Final Blog Assignment

The past 8 weeks have been extremely eye-opening for me. I realized there were international issues, but I guess I was naive that the issues were so major compared to some here in the states. Obviously, Covid has been an issue for basically the entire world. It is an extremely difficult time to raise our children in, but thankfully there are early childhood programs that are helping our littlest learners cope with the changing world.

Consequence #1

Covid 19

Our country has taken many precautions to help stop the spread of Covid-19. Upping our cleaning and sanitizing practices, taking temperatures periodically throughout the day, wearing masks when in public and in confined spaces. Other countries have not been able to take the same precautions and the virus has been spreading like wildfire. I appreciate that organizations like UNICEF have been offering help to countries that need assistance for children and families who have been affected by this pandemic. 

Consequence #2

Diversity

Diversity is something that is all around us, no matter where we live or what we do. In low-income situations or high-class situations, there is diversity. In early childhood education, we can teach diversity in many ways: through books, discussions, food in a play kitchen, displays in the classroom, etc. By including parents in the process of teaching about diversity through parent involvement at the school, we have a higher chance of helping children care less about color and more a chance of teaching them to accept everyone for who they are.

Consequence #3

Global Fund for Children

This organization is amazing! I really appreciate that they are making such a big deal about education for girls and bringing awareness to situations that only impact young girls. In the United States, there is awareness, but education for girls is not always a goal. It is an idea, but educating all young people is more "important" than girls. For women, there is still a divide in our rights and what our responsibilities are. If we choose to stay at home and not work, we are lazy. If we choose to work outside the home and still have a family, we are selfish. If we choose to not have any children, society looks at us like we are monsters. The Global Fund for Children supports all children, no matter their sex, but they are also bringing awareness to girls in particular, and I think it is something that more organizations should be aware of. 

Personal Goal

I would like to continue learning about how other organizations are helping girls in other countries. I also would like to see that the United States starts valuing teachers like other countries do. Early childhood educators are still viewed as glorified babysitters. It really bothers me that we have the same credentials as elementary teachers but get none of the recognition. I'd like to continue to research how we can bring awareness of the value of ECE professionals in the US and follow the lead of other countries. 

Professional Goals, Hopes, and Dreams

Ultimately, the biggest issue for everyone right now is the Coronavirus pandemic. All children are being affected as their lives have been turned upside down and their normal lives are not normal anymore. They do not go to school, they do not see their friends, or family, they cannot have birthday parties or do fun activities during the holidays. They are forced to do school from a computer, something that adults struggle with. Thankfully, in the early childhood field, younger children are still able to attend school, but the "new normal" standards are still not fun for them. Children over the age of 2 must wear masks. All day. (This is hard for some adults I know.) They are limited to the centers they can play in and with. There are no soft toys in the classrooms anymore. Baby dolls are some of the young children's most favorite toys. But, sorry. No more dolls. It has been a struggle for teachers, but especially ECE teachers. How do you keep ten three year olds socially distanced?  How can you convince a group of ten 2 year olds to keep their masks on?  There has been a learning curve that we have all had to adapt to. I wouldn't wish this "new normal" on anyone. We are making the best of it, but it is not fun by any means. 

For me, I hope that this pandemic is just a memory in the blip of time of our children's lives. I hope that we do not need to keep offering pieces of training that are gut-wrenching to our teachers. Just last week, we required all staff at my school to take a child abuse awareness training. It was so difficult to get through. I hope that early childhood education continues to be important to government officials and that ECE professionals are recognized for their hard work. I hope that the standard for requirements in the ECE field continues to be brought higher and higher and easier to attain.

Ultimately, I hope that even though this pandemic has been difficult for everyone, I hope that it brings us all closer and makes us realize that we are actually all in this thing called life together as one unit. And that kindness always prevails. 

Sharing Web Resources: Part 3

Continuing my research on the Save the Children website, there are multiple statistics about how mothers, children, and families are not receiving the help they need because of the Coronavirus pandemic. These are unprecedented times for everyone right now, and we are all proceeding into uncharted territory. With help from Save the Children, many countries are able to help their residents with food and shelter and protection from other diseases besides Coronavirus.

The Save the Children website lists many ways that they are helping countries during this difficult time. 

Additionally, Save the Children advocates for the 2.3 billion children in the world and offers help when needed during disasters and relief efforts. "U.S. policymakers look to Save the Children as the leading expert on childhood, both here at home and abroad." (Save the Children, 2020)

Reference

Save the Children. (2020). Policy and Advocacy. Retrieved December 12, 2020, from https://www.savethechildren.org/us/what-we-do/policy-and-advocacy

Global Children's Initiative

I especially found interesting the section on ACEs or Adverse Childhood Experiences. Speaking from current experience, my husband and I are currently separated and are going through a tumultuous divorce. My daughter has been witness to our arguments for her entire 7 years of life. She saw violence and heard things that no one should ever hear, especially not a young child. For me, I worked hard to keep her away from anything that I knew could harm her, but there are some circumstances that are out of my control. She saw physical abuse done to her mother, she heard emotional and mental abuse happening all around her. She heard her father call her mother horrible names and somehow, she still wakes up with a smile on her face each day. She is, however, very angry. She has big feelings that she cannot explain. I realize now that this environment has caused her toxic stress that we will need to work through together with her. She lashes out and yells and has a short fuse. Reading about this important topic really helped me with how I can help her.

