CAYC and the NAEYC
Being the only national association in Canada concerned with children’s well-being in the home, preschool, and school environment, I felt that as a Canadian it would be beneficial to become a member of the Canadian Association of Young Children. A membership is required to access their journals, which appears to be their main source of sharing information. After paying a membership fee earlier this week, I am still unable to access their journals at this time. I have sent an email to the organization asking for this situation to be remedied but have not received a response. Since I am unsure of when I will have access to the content on this website, it has become necessary for me to change my website organization in order to complete this week’s assignment. I have chosen to study the world’s largest child oriented organization, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) website and will continue to do so throughout the remainder of this course. The NAEYC’s vision is for the nation to work collectively to make certain that every child and family has access to high-quality, developmentally appropriate early childhood environments that include high quality, knowledgeable staff and educators. The NAEYC website can be found at http://www.naeyc.org/. The following information regarding the NAEYC mission statement and goals is from this website.
NAEYC MISSION STATEMENT
NAEYC’s mission is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources (NAEYC Bylaws, Article I., Section 1.1).
goals
NAEYC expresses its mission in terms of three broad goals:
- Improving professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education.
- Supporting early childhood programs by working to achieve a high-quality system of early childhood education.
- Building a high-performing, inclusive organization of groups and individuals who are committed to promoting excellence in early childhood education for all young children.
Exploring the Website
As I explored the website, thinking in terms of current issues and/or trends, I came across an article titled, “Rethinking the Colorful Kindergarten Classroom” (Hoffman, 2014). I was immediately drawn to read as I am currently working in a school where the early childhood department is exploring the philosophy of Reggio Emilio. As we prep for our exploration of this philosophy in our classrooms this year, we are keeping in mind how to set up our classroom environment. As a team we have already decided to take down all store bought materials, use neutral colors on our bulletin boards, and pay attention to the lighting in our room. Although the article does not mention Reggio Emilio, it does speak of the difficulties that some children may have attending due to the overly decorated kindergarten classroom and this gives me some confirmation that we are making the right decision in how we are creating our classroom environments. I have even encouraged my colleagues to leave the bulletin boards blank for September in order to allow the children to create them; a suggestion also made in the article. The study was just a small sample of children but it did demonstrate that colorful displays competed with the teacher for the children’s attention compared to a room without so much stuff!
Connecting the Website to the Topic: Changing Demographics and Diversity
The NAEYC has a section dedication to Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) for young children. One of their three core considerations for DAP is professional knowledge of what is culturally important:
“We must make an effort to get to know the children’s families and learn about the values, expectations, and factors that shape their lives at home and in their communities. This background information helps us provide meaningful, relevant, and respectful learning experiences for each child and family”
Continuing to Explore
Continuing to explore the website under the topics tab, I discovered suggestions for the classroom regarding holidays under anti-bias education. Working in a Catholic School, I do not experience religious differences in my students when it comes to church celebrated holidays such as Easter and Christmas. However, the NAEYC did bring attention to non-religious celebrations such as Halloween and Thanksgiving and brought awareness to the sensitivity required regarding these holidays and family beliefs, values, and experiences. Suggestions were provided for incorporating these holidays in a manner that includes and respects all families.
Early Childhood Studies 
Sandra,
As I started my search it too was important for me to find a organization that I could directly identify with and one that would benefit the advancement of the children I work with everyday. I understand why you were attracted to CAYC and how that would have been beneficial for you are you continued your growth in this course. The NAEYC is an amazing organization which I have deeply, respect. In my first year of teaching I was blessed to work in a NAEYC accredited school. This high level of expectation for young children was my first look into the field of early childhood education. Following the standards helped to develop me into teacher who understands the important of best practice. You will find the information NAEYC provides to be life changing and will help the growth and betterment of you profession. I look forward to reading all the amazing things you have discovered through this organization.