Professional Hopes and Goals

The mean hope I have now after this class is that I’m able to help them without any biases or stereotypes. I hope that from what I have learn I’m able to shear with children and families to make them better people so that we can all live in this world with peace.

The goal I would like to set for early childhood educators about issues related to diversity, equity, and social justice is that we all get a better understanding of each of the areas individual.

Thank you to all my colleague for all of your hard work these eight weeks. To Tameka thanks for pushing me to study more when I wanted to quite after week two. I look forward to hearing form all of you in our next few classes.


HAPPY HOLIDAY TO ALL OF YOU…

Welcoming Families From Around the World

The capital of Togo is Lomé. From the 11th to the 16th century, various tribes entered the region from all directions. From the 16th century to the 18th century, the coastal region was a major trading centre for Europeans in search of slaves, earning Togo and the surrounding region the name "The Slave Coast". In 1884, Germany declared Togoland a protectorate. After World War I, rule over Togo was transferred to France. Togo gained its independence from France in 1960. In 2005, his son Faure Gnassingbé was elected president (Listofcountriesoftheworld.com 2012).

The five was I will prepare myself to be culturally responsive towards this family. The first thing I would she what language they speak in Togo. Then I would learn who is the dominate family member or is it both. Following that I would learn some do’s and don’t with the family culture. Next if I have access to it I would read up on the family and what bring them to the US. Last I would se if I could find some people from there hometown so they can feel a little more comfortable.

I hope that what I have learn will give me a deeper understanding of other cultures then the ones we always deal with in our classrooms. This we even give me a chance to learn a few words in a different language then the one I study in high school and college. It will benefit the family in many ways. The first way it will benefit is that they will be greeted by someone that understand their culture. The will feel more comfortable and more likely to open up to me. It will allow the family to see that their culture is respected and they are welcome in the this country.

　

Reference
www.listofcountriesoftheworld.com 2012. Country of Togo.

My Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

The memory that I have of an incident we I was the subject of bias, was when I got my first teaching assignment.   The parents did not meet me until the first day of school because I was unable to make the parent night the week before school. I was still working for DHEC and was out of town doing a work shop. I got a call from the director the next day telling me all the things the parents said about me during the meeting. One of the things that was said they don’t think I should take the class because I was a male. This was because the other teachers on the staff were all women and that’s all they know. They wanted to know how good of a teacher I would be for the age group I was getting that your. The bias was that I was a male teaching in a woman dominated field.

This bias made it seem as if male was unable to serve or teach young children. One if the things every job has posted is that they committed to equal opportunity, affirmative action, and non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, or disability in educational programs, activities, and conditions of employment. It was not the school but the parents that were decimating about my sex.

I did not feel bad at all, it just made me become the best teacher I could be in my first year. Within that year I was name the top teacher at the school and all the parents loved me.

The view of parents would have to change in order to change this incident into a opportunity for greater equity.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

My attitude toward racism is that of a person that has grown to just live with it. Gowning up in a town where this was the norm taught me how to deal with many levels of racism. Do I like it? The answer to that is no, I just deal with it. When I encounter racism I handle in the way Dr. King asked us to deal with it in a non-violent way. I do say how I feel and let the person(s) know that all black people are not drug dealers or uneducated. There are times when I get upset about this that go on it the world with racism.

This week made me look at my stereotypes about people and allowed me to see why people have them about me. It gave me a better understanding on how to deal with the many forms of discrimination. It effect people in different ways and people deal with it different ways. Wejust have to learn to live with it and move on at times.

My Family Culture

The three items I would care with me will be the Holy Bible, Photo Album, and my degree. I would take the Holy Bible because my family and I have deep roots with in the word of God. The Bible is a symbol of our family belief and what we draw strength from in the time of need. The next item would be photo album to remember our family members that did not survived or was put in another country. This is so we can show our children and they can show their children. The last thing would be my degree so it would not be hard for me to locate work to provide for my family in this new country.

I would feel very sad but thankful I’m able to carry one thing that holds value to my family. Then after being told which country we will be relocated to that will determine what item I carry with me.

I gained insight about myself. People always told me that I was caring and know I can see it for myself in this exercise. I always felt as if I was all about me but know I see what other see that I care more about my faith and family well being then my very own.   

