To Maintain a commitment to professionalism

          *Please Use this only as a guide to help you write your competency statements and goals for your CDA*

          To maintain a commitment to professionalism I welcome opportunities that provide professional growth, serve as a children's advocate and follow NAYEC ethical guidelines for the early childhood field. As an early childhood professional I believe that teachers are life-long learners. In my junior year in high school I enrolled in a two-year occupational childcare course. This course gave me a hands on experience, working directly under a teacher in a preschool setting. I supervised snack, created art activities, and lead the class in circle time. After finishing high school I went on to  receive my Early Childhood Certification from Cardean University. I am Medical Administration Training (MAT) certified, and  First aid and CPR certified as well. I attend childcare training seminars whenever they are available in my area. I subscribe to parenting magazines that have lots of information on children's development and timelines of milestones. This magazine helps provide me with ideas to use in my classroom. I also share these magazines with the parents in my class. I feel I have acquired the knowledge and skills to work successfully with all children and families including those with special needs and multicultural backgrounds.

          I serve as an advocate for children and strive to encourage parents to become advocates for their own children as well. I value keeping the communication lines open with parents and I encourage them to be involved in decisions made around the center. This includes decisions that both affect their child directly as well as the center as a whole. As an advocate myself I stay involved in the early childhood decision making in my state. I write letters to encourage or discourage decisions that are being made on the behalf of children. I also help my coworkers get involved in advocating. I share new information I have learned with them and encourage them to share new information with me.

          As a professional I adhere to all NAEYC code of ethics and am dedicated to the statement of commitment. I keep all parental information shared with me confidential. I also uphold all health and safety regulations and make children's well-being my top priority. I remain trustworthy to children parents and staff at the center. I also respect family diversity. This includes but is not limited to cultural differences, orientation, or economic status. I encourage individuality in children. I treat each child with respect and help them to build a positive self image.