The Importance Of A Healthy Child Development

In reflecting on that Wab shared of his father’s experience in the residential school system, information gathered from the text, as well as my own prior knowledge, operated under various religious organizations, in tandem with the Government of Canada, residential schools were one of the methods used to assimilate Aboriginal children into white society (textbook). Tasked with the responsibility to “remove the Indian from the child” such was accomplished through whatever means necessary, whereby come the stories of physical and emotional abuse, in addition placing many children under experiments involving malnutrition (Erin discus). The consequences of such schooling then included, an increased number of generations growing up outside the family environment, these individuals no longer fitting into their Aboriginal communities, yet they are not accepted in

The environment inside the mother’s womb can indeed have a dramatic influence on the development of a child but environment influences such as where the child is raised can have a huge affect on a child development as well. Children of a low income tend to live in more polluted areas, where the air and the water are polluted, pollution can cause brain development in children as well lung diseases that can be development in childhood or can affect them later in life. One the factors that can have a huge impact on a child’s life is housing. Those on a low income are more likely to be living in poor housing conditions experiencing stress from overcrowding including noise, lack of privacy, having to wait to use facilities such as the toilets, poor heating and ventilation in winter, poor washing and cooking facilities, the house can have many hazards for a child due to architectural features, dampness, as well the neighbourhood cannot be safe or have poor facilities such as shops and parking. Poor housing is associated with poor health this is due of poor facilities and opportunities, children that grow up within poor housing are more

Residential schools in Canada were present for over 100 years and were created by the government to eliminate the Indigenous culture. These schools successfully separated families while creating huge cultural barriers between children and their Native culture (COHA, 2011). These children were forcibly removed from their families and taken to residential schools because Canadians saw Indigenous peoples as “backwards” or “savage” (COHA, 2011). They also believed that they were inferior to Natives and that these schools would help “civilize” aboriginals by replacing their Native traits with Western values (COHA, 2011).

In the Indigenous community, when the community is faced with a trauma, it takes seven generations for the community to heal (Trimble, 2015). People may underestimate how oppressed and how much suffering the Indigenous communities had to struggle with, and continue to struggle with these issues today. We may underestimate how severe the situation is because many of us were not taught much about the impact of colonization on the Indigenous communities in school. There are many myths people may have concerning Indigenous life experiences, particularly schooling. To address these myths, I would begin by giving a brief history of residential schools. I would then analyze how residential schools have impacted the indigenous community and how they continue to affect them today. I would also mention the current issues children on reserves are facing today regarding school. Lastly, I would mention some of the progress that has been made. I will use the work of Sefa Dei to demonstrate the importance of community in education regarding the Indigenous people.

Joseph Boyden’s novel, Three Day Road tells the story of two Indigenous men named Xavier and Elijah, in the Canadian army in World War II and how their time in it, comes to affect their identities and the rest of their lives. Boyden uses the fates of Xavier and Elijah, their aunt, Niska and Niska’s sister, Rabbit in the face of colonialism to demonstrate the important role of resilience in First Nations culture. Using the chapter entitled, “Kipwahakan (Captive),” where Niska tells Xavier the story of her leaving Residential School, my points are reinforced in the reading on “The Residential School System” found at the Indigenous Foundations. The writer theorizes, that one of the reasons for the discrepancy of cultural attachment within the

The Healthy Child Programme (Rudolf, 2009) aims to provide guidance and practical direction in a strategy to reduce the risks of obesity for babies, toddlers and preschool children. For action are outlined that have the potential to encourage the development of lifelong healthy lifestyle and reduce the risk of obesity. The case for intervening in the very early years to prevent obesity is compelling. Its rationale is based on epidemiological studies that point to the high prevalence of obesity on starting school, the link between infant weight gain and later obesity, and tracking of obesity into adult life. Evidence from other sources highlights how lifestyle choice-both food preferences and physical activity - have their roots in the very

The implementation of the reserves was a massive cultural stressor for Indigenous peoples as many were nomadic hunters and relied on the ability to travel to maintain their food source (“First Nations in Canada”, 2013). Though this is not a factor in society today, reserve living is still challenging for some, especially those First Nations located in remote communities. In 2011, the Pikangkikum First Nations reserve in northwest Ontario became all too familiar with burying their young after six teenagers committed suicide in the span of two months (Thompson, 2011). Thompson (2011) notes that

