Parent, Family, and Community Engagement

For this blog I will be dealing with the foundational  strength of Head Start by reviewing a video of testimonials from individuals whose lives have been greatly impacted by Head Start whether in the role of parent, teacher, or community member. I will begin by describing the professional and personal significance that I drew from these videos. The first video that I watch was the testimonial of Melinda G., she shared about how Head Start has played an critical role in helping her to become the early childhood professional that she is today. I listened to her share about entering the Head Start program as a young newlywed who was looking for a early childhood program for her four year old relative. She talked about how through the encouragement of a teacher at the Head Start she was convinced to return to school to further her education. She felt empowered by the teacher realizing that she has a real natural when it came to early childhood and because someone noticed her talent she was empowered to return to school and to become more active in the Head Start program through volunteering and then through employment. Her story is a great example of how taking the time to care can help someone catapult them into their destiny. I felt connected to this story, because my own story is very similar. My eldest son attended this private preschool that was created to offer quality early childhood programs to at-risk and low income children. It was during our time in the program that I was encouraged by the teachers to return to school to seek a degree. I took the advice and hence began my journey. I returned to school and was offered a position with that particular preschool as a team teacher. Although, I no longer work there I still stay closely connected to the preschool through volunteering and participating in school events.

As early childhood professionals, the public, policymakers and government officials listen to the stories of these individuals they should value the the hope that has come from each story. They should value the stories, because it shows that Head Start is not just a place for children to find help, but instead it gives hope and help to the entire family. It is done as teachers take the time to listen to families as they express their needs and their desires to improve the quality of life for their families. The public should value the stories that have been heard in that it shows that children and families that utilize services provided through Head Start are engaging positive programs and are learning skills that will help to be productive citizens. Policy makers and government officials should value the hearing the stories, because it shows that all the government funding that is being used by Head Start is not going to waste and that it is making positive impacts in lives of children and families. 

Quality Programs for all Children

For this blog, I will be blogging about how I hope public opinion will change over the next five years. I really hope that the way people view early childhood will change for the better over the next five years. I hope that they will begin to change their opinion about early childhood, by reading and understanding that their is a significant amount of research out there about the benefits of early childhood. I hope that people's opinion will change as they begin to be open minded about the fact that ALL children deserve the right to have a successful start by having the opportunity to attend a quality early childhood program. I hope that as the opinions change for the better about early childhood education, ALL children will have the chance to attend, because more classrooms and programs will have been created. I believe that as children attend quality programs, they then to fair better better in future endeavors. Those endeavors include excelling in academics, relationships, employment, and decreased criminal activity. I also hope that the public opinion will change about the importance of incorporating programs and services for families into early childhood program. What the public needs to understand is that making sure children have access to much needed services that will help them to promote their growth and development.  So over the next five years I hope that the public will have a more positive opinion of the benefits of early childhood.

Early Childhood Public Policy and Advocacy & Me

For this blog, I will share about why I chose this subject this specialization, why I feel advocates are essential in the early childhood field, and what I wish to learn about public policy and advocacy.

• Why I chose this specialization? I chose this specialization, because during my tenure as an early childhood professional I have worked with numerous children and families from diverse backgrounds. However, majority of my work has been with children from low income families and neighborhoods. So as I worked with these children and families, I learned about some of the issues that were affecting them. Some of the issues I would hear them talk about were the inability to find higher paying jobs, the lack of quality education for themselves and their children, the need for affordable quality child care, and adequate affordable housing. With all of these issues affecting children and families, I thought if would be beneficial to learn about whys I can help better situations for them.

• Why I feel advocates are essential in the early childhood field? I feel that advocates are essential in the early childhood field, because we are the ones that have to work with the children and we are also aware of issues that affect children and families, because we often times hear first hand from parents and guardians about the hardships they are experiencing. Early childhood professionals also have connections with community resources that can be of assistance by partnering to offer services for children and families in need. I believe that advocates are essential, because they can help work for better conditions in the early childhood field. When I say conditions, I am mainly referring to better pay for example. 

• What I wish to learn about public policy and advocacy is how to influence policy that promotes better conditions for children, families, and early childhood professionals. By understanding how to be an effective advocate, I will be able to create and promote change that will be beneficial to many of the children and families that I serve. There are so many things that I see that I would like to change, but understanding where and how to begin is critical to whether or not positive change can occur.