The Adjourning Phase...Part 2

This semester has probably been the hardest that I have experienced on my Walden journey. While the course subject matter was of great interest to me, personally and professionally it has been a busy and hectic 8 weeks.

Through it all, however, I have felt supported and challenged by my colleagues in Group 2. Each of you have made me pause, think, and have challenged me with your thoughts and insight. I appreciate that so much.

Doing online coursework is hard, because we are each doing a high wire balancing act, we also miss out on the face to face contact you get from attending class each week in a real classroom, however I wouldn't give up this experience with you all for a second. I appreciate getting to know you through your posts and blogs, and seeing a bit of each of your personalities through your writing.

Thank you for being great classmates, and I look forward to the next chapter in our books!

The Adjourning Phase

Leaving a group at the end of a project can be the best, and sometimes the worst part of working in collaboration. When a group is truly functioning at its best it is often hard to leave, when a group is dysfunctional it is sometimes easy to walk away.

One group situation that I have experienced that was particularly hard to leave was my last work situation. After being there for 7 years I truly felt that we were a solid team. There were moments when it felt like the absolute best environment and we functioned as one. When I chose to leave it was time to start the adjourning phase of this group of strong teachers and leaders. We had meetings, both formal work inspired and after work events, this helped to ease the transition with the teachers, as well as myself.

I think that high performing groups are very hard to leave, whereas a group that is just barely getting by is very easy to leave in the dust. However, whether it be easy or hard to leave the adjourning phase, where you ask for feedback, say goodbye and pass on information is so essential because it gives you a sense of closure and completion.

As some of us are only a few months away from the adjourning phase with this cohort of colleagues I think it will be important for us each to reflect on the time we had together, and spend time congratulating each other on our hard work. I think it will also be important to figure out how we can stay in touch to help each other as we continue on in our careers.

Conflicts at work

Do you ever have a moment where you know a person makes you the worst version of yourself? I have that situation at work right now. 

This week I have been asked to: Think about any disagreements, or conflicts, you have recently experienced or are currently experiencing at work with a supervisor or colleague, or someone in your personal life. Share at least two strategies you have learned about that might help you manage or resolve the conflict more productively, and why these strategies might be effective. For example, could you suggest a compromise? Could you look for a broader range of solutions to your disagreement? Could you use some of the principles of nonviolent communication or the 3 R's to better help you resolve this conflict?

Right now I have that person at work, and while I normally consider myself a fair communicator, I often find myself at a loss for my skills when communicating with this person. So, what have I learned this week that could help me with that. I think that Gerber's 3 R's are a starting point. The 3 R's "promote the idea that relationships are built over time through respectful, reciprocal, and responsive interactions" (Gerber, n.d). By using these 3 R's I know that I have to step back and rethink my interactions with this person at work, as I know where are times that my interactions have not been respectful, reciprocal or responsive. 

Also, I think that the principles of Nonviolent Communication will also help me resolve conflict more productively. By being more clear in my requests, differentiating feeling from thinking, and connecting more with her person needs/values I think that I will be able to more successfully communicate with my partner at work. 

Will our communication ever been 100% effective? Probably not, but maybe with the use of the skills I am learning in this class we can get up to 90%? 80%, maybe ;)

How we communicate

Each day I communicate with different groups of people, and I think there are parts of my communication that differs with each group. For example, I talk to my mom every day, but I would never speak with the CEO of my organization the same way I speak with her, I would also not speak with a concerned parent in the same way I'd talk to another early childhood director. 

There are some key strategies that I have learned that help me to communicate effectively with different groups of people.

1. When speaking with families where English is a second language I always try to avoid slang that might be hard to understand. There are a lot of pieces of the English language that native speakers have learned (many of them are bad habits) that make no sense to those that are learning, or who have learned English. 

2. When speaking with a parent who is maybe concerned about an issue or something that has happened in the classroom I always make sure to employ active listening skills and make sure that they feel heard and understood. Taking a moment to sit and really listen to a family can mean trust is gained, and a situation can be diffused. 

Overall, the Platinum Rule of treating others as they would want to be treated is important to remember when communicating with any person regardless of culture, political affiliation, sexual orientation, ability, etc. 

Communicating with no sound..an experiment

This weekend I sat down to watch an episode of a reality show I don't regularly watch, Survivor. While I've seen this show before, I haven't been keeping up this time around.

