Discussion Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Board - Essay Example Although the nurse’s main concern is safety to the patient, nurses can protect themselves from facing any legal actions by adhering to the nursing principles before taking any action. It is important to ensure that all the actions are within the nursing practice. Before taking any action in nursing practice one needs to consider the patients signs and symptoms. This is done by assessing the patient’s data and appropriate identification of the patient’s problem. Proper assessment of the symptoms and signs allows for proper diagnosis which in turn leads to proper medication. Properly administer medication is key to determining whether an identified action falls within the sphere of nurse practice. The frequent errors in administering medication jeopardize the safety of the patient. Besides causing harm to the patient, such action leads to an expensive follow-up litigation, care and financial awards for compensation. In nursing practice it is important to know the right drugs to administer. In nursing practice it is important to consider the health conditions of the patient. Patient’s conditions are useful in telling any improvements or deterioration in the patient’s health. This is achievable through continuous assessment of the patient. Understanding patient’s condition allows for appropriate

Capital structure analysis Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Capital structure analysis - Math Problem Example Since the managers are not sure of the accurate share price IST, the company would face a lemons problem if it would wish to raise the amount of capital required through issuing equity. A lemons problem takes place when both the buyers as well as the sellers have asymmetric information about the worth of the product in order to take an informed choice, and it is not possible to get hold of the correct information. For example, if in the market, the buyer cannot determine the value or worth of the product precisely, then he might be willing to pay only an average price for it, which is near about the mean value of the bid price and the offer price. But, this skews the balance towards the lemon seller (whose products are not of high quality), because receiving an average price for his low quality product is good enough for him; as the average price would definitely be higher than the price the product would command if the buyer knew in advance about the quality of the product. This occ urrence also places the seller of a good quality product in a disadvantageous position, since the best value such a seller can anticipate to get for his product is an average price, which is actually lower than the value the product should command (Tel Aviv University, n.d.). Prob. a) In the case of IST, since the managers of IST are not sure about the accurate price of these shares and feel that it is either $12.5 or $14.5, so as the investors have chosen an average price and hence the shares of IST are presently trading at $ 13.50. i) At present, if the company issues equity to raise the required capital, the share price will remain $13.5. The managers of IST would always want to maximize the long-term share price of the company. If the managers know that the accurate value of the share is $12.5; because the shares would be priced at $13.5 which is higher than the actual correct price, the company will have to issue comparatively lesser number to shares as compared to the situatio n if the shares were priced at $12.5. If the share price was $12.5, IST would have to issue 40 million shares to raise $500 million and now that the share is trading at $13.5, it will have to issue 37.037 million shares. Thus, since in this case IST has to issue 2.96 million less shares, it gains around $40 million (2.96 million times 13.5) and hence the managers would definitely choose to issue equity to raise $500 million ii) But, if the managers know that the accurate value of the shares is $14.5, issuing equity would mean that the share price would remain at $13.5 though its actual value is more. This would go against their policy to maximize the long-term share price of the company and would also imply that the company would have to issue 2.55 million more shares than it would have at share price of $14.5. This would lead to a loss of $34.42 million (2.55 million times 13.5). If the company borrows the required amount, it has a threat of potential financial distress and the pre sent value of the financial distress cost would be more than any tax benefit, by at least $20 million. The potential loss by issuing debt is much less than the loss by issuing equity, hence in this case the mangers would choose to borrow $500 million instead of issuing equity. Prob. b) If the management of IST issues equity, then the investors should conclude that the

Childs Safety In Mind Children And Young People Essay

Childs Safety In Mind Children And Young People Essay A good early childhood environment meets the childs basic needs and supports and encourages children to engage in activities that implement the programs curriculum. the environment is designed to enable staff to facilitate the optimum learning for their children. the environment makes parents and guardians feel welcome, involved, and empowered. Kids often trip or tumble so the play space should accommodate this with safety precautions. Local building codes for childrens indoor play areas are also important to ensure the area meets all standards during the construction phase. An early childhood environment is many things: Its a safe place where children are protected from the elements and are easily supervised, and its where the important activities of the day take place, such as playing, eating, sleeping, washing hands, and going to the bathroom. The success of an early childhood environment is not dependent upon aesthetics and design alone. Places Children Can Call Their Own. A basi c human need is the need to belong. Children need to feel they belong, too. They need to be close to people they know, have familiar and comfortable objects, and be in a setting that has a personal history for them. Early Childhood Environments Should Be Functional for Both Children and Teachers Accidents- leading cause of death for children. Most deaths could easily be prevented, so it is important to keep your childs safety in mind at all times. Children are most commonly exposed to lead by the ingestion of paint chips or dirt that is contaminated with lead-Those days lead