Case Study on a Day Care Essay Example for Free

Case Study on a Day Care Essay When couples are engaging in family planning, there are several things that they have to take into consideration. One such thing is the care of the child or children when it is time for them to return to work. A common option over the years has been that of the day care or child care center. Parents today are realizing the importance of daycare centers in their children’s development. They are looking for daycare centers that not only will take care of their child while they are away but also will provide quality, real-life learning opportunities and experiences. These learning opportunities will ensure that children are prepared not only for their academic life in school but also for real life situations outside the daycare center and their own homes. There are five basic categories of day cares: Child care centers, educational day care, family day care, non-profit day care and subsidized day care. A child care center is a large day-care provider and is often franchised under a brand name. They often have extensive facilities, including swimming pools and large playgrounds. They also provide day care for multiple ages divided into smaller groups by age. Educational day cares are intended to provide children with pre-school learning and skills to prepare her for kindergarten or elementary school. They strive to provide children with rounded spiritual, physical, mental and emotional support to prepare them for lifes challenges. A family day care is provided in the care-givers home, usually with the providers children present. They provide a familiar and comfortable setting for your child. A family day care often is smaller than other types of day care. Non-profit day cares are run by non-profit organizations, such as churches or synagogues. They sometimes include religious schooling and are often more affordable than other types of day care because of their non-profit status. Subsidized day care programs are those that provide financial assistance either through the federal or state government or an employer. The day care visited by group five, was an educational daycare. The daycare caters to children between three (3) months and three (3) years old. At the beginning of September, there were a total of forty (40) children. Currently, there are twenty-six (26) children there. Space and Equipment The day care is clean and sanitary. There is no garbage lying around, floors are clean as they are constantly mopped when messes are made. The kitchen is large enough to facilitate the free movement when 2-3 persons are in there making food preparations. It is also away from the areas where diapers are changed and away from the bathroom. It is clear that great consideration was taken in regards to inclement weather, as the space in the day care is large enough to separate sleeping children from playing children and those who are learning. The area is large enough for everyone to play when they are unable to go outside even though the tables where they have their meals are there. There are five smoke detectors throughout the building, a fire aid kit and a fire extinguisher that are strategically places. Standard childproofing techniques are utilized, (covered outlets, safety gates, door latches). The center is secure, having a buzzer that is working and therefore, strangers are not able to just walk in from the streets. The building is properly lit and ventilated and doors are placed strategically as well to facilitate emergency exit if necessary. There is short term parking space at the front for parents and guardians who come to drop off and pick up their children. Caregivers’ Credentials/Qualifications Because the caregivers are expected to create a safe and stimulating environment for the children to develop in, it is important that the staff get formal training that will equip them with the tools necessary to do so. All the members of staff are qualified. The qualifications held are varied. There are members of staff who have Level 1 and 2 Certificates in Early Childhood Care and Development from HEART Trust NTA. Other qualification held by staff is a Certificate in Practical Nursing and Heart care and a Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education. Programme Activities At this stage of the child’s development, it is important to have activities that engage the children’s minds and develop skills that will be needed in further learning. At the day care, there is a structured schedule that includes plenty of time for physical activity, quiet time (including daily reading sessions for groups and individuals), group activities, individual activities, meals, snacks, and free time. The activities cover the duration of time that the children are at the day care from the moment of arrival to the time of departure. The physical activities come in varied forms including music movement (dance) and play time- outdoor play and free play. Free play is for the children to do whatever they feel like doing, whether it is engaging in imaginative play with their little friends or by themselves, playing with toys, or looking through their picture books. Outdoors, there is a slide, a swing, a monkey bar and some tires for the children to crawl through. Group activities include some aspects of the physical activities and story time, as well as their varied creative, manipulative activities. Such creative/manipulative activities include finger painting, drawing, and making things out of clay dough. This is done with the assistance of the staff. A lot of the stories are made up based on a series of pictures that are taped to the walls of the daycare. Caregivers also engage the children in picture games. The children form a ring and are shown pictures that they are to identify. Those who correctly identify the pictures get an extra treat at meal time. They are also taught nursery rhymes such as â€Å"hey diddle diddle†, and â€Å"itsy bitsy spider† and the alphabet song. There are designated times for snacks, and other meals. They do not allow the children to eat right throughout the day but encourage the habit of eating at intervals. There is also designated naptime and quiet time for the children. The activities are very appropriate as they are in keeping with Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. In the sensorimotor stage of cognitive