Day 9

Last Monday I was at PSP for a couple hours again and I got to experience bringing the kids outside to the playground! I came in and was immediately put with the infants because there were 6 of them and they were all awake. There were in between 10 and 12 toddlers, except they did not need help yet because most of them were still sleeping from nap time. There was a brand new baby on the infant side that day and she was only six weeks old. She had a full head of straight, dark hair and big brown, curious eyes. I held her for a short while, then she started to fuss so one of the other instructors gave me her bottle. I sat there and fed her for about 15 minutes. She would suck from the bottle, but then her eyes would start to drift off. Slowly but surely, the little angel finally fell asleep.
I passed her off to another instructor for a while because one of the other little boys was lying on the blanket by himself not really doing anything. I held onto him for a while and listened as the toddlers were heading out the door to go to the playground in front of the building. Looking out the window, we could see the toddlers and the two instructors play on the jungle gym. The instructors looked a little overwhelmed, so I set up the baby I was holding in a place where he could reach his toys without too much effort and made my way outside to help them.
The kids were in full force that day. They were running, climbing, and jumping all over the place outside. Kids were taking turns sliding down the slides and crawling through the tubes. There were only a few instances where the kids would hit one another or bite so that they could move their friends out of the way. Some of the kids wanted to be picked up so that they could be held for a short while, but most of them were playing.
I noticed a couple things this time that I felt are worth mentioning. First of all, in regards to holding the children, it is crazy how much trust they have in us. They know we are adults, but they really know nothing else about us. What is amazing is how if the kids want to be held, they will walk up to just about any of us and hold up their arms (obviously indicating to pick them up). They really do not care who it is, but some of them just want to be picked up and held. I think in this daycare setting they feel safe, though.
The parents usually pick up the kids around 4/4:30pm. We were all assuming that the parents get done with work or whatever they are doing and then come and pick up the kids. However, one thing myself and one of the other instructors talked about was how some parents are just hanging around outside while their child is still in daycare waiting to get picked up. The parents that do this are just hanging around, doing nothing. I mean, wouldn't you want to be spending time with your kid as soon as you are able after a long time away from them while you were at work? I do not know what it is like to be a mom, but I think that I would want to pick them up from daycare as soon as I could. I can't really judge the parents because maybe they just need a break, but I feel like standing outside is not a very productive use of your time. These are just some thoughts I have had about parents and the PSP community in relation to the infants/toddlers.

Day 8

So I have to catch up on my last two days at People Serving People. This one will be fairly quick because there was not too much other than the usual happenings last week. I think one of the things that stood out for me last week was the fact that I had not noticed the physical aggression that ensues amongst the toddlers. Either because it always happened when I was not looking or because it just did not start until recently. Probably the first situation, though, because even though it was the first time I had seen any of these toddlers use physical aggression against each other, I witnessed it happening on numerous occasions throughout my two hours there that day.
The reason the kids become agitated with each other usually has something to do with toys and sharing. The way I saw them hurting each other was through biting and hitting, mostly. One of the little girls would bite herself when one of the kids was making her mad, too. The biting is scary to watch because the kids do not really care what happens to their friend as long as they get their toy back. I am sure that they do not want to hurt their friends, but they also do not really understand the value of other human lives and how it is appropriate to interact with others yet.
One of the other things I noticed was the verbal aggression that the kids used with each other. This is also important behavior that the teacher should correct because this is what can get out of hand as the child gets older. One of the little boys was pushing a shopping cart around the play area and got stuck because one of the other kids was in the way. He stopped and yelled, "Get out of my way!" The teacher stopped him and said, "That is not how we talk to our friends! You have to play nice." The little boy quickly understood and said in the sweetest voice ever, "Excuse me." If quickly corrected, they can learn that what they had originally said was not nice and that they need to address their friends nicely.

