Young Children and Research

     Research involving children could prove to be quite an adventure particularly in the school setting. Children can be unpredictable, especially young children. Many years ago my Head Start agency would allow school psychology majors to work in the classrooms to observe, implement behavioral interventions, and collect general data on the experiences of children ages 3-5.  One of the many items they collected research on was letter fluency and number fluency.  They had a very prescribed way of administering the fluency tests from which they could not deviate.  If you have ever administered fluency tests of any sort to a three year old, you can imagine how well this went on occasion. For the most part, the children were cooperative and really tried to perform well.  I was highly entertained when a child who was clearly wanting to do something besides this fluency test would derail the testing by talking, rolling around in the chair, refusing to speak, laughing or performing any other number of avoidance techniques.  I would often intervene and insist that the child be released and tested later.  Most of the time, the children were just avoiding this task by entertaining themselves, but occasionally, I would find one under genuine stress because they knew they were producing incorrect answers.  These children were certainly in no danger physically or emotionally, but the process was fun to watch. Children are going to do whatever children want to do! Often, I would administer the fluency tests myself once the student was gone; the children always did better with someone they knew.

                                            

      So what were the benefits of this stringent yet entertaining research?  We were the low-income preschool environment with higher risk children. Our children were healthy, cared for, and heavily monitored but certainly had some disadvantages in life. There was another test group in a higher income childcare/preschool facility with significantly less rigorous academic standards than Head Start. None-the-less, our children scored much lower on a consistent basis.  This was one of many studies that supports the importance of high-quality early childhood education to bridge the knowledge gap that exists across income levels. Regardless of the academic exposure, nurturing school environment, and 6 hours a day in a safe learning environment, our children still had deficits not seen in higher-income children. I would argue, however, that this research focused on an extremely narrow area of development (letter and number fluency). Luckily, this was internal data that was used solely by the university students and was not published.

                                        

     This school year, we are venturing into another research project with the University of Cincinnati called First Steps Next. The goal of this research is to prove that a twenty day intensive behavioral modification technique involving whole class instruction that promotes pro-social behaviors in a target child while also incorporating visual cues for said child will reverse negative behaviors. The theory is that with an intense enough intervention delivered in a systematic and consistent manner will quickly reverse behavioral habits in a child with extreme behaviors.  This program is not meant to teach children why they need to act in a pro social manner. This program is meant to only bring the child to a level where they can be taught the reasons and benefits of pro-social behaviors. Let's face it: we do occasionally encounter that child that is resistant to the best of our techniques. It's difficult to work with a child when they are running in circles or throwing chairs. This program is meant to decrease these behaviors to allow the target child to function in a productive way. We will begin First Step Next at the beginning of October. I'll let you all know how it goes! This program has been around for 20 plus years but is gaining steam across the United States. I have included a webinar link below. If it works, we will incorporate this technique on an on-going basis outside of the research group.



                                                

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SupK3sIIQs


References

Pacific Northwest Publishers. (2016). First Step Next webinar. Retrieved                                                      from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SupK3sIIQs

Research Simulation Topic

Teaching teams are an essential part of the Head Start environment. Head Start performance standards call for two teachers to be present in the classroom at all times regardless of how many students are in the room. We do not combine classrooms to when numbers are low as many childcare centers do to decrease staffing.  This makes the relationship between the two classroom teachers incredibly important to the effectiveness of the classroom and ultimately the children's well-being.
I have observed many instances of ineffective, negative, and even toxic relationships between teachers in the classroom. I have observed the negative effects on children and the displeasure of parents at the obvious dislike between the two.  I have also observed the amazing effects of teams that just "click."  Unfortunately, these are rare.  Most relationships (friendships, marriages, parent/child) take work,and we know that. For some reason, many teachers have a difficult time transferring this reasoning to their co-teaching relationship.

                                                         
I would like to research the link between high functioning classrooms and positive co-teaching relationships and low functioning classrooms and negative co-teaching relationships. The link seems obvious without data to prove it, there is little likelihood that teachers will truly understand the impact.  If a link is found between the two, I would use this data to develop training for staff in effective communication, proactive organizational systems, and strength based approaches to working with other adults. This data could also be used to encourage administration to give intentional thought to how they pair teachers together. So many times, two amazing teachers are placed in a room. The two may be great, but they are not great together.


                                        



To the best of my knowledge, there is no tool to measure teacher relationships.  I would use the ECERS and the CLASS to determine the quality if the classroom and then observe the teacher/teacher interactions using 5 key points.

• Are conversations between teachers with children present strictly related to the task at hand?
• Do the teachers have adequate planning time?
• Do the teachers spend that planing time together?
• Do the teachers use that planning time to reflect, plan, and prepare?
• Do the teachers have and understand their roles in the classroom? 

I would prefer that there be a better way to measure this other than just "yes" or "no."  I would have to give this more thought and possibly develop a tool to measure productive teacher relationships.  If anyone has any additional thoughts or ideas about this, please share.  Also, share your stories of positive or negative co-teaching or lead/assistant relationships that you have had.  We ALL have stories! Here is mine: 

I had a really effective relationship with a co-teacher just before I moved to administration. It was magical, and the children shined as a result. She is now one of my leads but has struggled to recreate that relationship with another person. My experiences with watching her struggle, as well as many other teams, are the inspiration for this research. 