Reality television is a great chance to look at communication with the sound on AND with the sound off. I think that the fact that the "actors" are not supposed to be acting gave way to some very interesting communication notes.

First, with the sound off, I noticed a lot of the characters' body language. Many times when they were communicating in groups I saw their arms crossed across their body, which could mean that they were not listening, or feeling uncomfortable with what was being communicated with them. At one point in the show I noticed that two tribe mates were talking to each other and both were being active listeners, with eye contact and one was nodding in agreement, I also noticed that they were expressively using their hands in what appeared to be a serious conversation.  When another person walked up on this conversation the two original people changed their body language, and it seemed that the tone of the conversation changed--I could tell this by their body language and facial expression.

Now, it was time to turn the sound on! Surprisingly, I was pretty on target with what was happening in the situations that I watched. Specifically when the two people were talking, they were having serious game play talk alone, when the third approached they began joking and laughing about something completely unrelated to their game.

It's interesting to me how big of a part the non verbal aspects of communication are. Body language, facial expression, eye contact are all things that can really affect your communication skills.

Effective Communicators in My Life

I feel that I am an effective communicator because of my mother. As a representative of my home town's Convention and Visitor's Bureau I grew up watching her speak at large conferences, lead tour groups, and attend city meetings. I was always intrigued at the way she spoke to people.

As I grew older, I started paying closer attention at her communication skills. When speaking to any person she actively listened, making them feel that whatever it was they had to say was the most important. My mother is a very social person, and can fill a room with positivity. What that means for her communication is that people are drawn to her, she emotes trust and friendliness. Even in a situation that requires seriousness she still shows compassion and caring.

Because of her, I am the communicator I am today. Whenever I sit down with a parent I make sure that-regardless of how busy I am-they are the most important person in the room. When I speak with staff members, I do the same.

Thanks mom :)

Professional Hopes and Goals

What an amazing 8 weeks it has been! I feel that I have learned so much from this course, and feel like I will be able to take the information to better myself in my career.

My hope for working with children and families of diverse backgrounds is that I am able to welcome them and make them feel very comfortable in my center. I want ALL families to feel that I am here for them and understand them, but  many international families or families with diverse backgrounds come with extra needs, and I want to be able to have them integrate into my center with little issue. I also hope to grow from working with families (ALL families). Every family has something that I can learn from, and I want to be open to learning from each of them.

For the early childhood field in general, I would like to see more national support for understanding diversity and multi culturalism education for teachers. It would be so amazing if there was a course, like required CPR or First Aid that teachers would be required to go through to work with families.

Finally, I cannot say thank you enough to all of my colleagues this time around in EDUC 6164, each of you have made me think with your comments and support. I appreciate the Walden community and structure. It really makes us interact with our personal and professional takes on so many topics.

I'd also like to thank Dr. Parrish for her support and knowledge. Her style of teaching has been the best I have experienced so far, and I appreciate the hard work she put in to making us each feel like we had a voice and opinion on everything.

Here's to the next 8 weeks!

Welcoming Families From Around the World

In this week's scenario I have been tasked with writing about how I would handle a family from a foreign country arriving at my child care center and I am responsible for welcoming them.

Because of an interest in Indian culture, I have chosen to imagine my family coming from India. With my history of working at a very multicultural center, I can tell you my first stop is always Google. While, as scholars, we all have to be wary of internet resources, there are still many legit sites that can help any person begin to navigate cultural responsiveness. Next, I would contact my local university and see if there is an Indian studies department, or any sort of program at the University that could help me. Third, I would seek out any families in my current program who are from India and see what kind of information they could give me. Fourth, I would speak directly with the family's new classroom teachers, and prepare them with the knowledge and information I have gathered.

I think the most important step in preparing myself to be culturally responsive would be to speak directly with the family. While speaking with scholars, googling, talking with other families is helpful, without getting to know this specific family I am potentially setting myself up to be even more culturally unprepared.

All five of these ways will help prepare me and my child care center to welcome a new family in to our  family. By gathering bits of information, and preparing teachers we are able to welcome a child that is possibly right off of a plane, in a new country, where a new language is spoken. By speaking to the parents and gathering information from them, it will help to make that transition go as smoothly as possible.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I've written about this before, but I will do so again to address the real side of bias, prejudice and oppression this week. A month into my new position at a child care center I experienced an extreme act of aggression, prejudice and hatred. On a fairly normal Sunday afternoon a man chose to come to my place of work and open fire in the parking lot of our building. He hurt several people, and killed two innocent people. This man specifically came to the building because of his bias towards the Jewish faith. The choices that he made hurt the entire community, and changed the lives of several families in an instant.

