Time Well Spent

As I type this last and final blog for this journey, I am experiencing a variety of emotions.  Sadness because it is the end and I have felt as if you all have been part of my family.  Happiness and joy simply because the late night homework sessions are over and that wonderful piece of paper will be coming in the mail soon that will elevate my ability to rise up in my organization.  But that piece of paper is much more than that.  It is a way of life for myself and setting the bar for my own children.  My children have seen the struggles that I have had to endure as a working mother and fulltime professional - fulltime student.  I chose to take the path that most do not want to take.....But I-We have accomplished what most will not.  WE HAVE A MASTERS DEGREE!!!!

Ok...enough of the mushy stuff.  Right?

I have always been an advocate.  It is by birth I believe simply because of my parents.  Choosing to get a masters degree in Early Childhood Studies-Early Childhood Public Policy and Advocacy to me justifies my ways of life and my dreams of seeing this field become a topic for all those that want to invest in our children's future and society.  Paying it forward is a practice I believe that all EC professionals experience in their line of work.




Learning throughout this past eighteen months has been a challenge and at times feeling as if I was on Easy Street.  I think putting the spotlight on the specific characteristics and skills that a person in Public Policy and Advocacy should have was a learning lesson for me.  I have realized that not everyone has to advocate for the same purpose.  Setting goals as a professional come easy to most but I found actually thinking of a goal and implementing that into a challenge was very difficult at times. But I overcame that feeling of a failure after posting them to the discussion the feeling slowly drifted away. 

I want to thank all of my colleagues and professors for the experience this past year.  You all have contributed to my ability to set future goals and to  move forward with new ideas that will improve my "village".  My future goal is to be a director of Marine and Family Programs at my installation.  I am going to make a difference in the lives of our military families.  I spoke of the African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child".  Just think if you did not have that one person in your community that did not give that piece of advice or that helping hand.....You would not have been that parent that your child looks at with so much love.  I want to be that helping hand....scratch that....I am that person.

  

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

I chose UNICEF as an organization that delivers a message that appeals to me.  Young Child Survival and Development is an article that I read that is very informative and was effectively communicated to the readers.  As Sharma (1997) shares about advocacy,  a message is a concise and persuasive statement about an advocacy goal that captures what it is needed to be achieved, why and how.  One of UNICEF’s key advocacy messages is to end child mortality.  As I sit here looking at my children completing their homework, I could not imagine being a mother watching her children suffering and on the verge of losing their lives because of the environment they live in.  UNICEF (2011) has a saying “The chance to survive is a right owed to every child.”  Just that saying alone is powerful and an eye opener. I would love to take part in this organization.

The goal that they have set is to reach the 2015 Millennium Development Goal (MDG) which in detail means to lower the child mortality rate worldwide.  Already it has lowered 47 % since 1990, but it needs to be more.  This organization is going to accomplish this goal and they are accomplishing this by providing low-cost interventions such as vaccines, antibiotics, micronutrient supplementation, insecticide-treated bednets, improved breastfeeding practices and safe hygiene practices (UNICEF, 2011)  Donating proceeds assist with this cause along with partnering up with other advocacy organizations that assist with spreading the cause. 

In the last course the Heifer International was an organization that appealed to me.  Their concept is pretty simple; why ration a cup of milk when we can have the cow.  Teaching the concept to pay it forward is a way of life with the Heifer International.  Connecting communities through providing agriculture and farm animals is a technique that Heifer believed would and has ended poverty and hunger in countries that are lacking with support from their government and of a trade that is economically successful.  Sharing the training they received to other community members and passing on their first female offspring to another family in the community.  Heifer believes this will help with families achieving self-reliance (Heifer International, 2011).  This organization sounds amazing and definitely one that I would not mind assisting with. 

FHi 360 is an organization that is dedicated to improving the lives in lasting ways by advanced integrated, locally driven solutions (Academy for Educational Development, 2011).  This organization have on staff experts in health, education, nutrition, environment, economic development, civil society, gender, youth, research and technology.  This organization in hand supports over 70 countries and all of the US.  I found this organization to be very easy to find a career with.  There are intern positions and paid positions all over the world. 

All three organization are very valuable to the human race.  All three provide resources and valuable strategies that assist with the improvement of the human race.  They are not prejudice against any part of the world.  All three just want to see people happy and successful in whatever they are trying to accomplish. 

Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm

Heifer International. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2011, from http://www.heifer.org/

Sharma, R. R. (n.d.). An introduction to advocacy: Training guide. Washington, DC: The Academy for Educational Development, SARA Project.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (2007). Early childhood. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/earlychildhood/index.html

Job/Roles in the ECE Community/National and Federal levels

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is an organization that is very interesting to me.  They are a community of practice that have created this organization.  They hold a variety of duties that involve representing over 90,000 local school board members.  They have a national connections that have the insight on what the legislature and White House officials are working on to improve the education field.  This organization has a variety of professionals involved that engage in community practices that are aiming for the same future outlook with our children’s education.  You can get involved with this organization simply by signing up. 

HighScope is another organization that I find fascinating.  HighScope Educational Research Foundation in Ypsilanti, Michigan is an independent, private, nonprofit research, development, training, and public outreach organization. HighScope serves a national and international audience committed to promoting high-quality early education for young children. They are a diverse organization of approximately 50 professional educators, researchers, publishing staff, and administrative staff. A small demonstration preschool with two teachers provides an opportunity to observe implementation of the HighScope Preschool Curriculum. HighScope-trained independent Field Consultants implement training throughout the country. At this moment they do have job opportunities within the Michigan area as teachers and teacher assistants.  I personally would love to be a field consultant.  To gather statistics that would assist with any type of research that would improve the way early childhood education curriculum is implemented would be a great experience.  I would assume that the most valuable skill needed for this position would be to communicate with a variety of people. 

My last organization that I dove into was the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR).  Being a woman in this society has become easier because of organizations as IWPR. 

IWPR’s work on Early Care and Education addresses:

• Strategies for improving access to quality, affordable child care;
• The need to integrate a range of family supports into a comprehensive early childhood system;
• The economic development benefits of  strengthening the early childhood sector;
• System-building approaches, and costs and benefits involved with early childhood expansions; and,
• The importance of improving job quality among early childhood educators.

Looking at all three organizations, they all contribute so much to improve the quality of life for everyone.  Especially a child’s life.  All three are available online and are great organizations to belong to.   

 http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/early-care-education#sthash.n6qQue0I.dpuf

http://www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentId=112

http://www.nsba.org/advocacy/federal-legislative-priorities/early-childhood-education

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

I have always been fascinated by advocacy.  Especially when it comes to the wellbeing of children and their families.  As we continue our journey in this course we have the opportunity to sneak a peak in other early childhood organizations, agencies, and communities of practice. 

One particular program that is nationally recognized in most states is Guardian Ad Litem.  A Guardian ad Litem advocate is a trained community volunteer who is appointed, along with a Guardian ad Litem attorney, by a district court judge to investigate and determine the needs of abused and neglected children petitioned into the court system by the Department of Social Services.  This organization is a mandated by the North Carolina General Statute 7B-601.  Each state has a Guardian ad Litem program.  Briefly looking over the numbers, this organization alone assists over 15,000 children a year state wide.  GALs complete 30 hours of training before being sworn in by a judge and appointed to advocate on behalf of a child. In addition to advocating for the child, GALs will attend continuing education trainings (Guardian ad Litem, 2014).  An application, a screening interview with staff, and a criminal background must be conducted before any further involvement is to happen with this organization.  I chose this organization simply because of the importance of it.  Being a trusted adult that a child can feel safe to talk to and have their best interests in is a very powerful role in the eyes of a child.  Being in that category alone is a blessing and what I want to be observed as by a child and their family members.

Onslow County Partnership for Children is a local agency in my community that is a very valuable resource for anyone involved in a child’s life.  OCPC is a private non-profit agency that advocates and provides services for the healthy development of children, by building the strengths and capacities of families, care-giving professionals, and the communities in which they reside (OCPC, 2014). OCPC is on the frontlines of best practice and serves as a translator to the community of new discoveries and developments in the field.  The four key roles are all opportunities that interest me a professional wanting to be involved in the lives of my community other than the role I have now.

OCPC serves four key roles on behalf of the community (OCPC, 2014)

Human Services Provider; direct services to children and families, including home visiting, parent support, military family support, intervention services, and childcare access and referral.

Professional Development Hub; coordinates and hosts a menu of mentoring, training and technical assistance programs for the teachers and administrators that serve the county’s children in non-school setting. 

Administrative services provider; administrative services to a host of non-profit organizations including program evaluation, fiscal management and accounting. 

Community Convener and Thought-Leader; hosts many community events, they are engaged in community-wide initiatives such as Shape Onslow County. 

