believe that statement and that confidentiality is important. At work, this is a topic of discussion that is often discussed with my staff and family child care providers as part of their professionalism and what the expectation is as a person and required of the organization.



References

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

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

(NAEYC, 2005).

 

(DEC, 2000).

Early Childhood Course Resources

Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC.(2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs servicing children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010,from http://www.nayec.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap 
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse and prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://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/nayec/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• 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
• 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.org
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://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, from http://main.zerotothree.org.site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttoddler. 
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://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, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
• Websites:
• • World Forum Foundationhttp://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 Educationhttp://www.omep-usnc.org/
    Read about OMEP's mission.
  • Association for Childhood Education Internationalhttp://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 Childrenhttp://www.naeyc.org/
• The Division for Early Childhoodhttp://www.dec-sped.org/
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Familieshttp://www.zerotothree.org/
• WESTEDhttp://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
• Harvard Education Letterhttp://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
• FPG Child Development Institutehttp://www.fpg.unc.edu/
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conferencehttp://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScopehttp://www.highscope.org/
• Children's Defense Fundhttp://www.childrensdefense.org/
• Center for Child Care Workforcehttp://www.ccw.org/
• Council for Exceptional Childrenhttp://www.cec.sped.org/
• Institute for Women's Policy Researchhttp://www.iwpr.org/
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Educationhttp://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
• National Child Care Associationhttp://www.nccanet.org/
• National Institute for Early Education Researchhttp://nieer.org/
• Pre[K]Nowhttp://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
• Voices for America's Childrenhttp://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institutehttp://www.erikson.edu/

Additional Reference List:

• Child Development Institute- http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/category/development/
• Read Tennessee- http://www.readtennessee.org/community/resource_networks.aspx
• Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning-http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/index.html

 

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

                                       

 Early Childhood Professionals...Words that Inspire & Motivate...

 

This week's blog represents individuals that I have chosen as activists that have inspired and motivated me and many others with their words of inspiration, passion and commitment to the cause of education...all in the name of children...

 

 

                              Marian Wright Edelman- President and Founder of the CDF, Activist

 

 

“If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much.”

Marian Wright Edelman 

 

 

 

President Lyndon B. Johnson 

President Lyndon B. Johnson- 36th President.  Has made a huge impact on legislation during his presidency. He declared the "War on Poverty" in 1964 & 1965, passing laws that were focused on education and implementing Head Start programs for children and families that were disadvantage. As a result of his passion to "make a difference", numerous programs for children have evolved. 
    

        "Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity”.

 Lyndon B. Johnson 


Louise Derman Sparks: On Passion & Motivation

"kids need the tools to know how to thrive and strive in the public schools system. it was a joyful experience...

"the passion to make, gave and in ways that truly nurtured their ability to grow and to develop to their fullest ability that the preschool years are critical, they are the first most influential period". 

"the passion to create a safer, more just world and I suppose will be there until I die".  

 

Personal Childhood Web

Barbara's Personal Childhood Web

'Special Me" 

Pop-Pop & Mommy 

Gammy & Missy

Me 

Daddy, Me & Bobby   

My siblings-Gordon, Missy & Ceil

 

Here is my collection of my Personal Childhood Web and photos of individuals that have encouraged me as a young child and into my adult life. They have been a part of my life since my birth into this world. Although a few have passed on, their love, their legacy, their teachings and life deposits have been etched on my heart and has helped me to evolve into the woman that I am still becoming. There has been other positive influences that have come in and out of my life and there are many that have not been mentioned. But, my gratefulness for them taking an interest in my life will always be remembered. 

Photos:

(Top-left)

My mom, whose name is Barbara Brown-Anderson has always been the strongest voice speaking into my life and has been my biggest supporter of anything that I set out to accomplish. She is an amazing woman who has had to endure many trials but has persevered through it all.  Growing up and watching how she handled life’s situations with courage made me strong and wanting to emulate her. She has always encouraged me from the time I could talk and always said, “You can do it”. Those words have stuck with me for a life time and have carried over to raising my own children. She always guided me in the right direction, and even allowing me to make my own choices, which at times, was not the best choices, but she has never said, “I told you so”.  She was always nurturing by showing lots of love, gave hugs and lots of kisses and just spending time with me. Even now, as an adult with children and grand children she still has a strong voice in my life. My mom also showed me what family meant and how we should treat each other. Most importantly, my mom has shared her faith. I thank her for this because that foundation of faith that was introduced to us many years ago as small children has now carried over to my adult life.

 

(Top-right) 

My Gammy, or grandmother whose name was Christine Herbert. She was my mother’s mother and taught me what family was all about. She opened her home with many family gatherings and always had goodies for us when we visited. She instilled in me the value of laughter. As a serious child, my grandmother always said something that was funny to get us to laugh.  She also showed us how to make sure we cleaned up after ourselves and that everything had its proper place.  Although she is deceased at this time she will forever be in my heart. 

(Top-right)

My oldest sister, Dawn, was an inspiration to me because she was the older of my two sisters. She was much older but would come and always take me to the basketball games on the weekend and made sure I was having fun. My favorite thing to do with her was to make bologna and pickle sandwiches. She made sure that as the baby of the family that I was always taken care of. She was always wise and giving me advice on life.   

 

(Bottom-left)

My dad, Charles Brown was also a great influencer in my life.  Although my dad passed away at the age of 46 due to an illness, he has also been an inspiration to me. He was a great provider but mainly had a strong work ethic that was instilled in me and my siblings. We were taught that hard work and being diligent at working would benefit us later in life. Although he had flaws, and some of the negative influences affected each of us as children, we knew that he loved us and we all  pushed to overcome those obstacles.

 

(Bottom-right)

 My brother, Gordon was my oldest brother, and best friend. Being the youngest of five siblings, he was always over protective and just so loving, and patient with me. He took the time to make sure I was noticed and spent extra time with me whether it was playing board games, watching television or just sitting and talking. He was always teaching me something new. He also taught me how to drive at the age of 15. He inspired me because he was the first of the 4 siblings to graduate college and land a professional career. He was always considerate of others and treated all of his sisters like queens. He was also an example later in life as to how men should treat ladies. He had a love for learning in which he always encouraged me to read books which is why I do to this day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 



Barbara' Favorite Things

Sharing a picture of me and my friend, Thing 1, during our annual Dr. Seuss week.  The only thing missing is my hat.  

Here is one of my favorite children's books written by Robert Kraus, Leo the Late Bloomer. I absolutely love this story as it tells about a lion named, Leo who was delayed in his blooming. Leo couldn't read, write, or do anything right. But his mother encouraged him and said he was just a late bloomer... This is an encouragement to all parents that may have children that are delayed in some way to know that their child will bloom in his own time. 

Here is a framing of a children's quote that is near and dear to my heart. I actually have the framing hanging on my office wall. It was given to me some years ago by a very special friend who recently passed away of cancer just before Thanksgiving.  I love what the words say about the superficial things that are so unimportant. But life is much more meaningful when we give ourselves and impact a life of a child/children. 

 

Here is another one of my favorite inspirational sayings... There is purpose and destiny in every child's life! 

Barbara's blog!

This is my first blog.