Working on Excellence

This week we spoke a lot on the topics of excellence and equity in early childhood. In my conversations this week with my international contacts we also touched base on this topic. Again, I am always surprised at how many similarities there are but there are differences that are also astonishing. In Ireland for example, they worry heavily on protecting children from abuse and preserving their rights. We do hold this in serious regards here in America but it is not the forefront of our everyday focus because the rates are not as high. In fact, I was told that there is a constitutional vote coming up in Ireland on November 10^th, 2012 that would makes the right for children to be protected legal. We deal with pressuring children academically and “teaching to the test” with a strain on assessments that are not occurring in the natural environment. In terms of the bridge with getting elementary, early childhood, families, and communities on a similar team that has proved to be a hard task for the Irish. They are just now passing legislation that would focus on the stresses that children endure (with the most common being alcohol abuse and poverty). They are trying to promote excellence by providing the basic needs every child is entitled such as safety, love, and nurture. This week I was not able to be in contact with my British colleague, Helen, because she is away on holiday (vacation).

As in all of our discussions through the weeks of this course I and finding more and more how important the community and the private business sector is. If they work hand and hand we can begin to build a better future for everyone…

Trends in ECE

In continuing my research on policies and trends in early childhood education I have answered the following questions for this week.

 

What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

There is a section on this website for publications. One of the current items I found which relates directly to my position at this time is helping children cope with change. Change happens around children all the time. Schedules change; families separate, deaths occur….the list could go on and on. I really liked that I saw advice for professionals. My favorite piece of advice was “Feelings matter!”. We so often forget to really listen and take in what children are feeling. When an event occurs in a child’s life that is a change it can really affect a child. As the website says “Children need to feel emotionally say they need to be able to predict what is going to happen around them.”

 

Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?

           

            This is not a new issue for me but one I did read into because I realized that this is more of a global view in early childhood education than just here in America….that topic is…building relationships with families. The British Association for Early Childhood Education has a program put in place called “P is for Partnership.”  The program has two goals as outlined below;

            1) To support parents’ involvement in their children’s learning to develop communication, language and literacy and mathematical thinking in their children, as well as promote personal, social and emotional development through improved motivation, self-confidence and self-esteem in both their child and themselves.

2) To support practitioners to work with parents to enable them to understand the importance of play and exploration in supporting their child’s developing communication , language and literacy as well as their mathematical knowledge and understanding and to show them how they can use simple resources to do this outside the formal education settings.

What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?

            “Influencing Decision Makers”…is the very first thing seen on the policy page of the website.  Politicians in England have put into place that every child who is three and four years old is entitled to 15 hours of free early childhood education. That is extremely different from what we have here in the United States because we are fighting for funding and programs to do just that for children.

        

What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

            Currently there is a lot of work being done to facilitate comprehensive regulations and standards. It is certainly on a common scope as what practitioners here are trying to do.  There also seems to be quite a bit of work being done to promote better relationships with families and children within the early childhood spectrum.

 

Resources:

The British Association for Early Childhood Education. http://early-education.org.uk/sites/default/files/Early%20childhood%20education%20in%20England%20summary.pdf

Sharing Resources

     Over the last week and a half now I have been researching early childhood education in England so that I can better understand the culture differences when I speak (hopefully!) with the contacts I am hoping to establish. There is a lot of information out there and it looks completely overwhelming to sort through. However, as in my post from last week I found it easier to view the British Association for Early Childhood Education’s website. If you’d like to visit, simply click on my link; http://www.early-education.org.uk/.

     The focus of the organization is to bring awareness to the importance of early childhood education in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The organization believes that all children are competent learners from birth and they aim for practitioners to foster loving and caring relationships.  In the policy and issues section of the website the reader see’s “Influencing decision makers!” The organization provides a plethora of education, training, and materials for practitioners and parents to make well thought decisions in regards to voting. For practitioners the organization has a thought out set of standards/principals as well as a code of ethics stance.

     Most of the issues that are being dealt with right now are centered on reform. Although early childhood sees the most changes the United Kingdom started overhauling all education programs in 2008. I did notice that a common trend is the learning approach. It is very family centered and can be compared greatly to the Reggio approach.

               

Resources:

 British Association for Early Childhood Education. http://www.early-education.org.uk/.