The last course I took was amazing and it introduced my colleagues and me to some amazing new agencies that are assisting children and their families. Heifer International is one that caught my eye.   Their concept is pretty simple; why ration a cup of milk when we can have the cow.  Teaching the concept to pay it forward is a way of life with the Heifer International.  Connecting communities through providing agriculture and farm animals is a technique that Heifer believed would and has ended poverty and hunger in countries that are lacking with support from their government and of a trade that is economically successful.  Sharing the training they received to other community members and passing on their first female offspring to another family in the community.  Heifer believes this will help with families achieving self-reliance (Heifer International, 2011).  The opportunities to volunteer and take on a mission in a country that is in need of some guidance with the way of living is a great opportunity that I would love to take on.  Seeing the end result one that I would love to see. 

Guardian ad Litem. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.nccourts.org/Citizens/GAL/Default.aspHeifer International. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2011, from http://www.heifer.org/

Onslow County Partnership for Children (2014). Retrieved from http://www.onslowkids.org/

Profile of a Volunteer

The first volunteer I met was my mother.  Being a volunteer mom is not the easiest role as a parent.  Being a Girl Scout leader was a role that my mother took with ease and never at any moment appeared to be frustrated or lack of interest.  My mom was always the leader that made each girls experience fun and a learning experience.  With the limited funding available she would dip into her own pocket without even thinking twice about it.  The love and attention she gave to each girl involved in this wonderful program for children is indescribable.   I really do not even think my mom even witnessed the confidence she gave each girl in our Girl Scout troop.  With the Girl Scouts in hand my mother assisted with the beginnings of friendships among girls that included lessons in life that will stay with all of us throughout our adolescents.  My take-away from my mom’s position was to always be kind and care for others.   

 

 

 

To elaborate what Girl Scouts take part in with advocacy, I have included an example of how important this organization is to girls and their families around the country.   Girl Scouts of the USA's Public Policy and Advocacy Office has worked across party lines with Congress and the Executive Branch to educate and raise awareness of the issues important to girls and young women. Through their advocacy efforts, they inform and educate key representatives of the government's legislative and executive branches about issues important to girls and Girl Scouting and help demonstrate to policymakers that Girl Scouts is a resource and an authority on issues affecting girls (Girl Scouts, 2014)

Girl Scouts. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/advocacy/

Using Social Media to Get Connected

I began my “social media” life some years ago with Facebook.  At first I began it to share family photos and to keep in touch with my family members that live away.  But now I use it to find contacts, investigate, and to use as a way to communicate with organizations and others.  YouTube is another social media that I use daily with my children and with my program.   I am addicted to finding motivational videos for EC professionals.  One specific I love is the Soul Pancake series.  The video above is a perfect example of St. Jude's hospital advocating for their program.

I believe that Facebook and YouTube are both great tools that assist with effective advocacy.  They are both free advertisement and are both popular sites that most people in society use daily.

 

My question to my colleagues is what types of social media would you use to promote their advocacy subject?  When speaking to my husband that is the administrator for a military teen program stated that the teens are more into using Instagram.  Is that one that you all would use?

Advocacy Messages

 

 

I love this quote!  It speaks for any educator that have dedicated their lives to educating children, making a difference.  As an educator I think that we at times forget that we are worth so much more than we see ourselves as.  I believe the message alone is effective because of the audience it is directed to; educators.

 

 

This caught my eye simply because as a society generated by men we forget that they want to have fun and enjoy their families at home.  I think of my husband with my children and how much they love him.  They look forward to him coming home each evening just to do those afternoon basketball games or my daughter sitting with her clarinet and my husband listening to her as if she is in Carnegie Hall.  We have to advocate for those fathers that DO want to be involved in their child's lives.

 

Educators are trained to recognize the signs of any type of developmental delays, mental instability, or abuse.  As parents we typically ignore signs of any type of delays, we simply believe our babies are simply babies.  As we advertise these types of ad's the messages can get out and families start to realize that maybe, just maybe their child is displaying some signs of autism.  As a sibling of an autistic brother, it was hard to accept the diagnosis but without his Head Start teacher, his diagnosis possibly could have went years without a diagnosis. 

My Own Capacity

As I have taken on the role of an advocate, I have gathered from other professionals that are very knowledgeable and hold special skills that I have never witnessed from others. One of those skills is being persistent.  Knowing what is needed and never second guessing what the children and families need in my program is something that I gained on my own from experience working in the EC field.  Advocating for programs in need of funding or qualified staff that deserve a salary worth working for is an area that gives me the push to talk a little louder and get others to hear what is needed in order to change the way our children are growing up and contributing to society. 

Working among a community where the majority of them are service members; resources are heavy for the families, especially for those that are struggling with a disability from serving during a war.  Among the community we have an abundance of young parents that are in need of assistance in regards to taking care of their brand new baby.  Assisting with them and providing resources that they are in need of is part of my job that I love doing.  I hope to grow with more knowledge and learning some positive ways to communicate with others that are in need of help. 

