Effective Communication – Getting Your Message Out

Effective communication is very important when delivering a message.  The ability to paint a picture with words requires skill.  According to Mind Tools, the training and development agency for professionals, there are seven Cs of communication.  They are clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete and courteous.  Each of these skills is important when you are trying to get a message out to your audience.  However, I believe that the two most important skills are clear and complete.

It is important to be clear about your message and what you are intending to obtain, your goal.  People need to know what is your purpose.  When you know your purpose, you will attract the appropriate audience.  Others will join your purpose when they feel they have a common goal with you.

Once you gain the confidence of the audience, it is time to move them to action.  A complete message concludes with an action plan.  People need to hear the whole plan in order for them to make an informed decision whether they want to be a part of the plan.   A message without a plan of action, particularly for policy change is no message at all.  Many people have complaints and no answers.  To move people to action they need to hear the plan. The plan consist of who, what, where, when and how.  This is part of the painting with words so that others can see the picture.

Effective communication in the form of writing can be quite different than speaking.  In preparation for speaking, it is always good to write what you want to say.  However, when speaking you have an opportunity to use your voice to stress certain points with more passion and inflection.  Although the two Cs are important in both modes of communication, it is easier for me to speak effectively than it is to write.  Speaking using clear and complete messaging is more of strength than writing.  I often struggle to find the right words written the correct way to express myself.  Using clear and complete messages in writing is something I must continue working towards.

Reference

Mind Tools. (n.d.). The 7 Cs of communication: A checklist for clear communication. Retrieved October 15, 2013, from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCS_85.htm

My Social Media Choice

The two social media I would use to communicate my policy issue are Facebook and Blogger.  Facebook reaches a large audience daily; worldwide there are over 1.39 billion monthly active Facebook users.  With such a long reach many people will be exposed to my policy issue.  According, to internet marketing company Zephoria, 42% of marketers report that Facebook is critical or important to their business (Zephoria, 2015).  This is a large number of businesses that depend on facebook for their client and consumer base.  Also, the most common age demographic is ages 25 – 34.  My policy issue addresses the mental health of young children in child care settings and this is the typical age group of parents with young children in out-of-home care.  I believe using facebook would be a great way to share my information.

The second social media I would use is a Blog. It is reported that 81% of U.S. online consumers trust information and advice from blogs, and companies that blog have 97% more inbound links (yahoo small business, 2015).  Again, the most active demographic group for blogging is 21-35 years old.  People spend a lot of time on social networks and blogs.  According to HubSpot, among those who use e-mail marketing, companies that blog get twice as much traffic from their email than those who don’t.   People are using blogs to get information out there and develop a following.  Blogs allow for conversations to take place.  Many people are able to contribute to the conversation.  I think blogs are a great platform for policy issues; you get to hear how people think and feel about your issue immediately.

 References:

https://zephoria.com/social-media/top-15-valuable-facebook-statistics/ 

https://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/top-blogging-statistics-45-reasons-blog-180101993.html

 

 

 

 

Three goals that might assist me in becoming more effective in my professional role and help me navigate early childhood systems and/or engage in public policies that impact young children and their families are;

  Add a certification in early intervention or mental health to my toolkit. 

The early care system is becoming more interconnected to support the whole child.  As a trainer it will be beneficial to learn more about the health component that is supporting ECE today.

 Becoming more involved in my affiliations. 

Rather than just be a subscribed member of NAEYC and other organizations become more involved.  To include possible leadership or even just becoming more interactive with special groups within the organizations, such as diversity groups.

  Advocate for updated regulations and policies within my work place.

Many of the regulations are outdated.  Being an advocate for change through by writing about best practices and current research in the organization newsletter can bring awareness across the company’s programs, to include Headquarter.

    

Final Thoughts

This course was very interesting and lots of information was provided.  The book "The Spirit Catches You and Fall" was the most interesting part of the class.  It set the tone for the class for me.  It made me challenge myself more to be open to differences.  I found myself in a range of emotions and really this is what diversity is all about.  Challenging oneself to be better as a human being.  
Overall, each of the text books were informative and filled with information that causes you to think about your current views of early care and families.  I feel that this course has caused me to be a better professional in the field of early care education.

Kim

Early Intervention Specialist

I had the pleasure of interviewing two people who work with children that have special needs.  They are both Early Intervention Specialist, one works with Early Developmental Intervention Services (EDIS) and the other is a manager for the military Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP).  Both work with families who have children that need additional support with their development.

Early Intervention is a system of services that helps babies and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities.  They learn the basic skills that typically develop the first three years of life, physical, social, cognitive and language.  Some of the services that are provided are, audiology, speech, family counseling and physical therapy among others.  Early interventionists also serve as advocates for the families they serve.  They help families to understand their child’s special needs and how to support them.

