Sharing Web Resources

The organization that I have selected is Harlem Children's Zone and here is the link:
http://www.hcz.org/index.php

Description of the Organization's focus

HISTORY

Harlem Children's Zone, Inc. has experienced incredible growth - from the number of children we serve to the breadth of our services. But one thing has stayed the same: the agency's "whatever it takes" attitude when it comes to helping children to succeed.

The organization began 1970 as Rheedlen, working with young children and their families as the city's first truancy-prevention program.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, the crack epidemic tore through Harlem; open-air drug markets flourished while families disintegrated. While many inside and outside Harlem gave up hope, HCZ's staff believed that new approaches were necessary.

In 1991, the agency was among the first in the city to open a Beacon center. Our Countee Cullen Community Center turned a public school that used to shut its door at the end of the school day into a community center offering a range of services and activities on nights, weekends and summers.

In the 1990s, to help keep local schools safe, the Peacemakers program began placing AmeriCorps participants in classrooms. These young people were a welcome presence assisting teachers during the school day and then running programs after school.

The beginning of the Children's Zone^®
In the early 1990s, HCZ ran a pilot project that brought a range of support services to a single block. The idea was to address all the problems that poor families were facing: from crumbling apartments to failing schools, from violent crime to chronic health problems.

HCZ created a 10-year business plan, then to ensure its best-practice programs were operating as planned, HCZ was in the vanguard of nonprofits that began carefully evaluating and tracking the results of their work. Those evaluation results enabled staff to see if programs were achieving their objectives and to take corrective actions if they were not.

In 1997, the agency began a network of programs for a 24-block area: the Harlem Children's Zone Project. In 2007, the Zone Project grew to almost 100 blocks. Today the Children's Zone^®serves more than 8,000 children and 6,000 adults. Overall, the organization serves more than 10,000 children and more than 7,400 adults.  The FY 2010 budget for the agency overall is over $75 million.

A history of innovation

Over the years, the agency introduced several ground-breaking efforts: in 2000, The Baby College^® parenting workshops; in 2001, the Harlem Gems^® pre-school program; also in 2001, the HCZ Asthma Initiative, which teaches families to better manage the disease; in 2004, the Promise Academy, a high-quality public charter school; and in 2006, an obesity program to help children stay healthy.

Under the visionary leadership of its President and CEO, Geoffrey Canada, HCZ continues to offer innovative, efficiently run programs that are aimed at doing nothing less than breaking the cycle of generational poverty for the thousands of children and families it serves.

What caught my attention from the website is that they have education from early childhood through college. I like the way you can click on each level of education and it provided you with a description of it. There is a donation section that you can give to this organization if you want to. 

Getting Ready-Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Alternative Part 1:

I was unable to establish contact with the international early childhood professionals, so I chose the Alternative to Part 1.

First you must download iTunes Application to your computer or laptop, then proceed to these steps:

Steps to listening and subscribing to podcasts:

1. Type in www.worldforumfoundation.org in the web browser

2. In The Blue Search Box: Type in Podcasts

3. Click on World Forum Radio

4. Click on the Subscribe to World Forum Radio

5. After you click on it, it will send you to http://itunes.app.com/podcast/world-forum-radio/id332072980?mt=2

6. Click on the two World Forum Radio that you want and click on View In iTunes

7. A box that say External Protocol Request-Click on Launch Application

8. Listen to the two World Forum Radio that you choose to and then hit subscribe

OR

1. Type in www.worldforumfoundation.org/world-forum-radio/ in the web browser

2. Just scroll down and pick the two Episode that you want and click on to Listen to this episode

Part 2: Expanding Resources

I decided to study Harlem Children's Zone because when I clicked on most of the websites that was provided, it couldn't be found. I like the way this website was set up and I seen where you could sign up for their news letter versus the other sites that I looked at, they didn't have no where for you to sign up or subscribe.

"My Supports"

My Supports

My support factors includes:

The first supporter is The Lord because without him there would be no me. I know that through all my trials and tribulations, he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. King James Version: Deuteronomy 31:6

The next supporter is my mother because when I felt like quitting sometimes she would always encourage me and say don't give up because you have come to far to quit. She has always been my motivation and I know that I could call on her for anything and she would try her best to make it right.