Professionals Across the World

Find professional contacts across the world, how exciting! I decided to attempt to look on my own and I am glad I did. I have contacted Irene Gunning from the Early Childhood Ireland Association and Helen Snow from the British Association for Early Childhood Education. At the current moment I am awaiting a reply from both contact to finalize whether or not this will be possible for either of them. I am interested in learning about their particular approaches in education and care. I am very excited in building a professional relationship with these educators.

The website I choose to look thoroughly at the British Association for Early Childhood Education. The website is as follows; http://www.early-education.org.uk/. The website is pretty similar to NAEYC's. There is a lot of educational tools on the website and free publications professionals can view. There is of course a place for practitioners and other organizations to become members. I plan on subscribing to their version of Young Child. It's pretty exciting, in my opinion.

                                        

My Conncections to Play

In our play we reveal what kind of people we are.

Ovid
Roman poet
43 BC–17 or 18 AD

As astronauts and space travelers children puzzle over the future; as dinosaurs and princesses they unearth the past. As weather reporters and restaurant workers they make sense of reality; as monsters and gremlins they make sense of the unreal.

Gretchen Owocki
Contemporary American early childhood educator

Play was a very big deal for me as a child. Some of my favorite memories are with me, my sisters, and neighbors playing in our front yard. Play for me was an escape from the issues that were taking place around me. It was a way for me to construct the world as I thought it should be.

I think play is different today than it was when I was a child. To me play was so innocent back in those days. Now children have much harder realities to deal with in life. A lot of play that I witness is imitation based on the harder events of life. Video games are also huge. It is so easy for a child to plop in front of a tv and play for hours without physically moving around or stretching their imagination. My hope is that one day children can really be innocent and imaginative without being subjected to violence, hate, and cruel acts of crime. For children to have a truly stress free life would be amazing.

Play has definitely shaped me from childhood to adulthood. When I was about 3 or 4 I developed a huge passion for music (which I still have today). I would pretend to put on huge concerts and when I started taking trumpet lessons I would sit outside with my instrument and play as if I were alone on a darkened stage and everyone was watching me. I gained confidence and practice through this. I also learned that I could achieve my dreams if I followed them. As an adult I did achieve that dream as a performer although my life took a different path after the birth of my child. Now about to enter my thirties I carry that imagination and dreaming with me. It helps me to run an effective business and provide my son with a life time of memories. As a teacher I am able to play with my students every day. Professionally, I highly recommend 30 minutes of play a day for adults. Not only is it good for your health to move around, giggle, and smile BUT it also keeps you young at heart!

 

These are some toys I had from my childhood. I made many phone calls on the phone that you could pull with a string. Rainbow Bright could do anything! She went on so many adventures and solved so many problems. She was my childhood hero. I actually had a microphone. Thats how I put on my concerts!!!

Childhood Quotes

If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older.  ~Tom Stoppard

The greatest poem ever known
Is one all poets have outgrown:
The poetry, innate, untold,
Of being only four years old.
~Christopher Morley, To a Child

Assessments For Children

I have never ever liked standardized tests. I will be the first to admit I did mediocre on the SAT’s and barely got through the standardized tests throughout elementary and secondary school. I do not have a learning disability or lack the knowledge to succeed. I was just (and still am) not very good at taking a test that measures one little specific item. I feel it is too much pressure. What if it is a subject that is not my strong point? What if I have learned and can only express the knowledge obtained in a manner that is not traditional? Does that mean I know nothing because I cannot seem to do well on a test? Please do not misunderstand my comments. I do understand the need for measuring and assessing knowledge. I just do not necessarily agree with the way we perform these tasks. I am a strong believer in Multiple Intelligence. Not one of us learns the same exact way. Why should we be assessing the same exact way for every child? On another side note, there are thousands of schools out there “teaching to the test”. It is not benefiting the children…in fact I feel it often hurts them.

We should take a look at the whole child. What are their strengths? How can we use those strengths to build on knowledge or improve the weaknesses? Early childhood education tends to be tailored to each individual child. When we are measuring and assessing, in terms of knowledge, we should take into consideration what is best for the child. I do believe we need to progress monitor and record our observations. I even agree that we need to monitor subjects such as math and language. But I also feel we should look at music, art, history, physical education and any other form of learning that can be stemmed together. I, personally, learned a great deal of math through music however, when I was tested they never asked me math questions in the form of music or even related math to another subject. It was confusing for me at times. Holistically speaking, everything about the child needs to be assessed…physically, socially, cognitively, emotionally.  

