Staff Development in Parent Involvement

       Parent involvement is essential to children's success. When parents show. children that they are interested in their education children tend to have better academic outcomes. Nevertheless, parents are their child's first teacher therefore it is vital to keep them involved in their child's learning.  According to authors, Gan and Bilige parental involvement in education is widely considered a significant factor for children's academic achievement and success in schools (Gan & Bilige, 2029). 

As educators, we must engage families in their child's learning. Other than children's parents and guardians it is teachers who spend a great deal with children.  Knowing this it is imperative to keep children and their learning connected to their home environment. This can be done in a variety of ways. 

1. Educators can create home-school work that connects children's home life with their school life.

2. Make contact with the parents daily or at least three times a week.

3. Educators can send letters and achievements h so that parents can relate to children that they are in tune with their progress.

4. Plan parent's night to keep parents informed and engaged in their children's learning.   

This blog provides a small list to get and keep parents' involvement at the forefront. Check back weekly for new tips and updates. 

There are many avenues to children learning and development. Being that children are direct descendants of their parents it is important to keep them involved in their development. This blog will grow to provide insights, suggestions, and activities that will help educators keep children involved. 

Reference:

Gan, Y. & Bilige, S. (2019). Parents' involvement in education is widely considered a significant factor for children's academic achievement and success in school. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 47(12).https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.8491

Optimizing Brain Development t

      Many components make up the human body. However, the one part that works together with everything is the brains.  Brain development is vital to social development. Most importantly, healthy brain development is critical during the first three years of life. 

     Optimizing brain development is essential to me because it sets the stage for learning and development. The healthier the first three years of life, the better the foundation children have to stand on. As an early childhood professional, knowing children can come to me positively makes my job more meaningful. I can help children reach their maximum potential. 

     Miles P  Strofer research the importance of early brain development.  He encourages parents to make the first year's count and create a firm foundation for growth. Based on his examination of several early-development programs, Strofer proposes that the early-development programs, Storfer proposes that the quality of the intellectual environment in the first two years of life can make a dramatic and lasting difference in [children's] measures intelligence (Futurist, 1991). 

     It is essential to give children a healthy start in life. Support children's brain development by supporting them. The more you give children in their earlier years in life, the better school-age children, teenagers, and adults they become. 

     I'm asking all of my early childhood professionals to help me help others give children a healthier head start in life. 

References:

Futurist. (, 1991). Starter Children in Prospect. Vol 25 p49-49 

International Contact

Over the last 8 weeks I have been communicating with Lisa, an early childhood educator from Mexico.  The Consequences to speaking with Lisa is that I gained  information, I have insight on how bad things are in Mexico, and lastly I learned that more children and families are in need.

 My eyes are open to the world around me.  My goal is to bring more awareness of the issue that children and families face in Mexico. I work with families that are from Mexico.  The goal is to collide with the families as well as my international Contact and see how we can help.  You can achieve better results in numbers.

Establishing professional contacts

Different countries may have different educational goals, as well as different feeling about education. To help with gather information on education, I attempted to establish contact with early childhood professional around the world.

I work as a head start teacher. The center I work at is very diverse. We work with families  of different cultures. Some of the culture we work with are Burmese, Chin, African American, Nigerian, American, and the Hispanics.  We have different translators and advocates that help communicate with these families.  To help establish communication with educators from different parts of the world I went to our family Advocate that work with Burmese families.  I explain to her my assignment then asked if she know any early childhood educators where she was from.  She had friends, and family members that are early childhood educators.  She contacted the educators that speak and write English, and ask if it's OK if I contact them.  Once MaI San got permission from them she gave me their contact information.

For my second contact I use my classroom assistant as reference. Her name is Lorena and her mom is an early childhood educator in Mexico. I explained my assignment to her and she asked her mom can she be my contact .  Her mom speak little English, so Lorena communicate with her mom for me.  Her mother agreed to be my contact. The plan is to use Lorena as a translator for her mom. I spoke with her mom briefly and thanked her for agreeing to be my contact.

My supports

     I have many supportive factors that get me through the day.  My biggest supportive factors is my husband.  He supports me emotionally, and physically. Whenever I have a problem I can always go and talk to him.  He helps me work through my problems and always check to see if they are resolve.  My husband helps me around the house with housework as well as look after the kids.

     Another supportive factor that I have everyday is my kids. They are my motivation.  Emotionally they keep me strong. I know that whatever I'm doing now is for their future.

     My job is another supportive factors.  I love my job, because I enjoy working with children.  My job supports me because this is my income. It is my main source of living, and if I do not go to work, my family will not eat.

     Time is another supportive factor in my everyday life.  I constantly monitor time and make sure that I use it wisely.  Time is supportive because there is a time for everything. A time to work, a time to rest, a time to spend with family, and a time just to enjoy life.

     All of my supportive factors keeps me going throughout the day.  The factors  together make up my life and keep my balance.

     Without my husband, I think that I would be lost.  I have heard stories of single mothers and how they barely have times for themselves.  I'm sure that without my husband I will need support emotionally. It can be draining dealing with kids on my own without help.  Another type of suppose that I will need is monetary and physical support.  Children are expensive and a household with one income may not be able to sustain.

My Connections To Play

"Play is so integral to childhood that a child who does not have the opportunity to play is cut off from a major portion of childhood"
              Musselwhite

"Play is our Brain favorite way if learning"

         Diane Ackerman

There are some toys that enhances children.  These three items wooden blocks, art supplies, and a dramatic play set are essential play items because it allows children to explore, use their imagination and be free in their creativity.

I remember as a child play involved jump rope, tag,  Hide and seek, Mother may I and other games of that type.  Play different in my childhood and now because most children have never been introduced to a jump rope.  Children today still play hide and seek and Tag, but games like Mother may I, and Mr Fox is not around as much anymore.  Now today children tend to stand around more and talk in groups vs running around playing. 

Throughtout my life play had always been there.  I find myself teaching my kids some of the same games  that I played as a child.  Play has always been important to me.  I enjoyed being by myself sometimes to play or playing with others.  Play today is important because it's help children deal with life as well as help them learn through trail and error and learn through experimenting.

Relationship Reflection

One person that I have a positive relationship with is my husband Ronnie.  We have been together for 17 years and married for 9 years.  It is a positive relationship because we motivate one another.  We share most of the same dreams and goals, and help one another achieve them.  Trust and respect are two factors that contribute to this relationship.  We made a pact to treat one another like we want to be treated.  We both try not to talk bad about the other.  When we become upset with one another the challenge is to maintain that respect.  As hard as it is to control myself during a dispute, I do it out of respect.  I leaned that some things done and said out of anger can not be undone.

I also share a positive relationship with my kids.  In my eyes my kids are little people.  This relationship is positive because it gives me motivation to keep going. My oldest son is 4 years old, I have 3 year old twin girls, and a 5 month old son.  I respect them just as I would anyone else.  I take the authoritative approach with them, but I always treat them with respect.  They trust me to take care of them, and I trust them to trust me.  One challenge to this relationship is keeping up with them as they grow.  When they hit the teenage years, my wish is that they maintain that level of respect that we established.

My experiences with relationships impact my work as an effective early childhood professional, because I'm learning that relationships and partnership takes more than one person to thrive.  Each party must give and take. As an effective early childhood professional, I will encounter many different people.  The relationships that I build will help myself and any other party involved in the long run.