This man spewed hateful words as he committed this hate crime, and let his pure prejudice towards Jews be openly known.

This specific incident really opened my eyes to the topic of bias, prejudice and oppression, because before this I had not really experienced much in my lifetime. I became very aware of the hatred some people have for specific religions.

Many women have experienced some sort of bias by their 30s, I have chosen a field that really embraces women, and opens HUGE doors for them, so I have not had to deal with oppression related to my gender. However, that doesn't mean that I'm not aware of it. Many friends of mine have been turned down positions because of their gender--only to be passed up for male applicants who are less educated and less qualified. It is very hard for them, and me, to understand this inequality. With this specific case, in order to turn it into  an opportunity for greater equity, I thin that there need to be stricter guidelines for equal opportunity employment. I see "EOE" on many job postings, but I wonder who monitors this?

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

I was on the hunt this week...the hunt for micro aggressions. At first, I thought, wow this is going to be hard, but it only took one evening of television watching for me to see an instance.

It happened on the season premier of Survivor. The tribe is sitting around the fire getting ready to vote someone off, and one of the people makes a comment about how one of the guys (a gay man) is trusted more because he is "just one of the girls". The host of Survivor interjected and asked if that was because he was gay..

Now, I can only assume that the person didn't mean malice or harm by her uninformed comment, or maybe the bright lights of the Survivor jungle were making her nervous. Regardless, she made a statement that could cause harm (albeit unintended harm) to the other person. A typical definition of micro aggression.

In this day and age I think that as a society we take our whit, humor and sarcastic nature too far. What can be seen as a "joke" can be truly offensive to someone else, and cause them harm. As a whole, I think we all should take a moment and think before we speak and look at the unintended consequences of our words.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

This week I took time to call and speak with three different people in my life to get their opinion and question them about culture and diversity. I spoke with my mom, a colleague who is the director at another center, and parent at my school.  These three women represent diversity in my life, from age, to religion, to geographical location.

Becky (mom):
What is your definition of culture: Culture, for me, is the network of beliefs and aesthetics and values that each of us builds around ourselves and our family.
What is your definition of diversity: Diversity is all the networks that each of us builds, each different and unique.

Elsie (colleague):
What is your definition of culture: Culture is a specific way of living/being typically in a group. Most times in a specific culture (I'm thinking of religion here), people tend to think their way is the best way, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but does narrow people's views on outside ideas and views.
What is your definition of diversity: Diversity is a group of people from different backgrounds, including race, sex, and religion. Personally, I feel diversity is how society survives, without change and people of different backgrounds coming together we would be in a stagnate way of life without excitement or adding growth to our life.

Stefanie (parent):
What is your definition of culture: I define culture as the base of family values and traditions. The culture of a person is determined by their individual beliefs, heritage, religion, etc.
What is your definition of diversity: Diversity is what makes each of us different, yet brings differences together.

The three women that I spoke to are all educated, but represent diversity and culture in their own ways. Their definitions are similar to what we have been studying in our course this week. We have learned that culture is unconscious, sometimes invisible, and is a part of every person. Each person I interviewed had a similar definition, but it reflected their individuality. I would have to say that I agree with each of their definitions, and respect what each of them had to say.

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

This is a tough blog to write this week! Thinking about completely being displaced into a new environment is a scary thought. The items that I would take that would appropriately represent my family culture would be: 

• A family photo--depicting my entire family at our last vacation to New Mexico
• My Grandmother's engagement ring
• My families' genealogy

Explaining to others what these items mean to me and my culture would be relatively simple. The family photo speaks for itself. It would be a representation of those that I have with me, and those that have potentially been displaced into other parts of the world. My Grandmother's engagement ring is a family heirloom that means so much to me, and would be more of a keepsake and remembrance of her. My genealogy and family history would be important to me moving forward, and might help me and future generations to understand our background regardless of where we ended up. I would be able to explain to others what my background is--which is quite diverse. 

Giving up two items--in the case that I wouldn't be able to keep all 3--would be devastating! With only 3 items to keep my families' history alive it would be very hard to let any of them go. 

