Research; Good for Babies!

Baby Ruby

I love working with parents and babies every day! Research has taught us so much about what babies know and what babies need to grow up to lead healthy, productive lives. I think, if they could, that babies would thank us for the research that taught us about attachement, the acquisition of language, and the importance of breast feeding. These are just three subjects that have evolved since I began my career that babies would surely give thumbs up to. 

Baby Nicollette

Those research studies helped me create curriculum for parents and strengthen my commitment to    support parents in attending to babies needs instead of worrying about "spoiling " them.  To encourage parents to fill their homes with language to prepare a child for reading, and to support women through the sometimes difficult beginnings of breast feeding (and to help parents understand that breastfeeding isn't always possible). Research has improved the quality of life for babies! 

I want to share a good example of research done with babies from Yale's Baby Lab. This is a wonderful piece from "60 Minutes". I think we would all agree that there is no minimal risk in this example. I do know that the babies in the research study did not sign a consent form, nor were they able to agree verbally or non verbally to participate. Parents made the decision for them. I think all of us would have done the same, if asked. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRvVFW85IcU

The link to the research as it appears in Nature Journal 

http://www.nature.com/news/2007/071121/full/news.2007.278.html

Hello Walden Colleagues. Sadly, I am at a dead end! Up to this point, I have sailed merrily along knowing that my job was a bit different than the rest of yours but feeling rather progressive too. In Minnesota we just don't think about early childhood without thinking about parent education. Today, I feel like an outlier.

I am wildly passionate about a project that I have been working on at the Capitol since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I am rigged towards optimism and hope and felt a need to find a way to educate parents about the affects of violent media including video games on very small children. I am amazed at the support I have received and feel so excited about the direction I am headed.

The dead end came this week when as I searched the Walden Library for articles to review for this week's assignment. I must have entered dozens of search terms to find some data on what parents know about video game ratings. I am stuck! What would you suggest?

I could investigate another question with a focus on early childhood but I really do not want to waste my time. I would much rather spend my research energy on data that I can use at the Capitol and with the State Department of Education. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Week 8, Mission Accomplished, Feeling GREAT!

 Bear with me, this may take a bit of explaining. I view many of life's challenges as missions so you can imagine how excited I was to spend a week at Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama as one of the crew during International Space Camp for Teachers. I learned so much about science, team work, and the gift of intellectual curiosity. I left Space Camp with a new appreciation for real heroes. Not media heroes, or athletes, but astronauts. Astronauts are curious scientists who are willing to take enormous risk for the sake of the common good. In the case of the astronaut, the common good is science and space exploration.

 We had a mission this term as well. We were asked to explore international contacts to help us better understand early childhood efforts on a global scale. Although I never made contact with anyone, I dug into the global web and podcast resources with great gusto. While I was at Space Camp, I had the opportunity to learn about 'space junk'. I had no idea before then that space is littered with all kinds of science waste from rockets, satellites, star and planet residue. The news hit me like a flying piece of space junk. I was overwhelmed and actually said out loud "UGH! I just don't have enough time in my life to care about space junk!". I felt that way about the overwhelming amount of resources we were asked to explore. It was too much for me. I will be happy to make a minute difference in the lives of children and families right here in my own corner of the state. The more I know sometimes, the harder it is to find my place in making a difference.

 I did know that the rest of you were on the same failed mission with me and I took some comfort  in that. I was happy that it wasn't just me. As I read your discussion posts this week, I realize we are all being asked to take on a new mission. Hopefully, one we will be successful at! I love our optimism! I am excited to see what we can accomplish individually. We will  all need to create teams to support our efforts. I hope that many of you, like me are starting to feel like we have each other to rely on as well.

I am starting to get a sense that we can do anything we put our minds and hearts to. And even if we shoot for the moon and miss, we will be in the company of a brilliant abundance of stars! Good luck to us all. I am ready to take on my mission. So long for now, Roger. Over.

I Could Teach in Moscow, Thanks UNESCO!

As I blog this morning from a hotel room in central Minnesota, I am drawn to this picture of kindergarteners in Russia. It snowed ten inches last night here and the last thing I want to do is put on my swim suit, grab a bucket and meet my friends in the street to play. On the upside, I could teach in Moscow without needing to acclimate to the winter there. Context, its all about context.

One of the great finds on the UNESCO website was a series of videos embedded in the site. The following link, as an example, takes the viewer to Moscow to see early childhood settings. I was interested in the footage of an early childhood special education program. I know a few families who have adopted children with special needs from Russia and the Ukraine. To hear their adoption stories is heartbreaking because of the living conditions of the children they adopted. Many children with special needs are put into orphanages for life. It was good to see a different perspective in the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFUm3emm5h0&feature=player_embedded#!

I found this video of the nomadic Lopi of Kenya absolutely charming. I think it will be a powerful piece of parent education. We often talk about how much children have these days and still seem to want for more. This video makes a compelling case for simplicity. The children in Kenya look very happy with very little. It did my heart good to watch children playing in the warm sunshine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUhSeJTyAiQ&feature=player_embedded

The UNESCO website is another shining example of coordinated efforts to advocate for the rights and needs of small children globally. You will become familiar with the work of many organizations all over the globe. You will learn about the infrastructure necessary to coordinate global early childhood efforts. You will become familiar with the key stakeholders, board members, and agencies that create policy on behalf of UNESCO. You will see examples and success stories of their work.  I leave this class much more aware of global resources and feeling more confident about the future for small children throughout the world. The web resources are abundant. My hope is that the actual resources for children is abundant as well.

