Research Around the World

The international website that I chose was the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA).  The website is http://www.eecera.org/.  Some of the current research topics are "What Constitutes the Preschool Curricula?", "Parental Influence on the Development of Children's Storytelling", "Stay and Play or Play and Chat; Comparing Roles and Purposes in Case Studies of English and Australian Supported Play Groups" and "Make-believe Play versus Academic Skills: A Vygotskian Approach to Today's Dilemma of Early Childhood Education." 
This website is one of the most prestigious early childhood journals in the world that is published four times annually.  It is also one of only four early years journals indexed by the Institute for Scientific Information.  The article that interested me was "Make-believe play versus academic skills: A Vygotskian approach to today's dilemma of early childhood education."  This article discusses the challenges facing early childhood educators in Russia and in the West as it relates to play and the Vygotskian approach.  Through Vygotsky's approach and what we have learned about play, children can gain necessary academic skills by engaging in make-believe play.  Basically, children learn best through play.

Research that Benefits Children and Families

The topic that I chose that would make a major positive contribution to the well-being of children is "Classroom Strategies that Support Positive Peer Relationships and Friendships."  The positive contributions would be that through my coaching and modeling appropriate behavior, children would be able to take turns, share and work together.  Children who recognize positive consequences of a behavior are more likely to behave that way again.  The main goal is to identify the problem and develop a plan to help children which would support positive peer relationships.

Personal Research

     My topic of research is learning how effective are early childhood curricula and how does it affect outcomes and program quality.  The reason I am interested in this topic is because I am a Center Supervisor for a Head Start & Early Head Start program.  In our program, we have changed from various types of curricula.  The one we have been using for about 10 years now, is the Creative Curriculum.  I am interested in researching other curricula to understand how effective others can be or not be and what type of outcomes and program quality it can enhance my program or other programs.  I want to be able to provide the best educational experience to the children in the Head Start & Early Head Start program that I serve.                                        

Establishing Professional Contacts

 I chose to establish contacts with Europe and South Africa.  I am excited about learning about early childhood education from other parts of the world.  I have not had any luck with hearing from my contacts as of yet, but I will keep trying. 
I chose the National Black Child Development Institute as my related website.  They sent me a confirmation stating that they would be sending me newsletters and information concerning their organization. 

My Supports

     One of my main supports is my mother.  She is always encouraging me to do my best in whatever I do.  She's my best friend.  I can talk about and share anything with her.  She is always there to listen and understand.   She is supportive in what I do especially going back to school to work on my Master's Degree.  Another support is my fiance'.  He gives me lots of support both spiritual and physical.  He's always there to listen, give me advice and help me through any issues that I may be encountering.  He always reminds me that everything will be okay and I shouldn't let little obstacles get in my way because I'm more than a conqueror.
     Another support are my teachers.  I have 25 teachers that I supervise and they are always there to give me the support that I need.  They brighten my day with the kind words and encouragement they give to me.  Sometimes I have to make decisions that they don't like, but they understand it is beneficial and helpful for them. I'm glad that I have a team of teachers who can take the good with the bad and still be supportive.
     My other support is my best friend, Deborah.  She calls me every day and gives me an encouraging word that gets me through the day.  When we're both not so busy, we take the time to go out for lunch, go shopping and enjoy each other's company.  I couldn't ask for a better friend.  She's always there whenever I need her.
     Not having support from anyone, would be a challenge for me.  I'm used to having family and friends to surround me with the love and support that I need.  Without having that support, I wouldn't be able to endure some of the things that I am faced with and I wouldn't have anyone that I could vent to.  Everyone needs some type of. support system
        

My Connections to Play

     Through play, children learn what no one can teach them.
                                                            Lawrence Frank

     Play is a child's life and the means by which he comes to understand the world he lives in.

                                                             Susan Isaacs


        When I was a young child, my family and my teachers supported my play.  As I can recall, my gramdmother and my mom would always say, "You need to play.  It's good and healthy for you."  Each day I would go outside and play with my friends.    I would make mudcakes and pretend they were pies, play house with my dolls and play games such as "Duck, Duck Goose', "Red Light, Green Light", "Hide-and-Go-Seek and "Simon Says."  Those were good days and fun days.  I was not allowed to sit in front of the TV all day.  The onl;y time  I really watched TV was on Saturdays because cartoons were on most of the day.  My teachers supported my play when I was in kindergarten and first grade.  There were centers set-up in the classroom which supported that extra play in addition to going outside for recess. It made school and learning more fun.  My favorite center was dramatic play because I always liked to dress-up.
         I feel that play today is similar and different from the play that I engaged in as a child.  Children still play the outdoor games that I played when I was younger.  Children have a more variety of toys and games to play with today.  I was limited to the toys that we had to play with.  I basically grew up playing with dolls, legos,  lincoln logs and the etch-a-sketch.  Today,  children have so many manipulatives and blocks to choose from.  Some children don't play as much because they have video games and the computer to occupy their time which is not healthy for them.  They're missing out on the physical activities as well as taking in some fresh air.  My hope is that more adults will understand the value of play and how it is meaningful to their children.  As we can see, more and more children are obese or have more health issues due to lack of play and engaging in physical activities.  Play is needed for all children.  There's more to gain than to be lost if you don't engage in play. 
         Although I'm older now, I still engage in play with the children at my center and they enjoy it.  Play is something that is fun and enjoyable and will never go away, but it will continue to go on and on whether we we choose to engage in it or not.

Relationship Reflection

Relationships/Partnerships are important to me because it gives you that sense of security in knowing that you have someone that you can confide in and trust. It's that feeling of knowing that when you are feeling down or going through situations that those who are close to you are there to give you advice, be a friend and to give you that support that is needed.
Several people with whom I have positive relationships with are my mother-Sandra, my daughters-Tiara & Shakira, my fiance'-Johnavon, my best friend-Natoshia and my pastor-Nicholas.  Each relationship is positive because they are always encouraging me to be the person that I am and strive to do my best in everything that I do by putting God first.  Factors that contribute to developing and maintaining each relationship is the unconditional love and the special bond that each reflects on my life.
Insights regarding challenges to developing and maintaining relationships that I have learned from my experiences over time are that you must be patient, able to accept constructive criticism whether good or bad and be a good listener, not always wanting to voice your opinions.
Special characteristics of these relationships are that I share a unique bond with each individual.  It makes our relationship special and strong.
My experiences with relationships/partnerships has impacted my work as an effective early childhood professional because I can better understand the issues or concerns that affect my 27 staff.  I have a close and positive relationship with each of them.  Sometimes it can be challenging, but they each know that I am there for them every step of the way.