What Resonates With You About Early Childhood Public Policy and Advocacy?

Why did you choose this specialization? Share what resonates with you about this specialization. Consider the relationship between your passion and aspirations related to public policy and advocacy and what you hope to accomplish with regard to promoting the well-being of children, families, and the early childhood field.

I changed my concentration to Public Policy and Advocacy just last year. Something came over and I decided I wanted to be more than teacher, more than a director and even more than just an owner of a preschool. I actually had a strong desire to advocate for preschool teachers. How often do we hear that preschool teachers are just babysitters? I get very upset when I hear that because people who have never worked in early learning have no clue what preschool teachers must do in order to help children develop motor skills, social skills and other developmental areas. Preschool teachers take on a lot and do not receive their due compensation. It boggles my mind when I see that preschool teachers are one the lowest paying jobs yet scores high in job satisfactory. So these teachers love their jobs yet they don't get paid enough for all that they do? Not only that, what about teachers who go the extra mile and receive their bachelors, masters or any other post secondary education in the field and still aren't compensated properly for that? Those teachers should not be paid hourly! I am still doing a good amount of research on this and there will be a change. With schools becoming high quality they are now requiring teachers to have a bachelor's degree or some sort of post secondary education. 

Part 2: Why are advocates essential in the early childhood field? Explain why you believe becoming a skilled and confident advocate is crucial for early childhood professionals and for the field.

Advocates are essential because they play a role in the political aspects of early learning. While preschool teachers wear a number of hats and it can be quite difficult to add the role of an advocate to their list of job duties. Advocates in early learning are our champions for families who don't have voice and/or the resources that families may not be aware of to able to provide high quality early learning for their children. 

Part 3: What do you hope to learn about public policy and advocacy? Articulate at least three goals related to this specialization at this point in your coursework.

I hope to learn more about how to research and deliver what I have learned to be of better assistance to the school, families and communities I serve and work.