Another section I really enjoyed reading about is Early Childhood Mental Health. As an early childhood professional, I find it super helpful when parents are with us in helping their child. We are never quick to diagnose a child, but we do take anecdotal notes to present to the parents when we have a concern. Even little behavior issues are documented and saved for a later time if needed. 

The last section that I really enjoyed reading about was in the resilience section. This quote really stuck out to me and gives me hope that my own children have me as their stability. "The single most common factor for children who develop resilience is at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver, or other adult." (2020) This quote alone helps me realize that no matter what is going on in a child's family or household, as a teacher, I can make a difference in their life as a stable adult.

According to the Global Fund for Children website, "Young people have the right to protect their bodies, raise their voices, and define their futures. But millions are denied these rights every day. We work to ensure that all children – regardless of their gender or their sexual identity – can be safe, learn, lead, and thrive." (2020) Equity is encouraged for young girls all around the world. Without encouragement for some of these girls, they would not have proper health care and would not learn the correct way to take care of themselves. 

 

References

Gender Equity. Global Fund for Children. (2020, July 14). https://globalfundforchildren.org/our-partners/focus-areas/gender-equity/.

Resilience. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2020, August 17). https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/resilience/.

Sharing Web Resources Part 2: NAEYC

On the NAEYC website, I find many helpful resources for myself currently as an educator. I enjoy the articles and am able to access information that I can share with the teachers at my school. We are dealing with a pandemic that none of us have any experience with, so the articles are helpful for us to help the children (and ourselves) cope with this trying time.

Also, there are articles with other issues described that can be helpful for all educators, and parents. My daughter currently has some big feelings that she is trying to work out because of me and her dad splitting up, and the NAEYC website has many sources and ideas to help a newly single mom.

This section of the website has multiple resources for teachers of all different backgrounds.

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/covid-19

 

One article that really jumped out at me is called “There’s No Going Back: Child Care After Covid-19” by Rhian Evans Allvin and Lauren Hogan. In this article, the authors list six ways that states can help support child care programs during the shutdown because of Covid-19.

1.    1.  Count by Contract, Not by Child

2.    2.  Cover the Cost of Quality

3.    3.  Pay Early Childhood Educators What They Are Worth 

4.    4.  Use the Unifying Framework for the Early Childhood Education Profession

5.    5.  Rethink Our Investments to Drive Quality

6.    6.  Incentivize Employers to have Skin in the Game

Ultimately, if we could meet these 6 items for each program, all schools might be more successful.

References

Allvin, R. E., & Hogan, L. (2020, May 6). There’s No Going Back: Child Care after COVID-19. NAEYC. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/theres-no-going-back-child-care-after-covid-19.

Coping with Covid-19. NAEYC. (2020). https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/covid-19.

Getting to Know International Organizations

The Global Fund for Children (www.globalfundforchildren.org) is the "only global nonprofit dedicated to discovering, funding, and coaching truly community-based organizations that empower children and youth." (Global Fund for Children, 2020)

Through this website, I was able to learn that this organization works with 57 different organizations and 21 different countries to help the 124 million children that are not in school. This begins in preschool and continues all the way through secondary education and higher. They believe that all children deserve the right to an education and a better future, despite the boundaries and roadblocks that they are living in. 

What I really appreciated on this website is that children's books are an important part of GFC's mission. Books empower children. The founder of Global Fund for Children is Maya Ajmera. She has authored over 20 children's books. One important book that she co-wrote is "Back to School," which illustrates what school looks like for children all over the world. How interesting for children here in the United States! I would use this book in my preschool classroom to educate children of Montgomery County, PA about different parts of the world.

These books seem like such a benefit to use for children of all ages, but especially early childhood. It is something I will look into purchasing for my school.

I appreciate the efforts of GFC as education and the well being of young children is so important for everyone, I feel that sometimes the world forgets that children are still people with intelligent minds. Imagine how much better the world could be if we put more effort into molding the minds of young people instead of arguing over nonsense.

References

Global Fund for Children. (2020). https://globalfundforchildren.org/.

Sharing Web Resources

 The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is an important association for early childhood educators. NAEYC sets the standard for quality early childhood education. This association offers training and guidance for teachers abound. 

"The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children. The association comprises nearly 60,000 individual members of the early childhood community and 52 Affiliates, all committed to delivering on the promise of high-quality early learning. Together, we work to achieve a collective vision: that all young children thrive and learn in a society dedicated to ensuring they reach their full potential." (NAEYC, 2020)

At my previous school where I worked for 9 years, we followed all NAEYC standards. Some schools in the corporation were NAEYC accredited and the ultimate goal of our school was to reach that goal. 