In Ireland it seems as though the assessment process in school aged children is still progressing according to a report given in 2001. Assessments and standardized testing was at first only given at the discretion of the teacher. Now the Department of Education and Science has move towards obligating teachers to do these assessments and standardized testing on a regular basis. They are also now required to report the outcome to the child’s parents. Through what I read it seems as though teachers did not have much of an obligation to speak to parents about their child’s progress. It also was not until 2000 where Ireland implemented a regular attendance policy for school aged children ages 6-16. In Ireland, they are also just recently starting to focus on the development on quality early childhood programs. It seems so different in contrast to the United States because we focus so much on assessments. It certainly is laid back.

Resources:

Education Provision in Ireland2001

http://www.ibe.unesco.org/International/ICE/natrap/Ireland.pdf

Stressors in children

This week we were asked to write about a stressor we or someone we know of experienced. We were asked to explained how we coped or compensated for that stressor. The stressor I chose was disease. (A note to the reader: This is a personal story that is a bit touchy for me. I apologize if the emotion in this experience is a bit much.)

There is a multitude of disease that runs through my family. It includes but is not limited to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, ect. My grandfather was diagnosed with cancer while we were still very young children. On top of it he had already had a triple by pass, had severe diabetes which was affecting the circulation in his legs and feet, had high blood pressure and cholesterol, and I probably could go on for another 10 minutes with the rest of ailments he had.

                My sisters and I were really close to my grandfather. We knew he was ill and often visited him in the hospital. My parents did not hide it from us. I think they didn’t want us to be shocked when he eventually passed away. They wanted to give us time to get closure and come to terms with what was going to happen. Looking back I am not sure whether this was a good decision or not. On one hand I appreciate all the time I was able to have with him. I am grateful I knew and was not surprised with what I would have interpreted to be a sudden death. However, I was pretty young (or what I consider to be young) to deal with death and felt that it kind of consumed me at times.

                I was completely and totally devastated when my grandfather passed, even though I knew it was going to happen. I didn’t understand how someone I loved so much could just be gone. I was inconsolable at the idea of not having him around for the rest of my life. My parents told me about death but they never explained what it meant or how to deal with it. I was lost.

                My grandparents on my mother’s side are what helped me and my sisters through the hard times. My family is of Christian belief so my grandmother spent a great deal of time explaining what death meant in those terms and what it means for us as living family members. She fostered a nurturing environment that allowed us to focus on the happy memories instead of the sorrow. I fully believe that my parents did not have the skills and did not truly know how to talk to us so there was a good understanding. Their intentions meant well and I believe for the most part they did the right thing.

                It took me a good year to come to terms with what occurred. Even as an adult now I am still saddened at times that my grandfather could not see all I have accomplished and even more so…they my son will never meet this great man I hold so dear. Death is a hard concept for children to understand. Death is a hard concept for adults to understand. I believe that constant open communication is the best way to go.

Disease in another country

                Once again I chose to go with looking into Ireland. Not to my surprise when I looked up the stressor of disease and how it affected children I found a tremendous amount of information on alcohol abuse. Children in Ireland with parents who abuse alcohol tend to be subject to abuse. In Ireland alcohol is 1/3 of the cause for the most severe domestic abuse cases. If children are not directly involved with the abuse they more than likely witness domestic abuse between parents. There was a study done of 43,318 women. An average of 63% of women admitted to drinking alcohol during their pregnancy. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to further complications such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). ( http://alcoholireland.ie/alcohol-facts/case-studies-three/)

                Even viewing this disease as a child can lead to a child doing it at a very early age. I was not able to find much in the way of counseling or reach out programs to deal with this. There is one advocacy group I found called Alcohol Action Ireland. They have been stressing parents to speak about the effects of alcohol with children.

Resources

 http://alcoholireland.ie/alcohol-facts/case-studies-three/

http://www.thehanlycentre.com/index.php

Immunizations

It’s a new week which means…a new topic! This week I was asked as a part of our blog assignment to choose one area of interest from the following topics:

       Nutrition/malnutrition

       Immunization

       Access to healthy water

       Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

       Breastfeeding

       Mental health of mothers, fathers, and families in general

Owning an Early Childhood Center and being in the heart of its function I see every single topic (with the exception of SIDS, thank goodness) and feel that each and every one of them are so important to a child’s development. For choice sake though I am going to focus a little on immunization. I feel that at times there is a lack of communication or overall education on the importance of immunizations for children. I often find myself, at least once a month, explaining to a parent what different immunizations do, what they prevent, and why they can be beneficial (ESPECIALLY if the child is enrolled in an ECE center or around a lot of other children). For Pennsylvania ECE centers are required to submit a copy of each child’s immunization record to the Department of Public Welfare and Health.

