“My
Role as an Advocate”
My motivation to work with young children began when I
entered the field of early childhood
approximately 20 years ago and saw how inexperienced teachers interacted
with children they were responsible for
and how parents treated their children because they did not have good parenting
skills and the knowledge of rearing and teaching young children. It also brought back memories of my own life
and how many things I did wrong as a parent because I too did not have the
knowledge of early childhood development.
Whether it is a mico or
macro level , any effort that a person can make ,makes a a difference no
matter even if they pass of flyers to an advocacy event or help to organize it,
every thing helps and is needed to make a difference in the lives of others
make it better.
I believe that the resources needed in order to be a
state leader on early childhood issues is
for that individual to be knowledgeable
of early childhood development the regulations, laws and policies of child care
and young children and their needs in
order to function and succeed for life are essential and be willing to campaign to get other leaders on board for
the cause.
s abreast of new issues on policies and news that come up from
Minimum Standards, Head Start and other areas of education/child development I
send emails, share I staff meeting’s as well as be available to rally for the
cause of advocating and when other see
my passion they want to be involved as well.
Advice I would give to someone who was interested in taking a
leadership role in advocating for young children and their families is to be passionate about the work, communicate
,listen to the issue and concerns, be willing to continue learning of new and
innovative ideas to share with others and always keep what is best for the child and family as the guiding force and understanding that one person
can make a difference in the life of a child and their family.
2 comments:
Great post! I agree that every little bit of assistance anyone can give is a great help when advocating. This is one of the reasons why I feel so strongly about parent/guardian involvement in my program. These individuals are their children's first teachers and know these children better than anyone. By showing everyone the respect they deserve, they will more than likely help in anyway they can.
I agree with you about having the knowledge of state and local governments. It is something I am learning throughout this degree. I never figured the impact this knowledge would have. I recently used research in a conversation with my boss, felt powerful!
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