My Role as an Advocate

I have spoken about my beginnings in earlier postings.  My motivation began with my parents.  I remember a time when my brother participated in the local Special Olympics and to see the amount of people in the community coming together for one cause.   Ensuring that each child participates in a physical activity (with assistance of course) and having FUN!  That is what it was all about! 

Being a mother of two has brought about feelings that I never experienced.  I have recently assisted with the PTO with my daughter’s middle school and with that in mind I want to close that gap between my child’s teacher and myself.  Building those relationships gives me the ability to learn of needs and wants that they want to improve the educational needs of the children in the community.

It is always essential to know about both micro and macro levels.  Being effective at the micro level requires you to have knowledge of children, families, and the community resources. Being effective at the macro level requires the knowledge of micro level and also the knowledge of the legislative process.  Both are effective and are creating change for the lives of our state and local programs.  We see more and more community leaders including early childhood programs involved in their advocacy plans.  I believe that in order for a community leader that they need to have the experience or an experienced advisor that has worked hand in hand in the early childhood field.  Just as we have in the master’s course, it is easier to advocate because most of us have connections to the early childhood field. 

As I have become more informative with the coming up elections witnessing debates among my state leaders has put a smile and a frown at the same time.  Every politician is going to try to sell you a solution to a problem to get the vote, but I want to see more resources used in their speeches and actual results to be visible.  Our state leaders will need to build those relationships with the community that need to include volunteering their time to meet with the community and finding out what they need. 

I find as an educator to the families I serve, using Parent Advisory Board meetings, newsletters, conferences with their teachers are all ways to mobilize others.  Getting the needs and wants for our children to have in order to keep up with society and to become successful stewards for the future.  Working side by side with other advocates and new educators I believe has only assisted with my ability to push forward with the improvement of my program.  The best advice I could ever give others that are taking a leadership role in advocating would to be to network.  Networking within the community will only validate the subject that needs to be advocated for.  Working among those that have experience and those that are fresh with ideas is needed as well. 

Personal Advocacy Reflection

Advocacy comes to me naturally.  My parents were the first advocates that I knew.  When I was fifteen my parents adopted my brother who was born prematurely to parents that were mentally incapacitated.  They abused drugs and did not take care of themselves in regards to their mental and physical health.  Within the first few years we began to see a difference in my brother that did not seem typical behavior.  He began to stare into the air as if he was daydreaming and when he would get excited he would jump up and down with his hands by his head.  I know that may seem overdramatic but for a sixteen year old girl it caused so many emotions that I was not able to express.

I learned very quickly how to advocate for others.  My parents had to fight for medical care for him that the military was not necessarily willing to assist with.  (My father was a US Marine)  My brother attended Head Start and went through school like he was a typical kid but had struggles with ability to take on classes that you and I would not have a problem with.   He is a typical 20 year old kid now that still struggles with a few things but overall is living a good life. 

From the moment I saw my parents in action, I knew what was important in life.  Every human being deserves to live a life of no worries.  No matter what type of disability, economic status, educational background, we all deserve a fair chance in society.  I began my advocacy with my family supporting my brother.  I wanted to always be involved in the lives of children from then on.  As an administrator of a large military child development center I have taken those first experiences with my family and used some of those with my everyday interactions and my career.  I have a lot more to learn to become even better at what I am good at.  If that even makes sense.  I love assisting others.  My biggest joy in life would be to see my own children to love others-strangers as much as I love them.  I already see it in my daughter. 

 

Advocacy Action Overview

I have always wanted to be someone that makes a difference in my community.  Everyday I have the opportunity to make a difference in a child's life along with the family members that support that child.  I work among some of the most loving individuals that have always advocated for others without any regrets. 

I began my journey with advocates when I was only eighteen years old and have created some great partnerships that assist with making what is important to me easier to obtain.  Just sitting here thinking about the last two classes of this Master's program has me thinking about how much I have gained from being involved with my professors and colleagues.  The experiences they have had and overcome is just another example how I can learn from them.  I believe I am a natural born advocate. Do I have a lot to learn...absolutely.  Everyone has room for improvement right?

When I Reflect About My Collegial, Professional Learning Community

Being part of the Early Childhood field, consequences are always arising.  Being part of a joint effort to enhance the lives of our children is always rewarding.  Reading my colleagues statements about the experiences and goals they have set for themselves are always encouraging and are just the many reasons why I fight and support for the continuous growth in the community.  As a professional in the EC field I have worked alongside some of the best influential people that I have made it their life’s mission to improve the quality of education and quality of life for each child.  I have become a vocal person within the last few years instead of being the observer in meetings.  This is a must for anyone that is in need of making a difference.