My final supporter is my Aunt Rita Brooks because she is the one who taught me the ropes about college and how to go after what I want in life. She was the one to make sure that I did all my paperwork was done even if it took her helping me to fill it out. Still till this day she comes by ever now and than to check on me to see how is things are going.

My daily supporters would be my sister Whitney Brackins and my cousin Naomi Minor. I know that we have each backs and when I am having problems and my mother is not feeling well, then one of them would be the next person that I would call and talk to.

The benefits of these supports is that we are family, we try and talk on a daily basis, we grew a friendship that is a bond forever, and we can depend on each other during our time of need. It would miserable to exist without these supporters especially my mother because I am use to talking with them and being there for each other. My mother and I depend on each other a whole lot because of her sickness. The impact that my mother would have on my life if she was gone would be like a whole in my heart because she is like my other half until my husband come along. lol. I am so use to having daily talks with my mom about anything and I will definitely miss her and seeing that beautiful smile on her face everyday even when she is in pain.

I really don't have a challenge that I imagine because I try and live my life day by day. I guess if I had to pick a challenge it would be having a baby. I know that my family would be my support team because they already want me to have a baby, so that they can spoil him/her. They are scared that I might not have a baby because I have had some female problems. The factors within my daily environment that would be supportive to me would be the doctors, family, friends, and my mother. The potential benefits that I see of these supports is that the doctor will have to see me on a monthly basis in order for me to deliver a healthy baby and my mother will be there to help me because I probably would be lost without her. My family and friends would be there to help support me as well. It would be hard to exist without these supports because it takes a village to raise a family. The impact that they would have on my life if they weren't there would be restless nights, worrying, stressing, and high blood pressure etc.

"My Connection to Play"

My Connection to Play

Quotes that I feel that summarize what play represented for me in childhood:

1. “When you play, play hard; when you work, don't play at all.” 
― Theodore Roosevelt

2. “Play keeps us vital and alive. It gives us an enthusiasm for life that is irreplaceable. Without it, life just doesn’t taste good” Lucia Capocchione

People supported play when I was younger in my childhood because they would allow us to go outside and play from sun up to sun down. We would play with our cousins, family, friends, and siblings in the neighborhood, but was not allow to argue and fight because if we did, then we would get a but whipping and had to apologize to each other. When I went to my grandmother's house, sometimes she would sit on the porch and watch us play. They supported us by being our cheerleaders when we would play different activities in the yard such as basketball, dodge ball, and kickball. I can hear them cheering us on while we run around those bases. They would even help us out by telling us when to run and when to stay on base.

The way I feel about play today is different from the play in which I engaged as a child because now-a-days children likes to play on video games and stay in the house and watch television all day. When I was younger we use to make up games to play outside and we believe in playing outside. My hope for younger children with regard to play is that children will learn how to not grow up so fast in life and stay as child as long as they can.

My thoughts regarding regarding the role of play throughout your life and/ or the role of play throughout childhood and adulthood is that play is very important because it helps us to become who we are. Play helps us to define our self and it helps us to interact with other people.

Relationship Reflection

Relationship Reflection

I feel like relationships are important to me because it is an expression of how one feels. It helps me to communicate with other people. Also, its helps to develop friendship along the way whether it is good/bad. I feel like relationships are a form of identity to help make me who I am. Relationships are important because it helps to establish a bond that can't be broken if it is real and serious. A relationships takes a lot of work from both people and sometimes it takes a neutral person to help see things from a different perspective or just to give some feedback of what they might see as going wrong in the relationship. Whereas, sometimes we can be blinded about what we are doing wrong in the relationship because we are to busy trying to make it right.

I currently have a positive relationships with my mother and a friend who I met in college, but she is just like my real sister. My relationship with my mother is indescribable because I can go to her and talk to her about anything and when I say anything I mean it. We act just like sisters, but I know when it is time for the mother side too. The relationship with my friend who I call a sister is a blessing because every since we met in 05-06 at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) we have not stop calling each other. So far we have not had an argument and we call each other everyday. She even calls my parents our parents. If I am feeling down and out and my mother is not feeling well, then she will be the next person that I call for advice or when I'm having problems. I keep a positive relationship with a lot of people because I am an outgoing person who keeps a smile on my face and is always starting a conversation with someone. I don't meet no strangers because I try to get along with everybody.