was an ingredient of paint, so children living in older homes with chipping paint are most at risk for lead poisoning- Reviewing your homes risk for causing  lead poisoning- avoid purchasing older toys at yard/garage/rummage sales. Some may have been recalled for lead paint- eating foods that are cooked or stored in imported or glazed pottery. Make sure older buildings contain no lead, asbestos or other toxic materials. Your community health department or child care center licensing agency can put you in contact with experts who can take samples of paint and other materials for official findings. Learning to use  baby products  correctly and according to age appropriate recommendations. Putting  door knob covers  on doors that you dont want your child to open, including the bathroom, rooms that arent childproofed. Checking the floor regularly for small items and toys that younger children can choke on. includes marbles, balls, uninflected or broken  balloons, small magnets, and small toy pieces. Keeping all of the  top household poisons  out of your childs reach and in a childproofed cabinet. Ice pack-angin medicine-kids panadol-first aid-updated regularly. You can prevent falls and/or things falling on them; As with infants, be sure to secure chairs, tables, shelves, lamps. so they cant pull them over on themselves. If you have windows that they can reach, be sure they are screened, open from the top, or keep them closed and locked. If you cant- barricade them. Installing  smoke alarms  and  carbon monoxide detectors.- common sources of carbon monoxide ex posure include:- Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Oil and gas furnaces Motor vehicles Stove/Gas range Placing latches and  locks on cabinets  and  drawers. Installing a  stove guard  in front of the stove to keep your childs hands off the burners. Securing appliances, including the refrigerator, dishwasher, and oven, with an  appliance locking strap. Installing covers on electrical outlets- Take a look around your home at your electrical cords- move them out of reach.   Be sure your stairways (stairs, porches, decks, lofts, etc.) have railings- if possible one that a child can reach. If your steps are prone to being slippery, put tread mats on them or carpeting- something non-skid. If you are using a high chair for toddlers, be sure they have a wide base (so they cant be tipped over) and always use the restraints. Never leave your baby unattended in the bath. Be sure your smoke alarms are working properly. SAFETY SCISSORS-dap equipments! A baby gate should be an important part of every home with children. These items safely block off different parts of the house that are potentially dangerous to toddlers such as staircases. If there are any areas of the house that your toddler should not be going to yet, then you definitely need to find a gate to keep them safe. Ideally, they should be easy to install sturdy and be made of materials that are safe for your toddler. guidelines for buying the best one possible: A frame that connects to a door frame and does not have any gaps for the heads or fingers of children. Be sure there are no sharp edges. Do not use gates with potential foot holds. Do you have toys or objects like marbles, legos, etc that have a diameter of less than 1 1/4 inch (about the size of a half dollar) or have detachable parts? If so they need to be thrown out or put away and NOT USED in your daycare for toddler safety/ Keep all plastic bags and Styrofoam packing out of their reach for toddler safety-Choking/suffocation and Poison hazards Common sense tells us to keep all medications, cleaning supplies, insect poisons, bug spray, weeds killers out of reach or locked up. be sure that all sunscreen, perfumes, and cosmetics, alcoholic beverages, vitamins, and pet supplies are as well. Do not chemically treat your yard, use insect/rat poisons, or weed killer when the kids are present.  Also, can the kids get behind your T.V.? If so, move it so they arent able to. If you have your computer, DVD players, cd players within their reach, move them up high so they cant.  Keep lighters and matches out of reach. Be sure your toilet lids are always closed. Always keep sharp objects out of a toddlers reach. Only takes a couple of seconds for those to become sharp! So are the edges of an aluminum foil/plastic wrapping box! There must be two exits out of each child activity room. One exit must lead directly to the outside. There must be a fire suppression system throughout the facility. Follow guidelines-health/fire departmnt. Th e building will need to have high ceilings to accommodate the main play structure. We recommend between 5 and 6 meters. Insurance?Equipment made of?-high quality. Matainance-carefully evaluated and assessed on an annual basis. If you have a working fireplace, wood stove or space heater, is it safely screened and inaccessible to children? Are privacy locks on bathroom or bedroom doors inaccessible to children? Can the lock be opened quickly from the outside? Does the kitchen meet fire safety standards? Is fire protection available within a short distance of your center? Does the center have adequate hand washing and toileting areas in the rooms occupied by children? The location for the preschool play area is one of the most important decisions- Choosing the location for each piece of play equipment takes some time and consideration. An open space with plenty of room for active preschoolers is essential. The room also needs some degree of security depending on the particular situation. In a child care setting, a room that is easy to monitor and keep secure is more important. Avoid areas with high air pollution/near gas stations where there are underground or above ground gas/oil storage tanks. Survey-surrounding-road-CAR parks. Once the location is established, the foundation of the room begins to take shape. Responsive/Stimulating-Not overwhelming(DAP)(colours). Because so many child care facilities have limited space, it can be challenging to respond to the uniqueness of each child within a collective environment. Young children have unique personalities and needs that require us to respond to them as individuals, not as members of a group. Th e environment must be responsive to this need. Ease of cleaning, maintenance, supervision, cost, and adult aesthetics should not detract from providing spaces children feel are designed for them. Children need to have private areas, secluded corners, lofts, and odd-shaped enclosures. Individual cubbies for each childs clothes