Natural Disasters

I chose natural disasters to talk about. I went through Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I was in Hattiesburg, MS.  As scary as it was, we did not have the storm surge, flooding, and devastation that was in Louisiana and on the gulf coast of Mississippi. However, here are some facts about Katrina. Over 1,836 people died, 750 missing, and millions homeless. There was looting, violence, no water or food for many days and no electricity for weeks. Help arrived after a time. FEMA trailers arrived – poor as they were.

In November 2013, a typhoon hit the Philippines. 6,166 people were killed and 28,626 were injured. 1785 are still missing and 4 million people were forced from their homes. They have no electricity, no running water or clean water for that matter, and no shelter. There is scant corrupt government housing. Only 9% of the 16 million affected have received any help to rebuild their homes.

There is absolutely no way that a child going through such devastation of the environment and family can not be affected. Such stress will affect the brain development, and improper nutritional intake will affect the body and brain. Children are resilient and their little brains and bodies will bounce back. But what of their emotions? I often wondered how those children are faring 8 years later. Are they back in their home city; did they stay away when they evacuated; was the family able to rebuild or recoup their losses from the storm; and did they get to a place where they are able to feel safe again? In the Philippines, how long will it take for their children to feel safe? to get into a home that has a roof instead of an umbrella and palm leaves? when will they get clean water to drink?

Time heals all wounds and people tend to forget about what is happening in the world once the media has left the area. But the people living the life will never forget. And it will take many years to recover and rebuild the cities. How long does it take the children to bounce back after such a horrible life event they will never forget. How long does it take for the body and brain to catch up once it takes a break and just concentrates on survival?

Harlan, C. (2014). After Typhoon, Philippines faces one of the most profound resettlement crises in decades. Retrieved February 1, 2014 from

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/after-typhoon-philippines-faces-one-of-the-most-profound-resettlement-crises-in-decades/2014/01/04/2118c6a2-71f2-11e3-bc6b-712d770c3715_story.html

Solanki, P. (2013). Hurricane Katrina: Facts and Information. Retrieved February 1, 2014 from

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hurricane-katrina-facts-and-information.html

UPI. (2014). Typhoon Death Toll Reaches 6,166 in Philippines. Retrieved February 1, 2014 from

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/01/03/Typhoon-death-toll-reaches-6166-in-Philippines/UPI-86661388773610/

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Around the World

SIDS is called crib-death in North America and cot-death in England. SIDS is when an infant goes to sleep and never wakes up. No one knows the reason for this feared family tragedy. Research has been done to test theories of this mystery.

Susan Beal studied every SIDS death in South Australia seeking any and all circumstances and found some interesting commonalities. The mother's smoking and lambskin blankets seemed to be a couple of commonalities. She also found genetic make-up of Chinese descent helped to ward off SIDS. Chinese babies always slept on their backs, while European babies slept on their stomachs. Susan developed a hypothesis that sleeping on the back would decrease the risk. She had a large group of non-Chinese people all put their babies to sleep on their backs. Almost none died(Berger, 2012).

Pediatricians in the Netherlands began telling parents to put babies to sleep on their backs. In Holland, 2 scientists began recommending back-sleeping and SIDS was reduced by 40% in one year(Berger, 2012).

Some things you may not know about SIDS:

SIDS deaths have declined by more than half in every country since 1990 when the “Back to Sleep” Campaign was initiated (SIDScenter.org).

The instances of SIDS is equal in girl and boy infant deaths.

There are no symptoms or warning signs.

Doctors think one cause is the inability for the baby's body to detect a buildup of carbon dioxide in the blood(A.D.A.M., 2011).

Some doctors think the baby has problems with its' ability to wake up.

Approximately 2 infants out of 1,000 will die from SIDS(RightDiagnosis, 2011).

Always keep baby's head uncovered while sleeping(Disability online, 2000).

The following are linked to increased risk of SIDS(A.D.A.M., 2011):

Stomach sleeping

Smoking environment

Co-sleeping (sleeping in the same bed as parents)

Soft bedding

Premature births

Siblings who had SIDS

Mothers who smoke

Late or no prenatal care

Poverty situations

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines recommend the following(A.D.A.M., 2011):

ALWAYS sleep on back

Breastfeed when possible

Offer a pacifier when going to sleep

Put baby to sleep in same room NOT in same bed

Have tight-fitting mattress cover and avoid thick, soft blankets

Keep temperature cool. Do NOT overheat baby

Support Groups for victims of SIDS(Sidscenter.org):

www.sids.org

www.sidscenter.org

This topic has always interested me, especially when I became a new mom.  My husband had a child from a previous marriage die from SIDS. So I was very conscious about the issue and what not to do.  I don't believe that I slept through the night until my son was 10 months old.  He would stop breathing sometimes 10 times a night.  The doctor said "don't worry about it until he stops for 10 seconds or more.  Babies just forget to breathe."  Really?!?  I worried more then.  I had a co-sleeper brand bed that butted up to the side of the bed and I slept across the width of the bed so I could rest my hand on him.  There were many nights I had to wake him.  One night in particular I remember putting my hand on his chest and there was nothing.  I waited a few seconds then I grabbed him up.  It scared him into breathing.  I cry just remembering that time.  I did all of the right things to avoid SIDS and the only increased risk was the sibling with SIDS.  I was lucky; I cannot imagine losing a child to SIDS.

