Changing FamiliesChanging Families

Chapter 2

Pages 39-50

Changing Families Page 39

Structure – single parent, extended, gay, step families, etc

Roles – both parents are working Responsibilities – poverty, social ills,

personal problems, providing for children

Families and Early ChildhoodPage 39-40

The family system has the primary responsibility for meeting many children’s needs

Professionals frequently need to address family problems and issues first in order to help children effectively

Early Childhood Professionals can do many things concurrently with children and their families that will benefit both

Addressing the needs of children and their families as a whole *known as the holistic approach to education and the delivery of services*

Working ParentsPage 41

Several misconceptions about working mothers 1. Not good mothers 2. Less productive at work 3. Negative impact on their children’s behavior and development

Mother’s working outside home does NOT harm children

The income positively affects the children’s behavior and academic achievement

Affluent FamiliesPage 42

Many parents with middle – and – upper level incomes are willing to invest money in early education for their children

Fathers Page 43-44

These days, it is apparent that fathers are rediscovering the joys of parenting and working with young children

Fathers want to be involved in the whole process of child rearing

Increasing in number are stay-at-home dads The Fatherhood Project is a national research

education project that is examining the future of fatherhood and developing ways to support men’s involvement in child rearing.

Single ParentsPage 44

The number of one-parent families, male and female, continues the increase

22% families headed by females, 5% headed by males

Teenage Parents Page 45

Each year, one out of 10 (1.1 million) teenagers become pregnant

In 1997, women aged 15-19 were 52.3 per 1,000, down from 62.1 in 1991

Latino teenagers have the highest birthrate with 99.1 per 1,000

Mississippi has highest birth rate

Poverty Page 45

About 40% of the poor population is made up of children Nearly 22% of children under 6 live in poverty Single parent homes with female heads of household,

poverty is a greater risk 40% of African American children under 6 live in

poverty Living in poverty means you and your family don’t have

the income that allows you to purchase adequate health care, housing, food, clothing, and education services

Poverty (Cont’d.)

Poverty for a nonfarm family of 4 meant an income of less than $10,400

In Mississippi one third of all children are poor, nearly twice the national average

Children and youth from low-income families are often older than others in their grade level, move more slowly through the educational system, are more likely to drop out, and are less likely to find work

More than one half of all children who lack insured health care come from poor families

Children in poverty are more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems and are less likely than others to be “highly engaged” in school. Also, parents of low income families are less likely to help their children complete homework assignments

Housing Page 48

187 children die each year in house fires caused by faulty electrical equipment, particularly heaters

Children’s IllnessesPage 48-49

Asthma, a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways, is the most common chronic childhood illness in the US

Asthma is caused in party by poor air quality, dust, mold, animal fur and dander, allergens from cockroach and rodent feces, dust mites, and strong fumes

Lead poisoning is also a serious childhood disease

Children’s Illnesses (Cont’d)

Major source of lead poisoning is from old lead-based paint

From batteries and dirt from polluted soil and toys

Lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and brain damage

Brain ResearchPages 49-51

The period of most rapid intellectual growth occurs before age 8

It is increasingly evident that children are not born with fixed intelligences

Children reared in homes that are not intellectually stimulating may also lag intellectually behind their counterparts reared in more advantaged environments

Brain Research (Cont’d)

Brain research finding suggest that good parental care, warm and loving attachments, and positive, age-appropriate stimulation from birth onward make a difference in children’s overall development for a lifetime

Positive interactions with caring adults stimulate children’s brains profoundly in terms of establishing new synaptic connections and strengthening existing ones.

Brain Research (Cont’d)

Early experiences during critical/sensitive periods and windows of opportunity are so powerful that they can completely change the way a person develops.

Infants and ToddlersChapter 7

Pages 189-196 Having the right experiences but the right

time relates to critical periods, developmental “windows of opportunity” or sensitive periods during which it is easier to learn something than it is at another time.

Young Brains: A PrimerPage 192

Babies are born to learn. They are remarkable learning instruments. Their brains make them so.

Children’s brain development and their ability to learn throughout life rely on the interplay between nature (genetic inheritance, controlled by 80 thousand genes) and nurture (experiences they have and the environments in which they are raised)

Young Brains: A Primer (Cont’d)

What happens to children early in life has a long-lasting influence on how children develop and learn

Critical periods influence learning positively and negatively

The human brain is quite “plastic.” It has the ability to change in response to different kinds of experiences and environments

Young Brains: A Primer (Cont’d)

Prevention and early intervention are more beneficial than later remediation

The brain undergoes physiological changes in response to experiences

An enriched environment influences brain development

Nature and NurturePages 193-194

Nurturing involves all the environmental influences that affect and play a role in development

Nature is genetics – nurture is environment Nurturing – the environment in which

individuals grows and develops – plays an important role in what individuals are and how they behave

Nature and NurturePages 193-194

Some environmental factors that play a major role in early development include nutrition, quality of the environment, stimulations of the brain, affectionate relationship with parents, and opportunities to learn

Today we understand that nature and nurture are not competing entities; both are necessary for normal development, and it is the interaction between the two that makes us the individuals we are

Nature and NurturePages 193-194

Motor development is sequential Maturation of the motor system proceeds from

gross to fine behaviors. Motor development is from cephalo to caudal

(from head to foot) Motor development proceeds from the proximal

(midline, or central part of the body) to the distal (extremities), known as proximodistal development

Nature and NurturePages 193-194

Motor development plays a major role in social and behavioral expectations

Potty Training (I.e)