In attempt to assimilate Aboriginals into the Canadian culture, “education” by government and church was established. For more than 150 years, thousands of Aboriginal children were separated from their families and communities by force (Neeganagwedgin 31). Parents were forced to ‘allow’ the government to take their children away from their communities, or else face threats of legal action (Neeganagwedgin 33). The treatment of the children, once at these schools, was far from humane; school officials were likely to abuse the Aboriginal children, both physically and emotionally (Neeganagwedgin 33). The premise of residential schools was to strip Aboriginal children from their culture and Indigenous identity, forcing them to only speak English, or face sever consequences. Despite the government and churches best efforts, many aboriginal children still maintained their cultural roots and kept their language while at home. This governmental need for assimilation has had lasting impacts far beyond the scope of active residential schools. Neeganagwedgin notes “while the schools may be physically closed, the legacy lingers” (34). Beyond this, she urges, present-day institutions still function in a way that continues to undermine and systematically deny, “Indigenous peoples their

First Nations youth face problems as a result of the terrible social conditions on the reserves in which they and their

Imagine being taken away from your parents, forced to live in a school in terrible living conditions, then being forbade you from speaking your own language, seeing your parents, and practicing your beliefs. For 150 000 Native children, this nightmare was a reality. The magnitude of residential schools are the dark history Canadians do not seem to appreciate. The reasoning behind this heinous act was to “kill the Indian in the child” (UBC First Nations and Indigenous Studies, n.d), and it succeeded in just that – 6000 children died in the schools, and the culture of an entire generation was stolen away. (Robertson, 2006). The impact of residence schools is still felt to this day and is an important part of Canadian history that is glossed over

Another negative impact of the remote location on First Nations communities is difficulties in accessing good education. Indigenous youth often leave their communities in their pursuit of academic opportunities. Even in urban centers the graduation rate of Indigenous youth is significantly lower compared to non-Indigenous youth. Curriculum may not be shaped to serve the needs of most FN 's communities. Some do not have adequate school facilities. These difficulties tie up with the economic obstacles in these communities and further contribute to the lack of skills, community capacity, planning.

Jennifer Lawrence, one of hollywood's highest paying actresses exhibits the characteristics of being well rounded, healthy and confident. Every child has a future but, all parents wish the same for their child, happiness and success. When one is a healthy well-rounded confident child, success will never be far; but the question is, how does one raise a healthy, well-rounded, and confident child? What do they need to provide for this to happen? While a raising child it is never easy, nurturing a healthy, well-rounded, confident child takes much more than the usual effort; it takes balance, patience and the ability to be understanding.

Social problems, such as family poverty, unemployment, crime, discrimination, drug abuse, and poor health care exist in every setting, whether urban, suburban or rural. These problems affect children development and may become a profound obstacle for their growth. That is why understanding all the negative factors of the area of living is vital for parents who want successfully raise their children.

Childhood development encompasses the cognitive, physical, social, moral and emotional changes from birth until the end of adolescence (White, Hayes & Livesey, 2013). Throughout childhood, environment and genetics promote or discourage growth and development. This essay will analyse the cognitive, physical, social, moral and emotional domains in relativity to my own development from the prenatal stage until adolescence. Psychological and environmental theories are used to develop the understanding and connection between each domain and stage of development. Lastly, this essay will address the controversial nature verses nurture debate and its relevance to my childhood development.

Child development is complex because it is influenced by a wide range of factors such as culture. A child’s culture begins to influence them long before they are born. Parents from around the world hold different beliefs and raise their children in unique ways. Cultural norms can greatly affect which values parents consider important and how they share those values with children (Christensen, 2013). The timing of the development of certain skills and characteristics in children, depends on the importance the culture places on them (Buechner, 2015). For example, a good deal of value is placed on academics in many Eastern cultures, and so children spend many hours each day on math and science activities from the time they are very young. But, in the United States children are given a great deal more freedom to express themselves and experiment with things, because we as a society place value on creativity and innovation (O’Sullivan, 2016). In the U.S., the nuclear family is considered the ideal structure for raising children, but in countries like Japan and India, extended family and community members take a much larger role in child care and parenting (Christensen, 2013). Because each child is unique, caregivers need to form partnerships with families in order to meet the developmental and educational needs of their students. According to Copple and Bredekamp (2009) by understanding a child’s culture, early childhood professionals can “make classroom decisions that are