Child Development and Public Health

The topic that I have chosen is nutrition/malnutrition.  This topic is meaningful to me because I work with young children, and I make sure they are eating a meal, whether it is breakfast and/or lunch.  Because I teach children who live in impoverished communities, there are times in which some of them may not have anything to eat at home, and eating at school is their only meal of the day.  The other times, they are eating the junk food that they brought to school.  It is tough to convince children to eat healthier when they may have the opportunity at home to do so, so I try to have my children eat a fruit and/or vegetable that is included in the meals they are given.  It is necessary for children to practice healthy eating habits when they are younger so they do not deal with health issues as they grow older.  Nutrition/malnutrition is a problem that occurs throughout the world, especially in the continent of Africa.
There are many countries in Africa where families have children who are malnourished because they have poor nutrition.  They do not have access to healthy foods because they do not have the monetary resources to obtain them.  According to UNICEF (2017), the areas of West Africa and Central Africa, East Africa and South African, and the area of South Asia have over 30 percent of malnutrition (p. 1).  These areas are at a high risk of not having the accessibility to healthy foods.  Also, “Nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 are attributable to undernutrition” (p.1).  This means that children under five years of age do not receive the proper nutrients needed for growth and development.   This information has impacted my future work because learning that many children throughout the world who are under five years old are possibly dying due to malnutrition has made me more aware of the importance of feeding my children when we are at school, for when I own a daycare center, I will provide children with breakfast, lunch, and a snack until they go home so they are fed.  I need my children to be focused on learning, so feeding them is important to their future growth, their future development, and their future academic success.

                                                  References
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). (2017). Retrieved from
            https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/malnutrition/



Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 16, 2017 at 4:01 PM

    Teresa,
    Great post! I have this problem also with parents bringing their children in with candy, cakes, chips, and the list goes on, just to get them to come to school. I constantly tell some of my parents that their child can't have those types of food at school. I don't give it to them, and send it right back home at the end of the day. I often encourage them about feeding their children healthy balanced foods. A well-balanced meal goes a long way!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJuly 16, 2017 at 4:34 PM

    Hi Teresa,
    I like your post. I have to remind parents to make sure their child eats in the morning. Some parents don't realize how important breakfast is for young children. Without breakfast, some aren't able to function throughout the day. What is your take on children that don't have breakfast? How do you handle these situations?

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJuly 16, 2017 at 6:13 PM

    Hi Teresa,
    I thought your post was very meaningful. There are so many countries and even our own where children live in poverty. This has an impact on their health and well being. Their education often is affected too. I found your last statement inspiring. Owning a daycare is a huge responsibility in itself. Providing the children with nutritious meals and snacks will have a positive impact on their lives.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJuly 21, 2017 at 5:10 PM

    hello Teresa,
    It really saddens me to know that the only meal some children get is when they are in our care. On some weekends, we provide goody bags to children that may lack a few meals over the weekend. That is why we must provide the resources to parents who need help in providing food to their children.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Professional Goals, Hopes and Dreams

One of the new insights that I gained in relation to international early childhood education that relate to my professional goals is to be a leader in my community, for I want to own a daycare center.  That way, all children would be able to receive an education.  According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2011), “The Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2011 noted that 7.3 million primary school-aged children in Pakistan were out-of-school in 2008 (UNESCO, 2011), the majority of whom were girls” (cited in Mahmud, 2014, p. 6).  Unfortunately, it can be implied that in Pakistan, many children are not obtaining the knowledge they need to move forward in their education.  If I had my own daycare center, I would make sure that every child in my community would receive some type of schooling so that they are not lacking the foundation necessary to aide in their development.  While I plan to take the initiative as a leade...
Read more

Final Blog Assignment

There are many outcomes that I gleaned from learning about the early childhood field from an international perspective.  For instance, according to Hale (2014), there are three consequences that early childhood practitioners learn about how the field is enduring overseas.  She writes, The first consequence of learning about the international early childhood field is that as early childhood educators, we live in a world that calls for continuous change, and therefore, information on best practices and best policies can be utilized throughout the world.  The second consequence of learning about the international childhood field is that having an awareness has to be developed.  When early childhood practitioners are unaware of their students, the students’ families, and of themselves, then the opportunity for discussion and growth cannot be established so that all parties understand the willingness to be invested in children’s development and children’s education....
Read more

Examining Codes of Ethics

NAEYC code: I-1.1—To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training. This code is significant to my professional life because field of early childhood education, the best practices and information utilized to educate young children continues to change.  I have been in the early childhood education profession for almost 20 years, and because my professional goal is to own a daycare center, I have to stay informed of the changes in practices and techniques needed in the early childhood so I can provide young children with the education they need to progress in their academic journey. NAEYC code: I-1.3—To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.  This ideal is important to my professional life because as an early childhood education professional, teachers must be able to recognize that   each child is unique and different. When working ...
Read more