Examing Codes of Ethics

Examining Codes of Ethics

            The assignment for this week’s blog entry was to examine the NAEYC and DEC codes

of ethics.  I have chosen three of the ideals to explain their meaningfulness to me and I have provided an explanation of their significance to my professional life.

The following ideals are in section 1, Ethical Responsibilities to Children (NAEYC, 2005).

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 (NAEYC, 2005).

            The significance of this to my professional life is that in order to best care for and meet the individual educational and developmental needs of children and families, I must be well-educated and informed of current research and best practices.  The discovery and release of new, relevant research is an ongoing process; so then must be my continued education and training.

I-1.4—To appreciate the vulnerability of children and their dependence on adults

            (NAEYC, 2005).

            As adults, we must take care not to make unreasonable demands of children.  We must see each of them as an individual, with great care given to respect their vulnerability and dependence upon us to meet their educational, physical and social-emotional needs.  We must take care not to make demands or have expectations that they are not ready to meet.  It is our responsibility to assess where they are at and come up with an appropriate, individualized plan to foster growth and development.  As professionals, it is our responsibility to inform the primary caregivers of each child of this and involve them as much as is possible in the entire process.

I-1.12—To work with families to provide a safe and smooth transition as children and

              families move from one program to the next (NAEYC, 2005).

            During the time we care for a child, we are also forming a relationship with the family based upon mutual trust and caring for their child’s developmental and educational needs.  Moving to another program can raise concerns and cause stress for the child and the family.  As a professional in the field of early education, it is our responsibility to facilitate this transition.  We need to meet with the family and answer any questions or concerns they may have about the move.  If possible, arrange a visit to the new program or meeting with the new primary caregiver or teacher.  Be sure to forward all relevant and pertinent information regarding the child to the gaining program and be available to answer questions they may have for you as the former caregiver or teacher.  The goal is to make this move as smooth and stress free as possible for all involved.

            I have addressed only three of many very critical areas of ethical conduct.  Each area is as important and essential as the others.  The amount of responsibility involved in being a professional in the field of early childhood can be overwhelming at times, but is necessary to the well-being of children, their families, and for us as professionals.

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/

Growing My Collection of Resources

Week 5 EDUC 6005  

Required Resources   Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_1958521_1%26url%3D

• Course Media: "The Resources for Early Childhood"
  Five early childhood professionals discuss their preferred and trusted resources.

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, 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/naeyc/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.pdf
• 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_infanttodller
• 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://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
  
  Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
• 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.
  Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title.

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 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 Head start's National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• High Scope
  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//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
• 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

• 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 Resources

The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL)

Retrieved from http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/

The Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children  

Retrieved from http://www.challengingbehavior.org/

Book

Brazelton, T. B., & Sparrow, J. D. (2006). Touchpoints birth to 3:  Your child’s emotional and behavioral development (2^nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

"When we strengthen families, we ultimately strengthen the community.  Our goal is that parents everywhere work with supportive providers, feel confident in their parenting role, and form strong, resilient attachments with their children.  To help achieve this, providers must be responsive to parents, knowledgeable about child development, and eager to see every parent succeed."

  T. Berry Brazelton, MD
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"And so we discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being.  It is not acquired by listening to words, but in virtue of experiences in which the child acts on his environment.  The teacher's task is not to talk, but to prepare and arrange a series of motives for cultural activity in a special environment made for the child."

Maria Montessori on The Role of the Teacher
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"It was the most joyful experience where I felt that everything in me was being called on to teach and also it was very rewarding....It just made me feel whole, it made me feel whole , it made me feel creative and so it became my lifelong work with early childhood education...to make sure that all children were taught in environments and in ways that truly nurtured their ability to grow and develop to their fullest ability...."

Louise Derman-Sparks  Professor Emeritus Pacific Oaks College California
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"I think my passion comes from wanting to make a difference, like I said before and I truly believe that I'm not here to save the world, I'm here just to make a difference in the community that I am working in and to me making a difference sometimes means helping one child to be successful in the classroom.  You know for me, that one little sparkle will make a difference for me throughout the whole day...."

Raymond Hernandez  MS Ed  Executive Director School of Early Childhood Education, University of Southern California

Personal Childhood Web

I grew up in a very small town in Maine on a farm with both my parents, three sisters and one brother.  I am the middle child.  I have a very large extended family.  My dad was the youngest of seven children and my mom was the youngest of six.  We spent a good portion of our time at my paternal grandparent's at family gatherings.  I can remember celebrating every family members birthday on my dad's side at his parents house with all the aunts, uncles and cousins.  It was a huge loss when first my grandmother and shortly after my grandfather passed away.  Not long after each of my dad's siblings and him seemed to become the head of the family for each of their own immediate family circles.  The huge gatherings stopped except for probably weddings or Christmas. 

If I have to pick just a few of the people in my life who have had the largest impact, it would certainly be my mom, my dad, and my dad's parents.

My mom was a stay at home mom who ran her household, raised her five children and helped my dad with the farm.  She is a very quiet, private person until she felt the need to protect or defend her children.  She could do so with a very fierce passion. 

My dad was a farmer, so even though he worked very hard and long days, we had the luxury of him being at home also throughout our childhoods.  He only had to walk out the front door and across the yard to go to work each day.  My dad is also a quiet, private person but loves to talk with people.  He is also very easy-going, light hearted  person.  My dad would do almost anything to help someone in need.  He is very protective of his family.

Together they raised five children of their own and had foster children at times throughout our childhood.  I remember my parents as having what seemed a wonderful marriage and family life.  I have never to this day heard either of them raise their voice to the other.  They are both very honest and trustworthy people.  We were raised to do what we could to help others, not to be quick to judge and to be appreciative of what we had.  They had unlimited love for children.

My grandparents on my dad's side were very big influences also.  I remember my dad would go to visit them every day either after he finished milking the cows to have morning coffee with them or for lunch.  Then every evening we went as a family to visit and check on them after dinner. 

My grandmother was a midwife, a school teacher, the mother of seven and helped her husband with the farm also.  My grandfather had a dairy farm when he was younger and able.  They were married for fifty plus years before my grandmother passed away.  I can remember the hole that left inside the family.  Shortly after we lost our grandfather also.

I was very fortunate to  have the childhood that I had.  I felt very loved, protected and nurtured.  We did not have a lot of money, but it didn't seem to matter.  What we had was much more important.  I feel we probably had a very sheltered childhood growing up in the area that we did.

Each of these people had very distinct roles in our family but often their duties and responsibilities overlapped; they worked very hard but together to raise their families to be kind, respectful, and nurturing people.  They showed us through example what is important in life and how to achieve it.
They gave us great examples of how to give to and care for others with love and respect for each person as an individual.  I think each of them has had an impact on how I have grown and turned out as an adult.  My love for and the desire to protect and advocate for children came from a very long line of those who did the same.