PLAGIARISM FREE "A" WORK 15 HOURS or LESS

Respond to at least two of your peers’ posts and focus on quality over quantity. Compare and contrast the picture of the child your peer shared to that of the child you shared. Be sure to identify any similarities, differences, and possible common themes. For example, where do your young learners spend time when they are not at school? What activities do young learners engage in outside of school? Your response must be a minimum of 200 to ensure the appropriate level of details.

WEEK 3 DISCUSSION 1 (Susan)

• Where does the child live and whom do they live with? Is it a single household or more than one? What is the home environment like?

For this discussion, I chose one of the students in my class. I will call him David because I am not sure if it would be OK to use his real name. David lives in a group home with other students in the school. The environment is nurturing and supportive, where children can thrive and develop essential life skills.

• Do they spend substantial time with extended family members or other important adults, such as grandparents or godparents?

David does not have regular visits from his parents or grandparents in this group home. Instead, he spends most of his time with the Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and other staff members who provide care and support. These adults play a crucial role in his life, offering guidance, supervision, and emotional support. The staff helps create a sense of stability and community within the home.

• How do these relationships influence their upbringing?

I worked as a DSP for years, so I know the relationships with each child with Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and other staff members in group homes significantly influence their upbringing in several ways. Some examples from my experience with the DSP are to provide consistent care and supervision, which helps create a stable environment. This consistency is crucial for children who may have experienced instability in their lives.

The bonds formed with DSPs are very important and can offer a sense of security and trust, which is essential for emotional development. DSPs often serve as positive role models, demonstrating appropriate behavior, social skills, and coping mechanisms. A DSP provides guidance and mentorship, helping children navigate challenges and make positive decisions. The DSP's responsible for teaching essential life skills, such as personal hygiene, cooking, cleaning, and budgeting, which are vital for independent living.

• Is the child involved in any systems such as foster care or the youth justice system?

Children living in group homes are often involved in systems such as foster care or the youth justice system. In Davids's case, he is nineteen years old and getting prepared to live on his own by the age of twenty-one, or he could also live in an assisted living environment.

• How does this impact their daily life and development?

Being involved in systems like foster care or the youth justice system and living in a group home can significantly impact a child’s daily life and development in different ways. In the group home where I worked, the children followed a structured daily routine, including set times for meals, school, homework, and recreational activities. This structure can provide a sense of stability and predictability. They had 24/7 supervision and received constant support and guidance, which helped them feel safe and cared for.

When working with children for a long time, you form a bond, and this can help children develop trust and attachment, which are crucial for emotional health. Living with other children and participating in group activities can enhance social skills and teach cooperation and conflict resolution.

The group homes have access to counseling and therapy that helps the children address any trauma or behavioral issues, promoting healthier psychological development. The structured environment and consistent rules help children learn appropriate behavior and self-discipline.

• Does the child experience frequent relocations or instability in their living situation, such as homelessness or living with caregivers who are migrant workers or active in the military?

The children in the group home I worked at often experienced more stability because they stayed at the same home and with the same children for years. They rarely moved from home to home because we wanted to give them a sense of stability and comfort because of all the trauma they already went through.

• What school-based clubs, sports, or activities does the child participate in? How do these extracurricular activities contribute to their growth and social interactions?

The school I work at does not offer any kind of sports other than what is offered during daily gym classes. Because David is in a group home, he is picked up right after school, so it is not possible for him to participate in extracurricular activities.

• What, if any, before school, afterschool, or summer programs and activities is the child involved in? How do these programs support their learning and development?

David participates in the summer program, known as ESY, for six weeks during July and August. The program at the school I work at provides structure, promotes social interaction, and helps each student develop a wide range of skills, from academic to social and physical.

• How does the child spend their time online? Are they engaging in educational content, playing video games, or maintaining connections with distant family members or friends?

The only online activities David participates in are done as a class on the Smart Board. They consist of learning how to spell and helping with daily living skills.

Do you know how the child spends their weekends? Are there family outings, hobbies, or special traditions that shape their leisure time?

David will come in and tell us how he spends his weekends, and sometimes they go on group outings to the park, movies, community events, or museums. On some weekends, they play games and have karaoke night.

Respond to at least two of your peers’ posts and focus on quality over quantity. Compare and contrast the picture of the child your peer shared to that of the child you shared. Be sure to identify any similarities, differences, and possible common themes. For example, where do your young learners spend time when they are not at school? What activities do young learners engage in outside of school? Your response must be a minimum of 200 to ensure the appropriate level of details.

WEEK 3 DISCUSSION 1 ( Jessica)

• Where does the child live and whom do they live with? Is it a single household or more than one? What is the home environment like? The child I am using for this discussion lives in a single household with their grandparents. The environment is chaotic as their parents are in and out of incarceration. The grandparents have to pick up the parent’s slack almost always and have their entire life. They have siblings with a different parent than them and they see this dynamic of them having a relationship with the parent they do not share, and they don’t have that. When I went to visit the home for a home visit, the children didn’t have any crayons, only an old, tattered coloring book so I left the crayons with them that I brought for the connection activity. Because of what I knew from this experience, I would let this child make artwork at school daily because I found it to be an escape for them to cope and handle their emotions.

• Do they spend substantial time with extended family members or other important adults, such as grandparents or godparents? Yes, they spend substantial time with extended family because their primary caregivers are their grandparents, and they also spend a lot of time with their aunt because her kids are babysat by the grandparent. I don’t know that it is always the best influence for them to be around, it seems there is a generational “norm” if you will that a lot of the family member fall subject to because of their upbringing.

• How do these relationships influence their upbringing? From what I have observed, grandparents love their grandchildren and take care of their needs, but they have spent a long time raising their own children and work full time jobs and carry a big load. I think that because they are not fully filling the void of parent (how could they) the child I am writing about is angry and projecting the many years of trauma they have been through as a result.

• Is the child involved in any systems such as foster care or t that I am aware of. However, there is conversation that the he youth justice system? The child is not currently involved in any systems currently y might be able to qualify for systems to help. I hope with the school they are in they will be able to move this process along sooner for their sake.

• How does this impact their daily life and development? I feel like their circumstance greatly affects their daily life and development because they are in desperate need and deserving of the love and care of a parent who prioritizes them and their wellbeing instead of seeking love and illegal substances and a life of crime.

• Does the child experience frequent relocations or instability in their living situation, such as homelessness or living with caregivers who are migrant workers or active in the military? They do not experience these specific examples of instability, but the unknown if their parent will be around being significant. They seemed to be passed around from family member to family member from time to time which is perpetuating the trauma.

• What school-based clubs, sports, or activities does the child participate in? How do these extracurricular activities contribute to their growth and social interactions? The child does not participate in any of these programs that I am aware of but they are very young and hopefully they can become involved in something to help them in the future.

• What, if any, before school, afterschool, or summer programs and activities is the child involved in? How do these programs support their learning and development? There are summer school programs at the school district where this student goes that would provide stability, routine, and care during the summer.

• How does the child spend their time online? Are they engaging in educational content, playing video games, or maintaining connections with distant family members or friends? As far as I know, the child does not have access to educational content outside of the school. They do maintain connections with distant family and friends within their neighborhood.

• Do you know how the child spends their weekends? Are there family outings, hobbies, or special traditions that shape their leisure time? I have seen this child out and about with older siblings riding their bike through town and at the park. I know they also swim at the neighbor’s house, but I have only known them since early Spring of this year, so I don’t know what they do in the Winter months here where we live.