My relationship is positive with my mother due to the fact that I take care of her because she is sickly and I have seen her go through 20 something surgeries when nobody else was there but me. Until this day, I still take care of my mother with no help from my brother or sister. Our relationship/friendship is indescribable because we had each other backs through thick and thin. The relationship with the friend that I call a sister is positive because it was nothing but GOD who allowed us to meet one another. The reasoning why I say this is because if something is wrong with her I can feel it and vice versus. Our relationship/friendship is a bond that we don't plan on breaking because we both put GOD in it and I know that it can't be broken as long as he is in it.  The factors that contribute to developing and maintaining each relationship is to first put God in everything that you do, communication, honest, patience, time, trust, understanding, and etc. I feel like these factors are important in a relationships because without them then how will anything every get started.

The insights regarding challenges to developing and maintaining relationships that I have learned from my experience over time is that we all get busy in life, but it is up to you to understand that sometimes all it takes is a phone call or text to keep in contact. I have learned that communication is the key to a relationship because if you don't talk, then how will a person know what is wrong. In order to get over those challenges and maintain a relationship you must be willing to make mistake, but learn from them. If you have a problem in the relationship it is best to talk about where you all went wrong, then to let it build up. When it builds up, then that is when things tends to get of out hand.

My experiences with relationships, including my ability to be an active, reflective contributor, impact my work as an effective early childhood professional because it can lead to developing communication skills. I feel like the parent/teacher relationship is important because that will help to build a connection among them. Building a connection will help to cut down on misbehavior in the classroom. 

When I Think of Child Developmeny

Here are some quotes about children that I like:
1. Anybody can have a baby, but it takes that man or woman to raise that child.-By Me

2. “When God Created Mothers"

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of "overtime" when the angel appeared and said. "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one." 

And God said, "Have you read the specs on this order?" She has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts...all replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands." 

The angel shook her head slowly and said. "Six pairs of hands.... no way." 

It's not the hands that are causing me problems," God remarked, "it's the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have." 

That's on the standard model?" asked the angel. God nodded. 

One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, 'What are you kids doing in there?' when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn't but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say. 'I understand and I love you' without so much as uttering a word." 

God," said the angel touching his sleeve gently, "Get some rest tomorrow...." 

I can't," said God, "I'm so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick...can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger...and can get a nine year old to stand under a shower." 

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. "It's too soft," she sighed. 

But tough!" said God excitedly. "You can imagine what this mother can do or endure." 

Can it think?" 

Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise," said the Creator. 

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. 

There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told You that You were trying to put too much into this model." 

It's not a leak," said the Lord, "It's a tear." 

What's it for?" 

It's for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride." 

You are a genius, " said the angel. 

Somberly, God said, "I didn't put it there.” 
― Erma Bombeck, When God Created Mothers

3. “Your children are the greatest gift God will give to you, and their souls the heaviest responsibility He will place in your hands. Take time with them, teach them to have faith in God. Be a person in whom they can have faith. When you are old, nothing else you've done will have mattered as much.” 
― Lisa Wingate

4. “When kids hit 1 year old, it's like hanging out with a miniature drunk. You have to hold onto them. They bump into things. They laugh and cry. They urinate. They vomit.” 
― Johnny Depp

Testing for Intelligence?

Testing for Intelligence

If I had a commitment to viewing young children holistically, I believe that a child should be measured or assessed by taking the testing for intelligence, but don't solely depend on  the test because their are other factors that can determine it. Observation will help you to understand the child, whereas taking tests are good and bad because some people are good test takers, but that does not mean that they are intelligent. Some people are bad test takers, but are very intelligent even though they didn't past their test. The reason why I say this is because we tend to put students in different categorize and weave out the other children that didn't past their test, but come to find out later on that the child who past the test is not passing the the rest of their classes. I believe that every child should be testing for intelligence to see where do they stand and if the child didn't pass the test don't count him/her out as to be intelligent because taking a test does not prove whether that child is intelligent or not because the prove of grades, checklists, interviews, and the action of that child should be determined on a daily basis. I believe that children in the elementary schools are taking too many test in order for them to past to the next grade. I feel like that is too much stress, anxiety, and pressure on those children and it is sad that they haven't even made it to the High School where they have to continue to take standardized test or state test in order to pass to the next grade or even graduate. I feel like children should not have to take all those test because that is what the teachers is there for, to help the children where they are weak in that subject area. I feel like the test is affecting the children more because it is stressful and tiresome.