A goal that I have set after using this collegial experience to enhance my position in the EC field is to speak louder.  I have always been a vocal person but to speak about subjects that are going to make a difference in my community has not always been observant.  As I continue my journey with the last part in the Master’s program here at Walden University I am continuous need of discussion and experiences from my colleagues and professors.  Those particular interactions will always be of great value to myself and to others involved in the EC field.

My Hypothetical Family Situation

With the growth of our family we have decided to adopt a little boy at the age of three that has recently diagnosed with autism.  William has been in foster care for most of his life and has displayed behavior that was consistently odd as his past foster parents stated.  Hence the reasoning to have William tested for any type of special need. 

The hypothetical family is a middle class family.  Both parents work full-time within the education world, but not hands on with the special needs side of the department.  They have two other biological children ages 9 and 11.  Both girls who were excited to have a little brother join their family of four.  William would be in a local Head Start program during the time both parents would be at work.  The mother being the most involved for her working hours mirror the time William would attend the program.

This family would need lots of resources for William to support the new findings of his diagnosis.  All three sectors of comprehensive systems; Health, Early Learning and Development, and Family Leadership and Support. 

Questions for my colleagues?

·         As I continue to work this family situation, do either one of you ladies feel that this is realistic?

·         Can you see this family using one of your programs?

·         What type of support groups are available for families living with an autistic family member?

·         Do I need more information for readers to get the background of my hypothetical family situation?

As I continue working on this assignment I am amazed with the local resources for families with autistic family members.  Working more on this assignment is always a refresher and a reminder of the importance to complete research on situations that are evolving in our programs.

The Political Will to Improve Early Childhood Systems

There is more than one type of strategy that are being used by advocates and organizations that influence the political will toward improving early childhood systems in order to foster the well-being of young children and their families.  But the one that comes to mind immediately is the educational strategy.  This is used to help the general public, or a specific group of people to gain an awareness or better understanding of an issue (Kieff, 2009).  By using the educational strategy we can for example use the role of an early childhood educator, the importance of that position and what is needed to become a quality teacher in that role.    With my assignment last week and this week, Early Care and Education was the view that I chose that is very important to me.  Using the educational strategy is what I use daily to get certain topics across for my organization, community, and my superiors that are looking for better ways to improve our children’s lives. 

Working with the military community for most of my career, Early Care and Education has been on the topic for many reasons.  One that comes to mind is the supporting the children during post-deployment.  Our men and women are coming home not realizing that they are scarred from the deployments and it is affecting their child’s development and future education.  This part of my profession challenges me, but I love every part of the challenges.  Zero to Three and the National Association for Education for Young Children (NAEYC) are both great advocating organizations that back their findings by using the education strategy.  Using research and statistics are one way to get the communities attention.   I have attached the links to both organizations below so that anyone can read about what they are all about.

http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/funded-projects/military-families/

http://www.naeyc.org/

Kieff, J. (2009). Informed advocacy in early childhood care and education: Making a difference for young children and families. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc

Parent, Family, and Community Engagement

When I think of education, it involves the parent, family and the community.  All must be involved in order for education to be effective.  Reviewing the Parent and Family Stories, I found myself feeling connected to them.  We all want our children to be successful in society and that is what these families are stating.  One specific conversation stood out to me and it was the gentleman that spoke of spending time with our children now and to not wait until later.  Our children need us now more than ever and modeling for them the way to respond to challenges in life is important. 

As a parent and educator, I can relate to every parent that spoke on media segment.  I want the best for my two children and for every child I come in contact with in my community.  I did not use the Head Start program in my community, but I used a private preschool program that used a similar curriculum to prepare my two for their educational journey.  I insure everyday that my two are ready for school by insuring them both by telling them how proud I am of them and telling them both that they need to do their best each day.  As an educator I am very involved with my families and community.  Promoting in my community the program we offer is the number one way I get them to engage in their child’s future.  Using experiences I have had personal and professionally have also assisted with getting the community engaged in our program.

Parent/family involvement is an essential system element for all strands of service in the early childhood field.  Our program can only be as successful as the families want it to be.  I truly believe that in order for our programs to get funding, our families have advocated alongside of the educators.  Having them in our corner assists with politicians pushing for funding, research, more educators, etc.  Some of our best advocators for EC programs have been parents of children experiencing or have experienced challenges within early childhood education programs.  Education will always be a topic on the table for our communities.  We will forever move forward with improvements to insure our children the best of education for their future.  Our families, parents, and community will only make that a stronger foundation for our children.