development, which is the first stage, Piaget stresses the importance of discovery through a child’s active interaction with the environment. Between birth and age two (2), children discover the world using their senses and motor activity because they are limited by their inability to use language or symbols at this stage. Therefore, the hands on activities that they are engaged in, helps to enhance cognitive development at this stage. Teacher-child Relationships According to Erikson’s psychosocial theory of development, trust is identified as the first major developmental task of early childhood, and is established in childrens first relationship with their caregivers, parents and teachers. Trust is the first pre-requisite for effective learning. It encourages a sense of well-being and emotional security in young children, creating a solid foundation for future learning from the dynamic experiences of childhood. Without the support of early trust relationships with caring adults, children are ill-equipped to take the kinds of risk essential to the learning process. Trust develops when children come to anticipate positive experiences in the child care settings. If trust is to develop, children need sensitive and perceptive caregivers that understand childrens needs and consistently offer tender, responsive care. Having received formal training for the purpose of taking care of the children, they have an understanding of the importance of their interactions with the children and therefore treat the children accordingly. It is evident that the children trust their caregivers as they affectionately refer to them as â€Å"Auntie† and warm smile light up their tiny faces whenever they see the members of staff walk through the door. The staff plays with the children during their playtime. There is prompt responsiveness to the cries or outbursts of the children and reassurance is given when the infant is crying, except in cases when the child is throwing a tantrum. In such instances, the infant is spoken to firmly but gently. The ratio of teacher to child is 1: 6. However, the caretakers try to share their attentions evenly among the children. They tend to group the children together when they are interacting with them so that none is left out. There were demonstrations of positive reinforcement from the caregivers. When a child did not like what was prepared for them to eat, he or she was coaxed into eating by the use of various methods, one of which was to pretend that the spoonful of food was an airplane loaded with niceties. The child was praised when he or she would chew the food and swallow it. The caregiver would also reward the child with the option of having their juice before the water if the food was eaten. A sense of autonomy is identified as the second major developmental task of early childhood and is developed when a child is allowed to practice newly acquired physical skills. At the daycare, the children are encouraged to do things for themselves. There are toddlers who prefer to feed themselves, even though they make a bit of a mess when they do. Nonetheless, they are allowed to do so. They are encouraged to pick up after themselves and therefore run around picking up toys when they are done playing. During outdoor play, the older and stronger children are allowed to climb the monkey bars by themselves with the ‘Auntie’ hovering close by to give assistance if it is needed. Recommendations A good day care is one that has a good reputation. No one will want to send their child/children to a daycare that has a bad track record. Established ground rules and policies are important and this is something a good day care has. These rules and policies should include what to do when a child gets sick, or has an accident while at the daycare, schedule pick up times (even though there should be some amount of flexibility with this), safety policies, etcetera. A good day care has a stimulating curriculum that is age appropriate. As these are the formative of a child’s life, activities should be geared at setting a foundation of later learning. The day care should have a license that is current. This is an indication that the day care is in legal operation. Qualified staff is also important. Parents want to know that when they drop their children off at the day care, they are in good hands. The facilities should be clean and safe as well. The day care of study can be considered to be a good one. However, there are a few things that could be done to improve the facility. The acquisition of more qualified staff is something that should be looked into. Even though the caregivers try to pay attention to all the children in their care, it can be taxing for one staff member to have to oversee six children at once, especially during play time. There is a need for more toys for the children, especially building blocks. There is presently a toy drive going on to help with the endeavor of procuring more toys. In doing so, they can look into getting another slide as the tiny one that is there cannot suffice for all the children that want to use it during outdoor play. They need to also look into getting straps or bars put on the swing as there are children who have a habit of getting in and out of the swing while it is in flight. This can be very harmful to them. The monkey bar is also a cause of concern as it is very dangerous, especially for the smaller children. The spaces between each bar are too wide and therefore adjustments may have to be made by putting plastic or wooden bars in between each space to reduce the width that the children will have to climb on. There is a gate at the end of one of the driveways that is too far from the ground and so the ball continues to go under the gate when the children play in the driveway. They need to lower the gate or put something to block the opening so that the ball does not run onto the road. Closing Remarks Members of group five (5) can conclude that the visit to the day care was a productive one. The time spent with the children was thoroughly enjoyed as there was more than mere observation. The day care is a great one and should become better if the things in the afore mentioned recommendations are taken into consideration. Group five would recommend this day care to parents and guardians seeking one as they take into consideration the holistic development of the children.

