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MAKING YOUR VOICE HEARD IN THE WORKPLACE WHEN YOU WORK INVOLVES YOU WORKING WITH CHILDREN. CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE AND THIS WEBSITE SHOWS HOW AS EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS THE VOICE IS NEEDED IN THE WORKPLACE TO MAKE DECISIONS. THEY WANT ANYONE WHO IS WORKING WITH CHILDREN TO BE ABLE TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS THAT WOULD BE BEST FOR THE CHILDREN AND PARENTS WHO ARE INVOLVED. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TRAINING MODELS YOU CAN TAKE ON THIS WEBSITE THAT CAN LEAD TO LEADERSHIP SKILLS. THE INTENDED AUDIENCE OF THIS WEBSITE IS INDIVIDUALS WHO WORK WITH CHILDREN. THIS COULD INCLUDE TEACHERS, ASSISTANT TEACHERS, DIRECTORS, STATE OR LOCAL ADVOCATES, FACULTY MEMBER AT A COLLEGE, A TRAINER OR ADULT EDUCATOR, AND A PARENT OR GRANDPARENT. THIS WEBSITE IS EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THIS WEBSITE WORKS WELL WITH WHAT WE HAVE BEEN LEARNING IN CLASS. IT HELPS YOU WITH YOUR WORK WITH YOUR CHILDREN BY HELPING YOU TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY SKILLS. THEY WANT TO HELP MAKE BETTER JOBS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS. THIS REMINDS ME OF THE READING ASSIGNMENTS THAT INVOLVED PARENTS INVOLVEMENT IN CHILD CARE. LACK OF CHILDCARE CAN BE A HUGE PROBLEM FOR THE PRESENT AND FUTURE FOR THE CHILD AND THE COMMUNITY. I DEFINITELY FEEL THIS WEBSITE IS VERY CREDIBLE. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT CONTACT NUMBERS TO GET MORE INFORMATION. ALSO IT READS THAT THE WEBSITE IS A PROJECT OF THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION. THIS ASSOCIATION IS EASILY FOUND ELSEWHERE BESIDES THE WEBSITE I AM REVIEWING.

I read that as if you were yelling at me the whole time. Perhaps try and check caps lock next time Teri. You can also edit your posts and fix that by the way. Does sound like a useful website though, good review!

I really enjoyed this website because they have their mission statement on their home page to show everyone what this page is all about. I also like how they address that children are the future and without them, there will not be a future. They stress that now more than ever voices are needed at the workforce for decisions on planning and funding. This website has good credibility and was easy to navigate through. Great job!

The website I chose to review for this paper is http://www.familysupportamerica.org/. I really have no clue as to who created this site or who is involved in contributing to the website. The "About Us" page simply states, "Here at Family Support America, we are dedicated to providing the information, support, and connections that families need to survive. Whether you have questions about child abuse, alcoholism, disciplining children, divorce, or other topics related to families, we can help. And if we cannot help, we will direct you to someone who can." They give absolutely no clue as to who they are at Family Support America. Are they a group of parents, business owners, teachers, or what? Also, the contact page gives the following contact information, "Email admin@familysupportamerica.org Mail 307 W 200 S Suite 2004 Salt Lake City, 84101" This also gives the viewer absolutely no clue as to the identity of the webmaster. I can only assume that they intended audience is parents, but even that isn't real clear. I guess the topics of childcare, child abuse and education are what led me to this conclusion. The homepage does little to excite me. The second paragraph talks about feeding your children only additive-free foods and avoid high-fructose corn syrup and products with MSG. They also suggest you avoid giving your kids juice. Already, I hate the site for feeling the need to counsel me on what to feed my children. I'm not against healthy foods, but I believe that all additives are not bad and as long as I feed these to my children in moderation, they'll be ok. At the bottom of the homepage are links to other websites. These sites are not labeled as supporters of this site, but the absurd collection and lack of relativity make me believe they must be sponsors, otherwise, what does dancewear, micro-bead pillows and scrubs have to do with F

And, here's the rest.... what does dancewear, micro-bead pillows and scrubs have to do with Family Support America? The links down the left page of the home page do provide some valuable information. They also link to some credible websites that offer more information than this parent site. Also, though, at the bottom of each page there is another ad for some product or business that is irrelevant in my opinion. The "Links and Resources" page does not have any working links. Also, the "FAQ" page is blank. The copyright date at the bottom of each page is 2011 so it's quite possible that the site is still under construction. The site has a consistent layout, but that's about the only thing positive I have to say about it. I don't think this website is a very good example of one that focuses on balancing work and home issues. Its main focus seems to be on preventing stress and child abuse at home. These are credible issues, but I don't think this site offers much useful information than the basics. I would not recommend this website to any one.

