Hunger: Stress on Childhood Development

As a teacher in an elementary setting, I have come into contact with many families that are dealing with hunger issues.  I had a student at one time that had been found eating from a dumpster.  I could not imagine what his life must have been like.  You don't think about stuff like this right here in your own community.  It was not long before this child was taken into custody and became a foster child.  That was when he came into my life.  This young boy of 6 years old had several problems.  He was developmentally delayed and was a sickly child.  He had a hard time relating to the other children and often played alone during recess.  He did not communicate well with others.  It hurts me to think that any child would have to go to a dumpster in search of food.  Families fall on hard times all the time, but there are so many resources out there that we need to make sure families like this know about.  I would love to be able to see this child today and see how he is doing and what strides he has made in his life.  I wondered if he was able to go back to his father or if he was adopted by a new family.  I feel that once he left that lifestyle that he would progress in some way, but have always wondered to what degree.  I do feel that hunger played a major role in his biosocial, cognitive and psychosocial development.  Through his lack of necessary nutrients, he struggled to fight of illnesses, performed poorly academically, and lacked the social skills when it came to interacting with his peers.

Hunger is also a problem in other countries as well.  Just like right here at home, there are children out there seraching for food in the worst of places.  I visited some sites that shared hunger issues as seen in Somalia.  It was shocking to see what was happening in this area.  So many children are dying due to lack of proper nutrition.  Hunger has displaced people, murdered thousands and has put half the population of Somalia in starvation. In fact, charitywatch.org states, “More than 12 million people are affected, with the malnutrition-related death toll in Somalia already in the tens of thousands before famine was declared" (Komukyeya, 2012).  So what is being done to help?  There are many organizations that are working to help Somalia in their fight for food.  Some of the ones mentioned are: The World Food Programme, Action against Hunger, Unicef, Save the Children and others, but still they are fighting to live due to lack of food.  Stomping out hunger is not something that we can change overnight, but over time, is something that we can strive to minimize through the help of organizations. 

Komukyeya, R. (Producer). (2012). Hunger in somalia. [Web Video]. Retrieved from http://prezi.com

Child Development and Public Health

Hunger and Malnutrition

I have always had a heart for children and families that are affected by hunger and malnutrition.  This is not a health topic that is a problem only in certain areas.  Granted, it is worse in some areas than in others.  I come into contact with children each and every day that are affected by hunger.  I have had children share with me that they did not get to eat over the weekend or last evening.  I am very passionate about this topic and will do whatever I can to help with this situation.  No child should have to go to bed without something to eat. 

 When I went to Guatemala, I had the opportunity to be a part of creating a feeding center in one of the villages.  Children ages 2 to 12 would come from all around the village and wait for several hours for the food to be prepared and served.  These children all received a bowl of some sort of chicken either with spaghetti or just in a soup, a tortilla, and a cup of powdered milk.  If they had anything left in their bowls, they would pour it in a type of plastic grocery bag and they would save it for later that evening.  This absolutely melted my heart.  Hunger and malnutrition is very evident in Guatemala.  In Guatemala, the face of poverty and hunger is young, indigenous and rural. Guatemala, with the fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the world and the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean, faces a serious challenge to reduce chronic undernutrition, currently at 49.8% among children under 5.

In the county where I teach, and through a partnership with Second Harvest food bank, we provide our students in need with a backpack of food.  Each Friday, we send home a backpack that contains enough food to get them through the weekend.  We also provide our students with free and reduced breakfast and lunch as well as share what resources we have regarding food pantries in the area with our families so that they can go and get things that they might need.  I know that we cannot completely eradicate hunger and malnutrition, but with the right people and resources, we can make a difference.

Childbirth in my Life and in Haiti

When I had my oldest son, Stephen, I was 24 years old.  I started out with extreme morning sickness.  The doctor tried everything to try and stop the morning sickness, but this continued throughout my entire pregnancy (can’t believe I had two more children after this).  I remember going to the doctor the day after Labor Day for a visit and my blood pressure was elevated.  The doctor decided to put me on bed rest and bring me in two days later and induce me.  So, I arrived at the hospital at 6:00 on Thursday, September 7^th.  The nurses quickly put me in a room where I changed into a gown.  It wasn’t too long after that the doctor came in and broke my water.  (This was not a pleasant experience at all.)  He then started me on a drug called Pitocin to encourage my labor process.  It was about 12:30 when the contractions got to be so uncomfortable that I called for an epidural.  About 1:00 the anesthesiologist came into the room and proceeded to give me my epidural.  What a relief that was!  I continued to progress and the nurses came by and checked on me periodically.  At about 6:45 the doctor came back by and said that I was seven centimeters dilated, so, he decided to turn up the Pitocin to help speed up the process even more.  My body did not like that at all and that is when things started going haywire!  My contractions started coming so quickly that the baby was showing signs of distress.  The doctor came running back in the room and along with him several nurses.  My husband said he has no idea how he got from standing right beside me to the other side of the room.  They started giving me shots in my legs to try and stop the contractions and even put the head of my bed down where they could get the pressure off of my cervix.  That is when they decided to head for a C-section.  The baby’s heart rate would not come up and there was no other choice.  They rushed me into the operating room where they put me to sleep and took the baby.  When they delivered him at 7:05 p.m., he weighed seven pounds two and a half ounces and he scored a zero and a one on his Apgar test.  He remained in the hospital for 8 days after which we were able to take him home.  He is a very healthy young man today and will be graduating this May from high school.

