Human Services Issue Memorandum Essay

I am presenting this letter of memorandum, as I would like to solicit the attention of the upper management department in our organization regarding a certain issue that I believe is important for the effectiveness of our purpose and visionary goal. I sincerely believe that each and every personnel associated in this social service organization are very much concerned with the significant effects of our activities for the society’s benefits and thus we want to do everything to our abilities and resources to improve the results towards our goals. Considering the previous statistical results gathered through our client’s feedbacks, we could say that our organization indeed has functioned effectively in our servitude with the societies that we have determined to be in need of our expertise and service. However, I have uncovered a certain issue that is significant to our field of childcare that I believe can significantly promote the success and effectiveness of our organization and thus, I am presenting this now through this memorandum. Our field of childcare has primarily focused on the aspects of nurturing the children, addressing their needs and developing a suitable environment that can foster a healthy lifestyle for these young individuals. Because of which, as related to this field of childcare, I believe that the issue presented in a recent study regarding the influences and effects of media particularly television programs to the children must be incorporated to our organization’s concerns and approaches. As gathered through the research study, too much television access for the children can have an adverse effect to their young bodies and minds. Some of which, as determined by this study is the psychological irritability of the child, sleeplessness, early exposure to violence and mature scenario leading to the exploitation of the imagination of the child and other adverse health conditions. Because of which, I believe that our organization must incorporate this issue in our campaigns and programs through launching an information awareness drive to educate the parents and other concerned adults regarding the adverse effects of early television access. As our primary concern is childcare, I sincerely believe that we must also be concerned with this issue and some parents and guardians are still not yet aware or fully convinced with this fact. As I have observed in some of our campaign drives and programs, children watching television programs at an early age is a common practice in our society. Parents, due to their busy schedules and hectic lifestyles are neglecting the fact that their young children are already fully focus on varieties of television programs manifesting some of the previously mentioned symptoms. On the long run particularly if yet unattended, this can cause a tragic condition for these young children and thus organization must react upon this issue. As our organization has already established a reliable name in the aspect of childcare social services, I believe that this group and its activities can be a very effective medium in spreading the facts about the said issue. Indeed, through incorporating the said issue regarding the negative effects of television programs to the young minds of the children, we can convince the parents and concerned adults to react upon this matter thus, protecting the children against the adverse effect of this issue as similar to the primary purpose and goals of this child care social service organization, Human Service Personnel Institute of Child Care Social Services http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_48893. html. TV Use Pervasive Among Tiniest Tots Almost two-thirds of kids under 2 watch TV daily, study finds HealthDay Monday, May 7, 2007 MONDAY, May 7 (HealthDay News) — Parents don’t seem to be heeding expert pediatrician guidelines that urge a ban on TV watching for their very youngest children. The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends that children 2 and under watch no TV at all. However, a new study finds that on a typical day, only 37 percent of children between zero and 2 years old watch no television, and as many as one in five youngsters under 2 even have a television placed in their bedrooms. More than half (54 percent) of these tiny tots could turn on the TV themselves. â€Å"I understand the AAP’s stance, because we don’t yet know the neurological implications of screen time in young children,† said the study’s author, Elizabeth Vandewater, associate director of the population research center and an associate professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas in Austin. On the other hand, she said, â€Å"I don’t think the guidelines are realistic. † The study’s findings weren’t all bad. Vandewater found that just over half of 3- to 4-year-olds and 70 percent of 5- and 6-year-olds watched no more than the recommended limit of two hours daily. In the 3 to 6 age group, TV in the bedroom became more common, with about one-third having a set in the bedroom. The findings were published in the May issue of Pediatrics. To learn more about actual viewing habits in young children, Vandewater and her colleagues surveyed 1,051 parents of young children during 2005. They asked about media use, whether or not there was a TV in the bedroom, and also about other activities, such as reading and playing outdoors, to see if TV use was supplanting other pursuits. On an average day, three-quarters of children watched at least some television, and about one-third watched videos or DVDs, the study found. The average viewing time was one hour and 20 minutes, which falls within the AAP guideline of no more than one to two hours for children over 3. The researchers didn’t find that TV typically displaced other activities, such as reading or outdoor play. However, Vandewater said that in previous research she’s conducted, she has found that TV may replace time spent interacting with parents. â€Å"It’s important to remember that if you turn off the TV, the assumption is that the family will spend time together, but that’s not always true. They might find other things to do separately,† she said. â€Å"It’s also important that we don’t assume all time spent with parents is good, quality time. If parents are under stress, that’s not necessarily a good time to be together, and it might not be so bad to pop in a video for a half an hour,† Vandewater said. She also commiserated with parents who might find the â€Å"no TV† rule tough to adhere to. â€Å"Media and technology are not going away,† Vandewater said. â€Å"They’re part of the backdrop of our everyday lives — TV stands are now standard living room furniture. So, we need to figure out how to give advice that’s workable. † Dr. Christopher Lucas, director of the early childhood service at the New York University Child Study Center in New York City, agreed that it’s difficult to keep children under 2 from watching any TV, because TV has become so ubiquitous in American life. â€Å"The guidelines seem out of sync with what the reality is,† said Lucas. Neither Vandewater or Lucas is specifically advocating TV watching for young children. Instead, they’re just acknowledging that it does occur and that there’s currently no evidence to prove that it’s harmful. Lucas said to be helpful, TV needs to be put into context for children. â€Å"Unsupervised, passive watching probably isn’t helpful, but educational media — when watched with parents or another caregiver — could be helpful,† he said. Both Vandewater and Lucas were concerned about the growing trend of TVs in children’s bedrooms. Most often, parents interviewed in the study said they put a TV set in their kid’s room because it freed up other TVs in the house for parental use. â€Å"There is a growing body of literature showing that TV in the bedroom is related to a host of negative outcomes. I would strongly urge parents not to put TV in a child’s bedroom,† said Vandewater. â€Å"There’s this belief that TV is helpful to children and may soothe them, but TV activates the brain and actually makes it more difficult to sleep,† explained Lucas. Vandewater’s final advice? â€Å"Media is a treat. Like any other treat, it’s best in moderation. † HealthDay Copyright (c) 2007 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.