Assignment: Examining Code Of Ethics

Code of ethics in early childhood is very important and knowing what they are is necessary to act in a professional manner in the field. While there are several and all are very important, our assignment is to pick 3 this week that I find meaningful and that are a part of my professional life, either now or in the future.

    NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) is a fabulous, trusted organization with a wealth of knowledge and resources. They set the standards for so many areas of early childhood development. I chose parts of their code of ethics to focus on this week and that is the ethical responsibilities to children.

"Our paramount responsibility is to provide care and education in settings that are safe, healthy, nurturing, and responsive for each child" (NAEYC, 2005).

"We are also committed to promoting children's self-awareness, competence, self-worth, resiliency, and physical well-being" (NAEYC, 2005).

"To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child" (NAEYC, 2005).

I also chose several ideas from DEC (Division for Early Childhood) code of ethics.

First is Professional Practice. "The early childhood special education professional should base his or her behaviors on ethical reasoning, surrounding practice and professional issues as well as an empathetic reflection regarding interactions with others." (DEC, 2000).

Some examples that fall under their description of professional and interpersonal behavior are:

" We shall demonstrate in our behavior and language respect and appreciation for the unique value and human potential of each child." (DEC, 2000).

" We shall demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all our professional activities in order to inspire the trust and confidence of the children and families and of those with whom we work."  (DEC, 2000).

Another area of the ethics I find important is Responsive Family Centered Practices. A few highlights under this area are:

"We shall demonstrate our respect and appreciation for all families beliefs, values, customs, languages, and culture relative to their nurturance and support of their children toward achieving meaningful and relevant priorities and outcomes families desire for themselves and their children." (DEC, 2000).

"We shall provide services and supports to children and families in a fair and equitable manner while respecting families cultures, race, language, socioeconomic status, marital status, and sexual orientation"(DEC, 2000).

"We shall empower families with information and resources so that they are informed consumers of services for their children" (DEC, 2000).

These are just small parts of the code of ethics from both organizations but they convey powerful messages of our responsibility as educators. It tells us what to strive for, what families and colleagues expect and for ourselves to know to go above and beyond for these families. these are just some of the ways it helps to reflect our professional lives.

These particular areas I focused on are what I feel is important in building great relationships with families. It is important to express our expertise with them and guide them with proper resources and knowledge. To educate and conduct ourselves as professionals and to be taken seriously for the work we do in shaping young children's lives. All these aspects are equally important in making a difference. So many things that happen to children at a young age will stay with them throughout the years. Providing them with positive experiences will help shape them for a lifetime.

References

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010 from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf.

The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May, 26, 2010, from
http://www.dec-sped.org.

More great early childhood resources

In addition to this week's resources from our classwork I have also created a second post to include more resources for the early childhood educator and parents.

1) American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities http://www.aamr.org/

2) National Down Syndrome Society http://www.ndss.org/

3) Division of Learning Disabilities of the Council of Exceptional Children
      http://www.dldcec.org/understanding/default.htm

4) www. abcmouse.com

5) www.earlychildhood.com

6) www.communityplaythings.com/

7) hatchearlylearning.com/resources/

8) Early Childhood education Resources www.eced-resources.com

9) National Speech and hearing association http://www.healthtouch.com/bin/EContent_HT/showAllLfts.asp?lftname=ASLHA009&cid=HT

10) Council for Children with behavioral disorders http://www.ccbd.net/

Growing my Collection of Early Childhood Resources

The first part of our assignment this week is to repost the resources for week 5's assignments. There are many wonderful articles and websites here that offer a wealth of knowledge.

Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

• 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://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf
  
  Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
  
• 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.
  Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title.

Part 2: Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

• Article: 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
  
• Websites:
  
• • 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.

Note: Explore the resources in Parts 3 and 4 in preparation for this week's Application assignment.

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
  
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
  
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
  
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
  
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
  
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/
  
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
  
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/
  
• Children's Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
  
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
  
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org/
  
• Institute for Women's Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/
  
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
  
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
  
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
  
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
  
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
  
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/
  

Part 4: Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library
Tip: Use the A-to-Z e-journal list to search for specific journal titles. (Go to "How Do I...?", select "Tips for Specific Formats and Resources," and then "e-journals" to find this search interface.)

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education           
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