This exercise has really made me think about what is important to me, and my family, and I think has exposed that history and memories are what drive my family culture. 

This situation is less than ideal, however, has happened many times in history. From the Holocaust to the relocation camps of Japanese Americans, many families have been displaced and forced to leave their homes, family's and culture behind. 

When I Think of Research....

....I think--whew, I made it!

To be completely honest, the thought of doing a research based course scared the bejeebies out of me. My interest in early childhood education is based off of my passion for working with young children and their families. I have been a Director at various Early Education Centers for almost 10 years, and I have had no greater joy than seeing children that I knew as infants graduate from Pre-K. In my mind, this had nothing to do with research, and dealt more with a natural, and emotional way of studying children.

However, through this course I've come to realize that maybe all along I did believe in research, I just didn't know enough about it. Research doesn't have to be children pressing buttons behind a glass mirror while researchers in lab coats take notes. It can be so much more, and can help every aspect of early childhood subsequently. The biggest insight I gained from this course is that research takes many forms, and is conducted by many different people. Every study has a different hypothesis, research question, and method of acquiring data.

I learned that planning, designing, and conducting research is a long task, but in the end is very purposeful. Creating my research simulation over the last 8 weeks has challenged how I think about certain aspects of my professional life, and also helped to keep me organized. The direct way that the simulation was set up really made me think, and taught me how helpful research actually is to my chosen profession.

Some people in early childhood education have a very research oriented mind, and I applaud those people. The biggest challenge I met was trying to turn my mind in a research direction. Writing a research simulation requires a very formal way of writing, and if you can't tell, I'm more of a free thought kind of writer. Over the last 4 weeks especially I have done a lot of editing, re-writing, and over thinking before turning in my papers. In the end, I think that I was able to really commit to producing quality work that met the requirements.

Overall, this research course has opened my eyes a little to how research can really benefit early childhood programs. I even found myself looking for scholarly articles to articulate different points with the children and families I work with! My perceptions about research have been changed thanks to this course, and I'm grateful for that.

Now, on to the next course! We are all doing so well, and I'm glad to have the support of my colleagues who are treading through with me. We've got about a year left! Let's go!

Research Around the World

This week I looked towards Australia for information on what Aussie's are looking at in the world of early childhood research. "Early Childhood Australia advocates to ensure quality, social justice and equity in all issues relating to the education and care of children from birth to eight years" (Early Childhood Australia, 2014). Early Childhood Australia is the equivalent of NAEYC for the United States.

A quick review of their website shows that some of their most current research is on quality in early childhood, information on intentional self-harm and suicidal behaviors in children and providing quality and affordable early childhood education (Early Childhood Australia, 2014).

I find it very interesting that the state of early childhood education in Australia is quite similar to that of the United States. In Australia they are looking to provide high quality, affordable early childhood education to all children, which is something that the early childhood community in America is trying to move towards as well.

I was also intrigued by the Research in Practice Series that Early Childhood Australia has published for educators. The series "provides practical, easy-to-read resources for those involved in the early childhood field" (Early Childhood Australia, 2014). These books are available to educators so that they can further their knowledge and stay up to date with the most recent trends and research in early childhood. I also found that their "Learning Hub" section is a technologically advanced area where educators can get more information on their profession, and communicate with other educators. That is a really amazing offer for teachers, administrators and families.

I will look to the Early Childhood Australia website for more information as I navigate our research course. It's always helpful to see where the rest of the world stands on the subject of early childhood education.




Reference
Early Childhood Australia. (2014) Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au

Research that Benefits Families--In a dream world..

My task this week is to think of a dream research project that is unrestricted by reality or current constraints that could potentially benefit children throughout the world.

My mind immediately went to childhood cancer. Each year approximately 13,400 children between the ages of birth and 19 years of age are diagnosed with cancer (ACCO.org, 2014). If I were to have unlimited research resources, without limitations I would work to cure childhood cancer. The ultimate, worldly benefit that would result from a positive research outcome would help many children and families all over the world.

The reason I would choose this topic has a personal story behind it. When I was 5, my best friend Katie was diagnosed with leukemia. I remember spending the next year with her at the hospital, and witnessing her go through the traumatic experience of chemotherapy, and, ultimately, losing her battle with cancer. As a then 7 year old, I don't think that I fully understood what had happened, and what this meant for me, my family, and most importantly Katie's family. I was sad to know my best friend was not around, and I recall being confused as to why we didn't go visit her in the hospital anymore.