            In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania they make it really difficult for a child to NOT receive immunizations. A few years ago legislation was passed that every child residing in the Common Wealth is entitled to health insurance from the state at little to no cost through ACCESS or CHIP. In the area I live in there are clinics that will give immunizations (those required to enter public school) at no cost. I do feel though, as I said earlier, that physicians often lack in communication when it comes to educating families about why this is so critical to get done. Just this year our area had an outbreak of whooping cough, a few years back it was the swine flu, and I can even remember a chicken pox outbreak. I know everyone has a different thought on why these events occurred but one main one for children was a lack of obtaining the appropriate immunizations.

            Even adults (those working with children especially) should have boosters done. They are available and if you walk into most clinics they can even give you a hand out for an adult immunization schedule. Adults can be carriers of some really horrible illnesses (pertussis!). By protecting yourself you can protect the little ones as well.

Immunizations in another country:

            I think it is relatively common knowledge that Africa is a pretty depressed country in terms of childhood immunizations or immunizations in general. The WHO organization and UNICEF have been working feverishly to improve on this but it is still at a general 69% for those receiving just the DTP vaccine (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis). Most deaths (about 10 million!) are due to a lack of childhood vaccines. Prevention is so so so important!  

References:

http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/85/6/06-031526/en/

Birthing Experiences in Another Country

( The Cliffs of Moher taken 3/2011)

I choose to look up the birthing experience in Ireland (mostly in part because I had just been there). I was taken aback by how different the process is there versus her in the United States. I expected to see a similar model of medical intervention but upon remembering how depressed the country actually is (despite how beautiful it is) I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. There are 2 main birthing models in Ireland one is the governments model called “Maternity and Infant Care Scheme” and the private option of “Midwifery”. I will briefly explain both.

                The Maternity and Infant Care Scheme has requirements and I compare it to Pennsylvania’s ACCESS option (which is free health care). An expecting mother has to show residency within the republic. No health care is required. What shocked me even more is that ALL services are free. Exams and the delivery are entitled free of charge out of respect for the birth. Here’s the difference…the mother receives her first exam before 12 weeks. Then, provided everything looks “normal”, 7 and only 7 more checkups occur. There are also no birthing classes or infant care education. There is no prenatal screenings such as diabetes, genetic disorders, blood pressure, ect. In the United States a woman has a check up as soon as pregnancy is suspected and every month following until about the beginning of the 8^th month. Exams are then scheduled for every other week. At 9 months the exams are weekly and can even occur 2 times in a week.

               The second model is Midwifery. This compares closely to our version of the Midwife birthing experience. It is private and you have the option of an at home birth or a hospital birth. Since this is a private option care is customized and an expectant mother can see her midwife monthly and obtain all the screenings we consider routine. The expecting family has to pay out of pocket for these services but it seems to offer more comprehensive care.

                The other bit of information I found was that physicians only primarily handle high risk pregnancies and midwives or clinical nurses handle the “normal” cases.

Websites used for reference:

http://ireland.angloinfo.com/healthcare/having-a-baby/pre-natal-care/

http://www.irishhealth.com/clin/pregnancy/conditions02.php?con=166#q2

http://informedbirthireland.com/prenatal.htm

My Personal Experience...

(My Husband and Dylan October 2005)

On Black Friday of 2004 I found out my life was going to change forever. I was only 20 years old, still in college, and not married yet. How could this happen? We were careful and precautious. Now we were preparing for a baby! I remember everything as if it were yesterday. My parents were furious with me and Dean. My in-laws however, took me in, supported us, and helped us to be as educated and prepared as possible. I was, and still am, so grateful they gave us the chance to be successful. Without their support things could have turned out much more different.

                My prenatal experience was pretty uneventful. I went to all of my appointments every month and had a plethora of preventative testing done. By the grace of God I was healthy and so was my (now 7 years old) baby. I was due July 20, 2005. That summer was painfully hot. I remember walking a lot because it was the only way I could get some relief. The doctors had told me young first time mothers can deliver 2 weeks late and they consider that standard. I was praying that would not be the case because by the time July came around I was completely miserable.

