Immunizations in Children

I choose to explore immunizations in children.  In my current line of work, it is extremely important that I have detailed health documents for every child at my center, as per Department of Public Welfare regulation.  One day, I approached a caregiver reminding her I needed an updated Child Health Record for her granddaughter.  The grandmother so kindly reminded me that she refused to have her grand daughter vaccinated because it did more harm to the body than good and she would not allow her to have foreign substances that could cause Autism in her body.  Out of 163 children at my center only one child does not have immunizations and to me that was quite interesting.  In our country, families have the choice as to whether or not their children get immunized and their reasons vary from religious reasons to they just don't feel that it is medically necessary. 

I wanted to look at immunizations and how they are handled in other countries and I perused www.huggies.com (yes the diaper company!).  They have immunization schedules and the direct website for many countries.  I decided to take a look at Singapore.  While many of the vaccines are similar to ones administered in the USA, I did not see one for chicken pox or the flu included in Singapore's vaccine schedule.  Singapore also has a wonderful interactive and user friendly website, "National Immunisation Registry" that families can use (www.nir.hpb.gov.sg). 

Noting this information, I can be sure to remember that not all countries require, encourage, or monitor vaccines in children.  As I was reading the above information, I realized that the grandmother I was talking to is not from the United States.  It could also be a cultural choice not to immunize her granddaughter.  I need to continue to be aware and respectful of these choices, while also educating myself and my staff.

A Personal Birthing Experience and Experiences Outside of the U.S.

 A Personal Birthing Experience

On May 28, my mother gave birth to a 6lb 12 oz baby girl.  At that time my mother was a newly turned 17 years old.  She gave birth via C-section after going into labor the night before.  The C-section was necessary because a natural birth was not an option.  That baby girl was obviously me.  I have not had the chance to experience any other births, except for arriving after mom and baby had time to bond and relax.  My father was the first one to hold and feed me.  My mother looks back on that time being very emotional.  When asked, my parents say they weren’t scared or nervous.  There was no turning back and they both took on the responsibility of being parents, and amazing parents at that, all before they turned 18. 

I think birth is a completely unique experience.  Each birth is different and probably not “text book”.  I think it is a time for families and only a time for families.  It is and should be a celebration, but I understand that not all births will have a celebration in the end.  I also think that a birth experience can have an impact on child development, but only if there were medical complications during birth that have long lasting effects or if a stressful experience occurred right before, during, or shortly thereafter the bond between mother and baby or baby and father can be changed therefore possibly having an effect on the child’s development.  Hopefully, later in my course, I will find out if what I think proves to be true. 

Birth in the Netherlands

I choose to do some research on Dutch birthing experiences.  I choose this because my husband’s family is from Holland and I love to learn as much as I can about his family’s culture.  In Holland, mothers can choose between a home delivery and a hospital delivery.  According to www.parents.com, the majority of mothers choose to have a home birth with the help of a midwife.  If a hospital delivery is chosen or deemed necessary, most women do not get epidurals, an epidural is dependent upon the time of day the birth occurs.  Mom and baby can sometimes go home in as little as two hours, with a nurse (covered by insurance) coming to the house for a specified amount of time to check on mom and baby, while also completing basic housekeeping duties.  Nurses will also make a traditional snack called beschuit met muisjes, which means biscuits with mice.  The biscuits are decorated with corresponding candies to match the babies’ sex. 

I was really surprised and pleased to see how well births are handled in Holland.  There is little doctor intervention unless absolutely necessary.  I think it makes the whole experience more enjoyable and comfortable for the family.  I have to think they are doing something right either during pregnancy or with the birth because Holland produces some extremely tall and well nourished people!  An obvious difference between my birth and a birth in the Netherlands is the lack of medical intervention.  I can’t speak for all the birthing experiences in Holland, but for the most part they seem much more calm and specific to mom and baby.  In writing, it sounds like an ideal experience. 

A Special Thanks

The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention. ~ Oscar Wilde

I want to send a special thank you to my Professor and colleagues for being so supportive throughout this journey.  I admire each and every one of you and wish you nothing but the best as you continue your Educational Journey!

Meaningful NAEYC & DEC Ideals

The following three ideals from the NAEYC and DEC Codes of Conduct that are significant to my professional life are as follows:

From NAEYC
In Section I of the Ethical Responsibilities to children
    I-1.3—To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.  
            In order to give children the highest quality education program a teacher needs to know as much as they can about each individual student.  Once this is recognized the teacher can tailor lessons to each student's individual needs.  It is also important to apply this knowledge to everyday interactions with the students.

In Section III of the Ethical Responsibility to Employees
    I-3C.2—To create and maintain a climate of trust and candor that will enable staff to speak and act in the best interests of children, families, and the field of early childhood care and education. 
               This is significant because a happy work environment with plenty of trust and respect helps to ensure that children are in a safe learning environment.  If the teachers are not happy, classrooms will not thrive and the children and their families suffer.

From DEC 
In Section I Professional Practice
    4. 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.
                 Educators and administrators need to work together collaborating with the professionals that work with children with disabilities.  It takes everyone working together to serve the best interest of the child.  At my center we have a lot of early intervention specialists and therapists that are regularly in our center. 

• Article: NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved February 23, 2013, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
• Article: The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved February 23, 2013, from http://www.dec-sped.org/

Favorite Resources

I love to read!  There is something about the feel of an actual book that I will never give up.  I would really like to read the following book about education The Death and Life of the Great American School System by Diane Ravitch.  I fall victim to sometimes choosing my next read on whether it has an interesting cover or not.  This one does and it has great reviews. 

As an educator I have fallen in love with the website, Pinterest.  It makes educational activities and resources more accessible format.  I also enjoy using www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers.  There are videos and activities to enrich your classroom curriculum. 

Know Your Stuff!!

Interesting Early Childhood Resources

 
NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf

NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf

NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller

FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf


Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53

Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being  
UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

• World Forum Foundation
  http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
  This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
  
  World Organization for Early Childhood Education
  http://www.omep-usnc.org/
  Read about OMEP's mission.
  
  Association for Childhood Education International
  http://acei.org/
  Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.
  

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

A quote from Susan Bredekamp’s Children’s Play: The Roots of Reading

"Like virtually every other aspect of development, mature

play does not happen naturally or occur automatically

as children get older. Rather, children must learn how to

engage in satisfying sociodramatic play, which means that

adults or more capable peers must take responsibility for

assisting them in this learning."

Quote from “The Passion for Early Childhood”

“I had a built in passion to make a real contribution to the world.”  Louise Derman-Sparks

“Whenever I get bogged down with all of the paperwork I have to do…take twenty minutes to go see the children, so you don’t forget what you’re doing all of the for.”  Raymond Hernandez