*To advocate for and ensure that all children, including those with special needs, have access to the support services needed to be success.
* To participate in building support networks for families by providing them with opportunities to interact with program staff, other families, community resources, and professional services.
*To work through education, research, and advocacy toward a society in which all young children have access to high-quality early care and education programs.

These three ideals were important for me.  I think that every early childhood professional should be concerened with these three ideals at all times.  We must make all children feel included at all times.  We must build support systems for our families in our care and provide professional services when needed.  All young children should have access to high quality education. 

Early Childhood Resources

       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

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.

       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:

        

o    World Forum Foundation
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us

o    World Organization for Early Childhood Education
http://www.omep-usnc.org/.

o    Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/

       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//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/

 

Additional Resources

 

1. Aram, D. (2005). Continuity in children’s literacy achievements: A longitudinal perspective from kindergarten to school. First Language,25, 259–289.CrossRef
2. Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2008). Words their way: Word study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling instruction (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
3. Bialystok, E. (1995). Making concepts of print symbolic: Understanding how writing represents language. First Language, 15, 317–338.CrossRef
4. Blair, R., & Savage, R. (2006). Name writing but not environmental print recognition is related to letter-sound knowledge and phonological awareness in 308 pre-readers. Reading and Writing, 19, 991–1016.CrossRef

 

Walden Week 4 Quotes

“While most child care teachers and providers continue to earn poverty-level wages, and many beneficiaries of the above-mentioned compensation initiatives still are woefully underpaid, there is little argument within the child care field, and a slowly dawning awareness among policy makers, that improved services for young children in the U.S. require better compensation for the child care workforce.” (Whitebook, Mary 2002)

 

 

Interventions for young children with disabilities are more effective when the adults involved form collaborative partnerships. (Buysee, Virgina Ph.D.)

 

 

 

“Passion is contagious”

Course Media: "The Passion for Early Childhood"
Five early childhood professionals share passion, motivation, and commitment to the early childhood field.