EDUC6164 - Week 4 - Microinsults

Two staff members were serving breakfast at my child care.  A child from a poverty stricken family entered the child care.  We will call her Jeanie, not her real name.  I listen from afar.

Staff Person A “She’s a terrible mom!  She just dumps her daughter at the door!”

Staff Person B “She could at least walk in with her!  Jeanie, you smell like kerosene! UCK!”

Staff Person A “They probably can’t afford to buy oil again this month!”

The following day, well after breakfast, the same child entered child care.

Staff Person A “It’s 9:00 and Jeanie just showed up without breakfast again!  Should we feed her?  Breakfast is over.”

Staff Person B “No, we stopped serving breakfast an hour ago!  Her mom should have given her breakfast, but she was probably too busy!”

My primary concern was the child.  I helped her into some clean clothes and washed her kerosene scented clothes.  I changed circle time to scents in our world and included a perfume trial!  All the children could select a scent to wear!  This helped cover the kerosene odor and did not single out Jeanie.  The following day I replaced Jeanie’s breakfast with the 9AM snack being served.  She did not mind having snack for breakfast! 

I was very disappointed and also angry about the initial comments made by the staff.  I felt sorry for the child.  She must have felt as though something was wrong with her mother, her home, and herself.  The look on the four year old girls face showed sadness and rejection.  Other children hearing the remark were probably forming mental opinions of Jeanie and her family, following the example of the staff.  The continued remarks on the following day again displayed microinsults on Jeanie and her family as well as a lack of caring and compassion.

This type of verbal insult was never acceptable at the child care.  Anger never solves any issue, and would not have corrected staff attitude.  I evaluated the situation, and decided staff training needed to be updated.  Staff had previously been trained to use positive language when speaking to or in the presence of children, and had received state approved courses on the topic.  The previous staff training techniques have obviously not been successful.  Using the lessons learned in this course I now feel better equipped to train my staff.  I am better able to explain microinsults and am able to provide proof of the damage they can cause.  Naptime training sessions using knowledge obtained in this course have been implemented.  After the training sessions staff seemed to understand that the children’s feelings must be considered before any comments can be vocalized.  Microinsults are not acceptable.  No further incidences of microinsults have been observed since the enhanced training sessions began.  Frequent training on the topic will be ongoing.   

EDUC6163 - Week3 - Research in the Child Care

What Makes Children Hyper?  Salt or Sugar?

Several years ago, the parents of my child care were at odds over the salt/sugar debate.  Some of the parents wanted us to eliminate sugar from the diets of the children.  Others wanted salt eliminated.  Both groups of parents insisted that their children were leaving child care hyper, and blamed the hyperactivity of the diet provided at the child care.

With the permission of the parents, we created a two week rotating diet.  The same foods were introduced on the same days of the week, for two weeks.  The first two weeks, the meals were prepared with no sugar added, but with normal levels of salt.  The second two weeks, the meals were prepared with normal levels of sugar and salt.  The last two weeks, the meals were prepared with normal amounts of  sugar, and salt was eliminated.

The outcome of the informal child care study was documented and reported to all families involved.  Children’s attention spans during coloring time, circle time, and sensory play, at the time frame of one, two, and three hours after meals were calculated.  The attention span showed no reduction on sugar free weeks one and two, with totals consistent with weeks three and four, when sugar and salt were both used.  Weeks five and six, with elimination of salt, showed a marked increase in attention span in all three time frames.  It was interesting to note that the day high salt soup was served during week s one and three, that attention span was reduced as compared to other days in weeks one through four. 

The conclusion of the study determined sugar served with meals did not affect the attention span of the child care children.  Salt reduction in the meals of the children increased attention span.  Final conclusion, salt, not sugar, caused the hyperactivity in children. 

To this day, we do not add salt to any food prepared for the child care children.  We also are careful not to feed the children a large amount of sugary foods.   The research pacified the concern of the parents, and did improve the meal quality of the children.   As a student in Early Childhood Research, I now wonder if any other food additives could have contaminated our study.  Perhaps the red food coloring in the soup, not the salt, caused the hyperactivity in the children?  I also realize that the verbal consent of the parents should have been written consent, and child assent should have been received.  Confidentiality was not breached, but was also not a concern.  The research was performed in a non-professional manner.

