Week 3

This week I located several books that pertained valuable information about my topic, The Developmental Benefits of Head Start. I learned that there are several tools used to collect data to measure and assess children, families and the outcomes of the program. The search strategies that were particularly helpful for locating books is the advanced option, keyword tool. I was able to search specifically for Head Start outcomes. I found the “add to folder” to be helpful when locating books so I could refer back at a later time. I experienced difficulty locating books that were current. I prefer up to date data but know that is not always an option so I try to stay with the most recent books I could find. I hope to learn more about the process of surveys and assessments of the Head Start Program. 

Week 2

The knowledge I have gained about my topic as a result of the research I’ve done is that Head Start is an early education program that benefits the family as a whole. The resources the program provides extends beyond the child’s individual needs. The Head Start program focuses on bringing families and community together in order to provide the best care for children.

The new search strategies I used was the Leatherby Libraries E-books tab. I had never known about that tool before. I used the Blackwell Reference Online references to locate my first source. The source was very informative and scholarly written. The authors were well educated in early childhood education and had great knowledge of Head Start. My second resource was the Head Start website. The website was very informative as it shared information directly from the source. A specific aspect of my topic that I would like to research further is how do children in Head Start compare to those not in Head Start academically in their primary grades.

Welcome

This is my third year at Brandman University. I earned an AA in general education, December 2014. I took a year off school to focus on my career. After being a stay at home mom for 8 years, I began a teaching position with Head Start..  I'm currently earning my BA in Early Childhood Education. I'm also pursing my teaching credential, with intentions of teaching Transitional Kindergarten.

As I embark on this journey, I will be learning a lot. Researching information is a process that is required to gain knowledge. In order to become a better researcher and user of information, I know that it is important to determine the value of information I am seeking. I want to become better at identifying credible and valuable information and identifying qualities of authors. There is a lot of information available via the world wide web. I know that I can’t always believe what I read, so it’s important to keep in mind some reasons not for believing it. I also have struggled with citing sources, so I would like to work on that also.

 There are many aspects of my career path I am pursuing that I would like to research. First and foremost, I would like to research the importance of early childhood education and the benefits it has on a child’s development. Do children benefit from preschool? If so, how? What role does it play in future education? Does it directly impact parents and families? This is important to me because early education and child development support each other in many ways.