Cancer is a disease that children fight each day. In some cases it makes it impossible for children to go to school, because of lowered immune systems, and some, like Katie, do not make it into adulthood. I know that this is a highly researched subject, and I hope that some day there is a cure, so that other families do not have to go through what Katie's did.




Reference
http://www.acco.org/information/aboutchildhoodcancer/childhoodcancerstatistics.aspx

My Personal Research Journey

So, we have all arrived at the daunting task of our first research related course. I can say, after completing the first discussion posts, it was obvious that we are all feeling a little intimidated by the title of course and the challenges that the topic of research brings. I, for one, am in the same boat as my colleagues right now. Research to me is a very detail oriented subject, and for me, the topic of early childhood is so natural, that sometimes the small details are lost on me. I will say, however, that I'm excited for the challenge.

In this course we have been tasked at creating a broad research topic, and then several refined, very specific topics that we will do research on over the next 8 weeks. My original idea was based on play-based play environments in classrooms, and how they affect children and their development. Based on looking forward into the next several weeks, I'm figuring out that my research topic is way to broad, and it will need to be paired down. I am working on creating a more refined topic that I can use to base my work off of.

So, my Walden colleagues, any ideas on how I can narrow down my broad topic into a more researchable topic? I'd appreciate your help and thoughts on the matter!

Issues and Trends in the Early Childhood Field--Final Post

Another 8 weeks in the books! This time around, I have learned so much about issues and trends in early childhood, and have really come out on the other side of this course with even more passion and love for my chosen field of early childhood. I feel that sometimes passion is missing in many peoples' chosen profession, job, or career, and I can honestly say that I love what I am doing, and I can see myself learning and growing each day.

I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to speak with several international professionals over the last 8 weeks. I emailed back and forth several times with an early childhood professional in Israel, and once with a student/teacher in Great Britain. I really enjoyed the chance to talk about issues in early childhood, and really just see into the lives of people who are working towards the same goal that I am all the way across the world!

Were there consequences about learning more about the international early childhood community? Yes, but mostly positive consequences. First, as a direct consequence of speaking with other teachers I have ignited a larger passion in myself to learn more, and to understand more about the international community. I will admit, I am not well traveled, and by doing research on different countries, and speaking with someone from Israel I would really love to travel and actually see what early childhood looks like outside of the US. Next, a consequence of learning about other countries, I have realized that I am very fortunate to be where I am, with the luxuries that I have. It is very easy to get drawn into a bubble where you don't consider what other professionals might be dealing with on a daily basis. The last 8 weeks have really opened my eyes to other situations and struggles that other professionals are going through.

Finally, the best consequence of my continued learning through Walden is the fire that has been lit underneath me. I have said this after other courses have finished, but this time I feel it the most. My drive to provide high quality early education has always been present, but now it is in full force. I feel rejuvenated, and excited about continuing to learn and ready to pass on my knowledge to the professionals that I work with.

My goal for the early childhood field is to continue to advocate for early childhood standards and regulations. Too often I see programs that lack funding, quality teachers, and because of that children and families struggle. Children need early childhood education, and unless there are standards in place that help guide programs to success, many children miss out on the great start that they need and deserve.

International Contacts--Part 3

This week I was able to speak with my early childhood contact in Israel through several emails. I have been able to ask her many questions regarding the Jewish preschool that I work at, so it has been a very eventful and thought provoking week. I was also able to communicate with her about the questions  from this week's blog assignment. Here's what she had to say:

1. What issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live? From this topic we discussed my current challenges with finding qualified teachers, and my friend in Israel said she has experienced the same thing. There is a focus on providing high quality early education environments where she is at and studying, but the quality of teachers available lacks significantly. She is also working towards her Masters degree, and wants to be able to work for a program that "makes a difference", but worries she won't be able to find exactly what she is looking for.

2. How does your center handle professional development? Teachers are able to find professional development opportunities, and within reason the center will facilitate them going. This is a little different than what I am used to, as a large center with budgetary constraints, I sometimes unable to pay for higher priced professional development for my teachers.

3. What are your longterm professional goals? We talked about how her first goal is to finish school, and then see what life looks life. We joked that we were definitely in the same head space there!

4. What are some of your hopes, dreams, and challenges? She would love to open up a center of her own one day, but understands the financial backing that would require. She said, "it's important for me to do what I love, and love the people around me".

