Hello Advocates!

I am very excited about the new information we will be learning in the class. I am also excited about sharing this new information with you all. Even though this class is small there is an abundance of information that flows through all of you. I hope that in any way I can contribute things to this class that you all can take with you in your future endeavors.

When I Reflect About My Collegial, Professional Learning Community

· Post at least three consequences of your experience being a part of a caring, collaborative learning community for your professional growth and development.

 

1.     Ability to build healthy networks

 

2.     Ability to glean from others around me.

 

 

3.     Constructive criticism that helps me to grow in the areas those are weak.

 

· Post one goal for using this collegial experience to enhance your advocacy, policy, and/or system development work on behalf of young children, families, and the early childhood community.

 

I feel that this degree will enable me to transfer knowledge in result building up the community around me. I am excited about me future in early childhood advocacy. I hope that all of my colleagues have received everything that they may feel was vital from me. I can say that our class was small but we packed a wealth of information that was transferred.

My Hypothetical Family Situation

Hello, my name is Nicole and I am a happy mother of four. I am married to a wonder man named Donavan. Our children’s names are Isaiah (8), Eden (5), Obadiah (3), and Zachariah (1). All my life I have waited to have children. Also a desire that I have had since a child was to adopt and foster children. I was adopted a 3 months and I feel that this is truly a gift that was brought in to my life and I wanted to continue to give the gift to others. I don’t have any specific amount of children that I want to have but I do want to help as many children as I can. Currently we are researching different adoptions agencies and have found three that we are looking at. One agency is very interested in us as a family but they are located across the globe. To complete this adoption we will have to go there. This location is in Nigeria. We are very excited and are in the process of getting this together for our children because we also want them to go along with us. This is a transition in both our families’ life that will cause us to never be the same again. We want to do more research about the place we are getting our new child from and we also want to get information of getting our current children adjusted to this new family structure.

Questions:

1. Are there any specific websites I should be reviewing with regard to learning about quality services and programs for my child and family in this hypothetical family situation?

2. Have I given a complete picture of my family, or are there details missing that I should include in order to complete the assignment successfully? If so, what are your suggestions?

The Political Will to Improve Early Childhood Systems

• Share one or more strategies you have discovered as you worked on the assignments in this course, and particularly this week, that are currently being used by advocates or organizations to influence the political will toward improving early childhood systems in order to foster the well-being of young children and their families.

This week I choose to research the early childhood and primary strand. In this research one area that I had to gain more information on was the professional development. As a Director of a daycare I see how important it is to promote EC professionals to go back to get more education and also more hands on experience through vital and physical travel seeing different early childhood environments. This week I was able to read a mission statement from the Center for the study of Child Care Employment. They have four priorities: access to education; rewarding environments; workforce information; and leadership development (Center for the study of Child Care Employment ,2011). In my facility I feel that it is equally as important to request each professional best when working with the  children, parents, and their colleagues. In the same respect I feel that as an employer I must have different resources available for each employee to have access to. Some ways I give them this opportunity is by having quarterly seminars and also access to webnairs form other organizations that connect them to early childhood across the globe. I fell that each professional should be given that opportunity to better advance themselves. I feel that the need to provide this type of service should provoke the state and local government to provide different funds that each state can contribute to educating each professional.

• What part of this work appeals to you most and why?

The thing that appeals to me the most is seeing teachers and also the children learning from each other because of the information that at their disposal. I feel that the children should also be connected with the world around them through the most updated technology. Most schools around me are learning with ebooks. This is an up-to-date way for children to get information. I am required as an EC professional to get my children equipped for the technology ahead of them.




Reference


Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.irle.berkeley.edu/cscce/


 

Parent, Family, and Community Engagement

Story One:

The Wrighten Family     

                This family was introduced to the Head Start program by two parental advocates that also had their children participate in this program. Once Mrs. Wrighten got involved with this program she them became an advocate and latter a policy maker and official over this program. She became active just as a parent and because of how she was pleased she obtained a place of leadership over this program.

Story Two:

Charmayne Thomas:

                Mrs. Thomas had three children that were initially apart of the Head Start family. Charmayne is currently working in the school district in Philadelphia. Mrs. Thomas started volunteering with this program and also grew to working with them in public policy. In conclusion, she has a 22 year old that is currently attending college at Penn State University.

The professional and personal significance you drew from these stories:

                In reading these stories I see how important parental involvement is the school is. In both of these stories these families were very active in their child’s academic journeys. I also see that when parent are pleased with the programs they then become advocates for you as a EC professioanal and also for the school.

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

                I feel that involvement creates success opportunities just like these two families. One family stated that : their child never missed a day of school and also becoming a part of the school as a volunteer has provoke both of these families to work within this program as a policy changer. I feel that parental involvement is contagious. The parents with become advocates and tell others about what going on at the Head Start programs.

The value that hearing such stories has for early childhood professionals, for the public, and for policymakers and government officials

                Hearing this type of experiences within in the Head Start family creates a hope that this system has not been opened in vain. This system was created to help all families that desired to get better education but could not afford it to be able to receive the education for their children they wanted.

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

                I feel that early childhood development is a critical parent of a children success in early childhood development because this is the initial transition that the child is having to a new learning environment. Since this is new to the child it is so important for the child’s family to be active in this environment so that it is easy for that child to feel comfortable to receive everything they need to move into academic success.

Quality Programs for All Children

Throughout the years early chilhood education has evolved from developing Head Start programs to assit with poor familes to public policies that have influed the curriculum taught in our schools. I feel the the United States public poinion is regard to the value and importance of providing quality service for young childrne and failies have drasticllly changed over the years. From lookin gat this weeks media I see how the governments influence changed the different strands of educaiton. Presiden Lyndon Johnson, during his presidency, offered Head start and other programs to assit with ending poverty. Kindergarden was formed to prepare kids for transitioning to primary school. Some educational normalities that are common now weren't so common in earlier years. Understanding the changes that have been made makes me appreciate my position in the early chilhood field.

Their are some things that I would like to see in the next five years within the early chilhood strand. One thing I would like to see is Head Start open their doors to infant and toddlers. Learning starts in the womb of every mother. I feel that introducing chidlren to socialization and cognitive skills at an early age will help to pull up the succes rate of the Head Start program. Lastly, I would like to see the Head Starts curriculum included some form of parent invlovement where they can get their parents involved with their school.

Public Policies have changed within the United states Government. I will enjoy seeing the new regulations that are to come.

What Resonates With You About Early Childhood Public Policy and Advocacy?

Why did you choose this specialization?

I choose to Major in Early Childhood Studies focusing in Public Policy and Advocacy because I want to help families as both my family was helped. I was adopted at 3 months and my family had lots of support that helped both me and my adopted sister transition to our new family. I want to work with foster families and also adopted families as a liaison connecting them with resources they need to transition to their new families. I also want to open a group home were I can help neglected children to be connected with families. I feel that as an advocate I can help people.


 Why are advocates essential in the early childhood field?

Advocates are very important in the early childhood field because most families don't relate know how much resources are available for their children. Most children are going from home to school and some families feel that they are the only ones going through growing pains. As an advocate I can connect these families with different support groups and also resources that can help them transition smoothly.

What do you hope to learn about public policy and advocacy?

I hope to learn testimonies from my colleagues about different resources that are out their and how they found them. I want to leave this class understanding my role as an advocate and where the needs are in my community. I will make my self available for my community and my working environment. In this class I want to also learn about different policies that are out their for early childhood learning.