At my new school, we follow Pennsylvania state standards and most of these are in line with NAEYC standards. I find it so important to follow these standards as they are defined as the best for all young children nationally.

One item I found to really love on this website is an assessment tool that educators can use to help evaluate the best ways to help all children in their care. Using this tool, we can see the best approach to help children of varying abilities and diversities. 

There are several important Diversity posts on the NAEYC website. I have listed a few below with hyperlinks to the website.

References

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved November 14, 2020, from https://www.naeyc.org/about-us

Expanding Horizons/ Resources

This week, I chose to explore the website, Save The Children. Within this site, I found a podcast that really interested me. I am recently out of a long-term, abusive relationship, so when I found "Girls on the Move in South Africa," it spoke to me. I am by no means a feminist or preach girl power, but something spoke to me about this. We have to empower young girls to know that it is okay to stand up for yourself, no matter the situation. 

Please take a moment to listen for yourself.

https://www.listennotes.com/embedded/e/5bd78257392341f7a9c597e4da2b90cd/

I also want to continue learning about the organization, Pippi of Today. By empowering our young girls, we are setting them up for success in the future. This is something that I feel very strongly about. 

Expanding Resources

The website that I chose to really delve into is The Center for the Study of Childcare Employment. This is because I find that it is extremely important to hire exceptional teachers to teach in the field of early childhood education. Often times, childcare is viewed as a stepping stone for teachers until they can get a "real" job. But, childcare and early childhood education are so important, that we need to hire quality teachers to help shape the minds of the next generation.

Another issue that is addressed on this website is that parents pay an outrageous amount of money each month for childcare and childcare workers make so much little. It is almost an unlivable wage. And if we are preaching that early childhood is so important to all children, why are we not showing our early childhood teachers that they are valued and are as important as we are saying? There needs to be compensation for these teachers.

My Supports

Support is when someone or something offers help to you. For me, support comes from my co-workers, my family and my friends. The past 4 weeks have been tough for me, emotionally, and mentally, and without the support of the closest people around me, I would not have been able to make it through with the shiny side facing up. When I decided to leave my abusive husband, I thought the floor was coming out from under me. Having him in my life, as my best friend, as my partner, my husband, for 15 years and suddenly deciding to leave him was the hardest decision I have ever made. My coworkers have supported me in picking up the slack that I have dropped. They have listened to me cry and sob and go on and on about how broken my heart is. And yet, they are still here for me. Their emotional support has shown me that I do have worth; that I am not nothing; that life wouldn't be better off without me in it. My family has been there for me as well. My parents have always been my best friends, but I cannot begin to thank them for the financial, emotional and psychological support that they have shown me. Friends that I have lost touch with have shown back up and have expressed concern for me and have asked what they can do. Having a true support system doesn't mean it is all about the people that are currently in your life. For me, it is about the people that have been there and stuck around and helped pick me up when I was down; when my kids were down.

Without these people literally helping me to survive, I would have crumbled. I wasn't in a good place mentally, or financially, and they helped keep me upright. Quite honestly, without having the support of my loved ones, I would have never had the courage to leave. I would have stayed in a dangerous situation and continued to be unhappy with my life. My children would have grown up thinking it was okay for men to treat women this way. 

One challenge I can never imagine having to deal with would be the ability to not drive, because I did not have the means to purchase a car or the ability to actually drive. Without the ability or capability to drive, I would have to spend money on the daily to get anywhere that I wanted to go. (work, shopping, appointments) I would have to depend on other people to help me make it places. Having to depend on someone else to drive me around would save me the cost of car insurance each year. But, it would also make me completely dependent on someone else, which I never want to be. I would feel like a burden. In the end, I might save a little money by depending on someone else to drive me around, but I would ultimately be sacrificing my wellbeing for a few bucks.

My Connection to Play

  

For me, play was fun! My sister was born when I was 4 years old. So, until then, I had a range of toys to myself without having to share with anyone. I played with my barbies and dolls by myself for hours. My mom used to put music on for me and leave me in the family room for hours, just playing alone. She would occasionally check on me, but otherwise, I was completely happy being alone. 

Play then in 1988 vs play today in 2020 is significantly different. Back then, we didn't have technology to keep us occupied. We had crayons and markers and dolls and Legos and sticks and mud. We were able to use our imagination to play outside and not have to worry about the big, scary world. Where I live is not a bad place, but I don't feel comfortable leaving my children outside by themselves to play. My mom would send us outside in the morning and we knew to come home at dinner time. Children can't play like that anymore. It is sad, quite frankly. Children don't get the chance to play freely anymore. They are constantly on the go, because of their parents jobs. Just speaking from experience, my son is at school with me all day. 9-10 hours daily. We get home and I rush to make dinner and pack lunches and the kids need their own down time to come down from the events of the day. I usually end up letting my daughter veg in front of the television for a while because she has been busy and virtual school is hard. And my son wants to do everything that his big sister does, so they usually end up together on the couch. Sometimes cars and trucks and dolls are involved. But, I'll be honest, I am just too tired to play with them sometimes. And then I feel guilty,  and it becomes a downward spiral. At the end of the day, I know that they have played at school and it is okay for them to have an evening off. 