Quality Programs for All Children

Advocating for change is what I hope for.  Public opinion is needed simply because some of the best resolutions to some major problems have been improved.  I believe every child no matter what cultural background, race, gender, or economic status deserves to partake in a high quality educational program.  We have seen what happens to children that have been given the opportunity to belong in quality programs.  What I see changing in the hope of public opinion in the next five years is more educators dedicating their time to children that are not able to participate in quality programs.  I see more people in the community wanting to be involved with the wellbeing of all children.  We live in a very fast and forever changing society and with that in mind Kieff (2009) has implied that globalization is everyone in the world has some influence on everyone else, it may be either a positive or a negative influence, but there is an interdependence among all the citizens of the world (Bigelow & Peterson, 2002; Clinton, 2007).  I believe this is so.  This will only strengthen our services, systems, policies, and advocacy with early childhood education.   With the technology as it is this will happen.

Seeing others advocating for what is important in the early childhood education field is only going to strengthen our young children and their families.  Seeing the better good in others influences our little ones and to see them laugh and learn through the wonderful enriched programs our communities provide and support.  I hope to see our children follow in our footsteps to improve the already great programs we have. 

Bigelow, B. & Peterson, B. (Eds.). (2002) Rethinking globalization: Teaching for justice in an unjust world.                 Milwaukee, WI. Rethinking Schools Press.

Clinton, W.J. (2007) Giving: How each of us can change the world. New York: Knopf.

Kieff, J. (2009). Informed advocacy in early childhood care and education: Making a difference for young                              children and families. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc

 

Early Childhood Education Public Policy and Advocacy

Early childhood education has been a big part of my life since I can remember.  Having worked with children beginning at the age of 6 weeks old to 18 years old I have witnessed the challenges that the families have with the development and wellbeing of their children.  Sitting with the teachers and the parents, coming to the table with a plan to assist with the successful development of their child has always been a passion for me.  Advocating for a child daily, I take on that challenge for my community.

I feel that it is essential to have advocates in the EC field that are skilled and confident.  An advocate is someone that is dedicated and proactive stance taken by individuals in response to particular issues that concern them.  In early childhood education, the purpose of advocacy is to promote ideas and seek resolution that will affect children and families in positive ways (Kieff and Casbergue, 2000, p. 13).  An advocator must feel that they are in control and know what they are speaking of.  They are going to be expected to be the expert in the subject they are advocating for and not knowing the answer can land them in a predicament that may lose the audience that was supporting them. 

I have set the following goals for this class and hope to meet them:

·         A better understanding of what is expected from an advocate

·         Investigating what areas in EC are in need of advocating

·         What challenges do advocates face and how they overcome them

I know a few of them are not as important as the others, but I want more for my families and their children, my program, and my community.  I would fight until the last bit of energy was taken from me in order for my community get something that they needed in order to better the quality of life.  I hope to gain a better understanding of others, advocates so that I can only rise up and become a stronger and efficient advocator.

Reference

Kieff, J., & Casbergue, R. (2000). Playful learning and teaching: Integrating play into preschool and primary programs. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time to say Goodbye

The last eight weeks have come and gone so fast.  As I have always closed out my blogs for the class I want to wish each and everyone of my colleagues the best of luck with your program.  I will be moving into my specialization classes, Advocacy and Public Policies, which I am very nervous.  I am excited about the journey that I will be embarking on.  Communicating and collaborating with all of you has been a joy and I hope to see you some of my remaining courses.  Good luck to all of you!

Is it time to adjourn?

Saying good bye is a hard action to do especially if that bond was made between two or more people.  My very first administrator position was for a facility that was a very small close nit family.  I came on board during a time that they were preparing for their self-study for NAEYC.   After the ups and downs of preparing for the ultimate goal—Accreditation from NAEYC.  After we met our goal, my superior needed me to transfer to a larger facility that was about to open.  Emotions that came to me were indescribable.  Some of the aspects that stood out to me that made it harder to say good bye were simply the friendship that was made between the other manager and myself.  We had so many challenges that sprang up on us that we overcame together that it was very difficult to say goodbye to each other. 

As my days came to an end with this team, I continuously visited with each individual and shared my favorite attributes that they displayed that made them so successful working with children.  This group upon working with them were not following best practices with children, not because they did not want to but because they did not have a leadership team mentoring and modeling for them appropriately.  I want to say that they were so successful with their everyday routines of working with children because of my team of leadership. 