When I Think of Research...

I have gained a deeper understanding of the different terms that we should use when conducting a research. The biggest insight has been learning how to make my research valid. In addition, how to detect when research is not valid.

My ideas about research change a lot during these eight weeks. I have developed a greater appreciation for the people that conduct research in the early childhood field. I see now that everyone don’t conduct research the same way nor collected their data the same way. My idea was that it was one way and you had to do it that way in order for it to be valid, but these eight weeks have showed me what it really take to do research.

I learn that when doing research there is a lot of planning involved. You most set time aside just for the research. The many designs we have to pick from to make our research valid is awesome to look at. I learn that as early childhood educator we conduct research all the time.

The main challenge I had in this class was finding time to do a effective job on my research development. With my center getting ready for visits from some many people and complete our annul NAEYC report it was hard. I learn that with my research topic I was doing it everyday so all I had to do was use what as in front of me.

The main way was being able to pull the good research from the not so good research. In addition to the leadership of Dr. D. I was able to gain so much understanding of research.

Research Around the World

The following are some of the current research topics in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA):


Building Community Leadership for Quality Sustainability in Madrasa Preschools: The Case of Madrasa Preschools Post Graduation Support

Pilot Study of the Adaptation of an Established Measure to Assess the Quality of Child Services in a Selected Orphanage in Zambia: The Inclusive Quality Assessment (IQA) Tool

One of the insights i gained from the Building Community Leadership was it take everyone to build a leader. The teacher of young children play a big part in building young children in to future leader. That is why it is so important for the government to better fund child care. Children that attend High Quality programs. We must fight to for funding for our programs so that we can build future leaders.
         Assessment of the Caring Practices in Two Motherless Babies’ Homes in Abia State, Nigeria and   the   Development and Delivery of a Nutrition Training Program to the Staff of These Homes to Improve Nutrition of Children in Their CareThe Development of an Integrated Early Childhood Development Urban Model Training Program for Informal Minders and Community Volunteers in Ghana

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

Early childhood experiences from birth to age 8 have an enormous impact on children's lifelong learning.  This will also have a positive contribution to their health and development and is an advantage for a greater readiness and success in school. Highly quality staff interactions with children; an environment providing lots of books and written material and where children could select from a variety of learning activities; the child’s starting age and the total length of early childhood education; and the socio-economic mix of the children attending the centre. These programs enabled children to make a positive contribution to their own learning.

Early Head Start programs produced statistically, significant, positive impact on standardized measures of children’s cognitive and language development.  Program children at age 3, scored 91.4 on the Bayley Mental Development Index, compared with 89.9 for children who did not attend Head Start.  Early Head Start children were less likely versus none Head start children to score in the at risk range of developmental functioning in these areas.  By preventing children from scoring in the lowest functioning group, Head Start may be reducing their risk of poor cognitive, language, and school outcomes later on in life (Overall Impact, 1999).

Author Unknown. Child Care Bureau. Administration for Child and Families <http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/progams.htm>

Your Personal Research Journey

Will getting ready for my application 2 for this week I was able to follow the steps of finding relevant literature. It gave me a better understanding of how to look at online database. It gave me helpful hints on how to keep all of my literature in line so that I don’t lose track of my review at the end of my research.

From doing the research chart I was able to better understand the meaning of terms used will doing research. It also allowed me to pull out my weakness in doing effective and meaningful research. Will doing the chart I learned how important it is for use as educators to conduct research that is relevant to the field of early childhood. Finally, how to spot out good resources when conducting meaningful research.

What good advice can you give me on keeping track of my literature review?