For adults, play can be anything that is distracting from reality. I think most adults struggle to play and be mindless because we have lost our imaginations. Unless we are engaged with children on a regular basis, or are parents ourselves, our imaginations only take us so far. Until we remember what it is like to just sit and color or build a tower with blocks, our imaginations won't take us very far.

Relationship Reflection

 Relationships are a tricky thing. They can be positive or negative. For me, I have many good, solid, positive relationships. The majority of these are people that I know love and care about me. The rest are professional relationships and I know that these people have respect for me. For me, a relationship is important because it shows that both parties have respect for each other. There is love between both parties. Each party has the other's best interest in mind. There is a mutual understanding that no matter what happens, both parties are there for each other.

The photos below illustrate just a few positive relationships that I have in my life. 

These girls are my tribe. We have known each other for almost 14 years. We have been co-workers and managers, best friends and sisters, and at the end of the day, no matter what is going on in any of our lives, we are there for each other. We have not all been together since August 2019. The top four of us had planned a night together (finally!) for last Saturday night. Samantha, the bottom right, moved her flight home from St. Louis up a week and surprised us. Seeing her and all of us being together filled all our hearts, especially mine. You see, Samantha has been my mentor for most of my professional career. I always joked when I first started working for her 13 years ago, that I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. I'm slowly working my way there, but it was amazing to sit and talk with her about my job and about our lives. 

Katie is in the middle, right under me. She is my best friend, my sister. (Also my daughter's godmother.) We are family. There isn't much more to say about her, except that I love her more than anything in this world. When we say that we are family, we truly are. We joke that one day we will end up in an old folks home together, and I am most certain that we will!

Some people say their parents are their best friends, but mine truly are. They are the type of people that I call everyday; Mom in the morning and Dad in the evening. My parents have helped me overcome some of the hardest moments in my life. My mom even quit her job to stay home and help my daughter do virtual 2nd grade. My best friend jokes that I am spoiled, but I know it is because I have the world's best parents and she is just a little jealous. :)

This photo is my team at work. (We are dressed up because we celebrated our first annual Goddard Games; like field day back in elementary school!) The owners of my school are kind and are real people. The two other directors and myself are an immaculate team. The three of us work well together: yin and yang, but three of us. I have been going through the hardest transition of my life and these people stepped up and have been there to listen and cry and hold my hand and be decent human beings. I could not ask for a better team of people to work with. Kayte and Scott, our owners, are extremely fair. If you scratch their back, they will scratch yours. And honestly, we all need someone to be on our side in life, and I feel that the five us are on each others' sides.

Over the years, I have had many friendships that I thought were real. Unfortunately, they weren't. They were one sided. They were unbalanced, in that each of us was at a different part of our life and couldn't understand what the other one was going through. And then, there were the relationships that fell to the wayside because of one of the significant other's actions. "Breaking up" over a spouse's feelings or actions is truly a heart breaking experience. But, I am one of those people that believes that things happen for a reason and at the end of the day, if something is meant to be, it will happen, no matter what.

All of my relationships have molded me into the person I am today: a mom, a daughter, an educator, a leader. When a relationship is negative, it makes you open your eyes to the good and see how you can improve everything else. I like to think that because I have had so many good (and bad) relationships along the way, I have formed qualities to improve my current partnerships. 

When I Think About Child Development

 

   

 

Measuring "the Whole Child"

To measure the "whole child," I would say that the child's spiritual wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, and physical wellbeing must be measured. These three alone would help to measure the child as a whole.

School districts are grading our children on test scores and grades, but there is more to each child than a test score. Most children cannot take tests. They panic in trying to answer questions and tests trigger anxiety in most people, not just children. It is a shame that someone somewhere feels that the best way to measure the growth of our children's education by taking a standardized test. There are plenty of other ways to measure how much our children have learned in a classroom. This also goes back to the fact that children with labels receive different assessments. Why is the norm for assessment a test where children fill in bubbles?  Personally, just thinking about this makes my stomach hurt. 

    

Ultimately, what standardized testing comes down to is that it does serve a purpose, but it can be detrimental to a child's well being.

In other parts of the world, standardized testing looks very different than the United States.

"In the UK, children will take 15-20 standardized tests by the time they are 16 years old. These tests help them continue their education." (Salaky, 2018)

In Japan, there are many standardized tests. But, there is only one test that will determine if they are even allowed to continue in high school. The test is so important that parents begin studying with their children in Kindergarten.

In China, there is a 12 hour test that determines each child's college career. It is taken over two days and it has a plethora of different topics on it.

I think it goes without saying that many places in our world put a huge emphasis on testing and it is a part of our education system, no matter where we live.