It was really a great week professionally, for me. I have enjoyed getting to know my Israeli friend, and look forward to potentially visiting her some day!

Sharing Web Resources....again!

This week I am looking even further into the Zero to Three website (www.zerotothree.org)

1. Follow some of the outside links that you have not yet explored. Where do they lead? What do you find?

I decided to look at the resources available to parents. Zero to Three offers parent brochures and guides that cover a variety of topics. Including information on language development, developmental milestones, literacy, and ways to support learning for infants and toddlers. The guides are available in a .pdf document that can be printed out or emailed to parents. It's a really fun resource! I can already think of several parents that specific situations that I can use the guides for. 

2. What information is available on the e-newsletter?

This time around in the e-newsletter is promotion for an all day charitable giving campaign that Zero to Three is supporting. It's called Do More 24. One June 19th, 2014 Zero To Three asks everyone to participate in an all day giving competition, and funds donated will help to benefit early childhood education. 

3. Is there any information that adds to your understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education?

http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/federal-policy/ Here  found information on Public Policy and Zero to Three. The most interesting and insightful information I found was the federal policy agenda and federal policy updates. The information to help me be successful in advocating more for early childhood is just at my fingertips!

International Contacts-Part 2

I won't lie, this assignment hasn't been easy. While I was able to contact 2 professionals living outside of the United States, keeping in contact with them has not been easy. I assume that they are probably living similarly busy lives, just like I am, and just like many of my fellow students are. It's not easy working a full time job, working on a masters degree, and just living life in general. So, while I didn't receive a response from either of my contacts this week, I did do some research on poverty levels in children in Israel, which is where one of my contacts lives.

According to the Israel National Council for the Child, over a third of the nation's children live in poverty (http://www.timesofisrael.com/one-third-of-israeli-children-live-in-poverty-study-finds/). Because of this high rate of poverty there is also increased incidents of child abuse and other violent acts towards children. One third translates in to about 885,000 children living in poverty in Israel.

In a previous conversation with my contact in Israel she noted that the center she works in serves children of more affluent families, and she knew that this wasn't the norm for most in Israel. We both felt fortunate that we were able to get our hands on resources that many children do not have access to. My last email to her posed a question "What can we do to help?" I'll let you know what her response is.


Reference
Times of Israel. (2013). One third of Israeli children live in poverty study finds. Retrieved from http://www.timesofisrael.com/one-third-of-israeli-children-live-in-poverty-study-finds/ 

Sharing Web Resources-Zero to Three

As I once again turn my attention to the Zero to Three website (www.zerotothree.org), I found myself digging into the "Behavior and Development" portion of the website. I don't think I can stress enough how much helpful information that this website provides. This week, I decided to look at the information they have about Early Childhood Mental Health. I have been in a situation several times this year, where I have had to have very hard conversations with parents about their child and the behaviors that we were dealing with in the classrooms. Having a "mental health" conversation can be very frightening for parents, and many parents don't even hear what you have to say, they simply hear the words mental health and think "they are calling my child crazy!"

ZTT gave me information this week on communicating with prints about potential issues with their child's mental health, and social/emotional development.

As I've said many times, the information on ZTT's website is a resource that I use for parents and also for acquiring personal information and achieving professional success, however, it is worth noting that the Zero to Three organization is non-profit, and supported by a board of directors. In 2012 their operating budget was over $20 million. I believe that this shows how the outside world (outside of early childhood, that is) supports the efforts of those that are trying to give information to parents and educators in order to succeed at providing high quality early childhood education.

International Contacts

I have been fortunate to have been able to speak with an amazing early childhood contact over the last week. Farrah, is a Masters student in the United Kingdom. She has been working on her MA in Early Years for 2 years, and works as a "reception" teacher. Reception is basically preschool, and Farrah works with 4-5 year olds. I was so excited to receive a response from her, and while we are at the beginning of our communications, I look forward to chatting with her more.

Our communication this week ended with several questions from me.
1. Following the completion of your degree, what are your plans?
2. How many other students are in your same degree program?
3. What kind of curriculum does your reception class use?
4. Is your school affected by poverty or have you learned about how poverty affects children in the UK?