Being an advocate for families is probably the one thing that stood out most during the interview.  The location here is small place with limited services.  Often young parents have a difficult time speaking up for themselves and their children.  The specialist support parents during consults and conferences between the medical staff and educators.  They attend these meetings to ensure that the rights of the children are protected.  They help parents to navigate the system.

My Course Project: Military Children and Deployment

Children of service members have experienced several deployments, injured parents returning from war and death.  There were over 5600 casualties during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.  Many service members have committed suicide returning from war.  Most children experience adaptive grief when their parents die.  Adaptive grief is “characterized by sadness, longing for the deceased person, and being comforted by positive memories of the deceased” (Cohen & Mannarino, 2011, p. 219).  However, there are some children who experience traumatic grief.  Traumatic grief has traumatic symptoms.  These symptoms interfere with adaptive grief.  Children who suffer from traumatic grief, picture or imagine the details of the death, to include the pain that the deceased parent may have felt.  These children suffer with strong emotions of guilt, revenge and/or anger.  Understanding the grief process that children go through is important to social behavior.  Children who are in therapy will need to have extra support in the classroom.  Teachers are in a good position to help children and families that experience grief.



Cohen, J. A., & Mannarino, A. P. (2011). Trauma-focused CBT for traumatic grief in military children. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 41(4), 219-227.

Play

One of my favorite quotes about play is, “the most significant attribute of play may well be that it unifies the mind, body, and spirit” (Levy, as cited in Rogers & Sawyers, 2010, p.1).  I love this because it expresses how I feel when I remember how I played.  Everything within me was involved in my play.  What stands out most for me is that the developmental domains physical, social-emotional, cognitive, creative etc. were all being developed authentically.  I am convinced that play truly is serious business.

 

The Power of Play

In an Early Care setting you may often hear parents say “all they do is play all day”.  Well, Early Care Education is based upon the principles of play.  Play provides an opportunity for children to grow and develop in their natural setting.  The work of children is to play.  Unfortunately in the age of technology play is often forfeited.  Children sit for countless hours in front of televisions and computers.  Both of these have their place; however children need to have early experiences of play, indoor and outdoor, at home and school. 

Play is such an intricate part of a child’s development that if examined closely one could see how each developmental domain is being used and strengthened.  The quote, “the most significant attribute of play may well be that it unifies the mind, body, and spirit” (Levy, as cited in Rogers & Sawyers, 2010, p.1), is a powerful statement of play.  When thinking about how children play it becomes apparent that they explore with the whole self. 

One of the significant aspects of play is how it affects the overall development of a child.  When children play their physical, emotional and social development is affected.  When a child climbs and uses riding toys they are strengthening their large muscles.  When they play with puzzles or use pencils, crayons or playdoh they are developing their small muscles.  While they are engaged in dramatic play they are strengthening their social skills.  Play is how children grow.  They need these experiences to help them to develop.  When children organize their play they use their cognitive skills.   Organized play also helps with self-regulation.  “They learn to regulate themselves as they modify their emotional reactions and plan their play scenarios” (Bodrovea & Leong,  2007, as cited in Heidemann & Hewitt, p.14, 2010). 

Play is the natural environment in which children develop and grow.  Authentic assessments can occur during this time.  Also, since play is how children naturally develop, the most effective curriculum is generated by child’s play.  Children explore and discover the world through play.  When they are not allowed to play it can cause developmental delays, since this is how children typically progress in their development.  Play is so important that a “healthy development is the reciprocally pleasurable play between adults and children (Caldwell, 1985, as cited in Rogers & Sawyers, 2010, p.11).  It can carry over into the adult life of a child.  What one does as a child can sometimes determine what they will become as an adult.  We ask children, “what do you want to be when you grow up”? Often the answer is derived from their play experiences.

Teachers and parents alike need to be aware of the significance of the development that play promotes. Overall, child’s play is serious business. Healthy social-emotional, physical, cognitive and sensory development is dependent upon early play experiences.  The appropriate approach to play prepares children for the entrance into kindergarten, life and adulthood.  Play is pretty powerful. 

References

Heidemann, S. & Hewitt, D.  (2010). Play the pathway from theory to practice (2^nd ed.).  St. Paul, MN:              Redleaf Press

Rogers, C. & Sawyers, J.  (2010). Play in the lives of children (9^th ed).  Washington, D.C: National Association for the Education of Young Children

Community Model Schools

The Community-School Model focuses on the specific needs of the community.  There are various forms of curriculum and school processes.  Some programs are open with extended hours and days.  Parents receive supportive services such as, parenting education, GED and ESL classes.  Community Schools provide safety, security and stability for children.  Children are able to learn in a caring and nurturing environment.  