References

Salaky, K. (2018, September 5). What standardized tests look like in 10 places around the world. Insider. https://www.insider.com/standardized-tests-around-the-world-2018-9.

A Child in the "System"

            We have a child in our school that is currently in the foster care system. (We will call him "N.") His foster mom is the sweetest lady and she has had him in her care for almost three years. We do not know a lot of details about his past, but we do know that N still does see his birth mother and siblings, but when he spends time with them, he does not eat well and does not get much sleep and it basically disrupts his daily routine for the week between visits. His foster mom has worked very hard to restore his nutrition and limit the amount of sugar he intakes. She is very open with us about how he is working with a counselor to move on from the neglect and abuse that he experienced as a young toddler. (He is 4 years old now.) If N spends a day with his mother and siblings, Foster Mommy will give us a call and let us know that his behavior may be off for the day and explain why. N has come leaps and bounds since entering our school a year ago. It is amazing to see the love and encouragement that our teachers give him, despite the tumultuous life he has already endured.

I chose to continue learning about Italian culture since I have previously written about this country in my blogs.

A lot of what I found in my research shows that children in Italy currently are experiencing anxiety from being on lockdown because of the Coronavirus. The Italian doctors were forced to make many virtual visits to parents and children to assure them of ways to cope with the anxiety of being isolated from their whole world. (Klass, 2020). I feel as though this concept is something that children in all regions of the world are coping with. For my own children, I had to stop watching the news because my daughter could not handle the media's interpretation of COVID-19. And personally, even for myself, I had to stop watching.

I think the hardest thing for everyone, in Italy and in other parts of the world, is that the way we are living currently is part of what "normal" now looks like.



References

Klass, P. (2020, April 2). What Italian Pediatricians Can Tell Us. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/well/family/coronavirus-pediatricians-Italy-children-families.html.

Breastfeeding in the USA and in Italy

I breastfed each of my children for one year. I always knew it was something I wanted to do, but when it came time, I didn't even give it a second thought. And I'll admit, it was hard at first. My daughter wouldn't latch, even in the hospital, so I was "stuck" exclusively pumping. After about a month of over producing (this a real thing and a conversation for another time), and a freezer full of only milk and no food, she finally was able to figure it out and it helped me regulate my supply.

When we were out in public, I was absolutely not comfortable breastfeeding without a cover, or honestly, at all. I know it is a natural thing, but I just couldn't get into it as a new mom. I was even uncomfortable feeding her around my extended family and my closest friends. I felt it was something that I should do privately and only with my husband present.

With Deklan, I was a seasoned professional with breastfeeding. I still did not feel comfortable pumping or breastfeeding around anyone. When D was one month old, we had two weddings to go to. I had to run to the car, almost completely undress and pump in the car. Because who takes a one month old baby to a wedding?! Well, I won't lie, I wanted to. But we felt it was better to leave him with family members instead.

I was more comfortable to feed D around other people but still not enough to not use a cover or to advertise that I was breastfeeding. It was just more comfortable for me to be hidden and feed him quietly than to be around other people. Also, Deklan was a nosey baby. He wanted to see the entire world around him. So a quieter environment was best for him.

I was a member of several Facebook groups about breastfeeding and I would read everything these women wrote about how it wasn't right that we had to cover up just to feed our child and that they didn't care what anyone else thought. It does baffle me that people view breastfeeding as a sexual act. And I guess that with my uncomfortableness, I kind of fed into it, but it is a personal preference and I just didn't like being exposed for the world while feeding my baby.

I read about several different countries' views on breastfeeding and I chose to continue my study on Italy. My grandparents are first generation here and I do still have some relatives living in Italy, so it interests me.

I read an article written by the Italian Enthusiast, Anthony Barbuto. It was interesting to read a man's view on breastfeeding. In Italy, he states that most women feed their baby on command when they are hungry. "Italy is not burdened with a societal stigma that disapproves of public breastfeeding." (Barbuto, 2017).How lucky are they?! It is amazing to read that in Italy woman find breastfeeding to be a natural thing and embrace it as beautiful.

I found another article written by Barbara Silliquini, where she discusses that breasts in Italy are on television, in commercials, out there for everyone to see. And that breastfeeding is common. She did mention one time where a bar owner (cappuccino bar) asked a woman to nurse her child outside and he was basically condemned by the public. (Silliquini, n.d.)

It is good to know that IF I have another baby someday, (that's a big IF there, haha) and I happen to visiting my extended family in Italy, I will be okay to feed said baby in public and won't have to worry about anyone yelling at me.



References


Barbuto, A. (2017, August 20). Breastfeeding in Italy. The Italian Enthusiast. https://italianenthusiast.com/breastfeeding-in-italy/.

Siliquini, B. (2013, March 27). Breasts are for Babies? Perceptions of Breastfeeding in Italy. InCultureParent. https://www.incultureparent.com/breasts-are-for-babies-perceptions-of-breastfeeding-in-italy/.