While I have not been able to hear back from any other contacts, I have spoken with a colleague here in Kansas who has a friend studying in Israel. She is getting me her contact information, and I look forward to opening up a dialogue with her very soon. As a director at a Jewish preschool, I am very interested in learning more about early education in Israel. I'm also going to attempt to set up a pen pal type relationship with this contact and one of our preschool rooms at school. I'm looking forward to the challenge!

Web Resources: Zero to Three

There are very few websites (other than social media) that I find myself visiting every single day, however, Zero to Three (http://www.zerotothree.org) is a website that is up on my work computer, my home computer, and bookmarked on my mobile devices. It's a website that I recommend to colleagues, parents, and sometimes random people on the street!

The people at Zero to Three have a very clear mission

"ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development. At ZERO TO THREE our mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. We know that as babies, the way we are held, talked to and cared for teaches us about who we are and how we are valued. This profoundly shapes who we will become" (http://www.zerotothree.org).

This month ZTT's newsletter/journal is addressing the issue of maternal depression, and how it effects children in the home. Maternal depression is a serious issue and can have long term and lasting effects on children. While I do not have children, I have helped others battle postpartum depression, and know how serious and dire it can be. 

ZTT's monthly journal is worth the price, but they also have a free newsletter. Whether you subscribe to either, the website it definitely worth taking a look at. As a professional it is an undeniable resource. 

Establishing Professional Contacts

This week I was challenged with the task of reaching out to early childhood professionals in other countries and opening up a dialogue with them about what our profession looks like in their section of the world. I was very excited to start communication with people, and looked forward to having adult type "pen pals". I contacted representatives in Ireland, Israel, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and South Africa.
 
I emailed representatives from each of these areas expressing interest in getting in contact with them or other early childhood professionals they could pass me on to so that I could start communicating with them. I received return emails from Great Britain and Ireland, and both women said they would get back with me by early next week. The other countries I have yet to hear from, but I have reached out to several Israeli friends who are going to ask around for contacts they could put me in contact with.

I very much so look forward to creating these contacts! My work over the last 10 years has put me face to face with a myriad of cultures and beliefs, but I have never had the opportunity to speak with anyone about what early childhood education looks like. I am hoping to create relationships, share photos and stories, and possibly have friendships with the professionals I (hopefully) am able to come in contact with!

Expanding Resources
There are so many different resources available on the internet these days, but one that I constantly utilize professionally, personally and academically is ZERO to THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families http://www.zerotothree.org . It is an amazing resource that provides educators, students, and families information on just about any topic you can imagine relating to children. For several months I have been receiving their online newsletter, and sometimes I even use quotes and information from the ZERO to THREE newsletter and website in my newsletter that I send out to families!

My Supports

I feel like I am someone who is so lucky to have so many people in my life who love and support me.  I have had friends throughout the years who do not have parents or family members that they would consider a support. Luckily, my family is my number one support system. 

Through thick and thin, my parents have always been there for me, in so many situations. I know that my mom is always just a phone call away, and no matter what is happening in my life she will stop what she is doing, listen, and help to support me through both positive and negative situations. My dad is always there to provide humor, laughter, and positive energy. I don't know what I would do without them, and their individual styles of support. My grandmother, sister, aunts and uncles have also been there for me, to support me personally and professionally over the years. My small, close knit family is one of the reason that I am, who I am today. Our challenge this week was to describe what life would be like without these supports, and to be honest, I don't even know. Individually, each member of my family helps me in one way or another, and together, they work as a team to provide support to each other. I don't even want to think about what life would be like without a piece of this intricate family puzzle. 

Professionally, my main supporter is my mentor, Esther. When I was fresh faced, and right out of college, Esther saw something in me, and put me into a position that I probably wasn't ready for. She taught me how to supervise, how to teach, and how to be a strong leader. Throughout the last 10 years of my career I have always looked to Esther to help guide me through changes. I started a new position in the last 3 months, and the first person I called was Esther, and she helped me to see that transition is hard, but the outcome is worth it. She is someone in the early childhood field that I will always look up to, and always look for support from, no matter where we are each at in our careers. 

While I am fortunate to have so many people surrounding me supporting me mentally, physically and emotionally, there are many out there who do not have this luxury. I think about the "what ifs", what if I were to lose my job, or experience some sort of catastrophic event? I know that in either of those events, that I would still have those that love me surrounding me, and helping me through the tough time. I know that my mentor, Esther, would be there to support me professionally, and that my family would be there to support me mentally, monetarily and any other way they could.