Issues Related to Early Childhood at an International Level

Learning about early childhood education efforts throughout the world provides perspective on educational opportunities, supports, and options. Most developed countries have some form of early education but with varying importance on universal access, quality, format. One of the common issues throughout the world is the cost of childcare and education. Ferns and Friendly (2014) report that the cost of childcare in Canada has nearly quadrupled since 1992 (p. 14).  Expatica (2017) reports that families in France are entitled to EURO 120.32 per month in childcare assistance regardless of income but only after the birth of the second child (https://www.expatica.com/fr/family-essentials/Childcare-in-France_106409.html). The article provides links to childcare facilities. Research of the Bilingual Montessori School of Paris website, a non-prof)it, reveals that parents can spend as much as EURO 883.00 ($1053.54) on childcare on their full day/full year childcare option (http://www.montessori-paris.com/information/tuition).  This is $263.38 per week for only one child. This list of countries with increasing child care expenses goes on and on. At this point, there is ample research to support the importance of high quality early childcare and education on brain development and adult outcomes. However, rising costs of childcare is making this all important service less and less attainable. 

                                               

Another result of  learning about early education throughout the world and talking with contacts outside my local area, is the realization that early childhood efforts and education still have a long way to go function at their highest level. We need more consistent expectations in the United States and through out the world. This is not to say that we must all live a certain way or deny our cultural norms, but instead that worldwide we provide children with basic needs, safe environments, and quality experiences. 
                                                       

My research has also revealed that there are so many groups, organizations, and agencies worldwide that care about young children and child welfare. United Way, Head Start, Unicef, Harlem Children's Zone, and many more work diligently to fund projects, research, and direct work with children. Each group delves into specific issues in education including child safety, poverty, and cost of quality in childcare. 

                                                                                                           

One goal that I consider important for international issues is consistency of quality in early childhood. This is not to say that we should all be doing the same thing. Instead, we should all be doing what is best for the children in our country, region, or demographic to ensure a proper foundation for learning and success in life.  

References

Expatica. (2017). Childcare in France. Retrieved from https://www.expatica.com/fr/family-              essentials/Childcare-in-France_106409.html.

Ferns, C. & Friendly, M. (2014). The state of early childhood education and care in Cananda 2012. Retrieved from http://childcarecanada. org/sites/default/files /Stateof ECEC 2012.pdf

The Bilingual Montessori School of Paris. (2017). Tuition. Retrieved from  http://www.montessori-paris.com/information/tuition

   Issues in Northern Kentucky Early Childhood Education: Children of the Heroine Epidemic

     As I have mentioned in previous blogs, the heroine epidemic is a major issue in the Northern Kentucky area. Children are being sent into foster care or kinship care at alarming rates. In the first 15 years of my teaching career, I encountered one child being raised by a single dad due to mom's drug abuse. The previous seen years of my career have seen an exponential increase in parental drug abuse by one or both parents. Children are being raised by relative and non relative care by foster parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, great grandparents, and even older siblings.  

  
   These changes in family structure, frequent moves, and guardian changes cause a significant amount of stress and instability in children's lives.  Even before the stressful event involved with change occur these children are often subjected to neglect and/or abuse by drug addicted parents.  They arrive at our preschools, Head Start, and childcare centers with anxiety, fear, unhealthy attachments, and distrust of adults. They often display very disruptive behaviors in the classroom and at home. They flip tables, throw chairs and toys, bite, and scream.  They are also known to have serious control issues. Frequently, they try to control their peers, the classroom, and play scenarios as they were often placed in the position of being the "adult" in their biological home.                                 

     These children are not only born into an environment of drug abuse but they are also born addicted themselves. Heroine users do not stop using during pregnancy; they simply can not pull themselves away from the drug.  Furthermore, they are more likely to get pregnant while using as they often forget to use contraceptives when they are high. Their children are born with tremors, diarrhea, sleeplessness, and difficulty eating (Bernstein, 2015) This is known as neonatal abstinence syndrome. Bernstein(2015) reports that this syndrome has "quadrupled over nine years, to 2.7% of all neonatal intensive care unit admissions (https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/when-life-begins-in-rehab-a-maryland-baby-inherits-her-mothers-addiction).                                    


     By the time these children reach preschool, they show signs of nervousness and fear of loud noises. However, it is impossible to tease out the heroine related issues from the trauma and abuse related issues. Some have difficulty socializing and making friends due to unhealthy attachments habits sustained from disconnected home situations. They either trust no one and will not form a friendship, or they latch on to a friend and cling too tightly. Their depth of delays and issues directly correlates to the time and amount of in utero exposure to the drug much like a child with fetal alcohol syndrome. Teachers are working diligently in this area to create plans for these children, assist with socialization, and teach guardians to work with the children. 

     Just today, within the span of twenty minutes, I had three phone calls from grandparents that had just recently received custody of multiple grandchildren each. Four different single dads with full custody have enrolled children in our center this week.  All of these situations are directly related to this epidemic. 