Wisconsin: A Parent's Guide to Standards and Assessment

Academic Standards, Curriculum and Assessment

Parents of school-age children find that some things have remained the same since they went to school and that some things have changed. In the last 20 years, schools have experienced many changes in “academic standards,” “curriculum,” and “assessment.” What exactly do these terms mean? How are they connected? How can parents help children do well in school? In this brochure, the term “parent” also refers to the child’s primary caregiver(s), such as grandparents or other adults who have primary responsibility for the child.

What Are Wisconsin Academic Standards?

Academic standards specify what students should know and be able to do. Wisconsin has academic standards for 21 separate content areas, and adopted Common Core State Standards forEnglish language arts and mathematics in 2010. In addition, Wisconsin adopted Common Core State Standards for Literacy in All Subjects

What is the Curriculum?

The curricula used in your child’s classroom prepare your child to meet the standards. The standards define what children will learn at certain points in time and what performances are accepted as evidence that the child has learned. Parents can get more specific information about the connections among the academic standards, the curriculum, and the tests in their school district from their children’s teachers, the school principal, or the guidance counselor.

What is Assessment?

How is a Child’s Learning Progress Measured?

Schools use many ways to assess, or measure, the progress of students: homework completion, class projects, portfolios, unit tests, and student effort. Another way to measure student progress statewide is with state tests. In Wisconsin, the state Department of Public Instruction develops and administers statewide examinations to measure children’s learning in five subject areas:

1. reading 2. language arts 3. mathematics 4. science 5. social studies

The statewide tests that children take help improve teaching and learning. The tests are based on Wisconsin’s Model Academic Standards, and results are reported in terms of proficiency standards. For example, a fourth-grade student’s score on the statewide mathematics test will be reported in terms of the standards established for learning at fourth grade.

The DPI website at: http://www2.dpi.state.wi.us/wsas/default.aspreports summaries of proficiency scores for all public schools statewide. Schools are required to report test results to parents of students in fourth, eighth, and tenth grades. Children will take state tests, or tests developed by the school district, at school

Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE)

At Grades 3-8, and 10

The Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE) is customized to measure the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards (WMAS) and is developed and designed by the Department of Public Instruction and Wisconsin educators in conjunction with CTB/McGraw-Hill. This standardized test is composed of items specifically designed for Wisconsin and a few commercially developed questions used in schools across the country. Students in grades 3, 5, 6, and 7 take tests in Reading and Mathematics. Students in grades 4, 8, and 10 take tests in Reading, Mathematics, Science, Language Arts, Writing, and Social Studies. WKCE is administered to all the students enrolled in Wisconsin public schools during the fall of each school year.

The purpose of the WKCE is to provide information about student attainment of subject-area proficiency to students, parents, and teachers, information to support curriculum and instructional planning; and a measure of accountability for schools and districts. The results of the WKCE are used by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) as an accountability measure for school improvement to meet its statutory requirement of identifying low-performing schools as stipulated by Wisconsin s. 115.38(4), meet the federal Title I (NCLB) requirement to determine how well children are learning, and determine the extent to which schools and districts across the state are meeting the Wisconsin proficiency standards.

You can find more information about the WKCE at:

http://dpi.wi.gov/oea/wkce.html

The Wisconsin Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities (WAA-SwD)

The Wisconsin Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities (WAA-SwD) is administered to any student with significant cognitive disabilities when the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team determines that the student is unable to participate in the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE), even with accommodations. The WAA-SwD is administered to students in grades 3 through 8 and 10 in reading and mathematics, and grades 4, 8 and 10 in science. The reading, mathematics and science WAA-SwD test forms and administration guidelines were initially developed for the 2007-08 administration and the assessment is now scheduled to be administered in the fall of each school year.

The purpose of the WAA-SwD is to provide information about student achievement and to allow school district staff to use test results to improve educational programs. The WAA-SwD is designed to meet the requirements of the NCLB accountability goals, IDEA, Wisconsin Statutes, and to provide students, parents, teachers, and schools with information about how students are progressing in relation to the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards through the Wisconsin Grade Band Standards.