Blog 3 Observing and Interacting with Program Director and other Administative Staff in Your Setting

For my blog I interviewed and observed a Head Start Edcuation Supervisor who oversees and directs the lead teachers, the associate teachers and the center support aides.  This Education Supervisor has 6 sites with 3 to 6 classrooms at each site with each classroom having 3 staff people in it who educate and care for between 15 to 17 children in each classroom.  I know from speaking with her that Head Start is well aware of the growing epidemic of childhood obeisty and its overall effects on children and families.  Head Start is active in reversing and or reducing childhood obeisty in various ways according the this supervisor.  For example each classroom must according to licensing and Head Start mandates children must spend at least an hour a day outside moving, learning, playing and exploring the outdoors.  Each day the teacher must have 2 skills  and 2 games for outside play offered and listed on the weekly lesson plan.  Each classroom must engage in at least 15 to 20 minutes daily of music and dance along with another 15 to 20 minutes of IMIL which stands for the daily activity of I am moving I am learning.  Also classrooms are encouraged to take their materials and items of the classroom outdoors and have an outdoor classroom.  This program believes that what ever is indoors can also go outdoors.  This program possesses a nutritionis, a nurse, an entire kitchen staff to oversee that the food and beverages served are healthly for our children.  This program  never fries any food items, uses whole grains daily, offers fresh fruit, 1% milk, canned fruit served in juices or light syrup, offers vegtables at least once if not twice a day and the children and teachers eat together family style offering a great deal of healty discussion for the children and wha they are eating.  I really like the conversations about food and what is healthy and what is not and the talks about exercise and its importance that I have heard from the children and teachers in this classroom.  It is so nice to see healthy models who care and nurture their children's learing about what is healthy eating and what is not.

Blog 2

Blog 2 Observing and Interacting with Professionals/Colleagues in Your Setting

For blog two I was able to go into the field in my chosen setting of a colleagues Head Start classroom to observe and interact with the professionals who are directly involved with the care and education of young children.  In Ms. Jessica's classroom there are three staff a lead teacher, an associate teacher and a center support aide in the classroom with 16 children ages 2.8 to 5.2 years of age.  In this classroom are 3 children with IEP's one for speech and langauge and two for autism.  I spent over 2 hours in this classroom observinga and interacting with each of the three professionals in this classroom.  I was able to speak with Ms. Jessica and ask her thoughts on childhood obeisity and how her classroom addresses this ever growing problem.  She informed me that Head Start is very dedicated to keeping its children and families healthy.  The food served for example is never fried, whole grains breads,pastas,etc. are served even in the breading of such items as  corn dogs, ravoli and more.  Head Start does not serve sugary cearals but serves such cearals that is also approved by the government run WIC program such as Kix, Corn Flakes, Shredded Mini Wheats and the like.  Fresh fruits are served at least once a day and the canned fruits are in natrual juices or light syrup only not heavy.  The milk served is now 1% milk not the whole or 2% milk served in the past.  The foods for the entire Head Start program in Saginaw County are chosen and purchased by a
registered nutritionist who also documents the allergies and weights of each and every child three times each year.  Also Ms. Jessica stated that the children go outside for a total of 1 hour each day minimum along with having 15 to 20 minutes of music along with 15 to 20 minutes of what is known as IMIL time.  IMIL time stands for I am moving I am learning which is time mandated for exercise movement and learning for all children once a day.  This is an awesome time as sometimes the children play parachute games to music with balls, dance with ribbons, or scarves, do yoga poses and so much more and according to Ms. Jessica the children love it and really do get a large amount of time dedicated and set aside for moving and learning.  All of these actions helps reduce or reverse the effects of childhood obeisty while also allowing the children to actually enjoy moving and exercising without even knowing they are phyiscally working hard.  The associate teacher assists the lead and the children in all activities and keeps them motivated to dance and have fun with movement.  The center support aid serves the food and speaks with the children about the nutrients and how it is healthy for the children.  The children themselves tell me about how healthy milk is for their strong bones and muscles and how fruits and vegtables make you strong and your eyes see really good.  The children love the movement and music and play an active role in what and how they do the activities related to this action.  All in all this classroom seems to be extremely involved in helping young children reduce and or reverse the effects of childhood obesity and I applaud them for thier dedication and their efforts.  I hope they keep up the good work.

Module 5

I have to say this has been a learning experience for me as a student and as an educator.  Due to my serious car accident just over a month ago and its lingering complications I have not been posting as much as I should have over the last few weeks.  However, when I was able to post, read and respond to my peers I have learned so much about so many different areas of advocacy that I am literally amazed.  I have enjoyed my experience with this class despite my limitations in interacting.  Thank you all for the wonderful support, information and learning you have given to me. 

Observing and Interacting with Professionals, Children, Families in an Early Childhood Setting

I observed and interacted with a family member this week in my Head Start classroom for this module.  I spoke with Amanda (not real name) who has a child, a girl in this classroom.  She is on the Parent Policy Council, attends every parent club, attends various trainings offered by Head Start, volunteers in the classroom and more.  Amanda and I had a chance to speak and meet a couple of times this past week and I was able to ask her how she feels childhood obesity is being combated and or prevented in her child's classroom.  She informed me that this issue is of great concern to her and other parents she had meet.  She believes her child's Head Start classroom is doing great at fighting and preventing childhood obesity.  Amanda states that this classroom's food choices are picked and ordered by the staff nutritionist who chooses fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grain products such as whole wheat ravioli, breads, tortilla shells, breading on good items and the like is whole grain only.  Also, the all the pastas, cereals, breakfast items such as pancakes, waffles, etc. served in this program are all whole grain products.  Each child is weighed and measured three times a year and their profile is tracked and recorded.  Any signs of too much weight gain is followed up by the nutritionist and they meet with the parent to share any concerns, offer referral's, information and trainings on nutrition that is presented by the nutritionist herself.  I have learned that many parents share my concerns about the growing epidemic in our country of childhood obesity.  It is becoming a fast and alarming problem amongst our youngest population and we as educators must work with our parents and families to combine our efforts to prevent and reverse this detrimental condition.  Two insights I have gained from this observation are that one, the parents of this program pointed out that the teacher in this classroom also had great concerns about childhood obesity and does things to reverse and  prevent this in her students.  One, she offers the children water regularly through out the day and she models drinking water herself with the children.  Two, she has several IMIL (I am Moving I am Learning) exercise moments scheduled through out the day where she and her staff stop what they are doing and start dancing to some fun music for about ten minutes every hour and a half.  The children and parents love this!  And the kids are having fun while learning as they exercise.