Day 7

Hey all, I am back! I was on spring break for a while and was not able to get to the shelter the last few Mondays. However, I was able to go this week and I have interesting things to write about… I hope! Mostly concerning a few things I noticed while I was there on Monday.
There were only two infants in the daycare center, so I got sent over to the toddler section again because they had 11 that came in that day. I do not really mind working over there because it is nice to experience both ages. However, it is not always easy. The obvious difference I will note between them is toddlers are just like babies, except for they walk, talk, understand, walk, climb, and walk. Did I mention walk?  So maybe there are more than a few differences, but what is especially nice about babies is that they are easier to keep track of. For example, if you set one in a rocking swing and walk away for a few minutes, chances are the kid is going to still be there when you come back. On the other hand, if you put a toddler on a chair and walk away for a few minutes, chances are that by the time you come back, they have already hopped the border and are sipping a juice box on a sandy beach in Mexico! Moral of the story is to keep a close eye on them at all times.
It was about halfway through my time there and one of the teachers starts to look around rapidly. I quickly noted that the playroom's door was ajar. She asks for a head count and the other instructors and myself start counting. She yells out before I finish that there are only 8. In the moment, it was all very fast. All we know is that two of them already got picked up, so that means one is missing… but who? There are only a few kids who know how to open the "child-safe" door. It has never been a problem before because they are usually pretty good about the rules of not leaving the play area. We all start looking at each of the toddlers faces, trying to figure out who is not present among them. One of the instructors figures it out and races out of the room. She comes back a few agonizing minutes later with one of the little girls being led closely beside her. She got put in time-out and appeared very shaken as she sat there looking at all of us. It was actually really sad to see her like that, but since the door is not the most reliable, the kids need to know that it is not okay to leave the play area without an adult.
Throughout my time there, I have also noticed a few things that break my heart. Some of the toys that these kids are playing with were probably the same toys I was playing with 20 years ago. Not all of them are in bad shape, but there are many that are very beat-up and are very past their "expiration date". The kitchen set is a mix-match of fake bread, an ice cream scoop without the cone, and random dinner plates and cups. The blankets they use during nap-time are ripped and falling apart. I want to change this while I am here. Somehow I want to at least get them new blankets or be able to replace the old toys that they use. Another thing I need to start collecting is baby/toddler clothes. There are a lot of clothes that these kids are using that do not fit them or need to replaced due to being very old. Maybe I can start this through my work at OSLCE? Or maybe I can start something on my own. These are just my thoughts from my past  experience volunteering there, Monday. Time will tell!

Day 6

Upon entering the daycare, I realized the infant side did not need my help because there were about four volunteers already over there. I proceeded to walk over to the toddler side. Most of the kids were either napping or quietly listening to a book being read to them. The little cots in which they take their naps were randomly placed throughout the room. I started out by reading to the ones who were awake. They jumped onto my lap almost automatically and even though they were not always paying attention to the story, they were definitely enjoying having someone pay attention to them. I felt that maybe it was the physical contact that was the important part of listening to an instructor or volunteer read to them. Whether they are sitting on your lap and looking on with you or they put their hand on your leg or arm during the story, I think they are trying to let us know that they are there. One by one the kids were slowly waking up. They would venture over and listen to the stories or they would start bringing out their toys. One of the little girls woke up from her nap and started crying. She looked up at me and reached out her hands. I picked her up and held her as she cried into my shoulder. It was so very sweet and all you can do is just hope that she feels better and can stop crying.
Sometimes while volunteering, I take a moment and look around at all of the babies and toddlers with whom I am working. I look at their adorable and chubby-cheeked faces, their tiny hands, and take note of their waddle when they try to walk. These babies are just like any other babies in the world. They are learning to talk, walk, read, play, share and even just be a little person in society. However, they were born into a different life-style than most other children. These kids are born into this world with hardly anything going for them. The positive thing they have going on in their lives are great caretakers, whether it be parents or their daycare instructors, and a roof over their head as long as they are here at PSP. On the other hand, these kids are born into a challenging lifestyle. They may not get the best education or have nice things growing up. They may also never get the same opportunities  other kids their age are going to get later on in life. It is so heartbreaking, but all I can do is be there for them. They need that emotional and physical connection with their daycare instructors or they could be the ones who slip through the cracks when they get older. 
Having a background in education is really helping me get through the mental barriers and challenges I have when watching these kids. An understanding of how education works gives me the knowledge and preparedness of how to handle communication with the children or doing activities. I have learned that hands-on experiences are the ones they are really going to learn from the most. Stimulating questions that really get their minds going (if they can talk or are learning how to speak). Even teaching them how to play fair and respect their friends is good background knowledge to have when working with them. 
My absolute favorite part of the day was when one of the instructors took down a bucket with a bunch of costumes in it. The kids were grabbing out their favorite animals and asking us to help them put it on. The toddler side turned into a zoo! The kids were running around in lion, giraffe, and dinosaur costumes. This aspect of using their imagination and being something else other than themselves for a little bit was very fun to watch. 
The final thought from this past Monday's experience was bringing back a question I had asked in one of my recent blog postings. It was on Day 4 near the end of the post. I had asked the question: "One point I feel that needs to be brought up from this past Monday after watching the babies, toddlers, and instructors interact is about comfort levels and boundaries. What is the comfort level that we can have with these kids?"
I asked for the opinions of a few different people who were also education majors and I got a varied amount of responses. Some said that if that was their kid, they wouldn't want their baby's daycare provider acting basically like the mom. For example, giving kisses, lots of hugs, or saying "I love you". Others said that maybe the reason that would be okay is because since this is a homeless shelter, (and the family situations may be a little less than ideal) these kids might not get a whole lot of love and attention when back with their families due to a number of possible circumstances. I just found these thoughts interesting and helpful.