As we draw near to the last few courses left with the master’s degree program I have thought about how it is going to feel saying good bye to my colleagues.  Wishing someone good luck does not really express the true words that I would want to say to everyone.  I feel that we all struggle day to day with completing the required college level work, while still fulfilling our duties as a parent, a spouse, and working fulltime.  Adjourning is an essential stage of team simply because everyone wants to feel that they contributed in a positive way and to celebrate the group’s achievement.  Friendships are made among group work and it is imperative to keep those professional friendships simply because of needing someone’s else’s professional opinion with other projects that will happen in the future.

Conflict Strategies

Unfortunately conflict has arose in my office recently but not so drastic that as a professional we could not come together as a team and resolve it.  We use strategies without even thinking about them when ti comes to conflict.  Two strategies that stood out to me this week are as follows:

·         Win/win approach-is about changing the conflict from adversarial attack and defense, to co-operation.  It is a powerful shift of attitude that alters the whole course of communication (Conflict Resolution Network).  I never want anyone to feel that they are not worthy of being heard or that they are not right.  We all have true concerns or arguments about situations that we are passionate and I like to come to a resolution that both of us win.

·         Escapist strategy-avoiding direct conflict and are good for quick resolutions but may leave issues unresolved (O’Hair & Weismann, 2012).  I have actually used this strategy because I was tired of discussing the subject.  Feeling as if we were chasing our tail and not getting anywhere, especially if it is a subject that really is not important or hold any value to the program or the community. 

Both strategies are great to use in any situation involving conflict.  I have personally used these two before, especially the escapist strategy. 

Conflict Resolution Network. (n.d.). CR kit. Retrieved from http://www.crnhq.org/pages.php?pID=12#skill_3

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's

Good Communicator?

As a communicator I always assume that I am a good one.  After speaking to some of my colleagues and my staff, they agree, but also added that I am a person that is very direct and at times can be in need of some sugar coating.  Sugar coating???  That is really hard for me for the simple fact as a child it was imperative for me to be honest and that the “fluff” is not really necessary.  I have taken a few personality classes through my organization and each time I come out as a “green” or “dominant” person.  Meaning that I am a person that takes charge and is very direct.  But that does not mean that I do not know how to go into a meeting or a discussion without reading everyone’s body language to see how I need to go in with my directness or do I need to be a little softer with my approach.

Being an active listener is a listening process that has been a part of my success with my team and my patrons.  I also am an action-oriented listener as I have found out about myself this week.  I know it is important to communicate with others and with that in mind it is also important to listen to what is being said.  How it is being communicated is just as important.  The emotion that is involved could determine how the interaction ends.

Strategies for communicating

I communicate daily with a variety of people.  Working among the community I work with my colleagues, customers, internal customers and of course the children.  I communicate with each group differently because I need different things from each group.  Considering that each person that I communicate with have all the aspects that make up culture, including race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, varying abilities and so on.  I have three strategies that I use personally and/or are going to try when communicating with each group.  Here they are as follows:

·         First impressions are everything so with that in saying I try to hold off on judgment and wait it out to see how the conversation is going to go.

·         Working among a younger generation, texting is so popular with the way they communicate for.  I have found myself more involved with my staff because of the texting.  A healthy relationship is present because of the high tech communication.

·         When communicating with parents, do not get to personal with them.  Keep the conversation on track and speak about facts not assumptions.

Communicating with Colleagues

My life is surrounded by children from the time I wake up to the time I lay my head down on the pillow.  Between Disney and NICK, the television is always blaring.  I would be lying to you right now if I told you that I monitor what they watch on the two channels.  So this assignment was pretty easy.  I watch the shows but really do not pay attention to what is being said.  I chose to watch Jessie from the Disney channel.  I was amazed with the amount of talking that went on between the children and the nanny without yelling or screaming.  Everyone had their own opinion of whatever situation was going on but they all were brought back together by Jessie with the communication she used by relating to them with experiences she has had growing up.  Along with the light hearted laughter that goes on between them all their is respect and love among the all.

Working among some of the most talented educators sometimes communicating with them can be challenging.  Everyone wanting the absolute best for the education program we work for but are so passionate at times words are exchanged that can put others in a bad mood.  As Jessie did in the television show, using past experiences assist with my communication with my colleagues.  I believe that every experience in life is a lesson learned and I love sharing those with others so that they do not make the same mistakes that I made.  Communication is that hardest act that most of us have difficulty with but it really should be the easiest task in hand. 