                The 4^th of July came and all I could do that day was sit. I wasn’t in pain I just remember feeling really weird because the baby was moving down and I could feel it. I had just been to the doctor the day before and they had shared with me that I was not ready yet to have the baby. So I ignored the weird feeling I had. The following night (July 5^th) my, now husband, took me out to dinner at the Olive Garden. I hadn’t really been away from the house at all that week and was starting to get stir crazy. I had eggplant parm, a salad, and a soda. My husband ate an obscene amount of “never ending” pasta. I was so tired so we went home straight after. By the time we got in it was around 10:30pm. I put on pajamas and “rolled” into bed. Just as my head hit the pillow WHOOSH! It was as if the flood gates had opened. Even though it was my pregnancy experience I knew what had just happen. My water broke. Intense contractions started immediately so off to the hospital we went. I was examined right away and sure enough I was 9 ½ cm and in full labor. I heard (for the 100^th time) that this would be a long experience for me that could take longer than 24 hours. Boy, were they wrong. At about 1:30am I received an epidural. About an hour later I told the nurse I felt like I needed to push. After she argued with me that these things take time she agreed to check me. I can still see the look on her face today. It was time! 4 pushes and 20 minutes later the most beautiful baby boy I have ever laid my eyes on was in my arms. Dylan Michael was born on July 6^th, 2005 at 3:15am. He was 5 lbs 14 ounces and was 21 inches long. At that moment every fear I had melted away as I realized I was ready to be a mother. It’s been almost seven years now and he is the love of my life. I still can see my little baby every time I look at him.

                There was so much we did not know about the prenatal process. I feel that if we didn’t take the initiative to reach for support from my husband’s parents, the doctors, and nurses we may have made some poor decisions that could have affected our son. Until the doctor fully explained it to me I had no idea how important vitamins and screenings are to an unborn child. I also wasn’t aware of the physical considerations I would have to take to protect me and the baby. I could have really impacted the baby’s development for the worse if I did not seek out the support and education. Now, I feel like there is so much more education and support offered to expecting mothers than there was 7 years ago (even though that’s really not that long ago). You are automatically guided step by step through each process I choose to share this experience with you 1. Because I felt initially so unprepared for this, and 2. Because I had support and I believe it made all the difference. Now most women are given support through various organizations. There are places that offer free services so that families can give children the best opportunity for development. I feel this is great progress and the birthing experience can truly be a wonderful thing.

A Personal Note...

     I feel as if this course we have all taken together has come to a close all to quickly. It was only a few short weeks ago that we were all introducing ourselves to each other. With that said I understand that we were suppose to write a note of thanks to two people in our class but all of you have been such an inspiration to me. I enjoyed insight Randi provided the week we all spoke about our family and the responses Joseph, Mandi, Wendy, Tarcila, and Angela have left on the discussion board. One of the biggest things we instilled in each other over the last 8 weeks was support & the countless stories of experiences in our professional and personal lives. I cannot speak for all of you but I am certain for myself that those are the points that have helped me grow the most into making my goals into a reality.I thank you all for that.
    I hope that we are able to continue our relationship(s) through the next course, and so on. If we should not cross paths again ( I hope that isn't the case) I wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavours and hope that you are able to achieve all that you set out on.

                                                                     Sincerely,

                                                                      Nicole Rutt

Codes of Ethical Conduct

     In the center I work at we use the NAEYC Code of Ethics as our frame of practice. This week I took a look at the NAEYC Code of Ethics and the DEC Code of Ethics and pick a few to share with you that I feel are the most important to me at this point in time. The ethics help guide my professional growth as well as those who I employ.

DEC

       We shall demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all our professional activities in order to inspire the trust and confidence of the children and families and of those with whom we work.

o    This ideal is important to me because it is a core value of mine to always remain professional and truthful to the families I work with. Trust is a very big deal. Without it families would never be capable of building a bond with their child’s teacher.

       We shall serve as advocates for children with disabilities and their families and for the professionals who serve them by supporting both policy and programmatic decisions that enhance the quality of their lives.

o    Staying current on political issues regarding children with disabilities is a very big part of what I do every day. There are so many families who do not know which way to turn and they rely on us, the Early Childhood Professional, to guide them in the right direction. Furthermore, as professionals we should be supporting the policies that would and fight to make changes that would enhance learning for children with disabilities.