Day 5

When I first started here at PSP, I had to do an orientation as you can see when/if you read Day 1. While they were training us on the Early Childhood Development portion, the SBS and SIDS training video did not work. So this past Monday I finally got to watch those informational videos. The training for these situations took a while, but I found it worth the interruption in my time hanging with the babies. If you are a parent or caretaker of an infant, you have to be so careful about shaking them. SBS, or Shaken Baby Syndrome, occurs when a baby is violently shaken back and forth. I know what you are thinking: "I would never 'violently shake' a baby." Unfortunately, it happens more than you think. If you are a parent, you may understand where I am coming from when I say this, but babies can sometimes cry a lot. Sometimes you have tried everything, but nothing seems to comfort the poor child. The video then talked about how some caretakers or parents will become so aggravated that they will shake the baby back and forth to try and silence them. It sounds horrible, but it is reality. The damage done to the neck and brain is usually irreparable. However, the video was helpful because it told us ways to prevent these things from happening. If the crying is too much, make sure the child's basic needs are met and place them in a safe place (like a crib) and feel free to walk away for a little while. The lady in the video said, "It's okay for the child to cry."
Another common fatality among infants is SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. This happens usually when the child is sleeping and the doctors do not really know the cause of it. It's more common among babies that are under 2 years of age. The challenge for this is because it is unpredictable and unpreventable. Learning about these two common situations that happen with infants I found to be very helpful. Not only as a volunteer, but as a future parent. 
While I was doing my usual routine and working with the babies, I noticed that there were two new kids in the group. I don't think we've had the same group of kids twice yet. The littlest one is always there, and one of the little boys keeps coming back, but there are always new kids coming and going. What made me most sad was when I learned the little twin boys were not at the shelter anymore. Families coming and going primarily happens due to the fact that the families that stay at PSP are moving on to something else. Maybe they could not get their application renewed with the county or maybe they are moving on to bigger and better things because they finally got their feet on the ground again. I asked one of the instructors if she also finds it sad when one of the babies leaves the shelter, and instead of hearing a more hopeful statement, she says, "Well not really, because through my experiences here, I have noticed that they usually come back anyways." As a volunteer, I do not get the pleasure of knowing the families more, but I noticed that the full-time instructors really know what's going on around this place. I found what she said fascinating and at the same time heartbreaking. It's too bad that these families get stuck in the same cycle over and over again.