This experience was one I will never forget.  I chose this example because I was told that my son might possibly have developmental problems due to the lack of oxygen.  He is completely healthy and will graduate this May, ranked 20^th in his class with a 3.919 GPA.  I have come to realize that babies are a lot more resilient than you might think.  But, if it had been for the state of the art doctors, nurses and facilities, my son and I may neither one be here today.

In reading about birthing in Haiti, I am amazed at the high number of babies and mothers that die during childbirth.  Depending on where you are in Haiti, determines the conditions in which you will give birth.  Most babies are delivered in areas that are unclean and a lot of times at home with a midwife, who a lot of times are not necessarily medically trained.  Women are not given any drugs to help them with their pain and the fathers are not a part of this process.  Thus, the women are left to do this on their own for the most part.  Conditions are unsanitary as there is usually not a lot of water so you are left to use some sort of hand sanitizer.  Births in Haiti verse United States is very different.  The mortality rate is much higher in Haiti due to lack of prenatal care and poor facility conditions.    

A Note of Thanks to my Colleagues

Thank you to all my colleagues for your support and encouragement as we embark on this journey together.  Your kind words and support as well as the knowledge you have shared with me has been a blessing.  I look forward to learning more about each of you as we move on to the next phase of this journey.  As I look back to when I began this class, I have come along way.  From my first post, "Struggling with Blogging" to where I am  now.  I have enjoyed reading and posting to you all!  Good luck as you complete this class and move to the next!

Significant Ethical Codes and Ideals

Ideal1-1.9

 - To advocate for and ensure that all children including those with special needs have access to the support services needed to be successful.

Children are unique and we need to be committed and supportive of each child  so that they all can be successful.  Some children may need more support than others, and it is our job to recognize that need and help them  in every way possible.

Principles P-1.1

 - Above all, we shall not harm children.  We shall not participate in practices that are emotionally damaging, physically harmful, disrespectful, degrading, exploitative, or intimidating to children.  This principle has precedence over all others in this Code.

- Doing any kind of act in any way that is harmful to a child is something that I am very passionate about.  We are trusted to care for many children each and every day.  Children are all different and no one should harm any child in any way.  We need to show our children love and affection and be encouragers in all ways.

Professional and Interpersonal Behavior #2

- We shall demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all our professional activities in order to inspire the trust and confidence of the children and families and of those with whom we work.

- Developing a good relationship with our families is important so that we can strive to meet any and all needs.  Relationships are also important so that parents and children will see that we do what we do for them.

Professional Development and Preparation #2

- We shall continually be aware of issues challenging the field of early childhood special education and advocate for changes in laws, regulations, and policies leading to improved outcomes and services for young children with disabilities and their families.

- It is important to stay abreast of new ideas and issues as well as how things in early childhood development are changing.  Advocating for changes in laws and policies that we are passionate about is also very important.  It is all about improving in the areas where services for our children are involved.

A Wealth of Information: Books, Articles, Websites and more

WEBSITES

National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/

The Division of Early Childhood
http://www.dec-sped.org

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org

WESTED
http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm

Harvard Education Letter
http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85

FPG Child Development Institute
http://fpg.unc.edu

Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/

Children's Defense Fund
http://childrensdefense.org

National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress

Raising Readers
http://www.raisingreaders.org/parents_and_families/books/current_books_collection/
This website has books that you can read that are categorized by age.


Books

The Essential 55 By: Ron Clark

Articles

NAEYC - National Association for the Education of Young Children

http://www.naeyc.org

National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families

http://www.zerotothree.org

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

Some evidence suggests that early childhood professionals may not be adequately prepared to serve young children with disabilities enrolled in inclusive programs. A growing body of empirical evidence suggests that professional development on any topic is more likely to be effective when it is (a) content specific and focused on well-defined professional practices rather than general issues; (b) aligned with intervention or instructional goals, learning standards, and the curriculum materials used in practice; and (c) intensive, sustained over time, and designed to give feedback and guidance through methods such as coaching, consultation, or facilitated group collaboration.          – Pamela Winton

“We as professionals in the early childhood field have an opportunity to shape a child’s life for the better.”    – Sandy Escobido

“I think my passion comes from wanting to make a difference.” – Raymond Hernandez, MS Ed  

“The question is not whether we can afford to invest in every child; it is whether we can afford not to.”                  - Marian Wright Edelman

“When Jesus Christ asked little children to come to him, he didn't say only rich children, or White children, or children with two-parent families, or children who didn't have a mental or physical handicap. He said, 'Let all children come unto me.'”

                - Marian Wright Edelman