and belongings, photographs of home and family, and at least a couple of secluded areas where two or three children can gather allow children opportunities to maintain their individuality and break away from the group to avoid over stimulation. Accurate measurements of the area help with the indoor play equipment selection. It also helps when choosing and purchasing the floor covering. A soft flooring option helps prevent injuries when children fall off of the soft play equipment. Preschool children often fall; soft surfaces such as mats underneath protect the kids. A rubber floor covering is a common option for a childrens indoor play area. It helps absorb the shock when a child falls from short play equipment. Gymnastic mats are another option for the area. These floor mats also help absorb the shock. Foam mats are also used for kids play areas. Local building codes governing childrens play areas might have specific requirements for the floor covering so its always a good idea to check first. A floor plan of the room helps determine the layout of the childrens indoor play area. It should provide a mixture of play equipment that is appropriate for preschool-aged children. The budget will influence the selection of the equi pment. Soft play equipment is a popular option if the budget allows. These special pieces of equipment are designed to prevent injuries as the young children play on them. Evaluate the entire center, including the playground, hallways, and bathrooms. Hire professional-know 1st aid/***- handle young ones-follow RATIO. knowledge and understanding of infant/toddler growth patterns and developmental needs are critical in providing appropriate care and experiences. Creating play zones that separate the different types of play equipment increases the safety of the childrens indoor playground. Consider the amount of space each toy needs, including a buffer area to allow easy movement. The types of activities that go well together are also a factor. Once the arrangement is selected and the soft play equipment and other play areas are set up, a final walk through is needed. This test run checks for a good flow in the indoor play area to make sure the kids wont constantly run into one another. Kids and adults should easily move around all of the play equipment. A clear line of vision for the adults from all vantage points in the room is another key factor to check during the test run. Noise making area separate-quiet ones. Managing noise is important in a classroom. Placing carpet on the floor absorbs noise as absorbent tile on the ceiling. The reading center should be next to a quiet area like the art area. Blocks are loud, and should be located next to other loud areas such as the woodworking bench. Noisy activities can also be placed in transition areas or moved outside in good weather. group size, the developmental stages and the infants/toddlers needs shall determine the amount of space and spatial organization. The environmental needs of non-mobile infants are different from those of mobile infants, as space becomes a crucial consideration for young infants developing gross motor skills such as crawling and walking. The use of appropriate barriers is necessary for the safety and protection of younger infants. Dividers are any physical object that serves to delineate areas within a classroom, create interest areas, control traffic, and distribute children throughout the classroom. Almost anything can be used as a divider, so long as it is safe shelves, couches, fabric hung from a line, streamers attached to the ceiling, folding screens, puppet stages, etc. Safety is obviously a critical issue. Some dividers are easy to push over. The larger and heavier they are at the bottom, the safer. A divider can also be secured by fastening it to the floor or a wall. Several equipment companies have introduced dividers that attach directly to storage units and furniture. Ideally, dividers should be multi-functional for use as storage units, play furniture, and display boards.  Keep in mind that solid dividers or walls of more than 30-40 inches high disrupt the circulation of air in the classroom and limit supervision of children. Less solid dividers, like fabric, avoid this problem. One teacher creatively used colorful fabric streamers attached to the ceiling as effective dividers. Unlike traditional classrooms, early childhood environments need to support both basic functions and learning activities. Look around your classroom from a childs perspective. Are toilets, sinks, windows, faucets, drinking fountains, mirrors, towel racks, chairs and tables, tooth brush containers, and bulletin boards at the childs level and child-sized? Are classrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, and eating areas close together so that children can develop self-help skills and important autonomous behaviors? Like children, teachers also need to have spaces that are functional. Teachers need to be able to arrange and rearrange their classrooms for various class activities and supervision purposes. Classrooms that include permanent, built-in features such as lofts, playhouses, tables, benches, alcoves, and cubbies can be problematic. These types of fixed features make it difficult for teachers to create areas for gross motor activities, can cause injury in active children, or prevent inclusion of physical activities altogether. Classrooms built as a basic shell work best. Adaptations must be made carefully for any child with special needs, be they physical challenges, learning disabilities, or emotional issues. Brail and large lettering can be used for children with visual impairments, and sign language can be incorporated into the curriculum for those children with hearing impairments. Reducing distractions, glare, and over stimulation helps accommodate children with ADD and ADHD. Visual images are an important part of developing a feeling of belonging in all children, so it is important to display pictures of single parent families, grandparent families, and homes of every race and ethnicity, including interracial, multiethnic, and adoptive families.  