Day 4

This weeks's PSP experience was a little different than the usual Monday afternoon infant child care. The first problem that I encountered was that I ended up being a half hour late for my two hour session because the city bus was running really behind schedule. I guess next time I will have to leave earlier. When I finally arrived, the instructors already had a volunteer on the infant side so I went over to help out in the toddler section. Their ages ranged around 2 and 3. One thing that is good to know about toddlers is that they are more cognitively developed than infants so one who is in charge of care taking them needs to be more engaging with them. They will lose interest faster and know how to use their emotions to get the different things they want or need. 
As I stepped through the enclosed gate to go inside of the toddler area, two of the little girls stopped what they were doing and walked over to me to stare up at me. I am not going to lie, it was a little awkward and uncomfortable to be out of the comfort zone I call the "infant side". After all the kids became adjusted to the idea of me watching over them, they warmed up to me and one of the little girls asked me to read her a story. I sat down in one of the rocking chairs and pulled her up on my lap. She listened attentively to the book about spiders and while we were doing that, the other instructors were setting up the main table for the upcoming shaving cream activity. More like the impending doom shaving cream activity if you ask me.
After we finished reading, I went over and helped the other instructors put on the little red smocks that was supposed to prevent the shaving cream from getting on their clothes. It didn't help. Once all of the kids were suited up, we seated them each in a chair around the table. The kids had a blob of shaving cream in front of them which was in the shape of the first letter of each of their names. They stared at the tempting pile of fluff for about two minutes deciding whether their instructors were actually encouraging them to make a mess or if it was a test. The head instructor made a blob for herself and smacked her hand into it and started to smoosh it around. The kids caught on to the idea and eventually the whole table was white with a clean-smelling shaving cream. Of course all good things must come to an end, so when one of the little girl's face and arms were covered in the white shaving cream, we realized it was time to start cleaning them up. All we could see left of her face was two circles around her eyes and she had even eaten some of it because we realized it was just sitting there in her mouth. The head instructor made her spit it out and the process for cleaning her up was a struggle. 
Then as if my prayers were answered, I got called over to help out on the infant side again because the other volunteer who had been there earlier had to leave. Even though I would not have minded helping out, I was totally okay with dipping out on the cleaning-up portion of the shaving cream activity. I was directed to play with one of the girls who I had never met before. Surprisingly, I realized that almost all of the kids in the room were new except for the one boy I had held the week before. I did not get the chance to ask why there was a new group of kids, but I figured that possibly these ones were just absent from the two weeks before. There has to be about a little over 10 kids involved in the infant child care program, then. However, there could be more. 
The second half of my volunteering time was just about as interesting as the first. As I was playing with the little girl, I started to smell a very foul odor. I looked at the girl and thought maybe I had not noticed it at first, but maybe she has a smell to her. I do not have "mommy instincts" necessarily hardwired into my programming yet, so I was not really sure of the source. After a while, the stench became too much to bear and so I took a glance down at her pants, which of course showed evidence of a "blow out". If you have never heard of a blow out, this is where the "nasty-nasty" (for use of a "better" word) kind of explodes from the diaper. I am so sorry if this is TMI, but I honestly was a little traumatized myself and felt the need to share because I am working with babies. I'm honestly surprised this is the first time it's happened. I immediately sent her off with one of the instructors and they told me to hold one of the other babies. The next one I held was already sleeping so I just continued to rock her until she woke up. After about a half hour, she opened her eyes very slowly and looked up at me. I smiled at her and she smiled right back. This is probably my most favorite part in working with infants. I proceeded to talk to her and make her smile with the random stuff I was saying because I was trying to engage her more through her expressions. This is what I feel we actually should be doing with them instead of just trying to get them to stop crying and then let them be until they start up the crocodile tears once again.
One point I feel that needs to be brought up from this past Monday after watching the babies, toddlers, and instructors interact is about comfort levels and boundaries. What is the comfort level that we can have with these kids? I understand that there is love for the children from the instructors after working with the same kids for so long, but I am just curious as to what do the parents want for their children, and how can we as instructors show love without it being too much.

Day 3

Monday's volunteer experience was just as great as the first. I have really been enjoying my time here and I am so happy that I have been able to impact the lives of these little ones. During this last one, my main job was to hold one of the little boys. All of the kids (except for the littlest one) were very sick and they all had runny noses and coughs. The one I was holding was sick, too and I got to hold him while he was drinking his bottle. While this was going on, there was a mom in the room nursing with the youngest baby. I was told that the littlest one has trouble drinking out of a bottle, so her mom needs to come in to nurse her in the afternoons. There was also one other woman in the room who I did not recognize and she seemed to be a nurse or a clinician of some sort. The nurse was asking the mom questions while she was nursing and although I couldn't hear what she was asking her, it was most likely about helping the new mom care for her baby.
The one I was holding fell asleep in a funny position on my lap and it was adorable. He was laying on my lap, but he was tummy up with his head on the top of my knees and had his legs near my stomach. He fell asleep while looking at the decorative ceiling lights. He woke up really startled at one point and looked around, but then fell immediately back to sleep. One of the twins was sitting in the corner of the play area in between a cabinet and the corner of the wall. He looked comfortable, but he was watching us and playing with the toy he brought with him. There weren't as many babies there this time as there were last time because I think that since it was President's day, the parents did not think that the daycare was open. 
Snack time is my favorite time to watch the babies because they all sit in the special table in their seats lined up next to each other. The instructor will put food in front of them and they will eat theirs and even snatch some from their friend next to them. The instructor will read them books and also give them each a toy to play with, but most of them just end up throwing it on the floor anyways. I feel like the goal of this place is to have content babies, not necessarily to educate them, but more to make sure none of them are crying. I have never truly experienced raising a baby so I have no idea about the different ways they can be educated at this age. It's just an observation I made from last Monday. Should we be doing more than just trying to keep them from crying and staying distracted until they get picked up?