The Home Stretch

From preschool, to curriculum work, to primary education, my career has made some turns but my passion for the ECE field stands strong. Working as a kindergarten teacher in suburban northern New Jersey, I have been privy to a wide range of policy challenges that directly affect the families in my care, as well as the communities I work around. I am thrilled to be in the final stages of my studies, working now to deepen my knowledge of the tools available to me as an advocate and future policy shaper. I look forward to getting to know each of my new colleagues, and growing together!

Consequences of Being Apart of the BEST Team

1. Oh mylanta! MY BRAIN HAS GROWN!

After the 8 weeks in this course, I know for a fact that I have grown. Whereas prior to the start of our studies, I started to feel like I was falling into “the slump.” You know, the one where everything just seems so dreary and the changes feel like they’re never going to happen? Well, the feeling has gone. This learning community I have been a part of has allowed for me to be reminded, once again, that although the challenges we often face are truly big, the safety net to keep us from falling off the edge is far to large. A community such as the early childhood field’s leaves no man behind. Each member truly understands the importance of our work, and the value of children and families.

2. I might just jump!

As the early childhood community is not just limited to the professionals that work directly with teachers, I am starting to grow my confidence in the possibility of leaving the classroom and making my lasting marking in a different branch of our early childhood system. I’ve begun to research the different organizations that I feel inspired by, and am considering taking a chance and transferring into a new sector!

3. The kids. It’s always the kids.

My faith, wonder, and joy in childhood has not wavered. This community that cares so much, about me and about everyone, has continued to remind me that childhood matters. Our work is important because children’s lives matter. That old saying is absolutely true: children are our future.

Goal

I will become a leader. As long as I am working within my current education system, I will find ways to continue to grow and continue to share my understandings of effective comprehensive early childhood systems that can, should, and might even do exist in my community. I will build bridges across care sectors, linking each involved member of a child’s life to the same goal.

What if...

I am a married young woman, 28 years old to be exact. My husband and I have been together for 7 years, and married for the past 4. We met during high school, and reconnected after I completed my bachelors degree. We are both native English speakers, and live in our home state. During our second trimester, we decided to complete an amniocentesis test.  The results came back with a startling finding: our baby has spina bifida. Further testing found that the case looks as though it will definitely have some pretty intense implications after I give birth. Two doctors, each with different practices, have given my husband and me the expectation that our child will require several surgeries early on, even one while still in utero! Even if we opt to complete the earliest surgery, who's to say that our baby won't need surgeries on their feet, hips, or even spine. One doctor had been mentioning the possibility of hydrocephalus, where our baby might need a shunt to release fluid and pressure on the base of their spinal cord. All procedures are highly expensive, and I'm just not sure how we are going to financially prepare.

As a public school teacher, I have a decent insurance plan, though no one can predict if I will be able to keep my job and still give my child the attention that they need. My husband is an electrician for a private company, and even though his insurance is decent, his premium is extremely high, we are just now making enough to pay the extra for diapers and general baby needs- not for medical bills. We have anticipated using an at-home care provider when I return to work, but recently discovered she is not qualified to manage children with special needs. Neither of our families live nearby, so we are on our own when getting any type of help caring for our baby. The small amount of savings we currently have have already begun to dwindle as we jump from specialist to specialist. As badly as we want to become parents, we aren't sure that bringing this pregnancy to full term is going to be something that we can nor should do. Without certainty of if we can give this child what they need, we need to make our decision. Fortunately, there are no legal restrictions on how what we choose to do. 

Thinking about the sectors of comprehensive systems, my family will no doubt benefit from each. At this point, as my husband and I are gearing up to make this major decision of whether or not to bring out pregnancy to full term, we would greatly benefit from both the Health & Family Support systems. The various specialists we have seen, and will likely see again, will serve us in totally understanding out options and outcomes. The Family & Support system will give us the guiding hand, or shoulder to lean on no matter what decision we make. And we are to bring out pregnancy to full term, I know how important Early Learning and Development systems will be as we work to identify any developmental struggles our baby faces, and learning the many different ways we can help to foster growth across all areas of development.