February 12, 2012

Following the NAEYC - Outside Links & Current Issues

One of the areas I explored thoroughly this week was a link entitled "For Families." This was hosted on the NAEYC's main page and goes to a list of articles that can help families with issues at home as well as school. One of the articles I found there addresses sleep requirements, while another discussed biting in the daycare. Even more interesting to me, was an article regarding school readiness as we have talked about it in-depth in our coursework through Walden University. The article presented some good points about children maturing at different paces. Among the reasons to allow a child to mature before starting preschool or to stay in preschool or kindergarten a year longer:
  • Family patterns of slow development – “late bloomers.”
  • Prematurity or physical problems in early life.
  • Delay in physical size or development.
  • Immature motor development – awkwardness; poor motor skills, such as in catching or throwing a ball, drawing or cutting.
  • Easy distractibility and short attention span.
  • Difficulty with right-left hand or eye-hand coordination, such as in copying a circle or a diamond.
  • Lagging social development – difficulty taking turns, sharing or playing.
    Tips taken from: http://www.naeyc.org/content/families-today/readiness-for-school 
**I believe that these are important observations to be made before deeming if a child is "ready for school."

One of the outside links that I have not explored until this week is the career forum (http://careerforum.naeyc.org/jobs). For those of you still trying to find a high-quality center to be associated with, this is a great resource to find centers in your area that may be hiring. You can search a job database by your zip code. 
    There is also a links page from the NAEYC in alphabetical order that provides organizations that support some of the issues we have learned about. For example, the Alliance for Children and Families is the first link on the page. This page details recent news in the early childhood field. Here are their main priorities and principles (http://www.alliance1.org/policy/about)
    1. Strong families are the greatest asset of strong communities
    2. Populations facing the greatest need, lack of access, and disparities should be prioritized
    3. Strong nonprofit community-based organizations are critical to strong communities

    Once again the NAEYC has proved how beneficial it can be by furthering exploring external links. Another interesting fact that reiterates cost in programs is a book entitled "Big Body Play." This book explains how costs of the materials needed to support a high-quality early childhood program can hinder the children's learning experience when a school or center cannot afford to purchase the materials. 

    Please feel free to peruse the links webpage as I found out about endless organizations that support different sectors of education (http://www.naeyc.org/links). 


    4 comments:

    1. Clara.
      I have to say that I really enjoyed reading your blog. I especially appreciated “…children maturing at different paces…” with your examples. My grandson was born prematurely and although he is thriving at 10 he required early intervention, and time to develop his gross and fine motor skills. It is so important for early childhood educators and teachers to recognize that children do in fact grow and develop at different paces. Thank you for such a thoughtful post.

      Susana

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    2. Clara,
      The link “For Families” is a great reference for parents. I especially liked that there was a article referencing the importance of sleep and school readiness. It is so important that parents are aware of these resources. There is some great information given that can help answer parents questions and educate them about child development. Thank you for sharing the career link. Many of us have trouble finding a job in education. Personally, I have a kindergarten teaching position, but this is a great place for me to visit and see what’s out there. Such a great, informative website!

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    3. Clara
      I am a member who happened to love the NAEYC. I am also a board member of our local affiliate. Your postings on the organization have been informative even for a long-time member like me. This is great information for parents and educators. We have been focusing on academics, which is important. However, we have to ask ourselves are our children ready for school. Maturity is very crucial and ultimately understanding all factors that are related to school readiness can help parents, and educators improve children’s outcomes. Thank you for posting.
      Nar

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    4. Hi Clara, I have found the link to become a member. The NAEYC is a great tool and resource to utilize. The site does provide so many great links for professionals to be able to access. Your current link "For Families" was a excellent tool to help assist children and families. I believe that it is very important to be able to provide resources to families so that they can lead their children to a better lifestyle.

      ReplyDelete