References:

A.D.A.M. Medical Encylopedia. (2011). Retrieved January 18, 2014 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002533/

Berger, K. (2012). The Developing Person Through Childhood. New York, NY. Worth Publishers.

Disability Online. (2000). Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Statistics. Retrieved January 18, 2014 from http://hnb.dhs.vic.gov.au/dsonline/dsarticles.nsf/pages/Sudden_infant_death_syndrome_statistics

National SUID/SIDS Resource Center. (2011). Statistics of SUID and SIDS. Retrieved Janaury 18, 2014 from http://www.sidscenter.org/Statistics_OLD.html

Right Diagnosis.com. (2011). Statistics about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Retrieved January 18, 2014 from http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/s/sids/stats-country.htm

A mother's health impacts the health of her child.

Just as everyone does, I call my child my miracle. I was told at 34 that if I was not pregnant by 35, it was going to happen. So I quit worry about and raised everyone else's babies. At 38, I found out I was going to have a baby. I was so excited – but I was so worried that something would happen, I didn't by anything for the baby until my 9^th month.

I was already at 287 pounds (I only gained 13 lbs total) so I really had to watch everything I put into my mouth. I began eating lots of fruits and vegetables and lots of grape juice (the only thing I craved). I ate NO McDonald's or fast food of any kind and only allowed myself a sweet tea and baked potato on Fridays (if I had been good). I took my prenatal vitamins and drank my milk and LOTS of water (the only thing to curb the nausea). I was doing great, had lots of energy, and was really enjoying being pregnant.

Then a little storm called Katrina hit. Everything went crazy. I was at home alone watching the ceiling cave in and the trees fall all around me. Once the storm passed, I was stranded until someone could come cut trees. There was no electricity and no water; and it was so hot! 89 degrees at midnight is not the comfort we have become accustomed to. We had sleep on the tile floor just to keep cool. My young nephew (2 years old) and I began to dehydrate, so the family set out on a road trip. It took three days of rest and water for either of us to get better. The electricity came back on at our house after day six, so we went home.

At that time, I had two childcare centers across the street from each other with about 65 children total. One of the centers was totaled by two pine trees and flooding. We hurriedly removed contents to keep them from ruining all the while without power and water. Restaurants that cooked with gas gave food away. Our center cooked for parents to come pick up food for their children. This was a horrific ordeal and one that I personally never want to repeat and we were not in New Orleans or on the Mississippi Gulf Coast (we were one and a quarter hours up the highway from Gulfport, Mississippi in Hattiesburg).  We reopened only one building after 10 days and had to use every nook and cranny we could to house the children until other arrangements could be made.

Once power and water was restored, doctor's appointments resumed. I now had high blood pressure, hypertension, and had to do a non-stress test every week for the next 10 weeks. I'm so glad that I had been doing well with my diet because now I had to take 1500 mg of blood pressure meds everyday. I ended up working about 11 hrs a day because staff left due to the storm and never came back.  I still continued my nutritious eating plan and really stuck to it now.  I didn't want anything to happen to my little one.

At week 37, I ended beginning to swell and the doctor's induced that week. After 4 hours of hard labor that I don't remember because they kept me on pain meds because of the blood pressure, the doctor decided to do a C-section at 10:45pm. I had a beautiful, healthy, perfect little boy with a head full of brown hair that weighed in at 8lbs 7oz. He's eight now, still healthy and beautiful and not so perfect. But he's my miracle.

I have often wondered about those women in New Orleans who were pregnant. They were actually stranded and could not get out of the city as it flooded. We all saw pictures of people standing on the caved in bridges waiting for help and trying to stay on high ground. We've heard of so many people that were lost due to this storm. The city was out of commission for weeks. How would she have gotten emergency care for her and her baby? Water? Food of any kind, not necessarily nutritious? While we are pregnant we really don't like to think about bad stuff, do we?