National Black Child Development Institutehttp://nbcdi.org/
(Newsletter: http://nbcdi.org/support/sign-up-for-nbcdi-newsletters/ )

National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/
(Newsletter: http://nieer.org/resources/newsletter/index.php )

The National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/ 
(Review also the position statements: http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements )

Pre[K]Now: A Campaign of the Pew Center on the States
http://www.preknow.org/ (Newsletter: http://www.preknow.org/signupform.cfm )

Harlem Children’s Zone
http://www.hcz.org/  (Newsletter: http://support.hcz.org/site/PageServer?pagename=signup )

National Head Start Association
http://www.nhsa.org/  
(Newsletter: http://www.nhsa.org/news_and_advocacy/advocacy/legislative_eupdate )

National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators
http://www.naecte.org/ (Newsletter: http://www.naecte.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=29 )

The Division for Early Childhood
http://www.dec-sped.org/  (Review also the position statements: http://www.dec-sped.org/About_DEC/Position_Statements_and_Concept_Papers )

Children’s Defense Fundhttp://www.childrensdefense.org/ 
(Newsletter: http://www.childrensdefense.org/newsroom/enewsletters/ )

Center for the Child Care Workforcehttp://www.ccw.org/
(Newsletter: http://www.ccw.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=78&Itemid=72 )

Issues and Trends: Change, Contexts, Consequences, and Constraints Revisited

The wonders of child development and the long-term consequences of the experiences of young children has made me focus on child development and early learning a key policy focus on the early childhood education programs shows a variety of short- and long-term outcomes from high-quality early childhood  programs. As a result, the early childhood field is focusing on developing programs and systems that lead to the best outcomes for children. In addition, alignment of programs for children from birth to age 5 with the K-12 system and considering the multiple facets of the transition to kindergarten are also being undertaken. An overarching consideration is the development of a coordinated system of early childhood programs to maximize the positive growth and development of young children.

A recent report issued by the Department of Education found that statewide, only 49 percent of kindergartners were deemed “fully ready” at the time they entered kindergarten, with the percentage much lower for poor children (2002). It is anticipated that children not “fully ready” will need special and more intensive teacher support in order to succeed in kindergarten, thus creating a problem not only for the child but for the teacher who is charged with educating children with a wide range of knowledge and skills.

Invest in Education

UNESCO believes that investing in high quality early childhood education is good business and establishes a strong foundation for success in school and in life. A growing body of research builds the case that investment in high quality early education will lead to a more educated, qualified, and talented workforce that will help Wisconsin better compete in a global economy. Why should taxpayers want to invest their dollars in quality early education for every child whose family wants it?

The research is clear that it helps children succeed. That’s one reason. But there is another that is very important but less well known. That reason is this: it makes financial sense. Tax dollars invested create economic development in communities now, and save money for years to come. Investing in early education generates economic development for communities in the short run in the form of jobs, the purchase of goods and services, and a more efficient workforce. In the long run, quality early education builds an employable, educated workforce. Children who receive quality early education arrive at school ready to learn and they do better in school. They need fewer costly special education classes. They are more likely to graduate from high school and to hold jobs. They are less likely to be on welfare. And they are significantly less likely to wind up in the courts and in the jails—and costing taxpayers a fortune.

Sharing Web Resources

The Web Resources I used was the DEC and NAEYC

The DEC/NAEYC joint position statement on inclusion contributes to the early childhood field in that it helps all involved with children fully understand the practices and techniques needed in order to have successful inclusion learning programs, whether at home or at school. All early childhood programs should model a program that displays a welcoming and supports diversity with open arms. The joint statement should help us face the realities of inclusion by breaking down the details in terms of access, participation, and supports. Through this statement we should be encouraged to look closely at our own practices and concerns and ponder if we are supporting development for every child.

Children should be given access to a variety of learning opportunities through their environment and activities. The Universal Design for Learning allows for every young child to have access to learning and the law forbids schools to not allow children to receive a free and public education regardless of the needs of each individual child. Participation is encouraged for children with or without disabilities as their social-emotional development is cultivated. It is critical that supports be in place so that every child is afforded the opportunity, through trained professionals, to be assisted in and outside of the regular classroom. As stated in the Individual Responsive Practice discussion with Dr. Darragh, it has to be continuous model of support from everyone in the child’s life.

Once access to a particular program has been made, the next crucial step is to figure out how it's going. A positive, respectful relationship between staff and parents is important in making certain that the participation of every child is meaningful and beneficial. Even if children with disabilities are able to access programs and environments, some may require additional individualized accommodations and modifications to participate fully in play and learning activities with peers (DEC/NAEYC, 2009). Then early intervention services should be integrated into the child's routine. Achieving high quality inclusion of children with disabilities requires that there be a strong foundation of systems level supports to ensure that the efforts of individuals, programs and organizations are successful and can be maintained. Teacher training is very important to prepare them to work collaboratively with families, therapists, and other staff to provide specialized services and to ensure a high quality program.

