"Many Victories to You All"
To my fellow colleagues in the world of Education I want to say that this was a very enlightening class.  I have earn that being an advocate is more than just talking about what you believe, but it is taking action to what you feel in your heart is right.  It is taking up for others who isn't as bold as myself and others.  It is speaking up for the people who can't speak for themselves.  I am an advocate for our children, we, yes I say we have to speak louder in writing and attendance.  Thank you for all the information and networking.  I want to leave you all with a wonderful farewell and remember "The Only Man Who Never Makes a Mistake is the Man Who Never Does Anything"-Theodore Roosevelt

Blog 4

Blog 4 450 Velma Meek

For the past 2 weeks I continued to observe family support, in this center the family support staff plays many roles to help the center run smoothly.  On the day I observed they held a workshop on literacy I observed family support Ms. Ridgeway, give vital information in regards to how important literacy is for children beginning with infancy.  She passed out information to the parents on how to incorporate literacy throughout the day, singing, reading, talking.  I asked the question why is this workshops so important? She responded by saying many parents don't realize 20 minutes can make a big difference in a child's vocabulary, talking and reading to them is vital to expanding their vocabulary as well as building relationships. 

In observing Ms. Ridgeway I learned from her that we have to listen to our parents when we are talking to them.  As professionals we need to find out what concerns are important to them in order for them to build a strong connection with their children.  Ms. Ridgeway explained the reason she did the workshop is because parents wanted to know how they could build their child's vocabulary and awareness of books, and if they was too young to start.

My first insight is that in order to be an advocate you have to know what the need is you want advocate for, and to find out what the need is you must communicate.

The second insight is that through observation you can learn a lot about people.  While observing Ms. Ridgeway I learned that she has a good relation with the parents that is in the center.  I have seen them come in and get job information, school resources for themselves and children who is moving to kindergarten.  That says something about her relationships with her families.

Observing and Interacting With Program Director(s) and Other administrative Staff in Your Setting

For 2 weeks I observed and interacted with the director Ms. Kelly of the Children Center.  I didn't have any challenges but I did have some insight regarding being an Advocate for Continuity Care.  Ms. Kelly stated that she feel that Continuity Care would be an access in the center, she believes it will help build trusting relationships between parents and caregivers. 
Ms. Kelly believe in order to be effective with quality care trust has to be the foundation for any relationship. I asked how would she relate the information to the professionals that work at the center?  Ms. Kelly stated in order to ensure teachers connect with the idea of Continuity Care she would interview each teacher and find out what they know about Continuity of Care, and if they have people skills, if not they should then be enrolled in workshops that will help them enhance their knowledge of building relationships, as well as be informed on the importance of continuity care.
She then said it would be vital to network with the community, and other centers that have experience in this area.  Ms. Kelly said she would like the center to make a difference in the community by laying a positive foundation for all children, being a safe haven so they can grow and be nourished knowing their needs will be met.

Observation Module 2

          This week I observed two professionals that come in contact with families on a regular. Ms. Harris is the family support specialist, and Ms. Kelly the director of the center.  In my observation I saw that Ms. Harris is in close contact with the families and children as much as the teacher.  Her job is to meet with parents after enrollment and help the parents set goals for their children.  She finds out if the parents have any concerns for their child and help make the transition from home to a daycare setting be smooth.   She also helps parents with resources that they may need such as jobs, heating, lights, and food.  Observing Ms. Harris for these weeks I really got to see her in action.  I saw the passion and desire to help families; she does whatever it takes to help them.   She extends warmth and love to the children in the center; she conducts works shops once a month on subjects those parents are interested in such as the importance of literacy, relationship building, and employment.

          I also talked to Ms. Kelly the director who gave me the operation of running a center and the purpose of a daycare center in the community.  Ms. Kelly runs the center and her job is to reach the community and to inform them of the services that they provide.  Because this is a private ran center it has space to make decisions that a state facility can’t make.  She said that the owner wants the best care for the children they service.  She makes decisions numerous times when it comes to tuition.  The goal of the center is to help families receive quality education for their children and build relationships with the community.  The center gives to the women’s shelter, give needed resources to the children that attend the center and offer helpful resources through family support to help families get back on their feet.

          I think the two professional I interviewed showed me how to help families that are in need.  My goal is to generate information about the seriousness of poverty in our community.  It is right under our nose.  Many people are ashamed to inform anyone about how they are living.  As I observed these to professionals handle a bad situation without making the families feel ashamed.

          Insights I would like to share in my blog this week are; every job in a daycare is crucial if you want to have a quality center.  No job is too big or too small when you have little hands and feet depending on you!  If you’re looking to get rich with money this is not the job for you, if you’re looking to get rich from the amount of love you receive from the children you encounter on a daily basis this is the right job for you.

 

Name: Velma Meek

 

Date: April 17 & 23, 2013

 

Name of Program/Setting: The children Center

 

Who I spoke with: Indya Harris- Family Support Specialist, Wendy Kelly - Director

 

Interview (Colleagues)

Interview Colleagues 450 VMeek

In my interview I choose to get the opinion of my colleagues in regards to poverty in the early childhood field.  I thought their input would be valuable in my research.  I plan on doing this for each one of my modules.  The outlook from another perspective will enhance how others will see the importance of this topic from all angles.  The two teachers that I interviewed together have been working in the childcare field for a total of 18 years.  Ms. Davis currently works with toddlers from the age of 18 to 24 months.  Ms. Parker works with children from the age 24 to 36 months.  They both have strong feelings about how poverty affects children.

Insights gained from your interviews regarding current advocacy efforts and needs in your area of interest within the field of early childhood.

In my interview with Ms. Parker my colleague’s she wanted to advocate for poverty because she feels poverty affect people in different forms.  Some related topics that affect children due to poverty is the quality of education, employment, and pay rates professionals receive.  My colleague Ms. Davis wanted to advocate on poverty, she believes poverty is the reason why we are having useless killings in the city.  She stated that if we educate our parents then they could enforce the importance of education starting at the infancy.  This will help build a solid foundation for our children.  An insight that I gained was that my colleagues are very passionate about their career as a professional, and they will do what is best for the child.

How these interviews may have influenced your decision about which area of interest and topics to choose for your research paper

The interviews only reinforce my decision to be an advocate on the subject of poverty.  In many of the course books on child development it talks about the importance of relationships which is vital to the child.  On the other end of building a strong relationship we need to find out why our children in the early education are struggling and what is preventing them from making the connections needed to succeed.

Which area of interest you are thinking of focusing on for your paper as well as the related three specific topics?
The area of interest I am thinking about is "Poverty in Early Childhood"
Related three topics
The impact of poverty on the development of young children
The affects of health and nutrition for poverty stricken children
Access to adequate health care for poverty stricken children
The effects of teaching children of poverty
How does poverty affect the quality of education

Questions you have for your colleagues related to your area of interest and/or three topics

I chose this topic because I am trying to figure out why are children killing children?  The death toll of young people is tremendous.  I understand that taxes have gone up, the cost of living has increased and our pay hasn’t.  I am wondering if they lived in poverty or low income areas all their lives, did this have a negative outlook for them? If they had went to a quality early childhood education would they had a different outcome?

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