Giving Birth in Italy Compared to the USA

I have not given birth anywhere else besides Abington Hospital, in Abington, Pennsylvania, but I wanted to look into what it was like to give birth in Italy, because I am half Italian and I do still have some relatives that live there. I researched a firsthand account about one woman's birth story, and what was interesting was that she was an American giving birth in Italy. And that was the only birth that she had, so she really has nothing to compare it to. 

The first thing difference that stood out to me is that in Italy, you must make an appointment to get an epidural. The appointment should be about one month before your due date and you need to have an electrocardiogram before you are okayed to have the epidural.  (Natalie, 2018) Thankfully, in America, I told my doctor that I wanted an epidural, I signed a waiver, and then I got my epidural. Bam! Easy peasy!

Another difference I noticed was that only when you are in active labor are you asked to come into the hospital and then directed immediately to your delivery room. No triage, no in between, right to delivery. Wow!  That would have been nice!

In Italy, this woman shared a room with another new mother while in the hospital. Which means no privacy. I can't imagine. When I had my daughter, I was a brand new mom, learning to breastfeed, learning how to take care of this new person, trying to recover. I would have hated to share a room with someone else. Plus, babies cry. A lot! Having someone else's baby in the room would make it difficult to sleep for those first couple hours. What if the two babies were on opposite schedules?  No one would ever sleep. Also, I needed my husband with me. He couldn't have stayed in a double room with me. How awful for a new dad to be left out.

It seems like most everything else was the same there as it is here. Nurses checking on you and the baby every couple hours, recording the baby's first diapers and feedings, for a boy, scheduling his circumcision. The author stayed in the hospital for 48 hours, which is what is required here as well. She also noted the hospital food was not good. Thankfully, the food at my hospital was good. And I was given a choice to what my first meal was after delivery. (I wanted a turkey sandwich on white bread with mayo. ha) 

Another noticeable difference is that no hospital gown was provided. Also, no after care for the mother- meaning no mesh underwear, no pads, no ice packs. The mother must bring it all herself.  

BUT- giving birth in Italy costs NOTHING! So, I guess that is the toss up. Giving birth in the United States is expensive, even with good health insurance. I guess I appreciated the luxuries of having all of those necessities provided for me, but the cost was really outrageous. 

I have to say that I am glad we are in America and thankful that I had such good birthing experiences. I guess at the end of the day if the baby is healthy and you are healthy, that is all you can ask for. 

Resources

Natalie. (2018, June 20). Giving Birth in Italy. An American in Rome. https://anamericaninrome.com/wp/2018/06/giving-birth-in-italy/.

My Birth Stories

I have two children; my daughter, Reghan Marie Fogerty, was born July 10, 2013 and my son, Deklan Joseph Fogerty, was born August 8, 2018. Each was a unique pregnancy and birthing experience.

During Reghan's pregnancy, I had night time sickness.  At 4:00 pm each day, it hit me. Before I was was prescribed medication to help with the nausea, it carried all through the night until about 7:00 am the next morning, to give me a "smooth" work day, only to continue the next afternoon for my evening with my husband. Besides the sickness and it being an extremely hot summer in 2013, I did have a pretty easy pregnancy. I was considered high risk because I have Hashimoto's disease and so I had an ultrasound monthly to track her progress. 

At my 39 week appointment, my doctor looked at me and asked, not joking, "why are you still pregnant?" I almost cried because I was so uncomfortable and it was so hot outside. I chose to continue working full time until I went into labor. So, I was struggling at my school and had basically been moved to a job as a "floater" so I could continue to be paid until I went out on maternity leave.

While at my appointment, my doctor told me about "stripping my membranes." It was an uncomfortable experience, but I went home with my fingers crossed and hoped something happened sooner than later.

The next day, I called my director (I worked at private preschool) and told her what had been done the night before and that I just did not feel great so I was going to stay home. She said "no problem" and that she would see me tomorrow. I sent my husband to work, even though he insisted on staying home. I told him that I was not having this baby today and I would see him for dinner.

I went about my morning, slowly moving through my hot house (we didn't have central air) and sat with my feet up to help with the swelling. About an hour or two later, I called my husband and told him he better come home because I had just lost my mucus plug and my contractions had started.  He was mad, of course, because I had sent him to work in the first place, and he was pretty far away working at his job. (Oh well, I am the one in pain here, dude!) We called my doctor and I tried to drag my feet because I didn't want to sit laboring at the hospital. Eventually, around noon, we went into the hospital. I was admitted into triage and hooked up to monitors to watch my contractions. They told me my contractions weren't close enough together and weren't lasting long enough, so my husband and I walked around the triage area for an hour. I stopped every couple minutes, and put my hand on the wall, crying in pain. We finally went back to my bed and after what felt like hours, someone came in and checked my progress. The nurse left and said she was going to plead my case to the doctor. I couldn't believe they wanted to send me home!! After about another hour, a very friendly nurse entered the room and told me, "I heard we are having a baby today!" I was so excited, but in pain too. 