Inclusion benefits children with and without disabilities, it allows them to understand and accept their own and others strengths and gifts, it also helps them experience and appreciate diversity and access the same education that their typically developing peers can and, therefore, expect to be more successful in future educational experiences. Lack of knowledge in individualizing instruction and the lack of collaboration between teachers and families and other staff members are barriers to inclusive practices, that’s why teachers training and preparation are important component to inclusion success.

Resources:
Video - Individually Responsive Practice, Dr. Johnna Darragh Ernst

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2009). Where we stand on responding to cultural and linguistic diversity. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf

National Professional Development Center on Inclusion. (2009). Research synthesis points on early childhood inclusion. Retrieved from http://community.fpg.unc.edu/resources/articles/NDPCI-ResearchSynthesis-9-2007.pdf/

Rodd, J. (1996). Children, culture, and education. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3614/is_199601/ai_n8743794/

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

Through environmental scanning of the research of the Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education, for over twelve years, stayed in front of emerging needs and issues in school improvement and student achievement, accumulating a valuable knowledge base linking policy and effective practice. From this, the Society was able to develop a visionary research agenda, providing independent analysis of government initiatives and promising local innovations across Canada. Each Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education study offered thoughtful analysis of the implications for policy and practice along with the findings of the research.

The most important work of Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education was field research in Canada’s public schools. With generous support from Canadian foundations, they commissioned a range of studies to expand the knowledge base about school change and effectiveness.  They studies were rigorously designed and reviewed, conducted independently, and their findings shared widely across Canada.

Sharing Web Resources

Most experts believe computers are not developmentally appropriate for children under the age of three (Elkind, 1998; Haugland, 1999; NAEYC, 1996). However, these same experts believe children three years old and older can begin to effectively explore and use computers. To evaluate whether computers are developmentally appropriate for children over age three, we need to determine the developmental needs of these children. Children this age are developmentally within Piaget’s preoperational stage. This means they are concrete learners who are very interested in using newly learned symbolic representation - speaking, writing, drawing (including maps and geometric figures) and using numbers. Further, children this age are extremely active and mobile. They often have difficulty sitting still; they need frequent changes in learning modalities; and they want a variety of physical experiences involving dance, physical play, climbing and sports. Preoperational children are also are continuing their mastery of language, and exploring various facets of social behavior.

Clearly many of these developmental needs match up well with appropriate use of technology in the classroom, especially exploration, manipulation of symbolic representation, matching alternative learning styles, and quickly changing learning modalities that individual students can control and pace to meet their individual needs. It is also a very powerful tool for students with specific learning disabilities.

The danger, however, is that computers will be used only to reinforce the national trend toward earlier and more academic skill acquisition, and that other important developmental needs will be ignored. Further, there is a danger that developmental needs not met through technology will be ignored or radically compromised: physical play, outdoor exploration of the community and of nature; art, music and dance; learning specific social skills and moral values, and experiencing diversity in a myriad of ways. Some also believe the easy access of information through computers will prevent our children from developing the persistence, ingenuity, tenacity, social adeptness and hard work needed to survive in the world (D. Wardle, nd). These are all realistic fears, based on the pressure of politicians and most parents, and the ever-present reality of very limited resources in most early childhood programs and elementary schools. And, finally, there is the reality that, all too often, computers are used in ways that are simply developmentally inappropriate - most often used for drill and practice purposes (Haugland, 1999). So, how can we implement computers into the curriculum in a positive way?

Use of technology in the early childhood program must not be a goal unto itself: the purpose is not to teach children how to use computers; they can do this as they get older, just as they can learn to drive a car later in their lives (Wardle, 1999). Appropriate use of technology in the classroom is to expand, enrich, implement, individualize, differentiate, and extend the overall curriculum. And, obviously, curricula goals change with age, and differ from program to program. If a goal of the literacy curricula for a certain age child is to learn to write personal journals, then the computer can naturally support that through writing software, digital cameras, and other methods.
Elkind, D. (1998). Computers for infants and young children. Child Care Information Exchange. 123, 44-46.

