What resonates with you about Early Childhood Policy and Advocacy?

I believe this specialization chose me and not so much me choosing this specialization. I am a very outspoken person and have always been on the defensive for the rights of persons. My dream was to become a lawyer but unfortunately my father was totally against me going that route. After high school I ended up in teacher’s college. During and after my internship I was always given the slowest set of children to teach at the secondary level and even in skills training centres. But my passion for early childhood ignited when I had my first child. The birthing process was very difficult because my daughter weighed 9 and half pounds. This affected her speech, hearing and even emotional development. I recognized how dumb I was about child development and even the very doctors, nurses and my parents who had nine of us. Fortunately I landed a job in early childhood that has allowed me to see what is really happening to our children. This sparked my passion even more to create change and to let people know that early childhood is an area of development that should be given greatest attention. Advocates are essential in the field of early childhood because early childhood deals with people. People change, circumstances and life change. Because early childhood ties in with human development we must be knowledgeable and possess the prerequisite skills to deal with people and to convince them that early childhood is a very important aspect of humanity. There is so much I want to learn about public policy and advocacy. I find that many of the persons who make decisions about early childhood are not trained in the field and somehow the field is treated scantily. In order for you to advocate effectively then it is necessary for you know how policies are created. Policies help to form the framework to ensure that early childhood systems are working well. The three goals that I have are (1) To develop the necessary skills to become an effective advocate; (2) To learn more about how develop policies that relates to early childhood development; (3) To effectively mobilize stakeholders without harm or danger that will lead to better conditions for early childhood development.

What I have Leaned

HI Guys, sorry for being late with my blog, but I was on the road all day Friday and did not realise it was due until I checked this Saturday. The experiences I have had for the past eight weeks with my colleagues have really been tremendous. Sharing our experiences with each other in the field of early childhood and more so our experiences-learning about public policy and advocacy will go a far way into the future. The consequences of me taking part in this class has caused me to be more sensitive to the needs of children and families in the early childhood realm, to be more knowledge seeking and proactive. From the size of our class (four students) I have realized that advocacy is not a popular field although all early childhood professionals are really advocates in their own way. Well I can tell you this my colleagues when Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Marcus Garvey stood up for human rights they were not so popular and were often ostracized for what they were doing and the changes that they achieved through belief, sacrifice and persistence cannot be measured. My main goal is really to highlight the need for children to gain access to an early childhood system that provides for the basic needs of children. Health, nutrition, family and emotional health are a big part of my campaign. I also want to thank my colleagues that contributed to my professional development for the past eight weeks. We were small in numbers but I believed we have achieved great things. Judy

My Hypothetical Family Situation

The hypothetical situation I have created is one where I have a five year old daughter who is paraplegic. Unfortunately my daughter was able to walk until she received a spinal cord injury in a motor vehicle accident. Although she did not lose her legs she is not able to move around as before and is now confined to a wheel chair. The school allows access to children in wheel chairs, but she is now left out of most physical activities such as not being able to play soft ball and other outdoor activities. As a single mother I have two jobs. I therefore, do not get to spend as much quality time with her. I depend on the bus to take her to and from school every day. I also depend on my next door neighbor (who is retired) to keep her after school. Although my situation is realistic, the hypothetical questions do not take into consideration the emotional aspect of the situation and access to information on children who are paraplegic. The situation is has been a traumatic experience for both mother and daughter. The mother will also have to consider moving her child to an institution that accommodates children who are not able bodied so that the child can be expose to a curriculum that caters to her every need. The early childhood system I am trying to create should cater to complete inclusion, that is, children who are paraplegic should receive the opportunity to participate in physical outdoor activities and the school should also provide resources for parents to explore with children who are not physically abled. Websites that you can information on children have suffered from spinal cord injuries are (1) Pediatric (Children) Spinal Cord Injury - Quadriplegic and ... www.apparelyzed.com/.../54-pediatric-children-spinal-cord-injury/ (2) How do I help my newly paraplegic daughter come to acceptance ... https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid... (3) Disabled Village Children - CHAPTER 23 (SPINAL CORD INJURY) www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/english/global/david/dwe002/dwe00225.html

The Political Will To Improve Early Childhood Systems

One of the strategies that I have learned from advocates for early childhood that will influence the political will is reflected on the website 'Alliance for Early Success'. 'The Alliance for Early Success' is a catalyst for bringing state, national, and funding partners together to improve state policies for children, starting at birth and continuing through age eight. The Alliance for Early Success operates on (1) A Policy Framework; (2) Partnerships; (3) Resources; (4) and Grants. This advocacy program covers a wide variety of issues that affect quality early childhood programs. This organization reflects a high level of collaboration and networking among various stakeholders. Collaboration among stakeholders is very important. This will ensure that all involved are on the same page and eliminate wastage in areas of time, expertise and resources. All persons involved will also receive a true picture of how complex early their families. This organization is very good at providing feedback on how each sector is working and influencing the quality of the early childhood programs. The section of the work that appeals to me the most is the section that relates to resources. Resources often encompass research that leads to developing a framework that influences the policies that often reflect our early childhood system. Without proper information we cannot develop effective policies that will enhance the early childhood sector. Because early childhood is a very dynamic and complex field much attention should be paid to this section. Reference Birth to Five Policy Alliance. (2011). Retrieved from http://earlysuccess.org/