The entire center should also reflect diversity throughout the world race, ethnicity, languages. Storage areas are a little like entrance and exits-they receive lots of traffic and are noisy and congested. For these reasons, storage areas can sometimes foster disruptive behavior and noise. Provide easy access to materials, allowing children to get what they need quietly and easily. The closer materials are to where they will be used, the better. Storage must also be designed so that materials for independent child use are separate from those teachers control. Activity Area Access. Activity areas need to be located next to supplies and be easy to clean up. The classic example is the art area. While providing easy access to paint, easels, paper, and brushes, the art area needs to be close to a water source and on a surface that can withstand a mess. Similarly, the reading area must be close to book shelves, magazine racks, and comfortable places to sit. CHILD SAFETY This is especially true once their children become mobile and start crawling their way into trouble.  Child safety is a very sensitive issue and importance for it is rising in the recent times with the rising cases of child missing, child injuries, child labor and so on. As a social citizen; it is your duty to support child safety awareness and this could be best done by protecting your own child from the world. efforts which you put to save your child from any of the dangers. Saving your child is extremely easy as it mainly includes one precaution which if followed by you can surely make a change. This precaution is that you need to keep a constant eye on your child. The areas for play, diapering, feeding and napping shall be set up to maximize contact between the caregiver and the infant. These areas shall allow the interaction to be unhurried and quiet. Areas (especially play areas) for non-mobile infants shall be separate from those for mobile infants. The napping area shall be physically separate from other activity areas. Partitions or other suitable barricades shall be used to separate the napping area from other areas. The outdoor activity area shall be suitably surfaced and well-drained. The outdoor activity area shall be equipped with a variety of age-and developmentally-appropriate toys and equipment. The outdoor activity area shall also have shaded areas. Cribs/cots shall be of sturdy construction with closely-spaced bars. Each crib/cot shall be occupied by only one infant. Each crib/cot shall have a firm mattress and it shall be covered with vinyl or similar moisture-resistant material. Cribs/cots shall be arranged so as to provide a walkway and work space between the cribs/cots sufficient to permit staff to reach each infant without having to step over or reach over another infant-observable. Separate facilities shall be provided for food preparation. Food preparation utensils and equipment shall not be used for other purposes. Sufficient and suitable facilities shall be provided for the sterilization of milk bottles. Sinks with running water shall be provided near the diaper change area at a ratio of one sink for every 10 infants /toddlers aged 18 months and below. Sufficient potty chairs shall be provided for the infants / toddlers- kept separate from the kitchen/food preparation areas. Sleeping infants shall be placed on their backs rather than on their fronts to ensure that their breathing is not interfered. Any other soft materials that may potentially block the airways such as pillows, blankets, comforters, and bean bag chairs shall be removed. Feeding equipment and all surfaces used for food preparation shall be sterilized after each use. Liquid soap shall be used and hands washed under running water before and after diapering before and after preparation of meals and feeding an infant when in contact with bodily fluids such as mucus, urine, saliva or faecal matter Disposable paper towels shall be used for drying hands. The diapering area shall be disinfected with each diaper change. Soiled diapers shall be placed in plastic bags and disposed of in a covered bin, preferably with a step pedal to reduce the risk of contamination. Log book RECORD-allergies/ diaper changing routines/ feeding times/ injuries/visitors

Development and Transition Markers for Homosexuality Essay -- Homosexu

Introduction It is the duty of social workers to advocate for vulnerable and oppressed groups. Becoming aware of the life span development of various cultures, nationalities, ethnicities, social classes, and diverse forms of families enables social workers to identify areas that are unique and require further research. Learning about the unique aspects of various cultures and social classes also provide social workers with an enhanced understanding and ideas for social work implications on a micro and macro level in efforts to improve the wellbeing of the clients. This paper serves as a written analysis of homosexuality as a social class and discusses unique aspects of development, transition markers for various life stages, and implications for further research and social work practice. Homosexuality Homosexuals consist of gay males and lesbian females who prefer same-sex relationships. Homosexuality goes against all cultural beliefs, gender, and family roles that society values. As a direct result of going against social norms homosexuals experience a lot of backlash that impacts their quality of life and development throughout their lifespan. Gender Differences Gender differences among homosexual males and females are unique aspects of development. When it comes to sexual orientation, society associates gender differences such as masculinity with men and femininity with females (Lippa, 2008). However in the social class of homosexuals, character associations with gender tend to be nontraditional. According to Lippa, most gay men believe that they are more feminine and less masculine in comparison to most heterosexual males while lesbians describe themselves as extremely masculine and less feminine in comparison to ... ...n childhood gender nonconformity and adult masculinity- femininity and anxiety in heterosexual and homosexual men and women. Sex Roles 59, 684-693. Muraco, A., LeBlanc, A. J., & Russell, S. T. (2008). Conceptualizations of family by older gay men. The Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 20(2), 69-90. Ryan. C., & Futterman, D. (1998). Lesbian and gay youth: Care and counseling. New York: Columbia University Press. Skidmore, W. C., Linsenmeier, J. A. W., & Bailey, J. M. (2006). Gender nonconformity and psychological distress in lesbian and gay men. Archive of Sexual Behavior, 35, 685-697. Swank, E. & Raiz, L. (2010). Predicting the support of same-sex relationship rights among social work students. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 22, 149-164. Taylor, H. (2000). Meeting the needs of lesbian and gay young adolescents. Clearing House, 73(4), 221-224.