       We shall build relationships with individual children and families while individualizing the curricula and learning environments to facilitate young children’s development and learning.

o    Learning is not a cookie cutter. Not everyone processes the same way. Individualizing learning plans to each child is so important because it allows us to maximize their growth and potential. It also allows us to facilitate that window of opportunity that shows children how much of an adventure learning can be through hands on exploration.

o     When children feel important and loved they feel confident. They are more apt to engage in conversations and play. We also cannot possibly teach to 100% of our ability unless we know every individual child in our program.

NAEYC

      1-1.4> To appreciate the vulnerability of children and their dependence on adults.

o    This one goes along with number 3 of the previous. Children need to feel safe. They rely on adult for rules, structure, and constant stability. This should not only happen at home but also in the early childhood program/classroom.

      1-2.3> To welcome all family members and encourage them to participate in the program.

o    Family involvement is so so so so so important. I always want a family of mine to feel welcomed into the center and for them to know they are a vital part of their child’s education and development.

      1-2.6> To acknowledge families’ childrearing values and their right to make decisions for their   children.

o    I feel this one is important because we spend so much time with children (sometimes more than their parents do) that we become emotionally attached and blur the lines a little. Even though we may do the primary care giving on a daily basis we need to remember those professional bounds and that the families have the final say in their child’s development and education.

Resources used:

Article: NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved April 9, 2012, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

• Article: The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved April 9, 2012 from http://www.dec-sped.org/

My most used resources...

On the right hand side of my page I have listed a plethera of resources for the Early Chilhood Professional. I also wanted to share with you 4 resources I have been using with my staff . They are great reads and have provided great help! Enjoy!

• Powerful Interactions: How To Connect With Children To Extend Their Learning                            by:Amy Laura Dombro,Judy Jablon, and Charlotte Stetson
• Caring For Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards                                  A Joint Collaborative Project of American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care, and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
• Tender Care and Early Learning: Supporting Infants and Toddlers in Child Care Settings                By: Jacalyn Post and Mary Hohmann
• Growing Minds: Building Strong Cognitive Foundations in Early Childhood                                     By: Carol Copple

Here are some quotes from professionals that really inspire me. I hope they do the same for you as well! ENJOY!!!

Marian Wright Edelman-Health & Wellbeing

“Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time.”

 “If you don't like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it. You just do it one step at a time.”

 “Never work just for money or for power. They won't save your soul or help you sleep at night.”

Maria Montessori- Research & Academia

“The things he sees are not just remembered; they form a part of his soul.”

“Of all things love is the most potent.”

“These words reveal the child’s inner needs; ‘Help me to do it alone’.”

Louise Derman Sparks-Video Segmant

“I have a passion to make sure all children are taught in environments and ways to truly nurture their ability to grow and develop.”

“Children are still trying to figure out our identities.”

“I find adults finding their voice because of this line of work.”

                            "Every Mission Begins From a Strong Foundation."

My Childhood of Memories

   
I was surrounded by family throughout my childhood. I was more fortunate than most in this aspect. I'd like to introduce you to my family and tell you a little bit about how they each influenced and supported me in my younger years.

Dad- My father is a strong man. He worked hard and still does to this day. My parents didn't have much so he did whatever he needed to make sure we had a roof over our head and food on the table. He spent a lot of time teaching us that nothing in life is free. If you want it then work hard for it. My father didn't go to college after high school. When I was about 10 he went into the police academy. This had the most impact on me because I saw how hard he had to work and how much more difficult it was for him trying to take care of 3 young girls and juggle 2 jobs. I was so proud of him when he graduated and I still remember that night to this day. It made me realize that I needed to go to college straight from high school and not wait for tomorrow with what can be accomplished today.

Mom- My mother made our house a home. She taught me to be independent and to rely on myself to get to where I want to go in life. Although my mother did a ton of things with us as children and worked extremely hard to provide for us it wasn't until I turned 20 that I learned the most important lessons from her. I hold in me now an even deeper feeling of importance for my family. My husband, son, and I are a tight knit unit and I don't know if our lives would be the same had certain events in my life with her hadn’t occurred.