This situation has me thinking about the women in Somalia. 1 in 10 Somali children die before their first birthday; 1 in 5 die before their 5^th birthday. Somalia has 250 trained doctors, 860 nurses, and 116 midwives for the whole population of 9 million. Only one-third of pregnant women have skilled health care at the birth and one-fourth only receive prenatal care one time with just 6% receiving prenatal care four times (PeaceWomen.org). This is the main reason the mortality rate is so high. Many have been driven from their homes to live in unsanitary conditions at refugee camps where they are not even able to get clean water to drink or bathe.

As a mother and a caring human being, I cannot even begin to imagine a situation as sad as Somalia.

PeaceWomen.org. (2010). Somalia: Pregnant Women Need More Care. Retrieved January 11, 2014 from http://www.peacewomen.org/news_article.php?id=2612&type=news

Some very interesting articles to start the NEW YEAR!

Complex Thinking Skills in Preschoolers
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/255373.php

Teaching Kids to Give Themselves a Time Out
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324581504578235911668399722

Links Between Daycare and Behavioral Issues    (This is a Must Read!)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130117152016.htm

I sincerely hope that this New Year is blessed and wonderful!

A New Article from Harvard Business about Happy Employees

Check this out:
http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/09/go-ahead-ask-your-employees-if-theyre-happy/

Thanks for all of the support

To All of My Walden EDU 6005 Classmates:

You have been so gracious and generous with your comments and questions.  All of you helped me stay focused and confident in my writing and research.  I hope that I have been as helpful to you all.

This has been a very fast moving 8 weeks; I cannot believe that it is over already (well except for the grading).  I do want to stay in contact and continue to read your blogs.  I hope that some of you are in the next class - Early Childhood Development 6160 with me.  I am going to miss those who aren't going to be in that class - your wonderful comments and support are truly a blessing.  Your discussions have given me ideas for more research and reading - to that a big THANK YOU!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  I will be visiting your blogs soon.

NAEYC Code of Ethics Ideals

The National Association for the Education of Young Children has developed a Code of Ethics that is used probably worldwide, but definitely nationwide. One of the first things a Child Development Associate (CDA) candidate must do is read the NAEYC Code of Ethics. Here are three that really stand out for me as a director of a child care center.

Ideal 1.1 – Ethical Responsibilities to Children

To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training. If an early childhood educator is not current and up-to-date with what is going on in the field, that person's mission is usually not relevant. You cannot just teach a class of four-year olds. Even if you are a natural born teacher, you must have some kind of training. Trends in early childhood are changing quickly, a true teacher must be willing to hone their craft continuously and must want to be the best teacher they can be. For example, a trainer can tell us all day long how to teach a class, how to do assessments, how to make children listen. If they have not been in a classroom for 5 or 10 years, then what they are saying is not relevant to what is going on in today's classrooms.

It is not hard to stay informed. States have agencies that do trainings; the internet is full of journals, websites, and articles; and libraries have books and magazines with early childhood information for any age group or issue with early childhood. If a true teacher is interested in being the best she can be, she will find a way to stay informed and up-to-date.

Ideal 4.1 – Ethical Responsibilities to Community and Society

To provide the community with high quality early childhood care and education programs and services.

Private early childhood providers depend on word of mouth. A center and its' staff need to involve parents and work throughout the community with all aspects of health, nutrition, and education. The teachers need to make sure that their classrooms and the childrens' environments are safe and non-violent. Also, the teachers and center as a whole must make sure that quality, developmentally appropriate practice education and assessments are happening every single day with every single child. You cannot make everyone happy all the time; but if your education program is high quality you will make most people happy. People won't remember you had an epidemic of flu or strep throat last year, if their child cries because they do not want to leave your facility at the end of the day or they are excelling in kindergarten after leaving preschool with your center. They will also remember that open-door policy that you had, where they could come into the classroom anytime to volunteer, share their career, or attend a party with their child.

Ideal 3.2 – Ethical Responsibilities to Employees

To create and maintain a climate of trust and candor that will enable staff to speak and act in the best interest of children, families and the field of early childhood care and education. This ideal is just as important as the other two. If a center does not have quality teachers and staff, then the other two ideals are non-existent. Trained high-quality teachers will be able to collaborate with management to development learning materials and methods. A center has the responsibility to its' employees to provide a safe and supportive working condition. Mutual respect is paramount to retaining great employees. If the director does not respect the employees, then respect will not be given by the employees. This will cause grief and much conflict. Employees need to know that the center is going to trust they will do what is best for the children to keep them safe, happy, and learning. A trusted teacher will be trusted by families and many times become part of the family.

If you notice, these three actually are part of a never ending circle.  You have to have quality teachers to have quality child care.  For teachers to have the trust of the directors they have to be current, be informed, and be quality teachers.

NAEYC Code of Ethics. (2005). Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSET05.pdf