Haugland, S. W. (1999). What role should technology play in young children’s learning? Young Children, 54 (9), 26- 30).

Wardle, D. (Nd). Throw out the computers! Position statement on computers. Elka Park, NY: Plough Publishing House.

NAEYC (1996). Position statement on technology and young children - ages three through eight. Young Children, 51 (6), 11-16.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

My convocation was with one of my friend’s who is the supervisor at the Oliver Gospel Mission here in Columbia SC. Their mission is to see that the broken and homeless are sheltered, given the gospel of Jesus Christ, and equipped to live responsibly.   This area is, surrounded by corn and soybean farms that often employ migrant farm workers, is a few miles away from one of the most impoverished communities in the state. A state that historically has had a very high poverty rate.  We are fighting poverty by adhering to the ideology that poverty is self made by those individuals who refuse to work and can only be undone by deciding to work and the impoverished neighborhoods a short distance away is a public university that graduates about 800 teacher education students per year, 80% of which come from its surrounding communities. I often wondered what situated knowledge my students bring into teacher education courses regarding issues of poverty. How do they build understanding about poverty, what discourses influence their understanding and what impact might this have on their professional practice as teachers?  Understanding the discourses of poverty is crucial for teachers.

I learn that the poverty rate in our community is large then I was thinking. Some of the information I was told I could not post but it was very sad. The number of children I told me that com though his program was 259,429 (24.4%). As a teacher, what do we do? Early Heat Start was form to combat this problem but it seems as if the problem is keeps growing larger.   

I learned so much this week about poverty and our children.

Sharing Web Resources

The purpose for the Center for Child Care Workforce is to provide a voice for individuals that work in the child care field.  In addition, this site provides them with the most recent information on early childhood for personal and professional growth.  The mission of this site is to, formidable the nature and expanse, continues to be transformed by policies and practices that are, more often than not, conceived, developed and evaluated by people who are far removed from the actual work and day-to-day realities of working with children and shaping their young lives (CCW).

            This website is user friendly, it is structured in a way that anyone can use it even you. Yes you! Once entering the site you will see across the top six tabs that are window to other areas of the site. The first tab is the home tab; this will always bring you back to the home page of the site.  Next is the About Us tab, here you will find the mission statement and developed trainings. Following that you have Research and Resources tab; under that tab you will find Early Childhood facts, Wage Data, State Compensation Initiative, Special Populations, Parent Outreach, Licensing Requirements, Quality Rating Systems and Oral Language Development. Right next to that you will see a tab marked Take Action with in this tab you will find, Worthy Wages and Worthy Wage Tales. Fourth is the tab labeled Public Policy under this tab you will see Federal and State Initiatives. The last tab on this page is the News to Use under here is Latest News, Articles, Newsletters and Books.  This will guide you to each link on this side and you can learn some many things about the child care workforce.

            The information available on this site will help you with better understanding child care, resource to help you become a better early childhood educator and show you how to be a voice for your center and early childhood.  The best way to navigate your way in this site is to start with the mission of the site, then go from left to right to get the best results from the page.  Each tab is a guide for the next tab on the page to help you better grasps what the website has to offer.  

I’m going to highlight three areas on the site I will be News to Use, Research and Resources, and Take Action.  Under the tab News to Use they have great articles on early childhood that can assist you in many ways then one. Next is Research and Resources it gives very helpful tips, in addition to fact on child care. The third on is Take Action, this tab gives helpful information when it comes to Wages in child care.

For me this website opened my eyes to a lot of things going on in child care.  It let me know that I have a voice also and it should be heard.

Website:

Center for Child Care Workforce

 http://www.ccw.org/

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

I emailed Haiti's Step by Step Program and is waiting on a reply from them. Once i get a reply I will post it on my blog page for the class to read. I chose them because I know that they are still trying to rebuild from the earthquake. Reading about this program gave me and idea that i will be taking back to my center and we will be sending them books in the spring.