EDUC6164 - Week 3 - Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

 

I asked a variety of persons to define the terms diversity and culture.  My sampling group included a male and two female early childhood professionals, a female new to the field of early childhood, a male parent and art teacher, a female parent and employee in the medical profession, and my husband.  Their ages ranged from 21 to 57 years young.  Two of the persons have minimal mental challenges, two have moderate physical challenges.

The definition of culture from all persons referred to traditions and heritage.  One early childhood professional added combined beliefs and knowledge.  A parent defined culture as a transmission of ideas through written, oral, and creative communication.  One artistic person defined culture as different arts, music, tv, drawing, and painting.

The definitions of culture seemed to be understood by most of my sampling group.  All the persons seemed to understand that culture is passed down, in different ways, through a group of people, such as a family.  Culture of a community was omitted.  

The definition of diversity seemed more of a challenge.  The differences of people were frequently mentioned.  The three early childhood professionals extended this statement with a list of differences including color, beliefs, ideas, gender, religion, height, weight, opinions and food.   Those not trained in the early childhood field could only mention the word differences, but could not elaborate.

The diversity of mental, emotional, learning, behavior and physical abilities were omitted by all persons in my sampling group.  This surprised me, as three of my responses came from people who have at least one of these disabilities.  Also omitted were class, language, education, age and sexual orientation. 

I realize, by sampling families of my child care, that many parents were not comfortable answering the questions on the definitions of diversity and culture.  The two families that did answer struggled with the term diversity.  One parent took the words home, and returned with definitions that obviously had been internet searched.  The early childhood professionals had an understanding of both words.  This exercise has pointed out the need for parental training, and the success of early childhood training. 

EDUC 6163 - Research Project -The Beginning

I chose the topic of Nutrition for my research project.  More specifically, I chose to find an answer to the question:  Are beef and dairy products with added hormones safe for human consumption?  

I chose this topic for several reasons.  My immediate family has recently suffered from many health conditions, all of which could be traced back to hormones in food.  My daughter has just been put on a very strict, hormone free diet by her doctor.  A family in my child care provides all of their 12 month old daughters food, as she requires a hormone free diet.  Another family has recently approached me, asking for a similar diet to be supplied to her children at child care.  This interest in hormone free diets from my child care clients, in combination with family health issues, has spiked my interest in the issue of hormones in the American diet.  

So far, I have found very little testing or research documented by United States facilities or agencies.  The little I have found leans toward hazards with hormones in foods, although very vaguely.  However, I have found mountains of information from other countries.  Most of the research deems hormones unsafe, and claims high incidences of cancers, and early onset of puberty with hormone consumption.  The best place to find research on my topic seems to be Scholarly Google.  I also checked federal and state governmental agencies.

In my small corner of the United States, there are many women suffering with fibroids, uterine cancers, and breast cancers.  Women and men alike are suffering from fibroids and tumors.  Almost every family I have talked to has at least one relative with a similar condition.  Several mothers at my child care, relatively young women, are being treated for ovarian and fibroid related conditions.

For my research project I will be performing a needs assessment, surveying families about their knowledge about our food sources, whether they choose organic or hormone-free foods, are concerned about additives and pesticides.  In this way, I can set a baseline in which to begin parent education.

Does anyone else in this class have any input on this topic?  Do you know many persons suffering from similar conditions?  Do you know any families on hormone free diets?  Do any of my classmates outside of the United States have differing insights to share?

EDUC 6164 - Week 2 - My Family Culture

If I were to suddenly travel to a foreign country, and could only take three items, I would take:

1.   A group photograph of my extended family

2.   A small pocketknife given to me by my father

3.   My grandmothers recipe book

The photograph would remind me of the people I had to leave behind.

The pocketknife has been with me since I was six.  My father gave it to me.  It represents a special bond between us.

My grandmother’s hand written recipe book from the early 1900’s has some of her thoughts and ideas written among the recipes.  My mother used the book as a child.  It is being passed down to each generation.

If I were told to keep only one item, I would feel very sad.  I would immediately begin to think of ways to sneak the other items in.  Then, I would look to the bright side, and be glad that my immediate family was safe and with me.  If I had to make a choice, the choice would be easy.  I would keep the picture. 

My family is the most important part of my life.  Things come second.  The most important cultural components of my family relate to the persons, not possessions.  I can be happy anywhere, as long as my family is with me.