Communication Admirer

 

I work with a person that is able to pull a stressful conversation into a positive problem solving meeting.  My administrator, Haley is an outstanding speaker.  She holds a particular tone that makes you look at her while speaking that holds your attention.  Haley makes side bar, appropriate jokes that ease the sting of certain challenging behavior that their child is exhibiting that for anyone else that would be sharing would probably get a negative response from the parents.  I have found myself picking up her speaking habits that have worked to my advantage.  Being an effective communicator is just as important as being an expert in the field you work in.  I will continue to take notice to Haley and how she communicates with everyone around her.  I am a good communicator in my field, but being a GREAT communicator is where I want to be at very soon.  I am thankful to have one of the best communicators working side by side with me daily.

Professinal Hopes and Goals

Living among so many diverse people is an experience of a lifetime.  I could not imagine living among the same type of people and not be able to experience other cultures and traditions.  Taking this class has just confirmed that working together with my colleagues and the families will ensure a confident and well-rounded child.  I just hope to continue working side by side with the wonderful colleagues that believe in the same mission that we live by in my cooperation. 

 I will continue with my ongoing goal for my position in the EC field is to accumulate more experiences in the early childhood education field involving cultural differences to become a better consultant with this subject among my diverse community.  I set goals in my profession each year and continuously meet them with the assistance from my team.  I am only as successful as my weakest team member.  I say that not in a bad way but I want to push my whole professional team to another level when it comes to assisting our families.

I would like to give special thanks to Dr. Parrish and my colleagues for asking those questions that sparked my curiosity for the EC field.  It is always a pleasure to share and receive from other professionals in the EC field and taking what I have learned from others to assist in my profession.  I hope to see everyone in the next classes ahead of us.  I wish everyone the best of LUCK!

Welcoming Families from Around the World

Working in a country that has a population with so much diversity can be challenging.  Especially with it involving individuals and families from 150 different countries.  I can only speak from experience, so I am choosing the setting to be at a child care center.  Hearing that a family that has recently emigrated from their country Egypt to the U.S. and will be joining my center is exciting, but research is going to be completed to ensure that this family is comfortable and supported during their child’s time with us.

Egyptians, are very patriarchal, the male in the dominant role (AFSUSA); this means that we will have to be very sensitive and not judgmental when it comes to their family dynamics.  Speaking to the family in a whole will be important but making eye contact with the father would be a practice that I will probably do more of.  Because it is not common for someone other than family to take care of your children it will be difficult for the family to leave their child with our program.  To ensure their safety and the quality; asking them to come and complete some observations along with completing a director/teacher conference.  It is imperative for the family to know our expectations but it is also important for us to know the families expectations of us.  Knowing that the dominant religious belief in Egypt is Muslim, it will be important to know of any dietary needs for the child so that I can ensure that there are substitutes for each meal.  Depending on the child’s age it would be great to let the child share some traditions with the classroom.  The children love learning about each other and this assists with the children learning diversity. 

Preparing for any child that is joining our program can be a challenge.  But with the help from my team and constant in the know of other cultures is the reason we have been so successful with our families.  Both our families and the program benefit from preparing and the stress level is hardly visible. 

 

http://www.afsusa.org/host-family/our-students/countries/egypt/

 

 

 

 

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

 

 

Working in a diverse military community, we see incidences of bias.  Recently we have had children in our program that are still being breast fed past the age of 12 months.  As a mother and professional in a man’s world this practice can be viewed as inappropriate or gross.  Mothers that breastfeed their children are already scrutinized for feeding their babies, and to see this practice being taken further in to the pretoddler age group has added a bias with these women.  I have to admit that seeing breastfeeding being completed with the children after 12 months was a shock, but after observing the process and reading about the amount of serious allergies our children are suffering from it makes sense to continue breastfeeding.  But because of ignorance and lack of experience with the wellbeing of children society has shun the breastfeeding community.  Cultural differences have played a part in the continuing of breastfeeding children after infancy.  For most African and Hispanic cultures this is a norm practice.  Living in the U.S. has brought about these cultural differences and have put a spotlight on the subject. 

Discrimination is not visible but the equity of these women is visible.  Opinions are heard among the community and it is disturbing to hear them.  The benefits from breastfeeding outweigh any type of ignorant comment.  My feelings on this subject are very one sided.  As a mother that breast fed her children up until 6 months and not by choice; I feel that I would have breastfed up until 12 months. To change this bias against women who breast feed their children will take lots of educating the public.  Showing the benefits of breastfeeding will assist with this.  As an administrator it is my job to insure that my early childhood educators are aware of cultural differences and the amount of benefits that come with breastfeeding after 12 months of age.  Having those conversations and having training sessions to help educate our staff to ensure that they understand how to support our families that are struggling to keep their children healthy with the practice of breastfeeding.