Special Education Implementation For Native American Girls Essay

Special Education Implementation For Native American Girls Quality education for children has been an ongoing issue for today's society. There has also been an increasing concern for the education of students with special needs. The effect of these concerns has been noted in many communities, such as the Native American community. The population of special education students in the Native American communities is not necessarily higher than others, however, their community is effected, therefore also in need of quality special education programs. The need for quality special education is strongly felt by the women and girls within the Native American culture because of the pressures of their cultures and societies. Woman and girls have always held distinctive roles within the Native American community. These role have withstood the test of time. In a discussion with Juan Zuniga, a bilingual educator with an emphasis on Hispanic and American Indian cultures, I found that women in the Native American society are very much so, encouraged to stay at home and be homemakers. They are far less likely to pursue further education and often find it hard to gain the support to complete high school. The importance of education among females in their society is not as predominant as in others (J.Zuniga). In some cases it is necessary for young Indian people to leave their homes and families to obtain an adequate education for the preparation of today's society (National Indian Child Conference 1979). They are also faced with being torn between modern American ways and their tribal customs and beliefs. Because of this it is often instilled in them that they are incapable of achieving. This sense of self worthlessness ... ...e, Michael, and Others. "Your Rights: A Handbook for Native American Youth in Arizona." Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1982. Foster, Carl G., and Gable, Emma. " The Indian Child in Special Education: Two Persons' Perceptions." ERIC, 1980. Grossman, Herbert. "Special Education In A Diverse Society." Allyn and Bacon: Boston, 1994. "Report of The National Indian Child Conference." Administration for Children, Youth, and Families: Washington, D.C., 1979. "Resource Directory: Migrant and Indian Exceptional Children." Department of Education: Washington, D.C., 1981. Winzer, Margret A. "The History of Special Education From Isolation to Integration." Gallaudet University Press: Washington, D.C., 1993. Zuniga, Barbara. Personal Interview. March 26, 1999. Zuniga, Juan. Personal Interview. March 25, 1999.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Essay

Following a traumatic event, the mind sometimes stores and hides away the details and memories of the event and then sends them back at unexpected times and places, sometimes years later. It does so in a way that makes the recall just as disturbing as the original event and sometimes more. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is the name for the mental condition acquired following a psychologically distressing event outside normal human experience. There are five things that determine that someone has this disorder and there are no cures for this disorder, only therapy which lessens the burden of the symptoms. The root of the disorder is a traumatic event which places itself so firmly in the mind that the person may be attached by the pain and distress of the event indefinitely, experiencing it again and again as the mind stays in the past rather than the present. The disorder is quite common, damaging the lives of approximately 8% of the American population (5% of men and 10% of women). A ny person is a potential candidate for developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder if subject to enough stress. There is no definite way to determine who will get Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Even though all people who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder have experienced a traumatic event, not all people who experience a traumatic event will develop the disorder. Each person’s individual ability to deal with traumatic events determines their risk of acquiring Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and not everyone will experience the same symptoms. Some people may suffer from only a few mild symptoms for a short period of time and other people may be subjected to symptoms for longer periods of time, maybe even years. However there are also people who experience great traumatic events that may never develop any symptoms at all. The symptoms are a reaction to an overwhelming traumatic event, or series of events. There are many situations that may lead to developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, including: serious threats to a person’s life, to their children, to their spouse, close friends, or to relatives. Sudden destruction of home or community and witnessi ng the accidental or violent death or injury of another can also lead to the development of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Characteristic