Diversity in Early Childhood Programs Essay

This essay is going to look at the various ways in which you can identify and promote learning opportunities for children of all ages. It will describe how the early education frameworks assist in supporting the learning of early year’s children. This essay will also explain how to plan activities in order to meet all the children’s needs. Finally it will describe how to monitor and assess the children’s learning through a variety of assessment techniques. Within early learning provisions it is important for them to support the children’s learning by following the guidelines set out for them by the early education framework in this country. There are two parts to the curriculum framework in England; Early Years Foundation Stages (EYFS) and the National Curriculum. The EYFS sets the statutory standards that all early years providers must meet. This includes all maintained schools, non-maintained schools, independent schools and all providers on the Early Ye ars Register. (EarlyYears) The EYFS is set out for the age group three to five and it aims are to provide consistency between early years settings, through the use of shared resources and information thus promoting the same key concepts, skills and knowledge. The EYFS also aims to provide settings with a secure foundation which will allow all the children to progress through school. Moreover the EYFS hopes to provide partnerships between different practitioners and parents or carers. They also hope to promote equality of opportunity for all children through the EYFS. The national curriculum contains the programmes of study and attainment targets for all subjects, at all key stages, except key stage 4. ‘The national curriculum provides pupils with an introduction to the essential knowledge that they need to be educated citizens.’ ‘The national curriculum is just one element in the education of every child†¦ The national curriculum provides an outline of core knowledge around which teachers can develop exciting and stimulating lessons to promote the development of pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills as part of the wider school curriculum.’ (Curriculum) The national curriculum is set out for chil dren aged five and over, it leads all the way through until the age of sixteen. It is a set curriculum which ensures that standards are consistent and maintained across the country, the National Curriculum should be implemented in all schools  after children have reached their fifth birthday. Learning aims and objectives are put in place to ensure that activities planned meet the required needs in the chosen area of development. An aim is what you intend to introduce to the children, it should set the scene and limit the activity to a certain type of activity although it does still need to be flexible enough to incorporate change of direction if necessary. The objective is shows how this is going to be achieved. The objective should break the activity down into smaller units so it is measureable. For example by the end of the day the children will be able to understand that heat causes ice to melt. An example of this was during placement at 5-8 age group I completed my observations, my aim was to promote their fine motor development and objectives were to observe during structured play. Early years settings also provide learning opportunities for their children by using an integrated approach. This approach provides the children with a greater learning experience. ‘The adult should integrate their planning into a theme. The lesson or session can be mapped and planned around the theme along with the curriculum. For example if the theme is transport then the children can count the wheels on different vehicles in maths, read a story about transport in literacy and in art the children can draw different vehicles.’ (IntegratedApproach) Within the school I’m on placement on at the minute, 5-8, we have a house and homes theme, we have incorporated this into most of the activities and currently they are designing, writing about and constructing the houses. When on my previous placement with 0-3 years they had a Christmas theme whereby their activities were designed around this. They produced Christmas cards, completed displays, sung songs about Christmas and read books all based on this theme. At my placement working with 0-3 they had a theme for one week on growing, the children that were able to have to draw pictures of themselve s, they also had to bring pictures in from home of when they were little or of them over a period of time so we could look at how they’d grown. When designing and teaching these activities it is important for the teachers to take into account inclusion. There must not be any barriers stopping any child from learning, it is essential to remove these so all children can take part; this does not just include special needs or specific needs children but everyone. Activities may need to be adapted or differentiated in order for all the children to  take part. Moreover it is essential for the school to promote an anti-discriminative practice, this is a fundamental part of early years care and education and it must be taken seriously. Discrimination comes from many sources and not everyone will know what they are saying, this is why it is vital to tackle any remarks or actions immediately, in a sensitive manner, so everyone knows how important this issue is. At my placement which is age range 5-8 there are children with speech difficulties, the teachers must ensure that they treat all the children as individuals and treat them fairly. They always include them in class discussions and give them the chance to answer just as like any other children. In my experience of working with 0-3 they ensure anti-discriminatory practise is maintained by providing ramps for push chairs and they also welcomed children from different cultures. Within an early years setting it is important to plan effectively so all areas of learning are covered and a wide range of activities are presented. Planning can be long, medium or short term and it will need to consider the curriculum as well as the individual needs of the children. The length of long term planning varies from setting to setting, most settings will see a long term plan as anything over six weeks, commonly in schools long term plans are for a whole academic year. Long term plans tend to include ‘an outline of how the curriculum is to be delivered, a consideration of the themes that are used over the period.’ CCLD Long term plans mean that you plan activities and observations in advance, you follow the curriculum when planning these and you have to be able to change and adapt your activities to suit different situations. The length of a medium term plan or curriculum plan depends mainly up on the length of the long term plan. In the majority of schools the medium term plan shows coverage for a half term. The main features of a medium term plan include details of the types of activities of which are to offer, how the activities link to the EYFS or NC and the order the activities will be carried out. Medium term plans will include learning outcomes and will include themes and topics. Short term plans show what is to happen each week or session; these plans may be referred to as ‘session planners’ or ‘weekly planners’. This sort of plan includes details such as staffing and resources, it also shows the order the activities will be carried out. Moreover it will display details of how activities will be adapted to provide opportunities for particular children. It will also set out the learning outcomes and show which activities will be assessed. Finally the short term plan will demonstrate how the adult can support specific children through the activities and outside of these. At my placement 5-8 they have a whole week of working with money and understanding the different denominations; at the end of the week the children have the golden box whereby the children who received the most gems for their work through-out the week are rewarded with prizes. Early years settings must cater for all children and their individual needs. When planning activities for young children it is important to take into account their specific needs. All activities must accommodate children at whatever level or with whatever need they have. It is important for the teacher to differentiate activities in order for all the children to take part. Within my placement 5-8 my teacher ensures there are different sized pencils out on the tables for all the children to use, she also makes sure there are right and left handed scissors out on the tables for those children who need them. In my experience working with 3-5 I have also had to cater for a child who could not use sugar paper therefore whenever we were doing creative activities I had to make sure she was using normal writing paper or card. Whenever planning activities it is important to make all the children feel equal, a child with an individual need should not be left out or be made to stand out from the rest. When planning activities and classes it is also essential to take into account children with IEP’s (individual educational plan), this is so you know where they are at with their learning and you can help them to the full extent through-out activities. In addition it is important to take into account different ways of teaching, some children may find it easier to learn if they are hands on doing practical work whereas others may find it easier if they are writing all the information down, so ensure that you cater for all these children in your plans. In order for activities to be suitable for all children you will need  to differentiate them, make sure there’s levels within your activity. Within the classroom there should also be equipment for all children to use scissors which are left and righ t handed, paper which is suitable for all, big pencils and small ones. Changes should take place to make all the children feel ‘the same’ none of them should stand out for being different. Through-out early year’s settings observations must be used this is to ensure you find out what stage of development the children are at. Once you know and understand which level each child is at you can match your activities to their ability and organise the activities to meet their needs. Within my placement 5-8 my teacher plans activities to coordinate with her observations that she has made throughout the year. The activities are differentiated according to ability. For literacy the children had to match up homes of different animals to the animal that lives there, for the less abled children they had to cut out the pictures and stick them together for the more abled children they had to write the sentences out below the pictures. Once observations have been completed on the children the teacher can use her data to effectively plan her lessons to cover the curriculum and meet the children’s needs. Within early years settings it is important that children take part in a variety of play. As all types of play provide learning opportunities for children it is essential that the day is varied to incorporate as many play activities as possible. Children should take part in activities which promote all areas of development. Within my placement 3-5 we had a role play area whereby the children could use their minds to create imaginative play. The soft play castle also gave the children a chance to use their imagination and develop their own play ideas. The various play activities can be categorized as imaginative play; role play and home corners can come under this category. Art activities and DT activities can be categorized as creative play. Within my placement 5-8 we did mendi patterns outside in the playground using chalk, as well as this developing their creative play it also promoted their physical motor development. Physical activities such as PE and play time can promote their gross physical development. Walking through fields and exploring the various animals and plants that you can  find can develop physical motor skills as well as the children’s exploratory skills. In my experience 0-3 a child discovers and promotes their development through sensory play, when outside the children played with sand, water, foam and jelly. The children were sat playing in it with hard toys, they could discover how the