They wheeled me to my room and asked me about an epidural. I hadn't wanted one throughout my whole pregnancy, but in the heat of the moment, I said yes. My husband was asked to take a walk as he wasn't allowed to be present while the anesthesiologist administered the epidural. Once it fully kicked in, I felt amazing. I could watch the contractions happening on my monitor, but I felt nothing. 

Eventually, I got stuck at 6 cm and they had to give me pitocin. They warned me that it might intensive my contractions (how that could be possible, I had no idea!) But, I had the epidural, so I wasn't too scared. Actually, I fell asleep. I woke up, yelling at my husband that I could feel EVERYTHING and asked him to get SOMEONE. My nurse came in and said my water bag was gone. (My water never broke prior to this.) She lifted me up and moved me around, feeling the bedding under me, and it wasn't wet at all. Which meant that when my doctor came in and it was time to push, she was wearing extra gear to protect her from the whoosh of my water coming out while my daughter was being born. (Her head ended up acting as a stopper.)

I pushed that baby for AN HOUR. And I was tired! My husband was trying so hard to be encouraging. "Come on babe, bases loaded. Bottom of the ninth. You've got this!" "Indy 500, last lap, white flag, pedal to the floor!"  (We are drag racers, so the racing reference was better received in the moment.)

At 8:03 pm on Wednesday, July 10, 2013, my daughter, Reghan Marie Fogerty, was born. She arrived into the world with her arm in the air, hand in a fist, telling us all that she had arrived. It suits her personality to a T. She was 7 lbs, 15 oz, and 22 inches long.

The end of this story is that my doctor had to stitch me up. (My husband's family have BIG heads.) He proudly tells my doctor, "You know, Doc, I'm not King Kong. If you want to throw an extra stitch in there, I won't mind!" I was mortified!!!!!  And my doctor, bless her heart, didn't miss a beat. "Don't worry, I got you!" We all laughed and I snuggled my girl for the first time. 

   

                                        Reghan Marie on her birthday and at two days old.

Unlike my previous pregnancy, when I was pregnant with my son, I had morning sickness. Like, wake up to throw up every.single.day. for 9 months. I was so sick throughout this time that my daughter was actually convinced that she never wanted to have a baby because she didn't want to get sick like Mommy did. 

I took Zofran, it didn't help. It calmed my stomach a little, but I still threw up. There was so much throwing up, I seriously never want to get sick again. That little man put me through the wringer!

This pregnancy I was again diagnosed as high risk. Between babies, I had contracted an autoimmune disease called Vasculitis that attacked my kidneys. At 32 years old, I was told my kidneys were failing. It was scary, and dramatic, and draining. But, I came out of it in remission, with kidneys that function at 80% and I was finally able to get pregnant again. Wooo! I had an ultrasound every month to make sure that baby boy was developing appropriately and I met with my kidney doctor more frequently and had A LOT of blood work drawn to test my creatinine levels. I also still was taking Synthroid for my Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. (There's so much wrong with me haha!) 

My OB, who is simply amazing, told me from the beginning that she only wanted me seeing her at each visit, instead of rotating between the doctor's in the practice, and that she was almost 100% sure that I would not make it to 40 weeks. She closely monitored everything, congratulating me on only gaining 20 lbs with him. ( I gained 35 with Reghan.) We decided that to protect myself, I would be induced at 37 weeks to avoid preeclampsia. I was scared, I won't lie. I trusted my doctor and knew everything would be fine, but I was so nervous that Little Man wouldn't be ready. 

On the evening before I was to be induced, I called the hospital and there were no beds available for me. I called again hours later and was again told there were no beds. The third time I called, I told them about my kidneys and why I was being induced and then, lo and behold, there was a bed!!  We called grandparents for Reghan and my husband and I were off!

My whole experience with birthing Deklan was 7 hours from start to finish. I was given pitocin and an epidural and we waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. I was uncomfortable for most of the time. My nurse was absent a lot and my doctor checked on me only once after I was admitted. At one point, I looked at my husband with tears in my eyes, and told him that something was wrong. I was in so much pain, it shouldn't feel like this. I had had an epidural before, I knew I should feel pressure, but this was more than pressure. My nurse didn't listen and refused to check my progress to see if I was ready to push. 

Eventually, I asked Kevin, my husband, to see if he could find me some Tums or Maalox. I had heartburn for 37 weeks as well as the morning sickness. It was so fun. (sarcasm) My nurse finally showed up and gave me the Maalox. Guess what? I threw it up! After I was cleaned up, the nurse FINALLY checked me and Deklan's head was out! Both she and Kevin screamed, "PUSH!" And one push later, Deklan Joseph Fogerty was born at 8:38 pm on August 8, 2018. We were worried he would have some complications since we don't know how long he was stuck in the birth canal. But, at almost 2 years old, he is perfect. 

He was 6 lbs, 12 oz, 21 inches long at 37 weeks, 2 days. Imagine if he had been born on time? That would have been a big baby!  