Nanny & Poppy (mom's side) - My grandparents are like a second set of parents to me and my sisters. My parents went to work extremely early in the morning (4:30am) and they would drop us off there. My grandparents would get us ready for school, make us breakfast, and get us to school. We'd return after school and they would help us with homework and make dinner for us. We learned how to cook, clean, and how to fix things. To this day my sisters and I say their house is the "safe" house. No matter what happens in life you can always go to Nanny and Poppy's house.

MomMom & PopPop (dad's side) - My MomMom and PopPop showed me a tremendous amount of love as child. My grandfather would say I was his favorite. I learned the value of hard work from them. My grandfather had a bird shop and my grandmother was a homemaker with 5 children! My PopPop always told me how important it was for me to go to college. He never missed a beat to tell me how proud of me he was. He showed me this support and love all the way until the day he passed away. I miss him more than I could ever tell you. He impacted my life and my sisters in a way we will never forget.

Megan- Megan is my middle sister and she doesn’t let people forget it. We are a year apart in age. We were and still are each other’s best friend. We did everything together as children. We played on the same sports teams, had the same friends, and even got into trouble with each other. We are each other’s support system. I know if there is ever anything I need or just need to vent she is there. My relationship with my sister is where I learned the importance of being a mentor. I always wanted to set a good example for her and I hope I did.

Kathryn- She is my youngest sister. We are about 6 years apart. Growing up she showed me the importance of patience because I felt I had to excerpt it so much! I didn’t understand her all the time as she was always in my room, trying to wear my clothes, and makeup. The age difference made it hard. We were close though despite all of the differences. We have this bond that is unbreakable and I think it is safe to say we are extremely protective of each other.

I don't have any childhood pictures of myself (sad I know). This is my favorite picture though. It's of me and my husband on our wedding day. :-) Not exactly current (it's six years old) but a good one! 

Passion has many faces

Passion has many faces. It can be cool and calm, firey and direct, or thoughtful and indepth. I have been reading a lot about passion this week. It has pushed me to reflect on my experiances in education and business since opening an early childhood center of my own in 2007. After going through some things and taking a long hard look at my past I want to share a letter with you I wrote in 2009. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had a budget impasse and it forced many centers to close. Many people went into debt trying to take out a second mortgage to finance their business costs as well as the thousands of people who lost their jobs. Rather than to bore you with further explanations of what fuels my passion for early childhood I thought I would just "show" you my passion. Please don't get me wrong there are many many things in ECE that I am passionate about but still to this day this one incident drives me to push more and more. A fair warning to the reader: This letter is a mix of a professional and personal view and hopefully you'll understand why by the end. I have never professed to be a writer so here it goes...

~Nicole

OPERATION SMART START

PRIVATE PRESCHOOL AND CHILDCARE CENTER, INC.

1100 BLUE VALLEY DRIVE

                                                PEN ARGYL, PA 18072                                        

                                                Phone: (610)881-4200

                                                Fax: 610)881-4200

                                                Email: ossi@rcn.com

                                                                                                                                                                August 4^th, 2009

Dear Mr. President, Governor Rendell, State Senators, and Local Representatives,

                My name is Nicole Rutt and I am the owner/director of Operation Smart Start Private Preschool and Child Care Center, INC. located in Pen Argyl, PA. Today I write to you in severe concern and fear over the progression of our state budget. I hope you will take the time to read my letter as well as my fellow practitioners who share my feelings.

                Yesterday August 3^rd, 2009 I received a letter in the mail from our local Community Services for Children agency. In it was news that early childhood centers such as Operation Smart Start would only be receiving 50% of the tuition that was accrued for the month of July for families receiving Title XX subsidy assistance. If the budget is not passed we may see nothing for the month of August and I could be stuck with a debt of $8,000.00.

                The families in the Slate Belt community that receive this assistance rely on it. Our area has been hit hard over the last couple of years and more so recently with the economic hardship that has been nationwide. Big businesses have left our town and families have no choice but to travel 40 minutes at least to find good employment to support their children. It is no secret that private costs for child care are a hardship for most families. They rely on assistance to put their children in quality centers with qualified staff. I ask this question out of great concern for the children and pray you have come up with an answer. If the budget doesn’t pass and the families loose this assistance is there a plan for the children? Have you thought of where they will go and who will help them developmentally? If this money is not accessible it will affect the families which will affect the early childhood centers. If parents cannot work are we prepared as a commonwealth to take a harder hit to the economy?