different materials felt. It is important for children to also use ICT as this can support their learning. There are a wide variety of programmes that children can use to promote all areas of their learning. Within my placement we use a program which the children can control themselves, on this site there are activities for numeracy, literacy and art as well as most of the national curriculum. This site is accessible for key stage 1 and 2. Parent involvement tends to be encouraged within schools and early year’s settings as often parents and children can provide the skills and knowledge to introduce new ideas. For example a parent from another culture may be able to go in and show the children what their diet is like. Within my placement 5-8 a parent helper will come in every Tuesday afternoon to help with the activities that are on that day. The parent may help with reading and creative activities. There is also a parent who comes into placement and teaches athletics, she is a marathon runner herself so she often helps at sporting events and at athletics club. Within early years settings there are also occasions when professionals and agencies may get involved in providing learning opportunities for the children. Within my placement 5-8 a speech therapist will come in once a week to visit two children who have speech impairments, she will take them to one side for an hour to support them through their speech programme. Another professional who also comes into school is the sports teacher from the local leisure centre who teaches one PE lesson a week to each class. As part of the adult role within an early years setting you must ensure that all the correct resources are available for the children to use and that there are enough materials for any situation. The resources need to be sorted out in advance of an activity or situation either by the teacher or the school, depending on who provides them. The resources must be age appropriate, fit for purpose and all the children who are participating  should be able to learn from the experience. Early years settings also need to consider whether the use of ICT would assist with the children’s learning. Within my placement 3-5 the staff would organise their activities at least a week in advance and would pass on a list of anything they needed to the managers who would be able to buy the materials and resources. They could then discuss in advance how much of anything they needed and if for any reason something wasn’t available they had time to change their activity. It is important for the adults within the setting to monitor the children’s learning. During activities the children should be monitored to make sure they are learning from these experiences. If the activity has been planned with aims and objectives, you should be able to determine whether the outcomes have been met; this can be observed by discussion or observation. Participation levels should also be monitored to see how long children stay at the activities which have been set out and which ones are the most popular. Activities should grasp the children’s imagination and should stimulate their learning. The more captivating an activity is the longer a child will want to be at it. At all my placements over the three age ranges I have evaluated the activities that I have carried out. Within my evaluations I have written about how long the children stayed there and whether they enjoyed it, I can use the information I found here to plan my activities for the future. Formative assessments are ongoing assessments that monitor the children’s strengths and weaknesses. This information can then be used to form informal parts of activities. Assistance can be provided to give children the opportunity to gain confidence in developing new skills and plenty of opportunities are provided to enable the child to practise and master them. Summative assessments draw together all the information gathered about the children and it is often used to compile a written report. It is seen as a ‘summing up’ of a child’s progress to date. It is very difficult for practitioners to be completely objective when carrying out observations as they are used to working so close with the children; this known as observer  bias. The danger of observer bias is that the observer may bring in behaviours or skills of the child that confirm their current view. One way of determining that this does not happen is to set clear aims for observations. It is important for adults to try and incorporate observations on skills into planned play activities, many children will not ‘perform’ well if they know they are being watched. While at placement 5-7 the teacher will set out activities that enable her to observe the child carrying out the skills whilst in a ‘normal’ play environment. If she would like to see their social development she may set up games that requires teamwork, or if she feels some of the children need to work on their fine motor development she may set up an area which get the children to put pegs in boards or use scissors to cut out pictures. When observing babies and young children it is important to remember that there play and interests change within a few days. As they discover more things within their world they will move from one interest to another. Once a child has been observed or assessed this information can be used to inform the future planning of activities which will help promote development for the individual child. Planning will only be effective if the information that is gained from observation is used to structure activities, and fulfil the child’s developmental needs. For example if a child cannot use scissors do not provide them with an activity whereby they have to cut round a picture; this may lower their self-confidence and self-esteem. Most evaluation criteria’s involve checking whether children have reached the intended learning outcomes, however this can be difficult to measure unless an assessment takes place during or after the activity. A child may have appeared to understand something or enjoyed playing with materials but they may not have necessarily learnt anything new. By building in assessments to activities practitioners can see