Persona: Delilah is six months old and has been enrolled in your program since she was six weeks old. She lives with her mother Ava and big sister in an apartment in the city of Lansing where they don't know many people.

Ava had a difficult pregnancy - she was sick a lot and continued her habit of drinking wine every night. Ava noted that Delilah sleeps right through the dog barking and doesn't seem to respond to her whispers in her ear or the musical mobile in her room, and her caregiver notices that she is not making vowel sounds like ah and oh. Ava takes Delilah to the pediatrician and learns that she has significant hearing loss in both ears. An audiologist fits her with hearing aids.Delilah is getting used to them and she often pulls them out so the early interventionist suggests they start by just putting in the hearing aids when they are having direct intervention with her and then take them out for a while.

Delilah's father and mother split up before she was born. Ava had to return to work after only six weeks as a result, and she has been overwhelmed with caring for two children on her own. She is not sure how she's going to manage a child with a disability. Due to her work schedule, Ava drops off Delilah quite hurriedly in the morning. She picks Delilah quite often at 5pm, accompanied by her older daughter, Rylee, who is enrolled in the nearby kindergarten program. After the long day, Rylee is often quite hungry and ready to go home, so pick-up time is usually quick as well.

Values Values are basic and fundamental beliefs that guide or motivate actions. They help us to determine what is important to us. The following set of values are ends, goals or purposes people may have in life. Which of these values are most likely to guide YOUR actions? Learning and growing Having fun Adventurous Honesty Feeling connected to others Being creative Being organized and tidy Being independent Being successful Being wealthy Salvation and eternal life Being with Friends Being in nature Fairness Humor Peace in the world Loyalty Working hard Relaxation Protecting the environment Being physically fit Kindness Courage Being open-minded Safety Being respected Service to others Ethical integrity Being with Family An enjoyable, leisurely life Physical and mental health Freedom from inner conflict Social recognition, respect and admiration Attitudes/ Dispositions Self-reflection as an early childhood professional is essential to being a successful teacher. An educator's 'attitude' or 'disposition' is a component that impacts how you approach situations and is connected to your individual temperament. Think about how you approach situations and your outlook. We all demonstrate both positive and negative attitudes. Which are most characteristic of YOU? Accepting Aloof Ambitious Arrogant Caring Cheerful Cheerless Considerate Controlling Cooperative Courageous Decisive Determined Dependent Disorganized Fearful Flexible Forgiving Friendly Focused Frugal Generous Grateful Gives up Gloomy Grumpy Guarded Hard working Honest Indecisive Inflexible Insecure Insincere Intolerant Mistrustful Negative Open minded Optimistic Pessimistic Positive Practical Punctual Realistic Reliable Responsible Self-confident Self-disciplined Sensitive Serious Tolerant TrustingExperiences An experience is an instance of personally encountering or undergoing something in life.

• Identify and Describe Contexts that Impact Development Learning:Learning occurs within multiple contexts, including family, culture, language, community, and early learning settings as well as within a larger society context. Think about the many contexts that impact Delilah and her family. Identify and describe two contexts that are relevant to this child/family and would be most relevant to you as the educator as you make decisions about how to work with them within the classroom and when engaging with the family.
• Discuss a Personal Value, Attitude, or Experience: Using the Personal Values Attitudes and Experiences Handout, identify either a personal value, attitude, or experience that may impact how you perceive Delilah and her family. In your discussion, identify whether you are identifying a value, attitude, or experience. Discuss what it is and how it might impact how you perceive the family, either positively or negatively.