symptoms include nightmares, re-experiencing the event, avoidance of any images, sounds, or smells associated with the event or a lack of general responsiveness to a person’s surroundings, increased arousal that previously wasn’t there, and duration  of the disturbance for at least one month. When a bomb exploded in the Oklahoma Federal building in 1996, hundreds of lives were affected. Not only are the people who were in the explosion in danger of re-experiencing it over and over, but so are the people who witnessed the aftermath, from bystanders to the rescue workers on scene. The surviving employees not only were physically injured in the blast, but saw the deaths of their coworkers and children. For the rescue workers who arrived, many saw death and people who they could not help and their feelings of helplessness and guilt could turn into painful memory recall and nightmares. The first way to determine a person has the disorder is that the person w as at one time exposed to a traumatic event involving actual or threatened death or injury, where the response was marked by intense fear, horror or helplessness. This event may have taken place only weeks ago, or as far back in memory as forty years. The disorder is most commonly found among survivors of war, abuse and rape. It also occurs after assorted crime and car accidents, as well as after community disasters such as hurricanes and floods. Workers of rescue missions are subjected to situations of severe stress frequently. Many emergency response workers like police officers and EMS drivers may become overwhelmed by the trauma they see and end up with painful recollections themselves. Second, the trauma is re-experienced in the form of nightmares, flashbacks, painful memories, or unrest in situations that are similar to the traumatic experience. Sights, sounds, and smells can evoke panic, terror, dread, grief or despair in individuals. Commonly, in the case of war veterans, the patient may be mentally sent back to the time and place of the original traumatic experience. A veteran who hears a startling noise like a car backfiring may hear gunfire, which will trigger flashbacks. These flashbacks can last a few seconds, minutes, or up to days where the person behaves and reacts to everything as if they are in the original setting. Third, there is a lack of emotions and reduced interests in others and the outside world. The person is attempting to reduce the likelihood that they will expose themselves to traumatic sounds, images, and smells. Because of this it is extremely difficult for people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to participate in meaningful relationships. Fourth, there are random symptoms including insomnia, irritability,  nightmares, fatigue, and outbursts of rage. Last, symptoms of each category must show a big effect on the person’s social abilities or other important areas of life and all of these symptoms must persist for at least one month. Since the Iraq War, 5% of U.S. soldiers have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Those with the most combat experiences are the most likely victims of the disorder. Also, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder develops mostly in soldiers who were don’t have very stress resistant personalities and have low levels of social support. To recover from any stressful event is the victim has to know that he or she isn’t alone and that others care about his or her recovery. The soldiers who return from war with no one to share their experiences with are likely to re-experience warfare through nightmares and flashbacks. After witnessing the deaths of enemies and friends, soldiers without social support are likely push their pain inwards which then has a good chance of escaping out of the body through symptoms. PTSD can become a chronic disorder that can stay for decades and sometimes a lifetime. Chronic patients go through periods of relapse like many diseases. Some people suffering from the disorder may turn to other ways of dealing with their stress if untreated. Depression and addictions, such as alcoholism, drug abuse, and compulsive gambling are a common way for victims of the disorder to self-medicate. Therapy is the only known method of treatment, but there have not been substantial gains in this field for recovery of patients. After four months of treatment, Vietnam veterans showed no long term effects from their therapy in a study conducted by the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in New Haven. The men received individual and group psychotherapy and behavior therapy, as well as family therapy and vocational guidance. Even though they left reporting increased hope and self-esteem, a year and a half later their symptoms were actually worse. They had made more suicide attempts and their drug abuse had increased. Healing can only take place when the per son can get rid of the memories at will, instead of suffering from the memories being recalled involuntarily.

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