what the child has understood and learnt. It is important that assessments are not seen in any way as a test. Within my placement 3-5 a member of staff would often be in charge of observing activities and evaluating what they believe the children have gained from it. The staff member would also be able to ask questions and work alongside the children at the activity to see how much they have  learnt and understood. Reference Snaith, M. , Tassoni, P. , Squire, G. , (2007). , Children’s Care Learning and Development. , 2nd Ed. , Oxford. , Heinemann. IntegratedApproach. , Available at www.sagepub.com/upm-data/9679_010979.pdf. , Accessed on 29/04/14 Curriculum. , Available at http://www.schoolzone.co.uk/schools/NCres/docs/MASTER_final_national_curriculum_11_9_13_2.pdf . , Accessed on 29/04/14 EarlyYears. , Available at https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/improving-the-quality-and-range-of-education-and-childcare-from-birth-to-5-years/supporting-pages/early-years-foundation-stage. , Accessed on 29/04/14

How policies/laws may affect family life Essay

In this essay I will be writing about what changes state policies and laws have made to the society and how they may affect family life by doing so. There are many policies/laws out there that have had an effect on family life and one of these was the ‘Child Support Act’ which led to the formation of the ‘Child Support Agency’. Other policies/laws include the Family Law Act of 1996, Rewarding marriages with tax breaks, Working Families Tax Credit, and the attempt of the removal of child poverty. Among this I will be talking about the new right theory and their points and views on the family and what laws should be put in place. One of the Conservatives policies that were passed in 1991 was the Child Support Act which then led to the formation of the Child Support Agency. What this policy aimed to do was reduce the amount of fatherless families by forcing absent fathers to pay a certain amount of money for their children that they’ve left behind. The government thought of this as a good idea as it would reduce the amount of welfare payments being giving to lone mothers therefore helping the economy. However this didn’t really benefit love mothers as the money paid in from the father would be deducted from the mother’s benefits so she would be receiving exactly the same amount. As a result, this policy didn’t have a major effect on family life although it may reduce the amount of fathers that walk out on their families. Another one of the Conservatives policies this time introduced in 1996 brought about a period of wait that a couple had to undergo before they could officially get divorced. The main purpose of this proposal was to try and reduce the amount of divorces by encouraging the couple with as much time as possible to save their marriage. This policy would affect the family life by keeping more families together and happy however the act was never finalised as judges deemed it as unworkable. Labour introduced one of their policies to do with the Working Families Tax Credit that was designed to help people find paid employment. This one was specifically aimed mostly at lone parents as since April 2001, they were required to attend an annual interview about  job opportunities. The Working Families Tax Credit would help lone parents move benefits to low paid jobs by topping up their wages. This policy may affect family life as it pushes lone parents into work and although they may be earning similar money as they would’ve if they were on benefits, it provides them with a starting point to hopefully earn more money as they climb up the ranks. One of Labours aims was to remove children out of poverty and one of the ways that they’ve attempted to do so is by increasing the amount of Child Benefits being provided. From 1997 to 2001, Child benefits have increased by 26 per cent and by doing so it has lifted 600,000 children out of poverty as stated by the children’s secretary Ed Balls. This may have a positive effect on family life as it provides the children with a positive childhood and helps the family to be financially stable. However, according to the Guardian in 2007 the number of children that are living in poverty rose for the first time in six years by 200,000 to 3.8 million in 2005 to 2006. More recently, the conservatives proposed a policy that provides married couples with a tax break. This clearly shows that David Cameron clearly favours the ‘married family’ as his policy does not apply to cohabiting couples with children. This tax break is worth around one thousand pounds and it may affect family life as it would encourage people to not only get married but stay married which would create or maintain stability in the family. The New Right leans towards the same views of the Conservatives as they clearly support the idea of the Nuclear Family as they think that Nuclear Families should be encouraged and family diversity should be discouraged. In 1999 and 2000, Morgan and Saunders wrote that The New Right believe the government should favour married parenthood by rewarding them and providing them with special legal rights and safeguards. They also believe that the increase in Lone-parent families is due to over generous welfare benefits and that they should be reduced to tempt people out of this decision. Another way in which they want to discourage family diversity is by denying unmarried couples the rights and privileges given to married couples and by making divorce much more difficult. There has recently been a cap on benefits introduced. This means that the  amount of money claimed by a family cannot exceed the average wage for a working family. It was introduced to keep things ‘fair’ although some people saw it as unlawful. This new policy could encourage more parents to get into work in the attempt to earn more money. All of this is the government’s way of saving money and therefore keeping the economy running. In conclusion most of these state policies/laws introduced have a positive effect on family life, others could be deemed as unfair however all in all they try to create a stable society as the family is a key factor in the make-up of a good society.