References
Bernstein, L. (2015). When life begins in rehab: a baby heals after a mother's addiction. 
     Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/when-life-               begins-in-rehab-a-maryland-baby-inherits-her-mothers-addiction/2015/08/12/182c8f50-         37a4-11e5-9d0f-7865a67390ee_story.html?utm_term=.1727d55d448b

A Deeper Look at the NHSA.

The National Head Start Association (NHSA) website provides four different areas of focus.  The Center for the States, The Center for Advocacy, The Center for Effective Practice, and The Center for Policy, Data, and Research are all areas under the Center for Knowledge within the website.  The Center for Effective Practice is of particular interest to me as it contains information on various credentials, professional learning communities, and conferences available for parents and professionals.  There are three Learning Community groups geared towards advocacy and assisting families. 

• Implicit Biases: "The Implicit Bias Learning Community serves as a vehicle to build understanding in the Head Start field around what others have done to tackle the implicit bias and discrimination faced by the children and families they serve. It will also enable us to build strong and perhaps new relationships with community partners who can make a difference for those we serve"(https://www.nhsa.org/knowledge-center/center-effective-practice/learning-communities).
• Building Bridges: An invitation only community to share ideas, inspirations and strategies for how you are dealing with potential issues and supporting all families. We can will address concerns, innovative ideas, and best practices for engaging the immigrant and refugee communities (https://www.nhsa.org/knowledge-center/center-effective-practice/learning-communities).
• Family Service Learning Community: Membership is open to individuals who coordinate social service activities, contact and make referrals to community resources, and parent with families and support them in transitions in and out of programs and services (https://www.nhsa.org/knowledge-center/center-effective-practice/learning-communities).

These groups can only be accessed of Head Start professionals meet certain criteria and are screened prior to joining. 

Additional Resources Within NHSA:

The NHSA website also provides links to several national news organizations including the Huff Post and The Hill. Anytime an article is published in the United States regarding the successes of Head Start or policy and legislative changes, the NHSA website provides viewers links to the information.

As a member of the NHSA, I also have access to resources that can be used for program improvement.  While researching for this week's blog, I came across a Staff Wellness Tool Kit that I plan to print and read through. Staff mental and physical wellness is a huge challenge in this field and particularly in Head Start. Our children come into our programs with many deficits and often very difficult lives. Strong mental health is necessary in order to avoid burnout in those first few years.  The website also includes additional tool kits for meeting health requirements and overcoming the barriers that cause chronic absenteeism.

       


References

The National Head Start Association (2017) Retrieved from http://www.nhsa.org/

Exploring The Center on the Developing Child Harvard University Website.

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/

        I just recently returned home from a week long trip to Tulsa Oklahoma where I attended a 43 hour Conscious Discipline training.  Among many other things, the training spent a great deal of time covering brain development in young children and its impact on child and adult outcomes. Brain development is improved by high quality adult/child interactions found in loving homes and high quality early childhood environments. Unfortunately, these high quality environments come at a high price in many areas making them inaccessible to some children. Consequently, children from lower income households are often being cared for in poor quality environments with negative adult/child interactions. These negative interactions cause poor brain development leading to decreased adult outcomes and perhaps contributing to the cycle of poverty.
       The Harvard website presents information on brain development and the importance of child/adult interactions. The website provides links to videos on brain development and the importance of positive interactions.

           
              How Brains are Built: Core Story of Brain Development
              http://www.albertafamilywellness.org/resources/video/how-brains-are-built-core-story-of-

              brain-development


                                   


              Brain Architecture Executive Function and Self Regulation 
              http://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/executive-function/

                                               
                                 

The information provided on the website makes it clear that high quality interactions are the key to brain development. Unfortunately, our most vulnerable children are exposed to high levels of negative interactions in the form of yelling, punishment, and abuse.  Many are being raised in homes with domestic violence or drug abuse. These interactions combined with parents with low executive function and self-regulation can create a perfect storm for future mental illness and developmental delays. The website contains links to several other organizations throughout the world including the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative. This organization focuses on healthy brain development to prevent addition and mental illness.

                                    

                                   

       In additional to the often poor quality of early learning environments for children in poverty, there is also a gap in mental health services. In the Northern Kentucky area, there are multiple mental health organizations that serve low income children. However, most of them do not fall into the "high quality" category.  The therapists are often reliant on medication based therapies because they do not know what to do with children that have experienced trauma and are now presenting with cognitive delays. I am acquainted with several of these therapists and they are able to recognize the issue but do not have the skills to treat it as effectively as they might like. Prevention is certainly a key strategy as we move forward. Organizations such as the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative provide and additional resource for families as well as therapists and educators.

                                                                 Resources

Alberta Family Wellness Initiative. (2017). How brains are built: core story of brain development.              Retrieved from  http://www.albertafamilywellness.org/resources/video/how-brains-are-built-                core-story-of-brain-development

Center For the Developing Child. (2017). Brain architecture executive function and self regulation.              Retrieved from  http://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/executive-function/