There is nothing better than being a mom. I always knew I wanted to be a mom, but I never pictured it would be this amazing. 

                                            Deklan Joseph on his birthday and at two days old. 

                 Here are both of my children from May, 2020. I am such a lucky mommy.

,

Three Ideals that are Meaningful to Me in the ECE Field

NAEYC

P-1.2

We shall care for and educate children in positive emotional and social environments that are cognitively stimulating and that support each child's culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure.

Quite frankly, this should be the mantra of all educators, not just early childhood educators.  We should always want what is best for all the children in our care. Personally, I feel that school for young children should be a safe place. It should feel like home to them, as they ultimately spend the majority of their days with us while at school. We should be like home to them and if we aren't, there's an issue.

P-1.7

We shall strive to build individual relationships with each child; make individualized adaptations in teaching strategies, learning environments, and curricula; and consult with the family so that each child benefits from the program. If after such efforts have been exhausted, the current placement does not meet a child’s needs, or the child is seriously jeopardizing the ability of other children to benefit from the program, we shall collaborate with the child’s family and appropriate specialists to determine the additional services needed and/or the placement option(s) most likely to ensure the child’s success. (Aspects of this principle may not apply in programs that have a lawful mandate to provide services to a particular population of children.)

We have come across this situation many times where a child is really struggling in our program, because either the parents are in denial as to recognizing a learning disability or the child has been diagnosed and their needs are beyond what we can provide. It is always sad to see the child leave the school and always wonder what happens to them. You hope that they receive the care that they need and deserve. It is also disheartening because we always know that the child received the best care and sometimes the parents blame the school or teacher. The repercussionsII from an angry parent can also hurt the school, directors, and teachers.

P-4.7

When we become aware of a practice or situation that endangers the health, safety, or well-being of children, we have an ethical responsibility to protect children or inform parents and/or others who can.

We are all mandated reporters at my school and we had a parent that consistently came to school smelling of alcohol and we were always very concerned about the child's safety. We eventually called the mandated reporter help line and reported the parent. It was a long process and it was kept anonymous. We just wanted the best care for the child. Nothing ended up happening in the investigation, but it put that parent on the radar and hopefully opened their eyes to something that could have been a bad situation.

DEC

II-3 
We shall be responsible for maintaining the appropriate national, state, or other credential or licensure requirements for the services we provide while maintaining our competence in practice and research by ongoing participation in professional development and education activities.

As a director, I am selling to new families that we have licensed teachers that are competent and successful in their craft. It is mine and my other director's responsibility to hold our teachers to a state standard and to encourage them to continue with their schooling.

III-1 Enhancement of Children's and Families' Quality of Lives
We shall recognize our responsibility to improve the developmental outcomes of children and to provide services and support in a fair and equitable manner to all families and children.

The teachers at my school are trained that they will need to alter their lesson plans based on the strengths in their classrooms. One of our rooms is a preschool three-year-old room. The children in this room range from just three to almost four and the strengths of each child are varied based on their age. They need to be inclusive of all children to serve and help them maintain their highest achievements in the classroom.

III-4 Responsive Family Centered Practices
We shall empower families with information and resources so that they are informed of services for their children.

Each day, our families receive a daily report of their child's day. It includes everything that the teachers has taught and it also includes pictures, a special message, potty habits, and meal amounts. We also add information of any special visitors that are available on that day and we try to give the families as much information as possible about coming events for themselves and their children.

References

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment.                                                                                            http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf

The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of Ethics. http://www.dec-sped.org/

Early Childhood Resource List

Allvin, R. E. (2020). There's no such thing as online preschool. YC Young Children, 75(1), 57-61.

Childcare Education Institute. (2020, May 22). CCEI. https://www.cceionline.com/
Defending the Early Years. (June, 2019) DEY Suggests Alternatives to Online Preschool.                               https://dey.org/dey-suggests-alternatives-to-online-preschool/

FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-Based Practice Empowers Early              Childhood Professionals and Families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010.                                                                                                                          http://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf

McKay, R., & Teale, W. H. (2015). No more teaching a letter a week. Heinemann Educational                    Books.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.) NAEYC.                                                     https://www.naeyc.org
Teaching tools: Resources for teachers from scholastic. (2020).                                                                          Scholastic. https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/teaching-tools/home.html#

World Forum Foundation. (2019). About Us. https://worldforumfoundation.org/about-us. 

Zero to Three. (2020). ZERO TO THREE. https://www.zerotothree.org/

Quotes about Passion, Motivation, and Commitment

“I had a built in passion that it was important to make a real contribution to the world and fix all the injustices that existed in the world.” -Louise Derman-Sparks

“What a unique opportunity we have in working with children. We as professionals in the early childhood field have the opportunity to shape a child’s life for the better."  -Sandy Escobido

I am not here to save the world. I truly believe I am here to make a difference and to me making a difference may sometimes mean helping one child be successful in the classroom. You know, for me, that one little sparkle will make a difference throughout the whole day.  -Raymond Hernandez