PARENT, FAMILY, and COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

From reading about the different families and professional stories with regards to how HEAD START has impacted or changed various individuals you recognize how important it is for families to become involved in an early childhood system that meets their needs. These systems should reflect the family because the system is really a service to children and their families. What struck me most about these stories that I listened and read about were the parents especially the fathers want to have an input in their children’s lives especially from a very early stage. HEAD START formed the foundation to help parents to recognize their role as a parent. When you read these stories you realize how much impact early childhood has on children and their parents. It makes you feel encouraged and appreciated. I was very impressed with a father when he mentioned that the most important thing we can give to my children is time (Jorge Avendado, Father of the Year. As a mother and an early childhood professional I can compare myself to his story. So many times we believe that we can give children material wealth to make up for the time lost between parent and child but I have learned from early that it is so important to spend quality time with your child. Although money is very important we must go the extra mile to ensure that we listen and talk to our children. It is about developing a strong bond between parent and child. What I appreciate with HEAD START is the fact that they provide parenting classes. Avendado realized the importance of making time for his daughter and I know this has created positive results for both him and his daughter. As an early childhood professional I would definitely want to emulate this system in my home country. As an early childhood professional I have also garnered how much all strands in early childhood are interrelated and depend on each other.HEAD START is not just about recognizing problems with the parents and the children but they also spend time in devising strategies to deal with the issues such creating parenting workshops to deal with the everyday issues. Reference Jorge Avendano, Father of the Year at Davis/Morgan/Summit Head Start-Early Head Start, Kaysville, UT

Quality Programs For All Children

The general public in America seems to have varied opinions about quality early childhood education. In Jamaica there has been a lot of talk about quality early childhood education. Sorry to say that’s the most it really gets, that is, talk. Politicians especially use early childhood as a political platform, hoping to win votes from parents and other stakeholders for their next election. Because of the lack of knowledge early childhood is really treated unfairly. It is the first sector to receive a budget cut and many ignorant persons just believe that early childhood is not so important at all. Large sums of money is being spent on remedial programs and although the government has quality early childhood programs in their pipeline at the pace at which things are going I really don’t how much of a public opinion will change in the next five years. For the next five years I am really hoping that the country will get its act together with regards to quality early childhood programs. The government along with other stakeholders not only needs to understand the importance of investing in early childhood. By investing I mean paying early childhood practitioners, providing professional training and investing heavily in research that supports quality early childhood practices. If we don’t get our act together very soon we are going to continue going down the rough and winding road. We will continue to see significant increase in crime, increase in social issues and poor economic gains. We will continue to feed people and not teach them how to feed themselves. My dream for the next five years is to see resources being pumped into the early childhood programs so that every citizen will be afforded the opportunity to fend for themselves and realize that poverty is only a state of mind.

EARLY CHILDHOOD SYSTEMS: 6765

What Resonates With You About Early Childhood Public Policy and Advocacy? Early Childhood Systems. For most of my years in the career field I always find myself advocating for something. My love for early childhood began when I started having children but my passion intensified when I landed a job with the Early Childhood Commission as an early childhood inspector. My eyes were opened to a myriad of things within the early childhood. There are so many issues and challenges. I believe advocacy is the way to go to help with dealing with these issues and challenges. My first career love was law but unfortunately I was not afforded the opportunity to explore this field. I believe early childhood advocacy is the closest to thing to law. I don’t think we have enough persons in Jamaica who are advocating for changes in the early childhood field. Advocacy for the demands passion but you must also be knowledgeable. Advocates are so crucial in the field of early childhood. To become a skilled advocate you must be properly informed. Like any other career or profession we need to be armed with the knowledge to help to create positive changes. Early childhood is foundation to almost everything that we do. Can you imagine if we had an untrained dentist in our mouths are a surgeon who has absolutely no idea about surgery. Well early childhood is just as important as any other profession. I hope to learn how to become a skillful advocate. Anything that has to do with change is not easily accomplished, especially when culture forms the framework upon which persons live their lives. Three goals I hope to accomplish at the end of the course is 1) How to initiate changes that will impact the early childhood field. 2) To become a skillful advocate. 3) To promote awareness for early childhood and educate various stakeholders on the importance of having the right start at the early childhood level.