Foundations of Early Childhood

To be an effective anti-bias educator I must honor and respect diversity (Oran, 2009). Working with families requires me to listen to their concerns about their children and what their expectations are for their child’s learning (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010). I must examine my cultural biases and develop strategies to combat any negative and discriminatory behaviors regarding differences, and continue to foster positive relationships with all families and children. Thank you to all my colleagues for your insightful and thought provoking responses during this class. Together we can make a change in how a children view themselves and the world. Good Luck in the future! References: Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Oran, G. (2009, December 2009). Culturally relevant pedagogy. Retrieved from http://www.educati...

UNICEF is the largest global organization working especially for children in providing long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children in war-torn and developing countries ( UNICEF, 2011). An earlier course requirement to subscribe to an international web site in and investigate child well-being has led me to continue receiving updates through the UNICEF website for the regions of Eastern and Southern Africa.             An August 2014 UNICEF press release asserts the impact of disease, malnutrition and the weather as threats to the well-being of refugees fleeing from fighting in the town of Bentui, where an United Nations base serves as a Protection of Civilians camp (UNICEF, 2011). In March, an estimated 38,000 people fled to the refugee camp joining the 7000 people already there. The number of people outweigh the camps ability to provide clean safe water. Children were weak and malnourished after days in the b...

Young children are exposed to many messages and images that infer their values is contingent upon how sexy they are for girls.  Boys are judged how macho and insensitive they are. These messages can confuse and even frighten young children ( Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. 2009).   . Exposure to images of sexual behavior lacking emotions, attachments, or consequences is detrimental to young children’s emerging sense of self. This constant exposure influences children’s perceptions and they begin to associate physical appearance with success and they learn that sex is the major factor in a relationship. Cartoons, dolls, clothing ads and media portrayals are all contributors to the sexualtization of childhood ( Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. 2009).   .  Children as young as five years old are talking about being girlfriend and boyfriend in my granddaughter’s class. She came from school one afternoon and announced that Don and Amy were a couple. Her father a...

Having a physical disability may lead to negative perceptions and societal prejudices. Abelism is defined as discrimination against disabled people  (Dictionary.com, 2014) .  This leads to a negative determination of an individual’s abilities based on his or her disabilities. Being perceived as unable to perform the duties  of my job may impact how I perceive myself, am I able to effectively function in the learning environment, assist children when needed, and can I respond to an emergency situation when needed are a few questions that arise when I think of being physically impaired.   Having family’s trust is vital in establishing relationship between them and the program. Sensing that a family had concerns about my physical competence likely could take a toll on my emotionally well-being and ability to relate to the family in an authentic manner. In dealing with the situation I might avoid the family to lessen the possibility of them questioning me or reacti...