The Community School is one possible solution to our deteriating public school system.  It also can be used as a model for providing quality programming for Early Childhood programs.  The basic premise for this model is to involve all stakeholders (educators, administrators, local business owners, health and social services) into the education process, holding them accountable for their community.   This approach connects people to their own community to solve their problems in the lives of their children and their families.  Helping communities see their own value will give them a sense of pride and ownership.  Connecting the school and community by partnering and collaborating will provide solidarity and unity. 

Education is a fundamental right of every child, as is medical care, housing and shelter, food and clothing.  Parents often need help and assistance in these areas to include parenting education.  When the village comes together the child will flourish.  Poverty comes in many forms and tackling all of them at once is not always possible.  But if we can at least begin with basic support, we will be able to address others in time.  Community is very important in the lives of children.

What do you think about this school model of extended hours and days?  

For more information on the Community School Model click here http://www.communityschools.org

Should Children be Expelled from Child Care Programs

In my place of work I have been dealing with Management about their desire to expel children from our center.  I realize that there are children with some challenging behaviors. However, management desire is to expel children who bite, toddlers who hit and scratch other children who has toys they want and all this to please parents who are upset that their child is getting bit.  Early Care Educators report that assistance with children's challenging behaviors is a great need.  Often this is because they have "little training in behavior management or ways to promote social and emotional competence"  (Perry, Holland, Darling-Kuria & Nadiv, 2011).  Many early care programs are using mental health consultants in their programs to help provide the needed assistance.  Currently at my job we have contracted mental health specialists that are with us for a six month rotation.  One aspect of there job is to assist teachers in the classroom who are dealing with challenging behaviors.  However, most come with no experience working with young children.  We are suppose to have a Behavioral Health Specialist on staff, but because of budget cuts we have not been able to hire in that position. The challenge for me has been dealing with staff who are not able to recognize the difference between normal child development and possible emotional and/or behavioral problems.

So the question is should children be expelled from child care programs who exhibit challenging behaviors?

If so, under what circumstances? 

References

Perry, D.F., Holland, C., Darling-Kuria, N., & Nadiv, S., (2011).  Challenging behavior and expulsion from child care: The role of mental health consultation, Zero to Three. 

Retrieved from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/32-2_Perry.pdf?docID=12901

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Mental Health Care for Young Children

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Mental Health care for young children are two contemporary issues facing Early Care Educators today. The early years of children are critical in brain development. Both of these issues affect a child’s brain development. During the first five years of a child’s life their stress response system, affect regulation strategies and basic relationship schemas are forming (Ippen, Harris, Van Horn & Lieberman, 2011). If children are experiencing trauma during these years this could create an adverse effect on the mental health of children.

According to a Zero to Three, task force, they define infant mental health as;

the capacity of children from birth to age three to experience, regulate, and express emotions; form close, secure interpersonal relationships; and explore the environment and learn, all in the context of family, community and cultural expectations for young children. Infant mental health is synonymous with healthy social – emotional development (American Psychologist, p.130).

From the above definition it is clear that young children need to have early experiences of love, care and nurturing. Children depend on primary caregivers for this experience. Unfortunately many children do not receive this kind of care. The U.S. Department of Health and Services documented that about 56% of victims of maltreatment are children under the age of seven. And, 50% of preschool children suffering from PTSD “do not experience natural recovery and retain the diagnosis for at least 2 years” (Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, p. 2). These statistics support a need for appropriate mental health services.

This is important to the field because research shows that mental health consultation supports the improvement of over-all job related stress, overall quality of early care and a reduction in staff turn-over (Perry & Linas, 2012). When young children experience trauma they need to receive supportive services just as adults. One intervention program that has proven effective is the Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP). This is a scientific proven method of therapy between a child and his/her parent. The focus is on “parent-child relationship as the vehicle for child improvement” (Ippen et al, 2011, p. 504). The parent’s goal is to develop the capacity to provide safety and developmentally appropriate care giving to the child. It would appear that at an early stage in the child’s life the caregiver- child bond is be repaired. Although CPP has met success further research of mental health interventions need to be conducted.

References

De Young, A.C., & Kenardy, J.A., (2011). Trauma in early childhood: A neglected population. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 1-20. doi: 10.1007/s10567-011-0094-3

Ippen,C., Harris, W., Van Horn, P., & Lieberman, A., (2011). Traumatic and stressful events in early childhood: Can treatment help those at highest risk? Child Abuse & Neglect, 35, 504-513.

Nelson, F., & Mann, T., (2011). Opportunities in public policy to support infant and early childhood mental health. American Psychologist, 66(2), 129-139.  doi: 10.1037/a0021314

Perry, D.E., & Linas, K., (2012). Building the evidence for early childhood mental health consultation: Where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going. Infant Mental Health Journal, 33(3), 223-225.

Welcome to my BLOG!

This BLOG will share information about Early Care Education