Erika - I had a very similar experience with my site, http://www.weareoneillinois.org/ They gave little information as to who actually started the site or who maintains it, other than the fact that mine listed a group of entities that support the movement now. Also, to digress quickly, it looks like we are all posting in different ways somehow. The site seems to distinguish between 'bookmark' and 'topic'. When I click 'topic' (under 'Filter' towards the top of the screen) it shows only my two posts, suggesting that everyone else made a 'bookmark', whatever that actually means. Anyway I thought you gave a good review to what sounds like a pretty bad website. If a website administrator is not finished with any part of a site, he/she should have the decency to post a 'coming soon' or something similar. I am somewhat curious because of how poor you made it sound as to who is running it and if they have any idea what they're doing frankly.

Website Overview: Workingmother.com was established in 1979. When you're a working mother, you need all the help you can get in order to achieve any semblance of work- life balance. Working mothers is a great website to turn to when in need of tips and advice about situations you are facing. The website covers tips, ideas, and inspiration to help working moms balance household, family, and "me time". This website is all-encompassing and covers family life and work life. It also covers the "Three F's": fashion, finances, and food. Today, every working mother has her own bag of tricks, sanity techniques, or survival gear. They now have an indispensable new resource, The Working Mom Survival Guide. This survival guide entails anything from time-saving tips to family travel, as well as, food and nutrition. Intended Audience: The intended audience for workingmother.com is the average working mother in today's society. Today, 26 million mothers, more than 72% of all moms in the United States today, work full or part-time. These mothers need this website to help guide them along in balancing their work and family time. Working mothers can get on the website and learn tips on how to balance their family life and how to incorporate their career in a positive manner. This material is accessible to the general public on-line. Relationship to work, family, community class: When it comes to finding balance between work and family, everyone chooses a different path in life. Whether you chose to be a stay at home mom, work part-time, or work full-time, every mother has a different story. The website relates to work and family by showing how these working mothers can balance their work and family life together. It relates to community by giving all working mothers an opportunity to interact with each other on the website. The website let's working mothers share tips, advice, and ideas for balancing their everyday life. Workingmothers.com originates from the magazine W

The Working Mother website has different categories such as tools for mothers, top time categories for mothers, blogs from moms, and an online organizer for busy mothers. With the title of the website in consideration, the intended audience would be working mothers. In other cases, this website could be appealing to single working fathers, or any other kind of guardian. A majority of the topics are revolve and focused directly to busy mothers who work and take care of the home. However, I also believe that this site could be useful to any busy parent. On another note, some tools and offers are feminine, such as fashion ideas, and beauty tips. This site has a lot of advertisement about projects for mothers to use, and make their lives better. Whereas the blogs are from users and authors of the website, which do have credible stories and experiences. The Working Mother website includes many different articles, blogs, tips, ideas, and much more to offer. One could find this site very useful, when used in a correct way. After reviewing this website, and looking back at what I have learned from Work, Family, and Community, I understand why sites like this exist. Mothers are trying to fulfill two huge roles now, businesswoman, and super mom. People are noticing this, and the stress that comes with it, so they build off that and create things, such as this site, to help the busy moms. This website is entertainment, along with useful information for those busy mothers.

I thought that some of the suggestions and articles I found at this website were great. It seems like they have a lot of helpful organizational tools and advice to offer working moms. One criticism I have is about the image that it projects that working moms should have. One of the top articles that you see right now when you go to their website is about top holiday fashions. Every item in their list is ridiculously expensive, for example, a $345 pencil skirt that the editors recommend and "love". Also, there is a list of the "Most Powerful Moms of 2011", and of course, who is featured as the first photo? A celebrity, Tina Fey. I'm not calling the website evil, I just thought I would point out that some of these little details may actually create more pressure on working moms. Not only do they need to balance work and family, but apparently they have to be able to afford the best clothes and compare themselves to celebrities.

Maternal Employment and Nonmaternal Care During the Early Years 1. URL: org http://www.epi.org/publication/briefingpapers_124/ Economic Policy Institute - www.epi.org---- Working mothers in a double bind: Working moms, minorities have the most rigid schedules, and are paid less for the sacrifice By Elaine McCrate | May 1, 2002 By Elaine McCrate | May 1, 2002 2. Intended Audience: Low, working and middle class income workers, graduate and post-graduate students and working women of all ethnic classes. 3. Website overview: The economic policy institute is a think tank as it's name suggests and it conducts research and engages in the following areas: non-profit, non-partisan issues. It was officially established in 1986 and it's intent was to propose solutions that will defend and ameliorate the minimal pay and harsh working condition of the low and middle class worker. The EPI serves as the voice of the working class people. The sole purpose of Economic Policy institute is to bring forth awareness concerning economic policies and how these economic policies are benefiting the needs of low, working and middle-income workers. One of EPI beliefs is that every working person, regardless of wage status deserves equality in terms of fair pay and working conditions. Their method of impregnating the public perception with accurate and timely knowledge according to the EPI website is by "producing a plethora of research papers and policy analyses; sponsors conferences and seminars; briefs policy makers at all levels of government; provides technical support to national, state, and local constituency and advocacy organizations; testifies before national, state, and local legislatures; and provides information and background to the media." According to the website, the EPI values are: EPI Values * Helping Working People Economic policy should focus on improving conditions for working people. * Truth and Accuracy Matter EPI research should be honest and rigorous. *

