I always find my "fire within" getting stoked when I engage in conversation about the current climate around national understanding of early childhood systems. Honestly, I think a part of this fire comes from the newness to my professional involvement in the field. In my eyes, early childhood care and education is a science. We make up a truly diverse field of people: children, their families both immediate and extended, various levels of governmental officials, community leaders, educators, researchers, policy makers, specialists, and the list will go on from there. No matter the level of involvements, some sort of early childhood education strucutre exists in each and every culture.

Yet, with that thought, I am always cocking my head to the side and racking my brain for an explanation as to why more people do not see our field to be scientific. Maybe it's because young children are just "so stinking cute,"  rather than being seen as incredible vessels for rapid neuro- and neurophysiology development. Fortunately, as the federal government has placed increased pressures of young learners to achieve as high as our disciplined, differently-structured international competitors, more policy makers have picked up on the fact that we need to invest more in these young children.


Even though the actions being taken at a higher level may not always be directly affecting classrooms and care settings, there have been major improvements made. Looking at states such as Oklahoma, we see that state governments aren't afraid to test out new programs and initiatives supporting young children and families. In stakes like OK, at risk children are being provided with a great deal of support prior to entering primary schools. State juvenile crime rates have since decreased, along with the high school drop out rates.

Educ 6765

After spending my first two years in the field working as a special education teacher in private early learning centers,I found my mind constantly wandering towards the notion that the families whom I was serving needed deeper support than they were given. I was always asking my supervisors questions about the different supports that were available, but they often were not able to give me answers that left me feeling dissatisfied. After attending several state and national NAEYC conferences, I found that the conversations that were taking place between professionals in the field (teachers, interventionists, administrators, policy makers) often were forms of advocacy. Having felt so invigorated by these conversations, I knew that obtaining a specialization in Advocacy & Policy within the field of early care and education would be the best immediate fit for me. 

Within early care and education, advocates serve as the voice for their most vulnerable population, one that does not have their own voice: children. Unlike many other fields, advocates of early care and education come in countless forms. Yet, often these people who hold the power to be the voice for positive changes in the lives and children and their families do not fully understand the changes that need to take place. The role of educated and skilled advocates is to assure that all involved parties, including policy makers, are provided with accurate and meaningful information. This information should reflect upon the understanding of the whole child, and the importance that "bigger picture" issues holds on improving the future for children all across the globe.

GOALS:
1. I plan to learn of one or several ways that I can further my direct effects as an advocate. (i.e. I plan to learn of specific organizations or advocacy groups that I can become involved with in order to further my own efforts.)
2. I plan to learn more about how policy is influenced at a state level in order to find more ways to utilize my knowledge to help guide and shape policies. 
3. I plan to learn about the different career options that may be available to me as an advocate. I would like to learn more about my options to help aid my plan to either stay in the classroom, or take my knowledge and passions into a totally different sector of the field.