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