Helen Gordon Child Development Center
Bio:
Hello, My name is Megan Heath and I am a student at Portland State University, taking my Senior Capstone, Effective Change Agent course for Winter 2020. I am volunteering at Helen Gordon Child Development Center (HGCDC), a center who provides child care for students and faculty at Portland State University. In this Weebly page I have created, I will discuss the history and background of Helen Gordon Child Development Center, how they see their childcare as a support for students staff and their community. I will also discuss why I became a volunteer and why I see their work as important for the Portland Community.
I have been dedicated to work with children all my life and my career goals have always included working in a setting where I feel children can express themselves. Currently, I want to obtain my Master’s of Counseling and be a licensed Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapist. I also will be majoring in Spanish, Social Science and minoring in Child, Youth, and Family Studies.
Hello, My name is Megan Heath and I am a student at Portland State University, taking my Senior Capstone, Effective Change Agent course for Winter 2020. I am volunteering at Helen Gordon Child Development Center (HGCDC), a center who provides child care for students and faculty at Portland State University. In this Weebly page I have created, I will discuss the history and background of Helen Gordon Child Development Center, how they see their childcare as a support for students staff and their community. I will also discuss why I became a volunteer and why I see their work as important for the Portland Community.
I have been dedicated to work with children all my life and my career goals have always included working in a setting where I feel children can express themselves. Currently, I want to obtain my Master’s of Counseling and be a licensed Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapist. I also will be majoring in Spanish, Social Science and minoring in Child, Youth, and Family Studies.
History:
Past:
Philosophy and Mission:
Past:
- Childcare began at Portland State University in 1971 as the result of efforts of a small, yet strong and committed group of student mothers who staged a sit-down in the university President's office. A small program began with twenty children housed in the basement of Smith Memorial Center.
- The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
- Fruit and Flower Mission was originally in the HGCDC building which was the first child care program in Oregon. The charge was ten cents a day and they provided care from infancy to age seven.
Fruit and Flower Link:
https://www.fruitandflower.org/about/
- Housed on the third floor the program has also grown to include a Master’s specialization in early childhood education and a PSU Remida Center-a learning center for material sustainability in education, the arts and architecture.
- HGCDC enrolls over 200 children aged 4 months to 5 years.
Philosophy and Mission:
- As a university campus-based early childhood center, our goal is to provide an exemplary program for the enrolled children and their families as well as the academic and professional community.
- Our program encourages positive peer and social relations, development of critical thinking skills, and facilitates the development of self-esteem by fostering independence and problem-solving skills.
Link to Helen Gordon Main Webpage: - https://www.pdx.edu/helen-gordon-center/
Why I chose to volunteer:
Understanding of Change:
- I get the opportunity to work with a diverse community who are all active in obtaining the knowledge to create effective change in their world.
- I get to work with children and understand their thoughts processes, help them manage emotional skills, and be a guide in their life.
- Seek opportunities to gain experience working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive settings with a willingness to change for continual improvement.
- Understanding how the classroom functions and to maintain a safe classroom environment.
- Be an advocate for fellow student teachers as well as children and provide a learning environment for all
Understanding of Change:
- Providing an environment for the children to be able to express themselves in many ways, but in particular through their artwork.
- With this environment, I am able to help children regulate emotions and understand where they come from.
- I have continued documentation of children’s artwork and write responses as part of my Capstone experience.
- Inquiry and Critical Thinking- Students will learn various modes of inquiry through interdisciplinary curricula—problem-posing, investigating, conceptualizing—in order to become active, self-motivated, and empowered learners.
- Communication- Students will enhance their capacity to communicate in various ways—writing, graphics, numeracy, and other visual and oral means—to collaborate effectively with others in group work, and to be competent in appropriate communication technologies.
- Diversity, Equity and Social Justice- Students will explore and analyze identity, power relationships, and social justice in historical contexts and contemporary settings from multiple perspectives.
- Ethics, Agency, & Community- Students will examine values, theories and practices that inform their actions, and reflect on how personal choices and group decisions impact local and global communities.
Portland State University University Goals Link:
https://www.pdx.edu/unst/university-studies-goals