Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The three local community of practice organizations that appeal to me are: Headstart, STRIDE Learning Center, and Peak Wellness Center. 

We all know Headstart.  It is a federally run early childhood program for lower income families.  STRIDE Learning Center is the developmental preschool where I work.  Peak Wellness Center is a private mental health facility that works with children and families.  These three organizations form a community of practice within my community.  When a child does not qualify for STRIDE, we often refer their family to Headstart.  When a child has greater needs than Headstart is prepared to handle, they refer to STRIDE.  When a family is in crisis at either Headstart or STRIDE, Peak Wellness Center is called to help the situation. 

One job opportunity that interests me is to coach colleagues with behavioral students.  Coaching would help educators deal with problems as they arise, and brain storming on how best to serve each child.  That would be the perfect job for me!

Skills that would be needed to competently fill this role would be excellent communication skills, behavioral analysis background, and the ability to be a team player. 

Observations

I observed a four year old boy and his mother at a coffee shop.  The mother was talking on the phone, while the child sat very quietly beside her.  The child did not have a drink or snack in front of him or a toy to play with.  This went on for twenty minutes.  After twenty minutes, the child asked, very politely for a drink.  The mother told him to, “Hang on”.  The child waited another five minutes before beginning to yell that he needed a drink.  The mother responded to the yelling, hung up on her phone call and got the child a drink.  She scolded her child for yelling in the coffee shop, but reinforced the yelling by getting him what he wanted. 

What I learned from this experience is that the mother could have been more engaged with her child.  Sitting for 25 minutes, being virtually ignored is extremely hard for a four year old.  Expecting that child to behave is nearly impossible.  From that experience, the child learned that if he is not getting attention from the first attempt at communication, all he needs to do is to yell to get attention and his wants and needs met. 

I learned from this experience of watching a mother and child that you need to be fully present when you are with a child.  You need to engage them, and to communicate with them, not just scold them once they become loud. 

Creating Affirming Environments

As the director of the Family Child Care Center I will strive to ensure that all of the children and caregivers feel welcome and included in our community.  To help with inclusion, I will invite all of the families to create a square for the family quilt that will be hanging in the classroom.  The square will consist of family pictures and anything else that is important for the family to share. 

I will invite families to include several activities throughout the year.  We will have family circle times, we will have family cultural week where all families can share their culture and diversity, and we will have special events for caregivers as well.  There will be materials from all ethnicities, and lessons to accompany them.  We will also include child lead lessons as well to promote critical thinking in the children. 

It is critical for all families to feel welcome and included.  The Family Child Care Center will strive to make all feel welcome, included, and part of our community. 

Finally....

One hope I have when I think about working with diverse children and families is that I hope I show my anti-bias attitiude to all of the people I work for and with. 

My goal is the same is well.  To treat all children and families with dignity, respect, and equity.  To never let any bias creep up and cloud my judegement. 

Finally, a note of thanks to all of my colleagues.  Your support and your sharing have inspired me, and I wish you all well with all of your future plans!

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: "We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

It is hard to imagine anyone who does not have a story of a child asking an inappropriate question at an inappropriate time.  Being in public leaves you exposed to many unusual situations.  Being the mother of a child with Autism, I find myself in this situation on a regular basis. 

The most mortifying situation happened in a grocery store.  I was was shopping with all three of my children when we happened into an empty isle.  We were at on end of the isle, and an elderly woman was at the other end.  The elderly woman was riding in a shopping scooter, so my son, in his loudest voice said, "Clear the way, Old Lady coming through!"  At this point I was hoping the ground would swallow me up, but no such luck!  The woman rolled up to me and told me to wash my son's mouth out with soap. 

I handled the situation like I handle all of the situation my son and I find ourselves in.  We discuss how yelling out someones physical features to describe them is not appropriate.  While my son felt he was being helpful, we discussed that since the woman did not ask for help, it was ok not try and clear the isle. 

Saying Goodbye

Adjourning is one of the most important phases in team development.  The hardest times that to adjourn from a team is when the team is working very well together.  High-performance groups are very hard to leave; groups that also have the clearest established norms are also difficult to leave.  Those are the groups that work well together and show results. 

The groups that I had a very hard time leaving are groups that I get along with personally and professionally.  Getting closure can help a team move on to work on other teams.  For these reasons, it is essential to adjourn from groups at the end of a project.

Non-Violent Communication

I have had a recent situation in which I had to explain to a parent that their child had many of the red flags of autism.  I employed all of the 3 R's for the discussion.  Being in the moment, being respectful, and being responsive are so critical in conversations such as these.  It is a painful moment for parents to be told that their child may have a condition that they were not expecting.  Communicating my message with compassion, sensitivity, as well as the 3 R's helped get me through even the toughest situations.