My Role As An Advocate

What motivated you to start advocating for very young children?

When I began my journey into the early childhood field my three young children were my biggest motivation.  When my children were very young I was a single mother who was struggling to go back to school and obtain early child care and education for my girls.  After I entered into the early childhood field my motivation remained my children but began to include the families high-quality early childhood care and education programs serve.  I have seen as well as experienced the impact that the early childhood field has on families. 

Why is it essential to acknowledge and foster advocacy efforts at the micro level as well as the macro level?

I believe it is essential to acknowledge and foster advocacy efforts at the micro and macro levels so that both levels can partner and collaborate together to create high-quality programs and services for young children and their families.  The micro level must feel acknowledged and know that they are being heard and appreciated while the macro level must have a clear understanding of the needs of young children and their families.

What does it take to be a community leader on early childhood issues?

To be a community leader on early childhood issues it takes passion, persistence, commitment, and openness to work with a diverse group of individuals and organizations.  Community leaders must be able to communicate well with diverse groups and individuals, build relationships, and be persistent in their efforts to educate their community on the importance of early childhood issues.  They must also be passionate about the issues that affect young children and their families. 

What resources does it take to be a State leader on early childhood issues?

The resources that a State leader on early childhood issues need include funding, advocacy networks, professional organizations, and communication skills.  State leaders on early childhood issues must partner with preschools, teachers, professional organization, early childhood programs, and parents to ensure that they have a full understanding of the needs at the local levels.

What tactics or strategies do you use to mobilize others?

Tactics or strategies that I utilize to mobilize others include sharing email alerts from professional organizations, sharing information on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, and meeting with other professionals to share ideas for advocating. 

What advice would you give to someone who was interested in taking a leadership role in advocacy for young children and their families?

Advice that I would give to someone who was interested in taking a leadership role in advocacy for young children and their families is to remember that their will be challenges, that sometimes your views may not be popular, and that you must maintain site of your long term goal: providing quality programs and services for all young children and their families.  I would also advice them to stay current on legislative policies and legislation that affect young children and their families, and to build relationships with community leaders.  It is important to remember that change does not come easily but in the end it is well worth the work.  In the words of Herbert Hoover: "Children are our most valuable resource." 

Personal Advocacy Reflection

Eight years ago when I moved to Indiana I was a single mother with two small children.  I enrolled my children into the local Head Start program.  I remember the day Ms. Cheryl contacted me and told me they were both accepted into the program.  Ms. Cheryl took the time to talk to me and build a relationship with me after my girls were enrolled.  She encouraged me to create a goal for myself and my family.  The goal I created was to continue my education.  Ms. Cheryl was always available for support and guidance.  She did not take over or make any of the phone calls for me that I needed to make but rather gave me the tools to do these things myself.  She offered to let me use the computer and phones at the local Center, followed up with me on my progress and celebrated my successes with me.

Years, later when my son was born and it was clear by the age of 2 that he had hearing and speech issues it was again Ms. Cheryl who assisted me in getting him services and entering into Head Start when he turned three.  When it was clear that my son would need his teachers to use sign language in order to communicate it was again Ms. Cheryl who advocated for the teachers in his classroom to learn and utilize sign language.  She brought in materials for the teachers as well as for my family and ensured that he would be able to communicate with staff and his teachers.

Without Ms. Cheryl's support and encouragement I am not sure that I would have continued my education or even be where I am today.  I also believe that my son would have had a much harder time communicating with his teaches and the staff at the local program with out Ms. Cheryl.  I am sure that if you asked her she would not consider herself an advocate at all but she truly assisted me and my family in becoming self-reliant.

The impact that Ms. Cheryl's advocacy efforts had on me and my family inspired me to pursue Public Policy and Advocacy as my Specialization when pursuing my Master's Degree.  She also inspired me to pursue my current position as an Early Head Start Home Visitor which allows me to personally interact and impact the lives of young children and families.  I only hope that I can touch some one's life as much as Ms. Cheryl has touched my families.

Tools for Policy Makers and Advocates - Week 1

I look forward to learning more about the tools and strategies that advocates can use to impact policies and change within their own communities and the early childhood field.  I believe everyone can make a difference and that together we can have a tremendous impact. 

I believe strongly that all children deserve high-quality comprehensive care and education.  I have worked in Head Start / Early Head Start for the past five years and have been fortunate enough to see the impact these programs have on families and young children.  In fact, Head Start is the reason I decided to go back to school and continue my own education. 

I hope that I can have an impact in my own community and can continue to grow and learn more about Public Policy and Advocacy.

When I reflect on my collegial, professional learning community....

When I reflect on my collegial, professional learning community I think of all of the support and encouragement I have received throughout my experience.  The feedback I receive from my colleagues and fellow students has given me better insights and understanding of the issues and challenges that the early childhood faces.  I have a better understanding of the impact I can have on the early childhood field as an advocate.  I have learned that we are not alone in our fight for quality, funding, and better services for young children and families.

One of my goals is to use my collegial experience to inspire my advocacy in the early childhood field. I plan to continue to draw from the support and experiences of those I have worked and studied with to assist me in advocating for better quality services for all children.  I believe all young children and their families have a right to high-quality childcare and education.  I hope to continue to connect with my fellow students even after our program has ended.   You have all been a great source of inspiration, hope, and encouragement to me throughout my program. 