Reference

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/

I am a Sociology GEEK!

Every girl in my freshman comp class

Trends in Children, Families, and Policy!

I went to college (for the first time) in the 1980's, the decade of big hair and big hair bands!

Survivor

It is interesting for me to study trends in families, in the parenting culture, in the economy, and in our politics. Many of the equity issues we face today have their roots in the economy of the 1980's. The PEW web site has some fascinating links. I find myself drawn to the PEW Research links to Social Trends (see link below).

An interesting study posted in March shared research about the changing roles of moms and dads. The study called "Roles of Moms and Dads Converge, But Gender Gaps Remain" is full of interesting material about modern parenthood. You would imagine that in 2013, the gender roles would look vastly different than they did in 1965 and they do. I did find it interesting that in 1965 mothers spent 8 hours a week in paid work compared to fathers who spent 42 hours a week in paid work. In 2011, the hours for mothers increased to 21 and fathers worked for pay 37 hours.

When we look at equity of access for preschool this week, one of the common issues in our discussion was transportation. The gender role study shed some light about where parents are and why transportation may be as much of an issue for the middle class as it is for economically disadvantaged family.

According to the study, in 1960, the year I was born, 72% of adults were married. Today, only 51% of adults are married. We all know that accessibility and affordability of early childhood programs can be an issue for single parents. If my post is intriguing to you, check out the PEW Research about Social Trends. I get lost there. Time to get those dinner dishes done....

Reference

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org

Week 5 Harvard is EXCELLENT

Before I even talk about the Global Children's Initiative at Harvard, let me just say this....I have spent about an hour loading videos on to my computer from Harvard's website. What a gold mine! As many of us are looking toward increasing our advocacy skills as Walden students and as Early Childhood teachers I appreciate the rich resources rooted in research on the Harvard website. It feels like I have found a treasure.

The Global Children's Initiative contains a portfolio of activities in three domains. The first domain is Early Childhood Development where priority is focused on adapting the work done in the United States to "energize and reframe the global dialog about investing in early childhood".  The second priority is focused on generating and applying new knowledge to "address the health and developmental needs of young children in a variety of settings". Projects are ongoing from this domain exist in Chile, Zambia, and Sierra Leone. The third priority convenes research forums "to facilitate collaboration" most notably in Brazil as it makes serious investments in young children and their families.

The second domain is focused on Children's Mental Health with three projects in development, the first in Shanghai, China to assess the state of mental health services there. Another will develop and evaluate efforts to prevent mental health issues in children with AIDS/HIV in Rwanda. Finally an project to assess childhood maltreatment and the resulting mental health issues as a result in three Caribbean nations.

Children in Crisis is the domain focused on collaborative efforts to study the "assessment and management of child well being" in the face of crisis whether natural or man made.

I have a few new insights after exploring the Harvard website this week. Again, I have bookmarked, tagged, highlighted, and downloaded a variety of resources that will prepare me in my work as an advocate and in creating curriculum for parents in my classes.

I am thrilled to see international efforts being made on behalf of children for children. I am hoping that each of the global efforts include Harvard students as research assistants, social work interns, medical residents, and a variety of other roles.  Each of the projects is rooted in noble humanitarian values. I wonder if universities are filling in gaps in humanitarian efforts that used to be a function of our government.

Any time mental health generates research, we move one step closer to removing the international stigma of mental illness. All of these efforts are examples of international excellence and equity in early childhood.

Reference

                              http://developingchild.harvard.edu/topics/global_child_development/

Week Four, PHEW! PEW!

I would describe the work at PEW as eclectic. I have been overwhelmed with PEW's website this week as I try to make sense of how it moves policy with so many irons in the fire. Let's start with the good news. I have found a few areas of interest on the website that reflect the work I do with families. The national commitment to home visiting for new and expectant families is very exciting. I have been home visiting new parents for years as a Winona County Baby Connector. Like all of us, I am interested in watching Pre-K Now evolve as more states invest in high quality preschool. The research embedded in the website is comprehensive. I appreciate a state by state perspective and spent a lot of time on the Minnesota page.

My current professional development path has put me at the Capitol in St. Paul often as I advocate for parent education to be included in the scholarships for preschool that will be awarded to families. I am also working on a project near and dear to my heart as a one woman non profit organization. I am learning that moving policy forward is not only about what you know, it is who you know, My professional connections have opened doors for me as I advocate for children and parents.

Governor Mark Dayton (on the left) and Art Rolnick have helped me become more comfortable in the policy arena. The PEW website is another valuable asset as I speak with policy makers. I added PEW's newsletter to my RSS feed and find myself more comfortable with that format as PEW is overwhelming! What drives policy is DATA. I am a storyteller, a wonderful asset in my teaching but not as effective in policy making. PEW has given me easy to interpret data about my state delivered right to my computer. The newsletter provides the data and the language necessary for advocates. Legislators are on recess this week, I will use the data provided by PEW to communicate with them.

My frustration is this, PEW has so many areas of interest that the website is difficult to sift through. I find myself overwhelmed and ineffective when I have too many plates spinning in the air. I do much more work when I focus on doing one thing well to it's completion. When I do too much, I do none of it well. PEW seems to have compartmentalized its work somehow but it is not obvious to me how it is all connected. PHEW!!