1. URL: http://parenthood.library.wisc.edu/Hoffman/Hoffman.html 2. Website Name: The Effects of the Mother's Employment on the Family and the Child Lois Wladis Hoffman, PhD Professor Emerita, Department of Psychology University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 3. Intended Audience: Graduated and Post-grad students, sociologist and economist, single-fathers, single-mothers, divorced fathers and mother, and gay people. 4. Website overview: The University of Wisconsin-Madison General Library System publishes Parenthood. Parenthood in America offers a wide range of topics that focus on the development of children; issues pertaining to work and family; the impact that society has on both children and parents; supporting family and neighborhoods and community resources for families. Overall, this website covers the same topics that were co covered in class this semester. The authors offer an array of wisdom concerning the issues that was covered in class and gives advice on and a logical insight for those in search of knowledge in regards to family and work issues. 5. Article review: The focus of the following article is on the maternal employment and its effects on families and children. Most of the studies concerning maternal employment effects on families and children have its foundation dating back to the 1950's. The statistics was tabulated over a 5-decade period and what it reveals is that a major social change in the United States has occurred in regards to maternal employment over this time span. These statistics is becoming obsolete due to the fact that previous studies conducted in the past are not found in more recent research because of changes in family patterns or in the larger society. Lois Hoffman writes that these changes did not occur in a socioeconomic vacuum; rather maternal employment rates have been accompanied by many other social changes that interact with it. The impetus that has caused this phenomenon is the fluxional nature of family l

Website Overview: Flex+Strategy Group's website is extremely basic and clean, showing employers that they don't want to waste their time or dazzle them with showiness. The website is easy to find one's way around and is laid out in more of a site map fashion than anything else and it has very few embedded photos. This appearance says, "we don't need smoke and mirrors, we get you results." They present their mission statement, in a dissected way on one page, that quickly describes benefits which specifically cater to the employer as opposed to the employee, which I find very smart. They include links to a few actual business plans they created and implemented for their clientele, which includes huge corporations that everyone's heard of such as Quaker/Tropicana and the U.S Navy. Who wouldn't want to participate in a plan that such successful companies have implemented? To the left as you click through the website are non-invasive testimonials super imposed over the words "transform, inspire, move." There are tabs along the top to help you drill down, more specifically, to other areas or, depending on who you are, portals that apply to just you. Intended Audience: The intended audience is obviously employers who may be curious about flexing their staff but most likely have a somewhat closed-minded approach because the website is very much trying to sell whoever is looking at it on the idea and the fact that they need a consulting service to accomplish the task. Relationship to work, family, community class: A large portion of our class was spent discussing the points at which families and work intersect and how they are usually an inverse property to one another and how more time spent at one detracts from the other in a negative way. We've read about how our society is affected when employers are not understanding about people needing to be home for their children at certain times and in certain instances and also to care for

This was a great website Becky! The Credit Union that I work for recently acquired a Credit Union in California that offered a great deal of flexibility in the workplace. They offered babies in the workplace, flexible schedules, and people to work out of their homes to save them an hour commute. The employees really appreciated that their employer put their needs first.

This is an OUTSTANDING website and I am so glad you shared this with us. I really particularly liked the "tips" for individuals. It is so true when they say small changes in your "fit" can make a difference and that you often don't want to work less, but differently. Even small changes can make a big difference. I'm reminded of the "Amerco" employees we read about who, even with flexible workplace options, still ended up working long hours. Even tweaking things a bit can make a big difference. I remember when I once had to start work at 7:15 a.m. My daughter was experiencing a lot of challenges and, due to me having to get to work so early, she often had to make it to school on her own. Because of this, she was late to class many times due to falling back asleep after I woke her up. When I dropped her off at school, she would have to wait outside (in the freezing cold during winter) for over half an hour before someone could let her inside the building. My work start time really caused me a lot of anxiety regarding my daughter... either worrying that she was alone in the cold or sleeping in bed when she should have been on her way to school. I asked my boss if I could change my start time to 7:30 and stay 15 minutes later. She agreed and things worked out to where I was able to drop my daughter off at the bus stop where many of her classmates also waited for the bus. That greatly eased my stress level and anxiety over my daughter's safety. Just something as simple as starting work 15 minutes later worked wonders.