                All early childhood centers across the state will have to start making cuts if they have not done so already. We will have no choice but to cut meals, staff pay, professional development assistance (which I would like to point out is a state requirement), developmental resources, and curriculum resources. I am not going to bore you with the research on early childhood and how this could devastate the progress we have made in being a commonwealth to offer such high standards in early childhood education. You know the statistics, you know the outcomes, and you know this is vital. If you aren’t aware of the dire need for early childhood education I ask you to contact your local head start, colleges/universities, look up www.naeyc.org/www.pakeys.org, or simply talk to a parent. Any parent who has had their child in a Pennsylvania Early Childhood Center will tell you that practitioners across the state work diligently to offer the best care and education possible. We participate in programs such as Pennsylvania Keystone Stars to exceed the standards. As a state are you ready to reflect the standard that we are willing to down grade our education system? My high school had a saying that has been with me since I graduated… “Leading by Example”. Isn’t that what we are all supposed to be doing for the children who will eventually be making the same decisions you are right now. Lead by example and show them that YES! Our children are important and we will take whatever steps necessary to ensure that this budget will pass and YES! Our children come first.

                My letter to you would unfortunately not be complete unless I included what this would do to me as a business owner. Right now I pride myself in being able to offer my staff a little bit higher pay than what centers pay in our town. Without the budget passing I will have to cut the pay to my staff, which I have to tell you is a decision I won’t be able to accept or live with. The practitioners in my center work hard. They do this job because they love it not because they will become rich. If you are a parent you can understand how difficult it can become to take care of one, two, even three children. Now amplify this by 20. Our practitioners not only have to make sure our children are developmentally and educationally prepared to enter our public school system but they have to be a shoulder to cry on, someone to play with, a nurse when everyone is sick, and a referee for when there just isn’t enough play-doh. They not only do all of these things but they provide children with a safe environment, unconditional love, nurture, and a child hood worth of memories for the child who aren’t as fortunate as others. Cutting pay would be a slap in the face to these dedicated individuals. If anything we should pay them much more.

                All centers are faced with the children who do not get enough nourishment at home for various different reasons. Being able to offer meals is a reassurance for staff and parents alike to know that no matter what children are being fed 3 healthy filling meals a day and 2 healthy snacks. Statistics and research prove time and time again that this is a necessity for children as it helps to engage learning and of course the obvious benefit eating has. Providing meals is a huge cost. Each month a center can spend thousands and thousands of dollars on this one aspect alone. I fear that if we aren’t able to continue to offer this service and parents have to provide meals some of our children will go hungry. The goal is to decrease hunger not increase it. A child does not ask to be put in these circumstances. It is not fair to ask them to go without.

                Down the road I will have to increase my tuition to private paying families so that we can continue to operate. This alone will drive families away and create a hostile environment. My goal as a young business woman, mother, and wife has always been to treat my clients as if they are family. We all struggle and need some help from time to time. I understand the many trials and tribulations families can have raising a child and trying to work. I personally do not believe that this is a fair way to treat clients who have been dedicated to our facility.

                On a personal note, I cannot begin to tell you the devastation this will cause my family. My husband and I are young and have worked extremely hard to get to where we are today. Our son, Dylan, is the center of our world and every decision we make is based on whether or not we would be compromising the support we give him emotionally, mentally, and financially. Taking a loss if the budget continues to not pass is not an option. We will lose everything we have. We will not be able to bounce back. The way things are going now with the budget I am not making much and often have to watch when I deposit my check. When is the last time you worried about money?

We opened the center so that I could watch my son grow up and have a career as a teacher. My objective grew when I met several other parents who shared my thoughts. The women I have employed have quickly become my friends, my sisters, and my family. I along with my husband and son consider these families our family and it would be devastating to see everyone take such a hard hit.

Everything I have is in this facility. I cannot imagine my son not being able to come in and see his friends or teachers…it would break my heart. I cannot imagine what I would even tell him if I had to shut the doors to my school. How do you break something like this to a child? Will you have the words for me if something like this occurs?

                In concluding my letter I urge you to come up with an acceptable agreement and pass this budget. Everyone is going feel the effects otherwise…especially the children.

                I invite you to stop at Operation Smart Start if you would like to see the value of this program. If you question the hard work and dedication staff members put in, you will be able to see it from the moment you walk in. If you would like to see the benefits, the necessity, and the children then I would like you to come on over and check us out.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be more than happy to speak with you on this matter.

                                                                               

Yours in Education,

                                                                                     Nicole R. Rutt