Research that Benefits Children and Families

A positive example of the effects of research on a child and his family is one of this special needs boy enrolled in the agency I work for. This boy goes part-time at my school and part-time at a Chicago public school for his special needs services. The student was always coming to my school crying and upset. The school is always calling his mom telling her to come pick him up for any small incident. The boy may have been crying and the teacher would call for his mom to come and get him. The boy has a full developmental delay and he cannot speak. So I asked the mother if it was okay if I go over to the school to observe what was going on in the classroom at the Chicago public school. I went to the school and observed that the teacher immediately started to complain about the boy before he even took his coat off. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. The boy was trying to get the teacher's attention and she just ignored him. She yelled at him and told him to go sit down. The boy began to cry and the teacher told him that she was going to call the front office and have them call his mom because he was uncontrollable. After my observation I contacted my disability coordinator and told her what I saw and then I went to meet the principal and have a one on one with her. She was very upset about the situation and the teacher's action. I showed her the case notes I had on everyday that the teacher called for the mom to pick her son up and what the teacher told the mom when she called. The principal could not believe what she was reading. The principal informed me that she would speak to the mom and the teacher about this situation. The principal said that the teacher is trained and getting paid to work with special need children. She also said that the teacher has an assistant in the classroom with her at all times, so she should not be overwhelmed. The outcome of this situation was that the child was transferred to a different classroom and the parent was pleased. The child no longer came to my school crying or upset. He was happy and he was starting to say words. Every day I see the improvement in this little boy. The parent was happy that I was there to advocate for her child and get some better results out of the situation. The mother was on the verge of taking her son out of the Chicago public school because she was not happy. I convinced her to give me a chance to rectify this situation. The teacher may not know that she was doing a disservice to the child and the family by not even being willing to work with him. She never gave him a chance and I am glad that he is in another classroom. 

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Your Personal Research Journey

The topic I chose to research for this course is the effects on children in one small child care center when federal budget cuts happen. I chose this topic because I deal with this situation on daily basis. I have been in the early childhood field for eight years and federal budget cuts has been an issue that we have been battling every year. Every time the federal government announces the budget for the new fiscal year, child care is usually the first to get cut. The federal government does not understand the importance of early childhood and the difference that many early childhood programs are making in children lives. I have had families return to our program to let us know how well their child is doing and they always say they know it is because of us and the work we did with their children. We cannot continue to have success stories without the proper funding to operate. When the federal government cuts the budget to early childhood; that means some agencies will have to cut staff or salaries. One of the largest early childhood programs in Chicago had to close their doors because they could not afford to pay staff. The agency I work for recently cut all staff salaries and had to layoff some staff because of the federal budget cuts. We have limited supplies and limited staff. It is very stressful and it is causing staff to find employment elsewhere because of the budget cuts. The agency is loosing qualified staff because of these cuts. I know I am currently looking for employment elsewhere because it is a struggle to maintain my home on the salary that I am receiving. It is also frustrating to work with limited supplies and I cannot provide the services to the children or families. The stress of poor compensation and no supplies can drive a agency out of business.

I have a lot of personal experiences that stimulated this topic, but I am having a hard time starting the research process. Can anyone provide any ideas for me about where I should start or what should I actually be researching?

http://www.waldenu.edu