Sharing Web Resources

            I have had the pleasure of using HiMama for one of my outside resources for this course. I am honestly so happy to have found such an excellent website that allows educators to delve deep into many issues and trends about early education. The website has an abundance of other resources that lead to weekly blog posts and podcasts, an app that is available for early education curriculum and lesson plans, and even early learning frameworks.

            I have always enjoyed the weekly podcasts and hearing how early childhood professionals are advocating for high-quality education and sharing information on accessibility. But for this particular assignment, I have decided to review their weekly blog posts, which consists of many topics that are relevant to early childhood care, curriculum, and even how to manage challenging behavior. Each post is written by an early childhood professional and share their personal stories and experiences within an early childhood classroom. The sites e-newsletter that is sent has links that head to their podcasts and blogs links as well testimonials, and the many features that come with this one website.

            One particular post that caught my attention comes from Katelyn Vickers, she wrote, “Though the role of early childhood educators in society is critical, there are simply not enough resources dedicated towards the child care sector and providing educators with what they need to improve the quality of child care they can provide” (Vickers, 2016). While so many directors and other professionals put so much pressure on the teacher in the classroom, there is simply not enough finances and resources for us to do our job to the best of our ability. Many early childhood educators are also underpaid, so the turnover rate in these classrooms are rather high. Some may not look at this to be a serious matter, but children become attached to these educators, they know they can trust their teacher, and by having a new educator take over the classroom every 6 months can have dramatic influences on their social and emotional development. We are expected to prepare these students for kindergarten and give them a strong foundation, but many early educators feel unmotivated and more importantly undervalued. The most talented educators can become lost in their field and often switch career paths to fulfill themselves in other ways.

Reference

Vickers, K. (2016, November 21). Early Childhood Education Problems in the U.S. Retrieved from https://www.himama.com/early-childhood-education-problems-in-the-us