Ethical Responsibilities

As an early childhood educator I am obligated to abide by a code of ethics.  The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC, 2005) has an entire list of principles and ideals that educators and caregivers are responsible for abiding by.  The three that resonate with me the most are:

• I1.1 - To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.
• I1.3 - To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.
• I1.9 - To advocate for and ensure that all children, including those with special needs have access to support services they need to be successful.

These ideals resonate with me because they represent a commitment to advocating and promoting high-quality care and education for all children.  The first ideal resonates with me because I am a firm believer that learning is a life long process and no matter what profession you are in you should continue professional development and remain current are issues, research, and strategies.  The second  ideal resonates with me because I believe each child is special and has special unique talents and strengths which we as educators, caregivers, and parents should support.  The last one resonates with me because now more than ever we need to continue advocating for high-quality programs for all children.

The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Code of Ethics (2009) also resonated with me with their ideals and principles including:

• Shall demonstrate our respect and concern for children, families, colleagues, and others with whom we work, honoring their beliefs, values, customs, languages, and cultures.
• Shall advocate for equal access to high-quality services and supports for all children and families to enhance their quality of life.

Respecting and honoring different cultures, beliefs, languages, traditions, values, and customs demonstrates to our children, families, and colleagues that we value them.  Everyone wants to be acknowledged and valued.

This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to attend an Early Childhood Education Conference in Evansville, Indiana.  I also had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Lillian Katz speak.  She spoke about creating experiences for children of all ages that are "mindful versus mindless" and that engage children in intellectual thinking.  She talked about the difference of "knowing" versus "understanding" stating that we all "know that airplanes can fly" but we don't all "understand how they fly."  Dr. Katz also spoke of the importance of social-emotional development in the early years.  She was very inspirational and I truly enjoyed listening to her keynote address.

References

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

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