IDEALS CONTAINED IN THE NAEYC AND DEC CODE OF ETHICS THAT ARE MEANINGFUL TO ME

This week’s blog post assignment was to post three ideals contained in the NAEYC and DEC codes of ethics that are meaningful to you, and explain their significance to your professional life.

Three ideals contained in the NAEYC and DEC codes of ethics that are meaningful to me are: I-2.1 – To be familiar with the knowledge base related to working effectively with families and to stay informed through continuing education and training. I-2.2 – To develop relationships of mutual trust and create partnerships with the families we serve. And, I-4.4 - To work through education, research, and advocacy toward a society in which all young children have access to high-quality early care and education programs. (NAEYC, 2005)

Families are a child’s first teacher. The reason that I selected the ethical codes I-2.2 and I-2.1 is because before being an early childhood provider I am a mother. I would not give any less to my students and the families I serve than what I expect for my own children to receive in a classroom. By increasing my knowledge base and staying informed through continuing my education and training I can provide families information and share my knowledge with them that helps them to be the best parents and leaders they can be. By sharing this information and helping them be the best parent they can be I am not only helping their family I am helping my family and society; so everyone benefits. By securing the home and family connection through communication and interaction I feel like I am doing the best I can do for the children that I serve.  An open relationship and open communication is imperative to individualizing instruction for children. (NAEYC, 2005) Families bring a wealth of information into the classroom through sharing their culture, upbringing, and collective knowledge of various skills and careers. When you have a good working relationship with the families you serve and you honor their differences this can benefit the entire classroom and be very helpful in the classroom when you use your families as resources and tools for education; this enhances every child’s educational experience.

Ideal I-4.4 address’s my ethical responsibility to community and society. The way ideal I-4.4 is meaningful to me is because it states that in order to be ethical in my profession I have to work through education, research and advocacy toward a society in which all young children have access to high-quality early care and education programs. (NAEYC, 2005) This is precisely the reason I relocated to Seattle Washington. Seattle recently passed the Seattle Preschool Program that allows for every child despite income receives free preschool for 4-5 year olds. I wanted to get in on the ground level and help be a change agent for children and their families in the Seattle area and hopefully make a difference in the way preschool is viewed nationally. Other countries have realized the importance of universal preschool and the difference it makes in early childhood development and to society as whole.

References:

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from www.naecy.org

The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010,from http://www.dec-sped.org/