My Hypothetical Family Situation

My family is a blended two parent family with three children.  There are two girls and the newest addition a little brother, Emerson.  Mom and Dad were recently married last year, both the girls refer to their stepfather as Dad as he has been with Mom for several years and their biological fathers are not present.  Mom and Dad were told prenatally that Emerson would be born with a cleft palate.  Emerson arrived at the end of November with a bilateral cleft palate. 

A bilateral cleft palate is the incomplete formation of the lip and the pallet.  This requires extensive surgeries and the therapies.  Initially the infant will require a feeding tube as they are unable to suck.  Sometimes cleft palate occurs as part of a syndrome and other times it is simply genetic.  Until Emerson was born it was impossible to know the extent of the cleft palate or whether it was part of a syndrome or genetic.  Testing was done immediately after birth and it was determined that Emerson’s cleft palate was due to genetics only.

Babies with a cleft palate require initially feeding tubes, syringe feeding after surgeries, multiple surgeries to repair the lip and palate, dental repair, and speech therapy. 

Emerson’s family is a low-income family. Due to Emerson’s special needs the family has decided to have Dad stay home with Emerson while Mom returned to work as a Preschool Teacher.  Since there are no childcare facilities in their area that could meet the special needs for Emerson’s feeding issues both parents feel better if one of them is home with him until his surgeries are complete and feeding is no longer an issue.  Part of Emerson’s feeding issues is maintaining a very specific feeding schedule and ensuring that Emerson has a specific amount of formula or breast milk each day, increasing the amount each week.

Dad is from Honduras and Spanish is his primary language, with English being his second language.  Mom is learning Spanish but her primary language is English.  Dad speaks both English and Spanish to all of the children in the household.  The family has been impacted by sociocultural context of being a blended multicultural family.  Economic cutbacks to early intervention and early childhood services have impacted the family by the lack of services of available in their area.

 Early childhood services that would support my family would include: early intervention services, pediatric specialists, special needs early childhood care and education, and mental health services for the family. 

The Political Will To Improve Early Childhood Systems

My program of study has made me aware of many more organizations that can assist people in advocating to their local Congressmen and Senators for Early Childhood Programs.  As a member of the National Head Start Association (NHSA) I am updated on upcoming important bills that may affect Early Childhood Education and Programs.  This site also gives me step by step directions on how to write my local Congressmen and Senators.  Other sites like, Voices for America's Children, also keeps me informed.  Through this site I can sign petitions as well as write my local legislators.  I can also share these petitions and letters with friends, family, coworkers, and local community members through Facebook and Twitter.

When legislators are bombarded with letters and petitions they learn what is important to their voters.  Individuals can make an enormous impact in legislation just by banning together and writing and calling their local legislators.

Websites like those I have listed have shown me that even one person can make a difference.  You can advocate and share information with others on a local level and impact your local communities.  I like that you can share this information via social media as well as through printed materials. 

When I began this course of study I was not sure how much of an impact I could have as an advocate and was not even certain that I was cut out to be an advocate.  Now I feel more confident in my abilities to make a difference and in being able to impact my local community.

As Ghandi stated "be the change you want to see you want to see in the world".

Parent, Family, & Community Engagement

Why involvement opportunities for parents and families benefit young children, families, and the early childhood field?

Involvement opportunities provide a multitude of benefits for young children, families, and the early childhood field.  For parents and families it giving them the opportunity to become involved and engaged in their child's education allows them to learn how to advocate for their child.  It helps to prepare them for when their child transitions into public schools.  For young children, they get to see their parents actively involved in their school, share experiences with their parents and families, and tells them that they are important, building their self esteem.  For the early childhood field it is a way for the field to demonstrate and educate parents and families on the importance of early childhood experiences, growth, development, and learning.

My opinion regarding why or why not parent / family involvement is an essential element for all strands of service in the early childhood field.

In my own personal opinion family involvement / engagement is an essential component of all strands of service in the early childhood field.  Families and their young children are what make up the early childhood field.  It is essential that they partner with early childhood professionals in order to build high-quality care and education services for their children.  When families are a part of the process they become involved in their child's education, research shows that children have a higher school success rate when their parents are involved in their education.

As a past Head Start parent I have to say that Head Start had a major impact on my life and my children's lives.  Both of my girls, and later my son, went to Head Start and from participating in the parent committees and volunteering in the Center and Classrooms it made me more aware of how important early childhood experiences and learning is for young children.  I went back to school after my son was born and had the full support of all of the Head Start staff.  When my son demonstrated developmental delays I know it is because of the experiences that I had with Head Start that I knew exactly what to do and how to proceed to get him the early intervention that he needed.  I am thrilled to now be working for my local Head Start / Early Head Start program and am sure that the program will remain very dear to my heart.  I now have my Bachelors in Child Development and will soon complete the required courses for my Master's Degree.  I am sure that without the experiences in Head Start that I would not be where I am today and considering going for a PhD. in Early Childhood Education. 

My children also continue to excel in school and to this day have a love of learning.  They each remember their Head Start experiences and teachers and often look through their portfolios. 

Head Start empowers families, promotes self-reliance, and educates young children and families.  It's comprehensive system is one that the early childhood field can learn from.  Parents and families learn and experience the importance of becoming involved in one's own community as well as their child's education.