A Note of Thanks and Support

Thank you to all of my colleagues who have shared their hopes, dreams and goals while we continue to expand our knowledge. I value all of your opinions, personal experiences and questions.  It has helped me to learn and put into perspective different ideas and ways of life. We all have different opinions but we have a common goal, the passion to work with children and their families. I wish you all luck as you complete your degree. Children are our future and by providing safe, warm, and culturally responsive opportunities, they truly have a head start on their educational journey. 

Best of Luck, 

Diana

Examining Code of Ethics

To be a part of a profession that provides a Code of Ethics is very important to me. I think it brings an added importance of who we are and what we are trying to achieve. As I examined the ideals, I realized that we as professionals have high expectations to live by because it is so important that we do the right thing for people we are involved with.

The following are ideals that I want to promote within my program.

1. Recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child(NAEYC, 2005).

2. Create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity and their contributions (NAEYC, 2005).

3. Support the right of each child to play and learn in an inclusive environment that meets the needs of children with and without disabilities (NAEYC, 2005).

4. Ensure that each child’s culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and valued in the program (NAEYC, 2005).

5. Rely upon evidence based research and interventions to inform our practice with children and families in our care (Division for Early Childcare, 2000).

I think it is so important to be culturally responsive to children and families. I believe we must offer them guidance and support and be ethical when we interact with them. We are partners with families and children as we try to make a better place for them to learn and grow. I will be respectful and go forward in my professional life by being ethically responsive.

Reference
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/

Collection of Early Childhood 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, fromhttp://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, fromhttp://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, fromhttp://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.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
• World Organization for Early Childhood Education
  http://www.omep-usnc.org/
• Association for Childhood Education International
  http://acei.org/

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 Headstart's National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScope
  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/
• 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

• 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

Part 5: Personal Resources

 Early Childhood Colorado is a clearing house for news, events, hot topics, jobs, research, &  policy for the major organizations throughout Colorado.  http://earlychildhoodcolorado.org/     

Early Learning Ventures helps all children have the right to develop strong learning foundations and access to high quality early childhood education.
http://earlylearningventures.org/

Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children

http://www.challengingbehavior.org/