The challenge that I
have selected for my course project is:
Challenge: I would
like to research how providing early childhood education services to homeless
families can help the development of their children.
Sub-Topic: Providing
these services to immigrant and minority families.
I have selected this
topic because recently one of the families that I work with lost their home due
to a fire that started in the apartment below them. They lost everything and the
mom is also pregnant. They were staying with extended family members but the
living situation was not comfortable for them or their children. They were told
they had to find somewhere else to go. The mom came to me as the site
supervisor and asked for help and I really did not know what to do to help her
but send her to our agencies family source center.
Learning what was
going on with this family explained the sudden withdrawal of their child, not
from the program, but in her interaction with staff and peers. It gave us a
better understanding of why she seemed afraid to let her mom go and other
changes that had happen. It made me want to learn more about how being homeless
can affect the education of young children.
My initial values and
beliefs about the development of homeless children is that they need more high quality
childcare services than a regular childcare center can offer. They need one
that can provide the support that not only the children need but also their
whole family and special trained teachers that understand how hard it is for
these children.
One question that I
have is does being homeless really harm the development of young children?
Another question is, how can we as teachers help these young children
development in a positive manner?
This is a very interesting topic, especially in relation to immigrant families. The family that I have in my classroom who almost lost their apartment was also an immigrant family, and now that I have read your post, I'm curious if we could have helped this family more by being culturally responsive. I am interested to see what information you find in regards to homelessness and immigrant families.
ReplyDeleteVictoria
Hi Chenieka,
ReplyDeleteAs teachers we have to be sensitive to the needs of this child and all children. A fire can be devastating to the whole family. Homelessness is affecting some many children and families. Where will they go? Are there enough shelters? What are the options these families have? As a school family do we have resources that are available for these families? Have the school resources been updated lately?
I look forward reading about your topic.
Homelessness affects the entire family as they are displaced. There sense of security and stability is shattered as is their sense of hope and self self worth. Children need a lot of support during this time of change as do the parents. As educators we need to be aware of community resources we can offer to the families, and be advocates for supporting programs that assist with homelessness. Homelessness is a growing concern nation wide, and homeless families and children need extra support . Stress affects development so anyway we as educators can relieve our children and families stress levels will be beneficial. very pertinent topic I look forward to following.
ReplyDeleteChenieka,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great topic! This can affect families from any community and happen so unexpectedly. I can only imagine the impact of losing a home could have on a child and their family. There are many programs that can help families in these circumstances, but with so many families that require assistance, how do all of them receive the help that they need in a timely manner? Also, how do you help this family build themselves back up to where this will not become a vicious cycle? I wish you the best in researching this topic!
Deborah
Cheneika,
ReplyDeleteI think that being homeless can affect children both positively and negative. The down side is that other children may be cruel to their homeless classmate if they know what is going on. The teasing that can happen can cause shame and embarrassment to them. On the up side, children can grow up and learn from this depending on how parents, family members, and teachers help them to not view such a thing as a failure. Some people just have a moment of hardship that can turn around for their good.