Haiti
Step by Step Program / Tipa Tipa
Dominique Hudicourt
Email: tipatipa@hainet.net

I was able to pull information from each of these site to use to better my center. Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families is helpful because my center is expanding that unit so it gave us some up to date information to us. I post all them on my blog so that other people will be able to develop connections with out key players in the field of education


National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencieshttp://www.naccrra.org/  (Newsletter: http://capwiz.com/naccrra/mlm/signup/ )
Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Familieshttp://www.zerotothree.org/   (May have to use http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/ )
(Newsletters:
http://zttcfn.pub30.convio.net/child-development/from-baby-to-big-kid/ and
http://capwiz.com/zerotothree/mlm/signup/ )

National Black Child Development Institutehttp://nbcdi.org/
(Newsletter: http://nbcdi.org/support/sign-up-for-nbcdi-newsletters/ )
National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/ 
(Newsletter: http://nieer.org/resources/newsletter/index.php )

The National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/ 
(Review also the position statements: http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements )
Pre[K]Now: A Campaign of the Pew Center on the States
http://www.preknow.org/ (Newsletter: http://www.preknow.org/signupform.cfm )
Harlem Children’s Zone
http://www.hcz.org/  (Newsletter: http://support.hcz.org/site/PageServer?pagename=signup )
National Head Start Association
http://www.nhsa.org/  
(Newsletter: http://www.nhsa.org/news_and_advocacy/advocacy/legislative_eupdate )

National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators
http://www.naecte.org/ (Newsletter: http://www.naecte.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=29 )
The Division for Early Childhood
http://www.dec-sped.org/  (Review also the position statements: http://www.dec-sped.org/About_DEC/Position_Statements_and_Concept_Papers )
Children’s Defense Fundhttp://www.childrensdefense.org/ 
(Newsletter: http://www.childrensdefense.org/newsroom/enewsletters/ )
Center for the Child Care Workforcehttp://www.ccw.org/ 
(Newsletter: http://www.ccw.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=78&Itemid=72 )
Society for Research in Child Developmenthttp://www.srcd.org/ 
(Newsletter: http://www.srcd.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=238&Itemid=543 )

"My Supports."

Factors in my life that provide support for me is rest, a working computer, workable classroom size, knowledge and transportation.  Many of this may sound like common sense but they are things we don’t thing about. We all know that lack of sleep or poor diet can interfere with learning. It is proven that overcrowded classrooms and lack of learning resources make it more difficult to teach. People can tell when I experience stress and anxiety in my daily life it is more difficult for me to concentrate. We know that if a student feels excluded by others in the class, learning can suffer. It’s not often that I give serious thought to such things as planning a lesson.  Even if I do think about these things, I may feel like I have no power to change any of them. I would not be able to complete my job and education would I would suffer as a person.

There was a week in March when I had the task of doing all my work via my cell phone. That week we were talking about stressor that young child deal with in life. This will be a task for me because I grow up where mom and dad were there and I did not have to want for anything as a young child. In addition to that my computer is down and I’m my not feeling my best this week, having to complete homework via my Smartphone. With that said please over look my writing this week, will be back in the game next blog.  This was a prime example of how not having a computer and feeling bad in the body will impact your life. For most people like me and many others that are reading this blog this is what our daily environment involves.

"My Connections to Play."

“It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.”

 Leo F. Buscaglia quotes

Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning....They have to play with
what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they
learn in new forms of play.

--Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood 

     

As a child I had access to a lot of things. Those things included the sidewalk, alleys, vacant lots, fields, forests, and streams. My friends and I could play, explore and interact with the natural world with little or no restriction or supervision. Today things have changed a lot. Children have to be monitor at all times because of the world we live in today.

The lives of children today are much more structured and supervised, with few opportunities for free play. Parents are afraid for their children's safety when they leave the house alone. That is why many children are no longer free to roam their neighborhoods or even their own yards unless accompanied by adults. Children's lives have become structured and scheduled by adults, who hold the mistaken belief that this sport or that lesson will make their children more successful as adults.

In today’s world children have very little time to play.  When they do have time, it's often spent inside in front of the television or computers screen. For some children, that's because their neighborhood, apartment complex or house has no outdoor play spaces. Children's opportunities to interact in a naturalized outdoor setting are greatly diminished today.