I have learned the following from the program: 1) When pursuing a challenge during our advocacy voyage be sure to carefully consider you intended as well as unintended consequences.  2) There are other organizations that have begun the work to provide quality education for all children 3) The establishment of a Community of Practice is a way to gain knowledge from other organizations and individuals regarding your advocacy efforts.

One long-term goal is to see a parent/child in which I have provided the necessary resources to receive quality education actually come back to report the success of the program.

Dr. Morgan, It has been a pleasure to spend my last class for the Master’s Program with you and my colleagues that have shared in this journey. I have learned quite a bit from the beginning of the program until now, my last Blog Assignment.

I look forward to hopefully seeing some of my colleagues at graduation.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

Save the Children is the first organization because a portion of what they do is “help children and families help themselves” (Save the Children, 2012).  With my degree I totally believe that advocacy is all about teaching children and families to help themselves.  An advocate is there to support, keep families abreast of changes they may affect them and not only advocate for them but to show them how to effectively apply the resources in their lives.

International Step by Step Association (ISSA) is the second organization because “ISSA promotes equal access to quality education and care for all children, especially in the early years of their lives” (International Step By Step Association, n.d.).  This organization really appeals to me because they support quality education for all and I strongly believe that all children should have access to quality early education regardless of socio-economic status.

The Organization for the Economic Co-operation and Development (OED) is the third organization because they:

look at issues that directly affect the lives of ordinary people, like how much they pay in taxes and social security, and how much leisure time they can take. We compare how different countries’ school systems are readying their young people for modern life, and how different countries’ pension systems will look after their citizens in old age.  Drawing on facts and real-life experience, we recommend policies designed to make the lives of ordinary people better (The Organization for the Economic Co-operation and Development, n.d.)

This organization is concerned about ordinary people.  I think that ordinary people should be considered when developing different policies that will affect all persons not a specific group of people.

JOBS AVAILABLE

Save the Children – Program Specialist, Early Childhood/Location: US-KY – Berea/Division U.S. Programs – Skills needed: I would need to be trained in their policies and procedures as it relates to families, their young children and acceptable and unacceptable practices in their facilities.

There were no positions available for International Step by Step Association.

The positions available for the Organization for the Economic Co-operation and Development were not of interest.

References

International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2012, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2012, from http://www.oecd.org/pages/0,3417,en_36734052_36734103_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

Save the Children. (2012). Retrieved April 3, 2012 from

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6146405/k.C7E9/About_Us.htm         

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

These are four organizations that appealed to me while conducting research These organizations or people were chosen because of their mission, their previous accomplishments regarding their belief in quality early education for all young children. 

• Strategies for Children - they initiated a campaign entitled “Early Education for All Campaign” as result “they received a $50 million federal Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge grant in 2011” (Early Education for All, n.d.)

·         Virginia’s Office of Early Childhood Development - created “standards of learning for the early years of a child’s development, standards of competencies for early childhood professionals and standards of quality for early childhood programs” (Virginia’s Office of Early Childhood Development, 2012).  It launched Virginia’s Star Quality Initiative (Quality Rating and Improvement System) that:

was created to offer a market-based solution to facilitate quality consistency among early childhood programs, support continuous quality improvement in partnership with public and private early education providers, and encourage a continuum of care and education throughout various provider settings, so that all children arrive in kindergarten ready to succeed. (p. 1)

• Virginia Department of Social Services - It provides a list of licensed, regulated unlicensed and approved services for child care (Virginia Department of Social Services, n.d.).
• Virginia Child Care Resource and Referral Network - is an organization whose mission is “to provide the leadership, resources and advocacy necessary to sustain an effective statewide system of quality child care and early education services that links and supports families, child care providers and communities” (Virginia Child Care Resources and referral Network, 2012). 

I am currently working for a Child Care organization where my advocacy efforts are being utilized daily.  I also participate with The Micah Initiative -http://richmondhillva.org/what/micah.html  it “is a partnership program between churches, synagogues, mosques and other communities of faith in metropolitan Richmond and the Richmond Public Schools for the purpose of supporting the education and the nurture of the children of Richmond” (The Richmond Hill, n.d.)

One other organization is Communities in Schools of Richmond http://www.cisofrichmond.org/ – this organization “helps kids stay in school by identifying and addressing the unmet needs of children and families” (Communities in Schools Richmond, n.d.).

I also co-facilitate a 15-week parenting class. My church in partnership with the City of Richmond’s Early Childhood Development Initiative conducts this parenting class entitled “Nurturing Positive Parenting” this class teaches parents how to foster positive self esteem in yourself and your children and learn how culture and community affect parenting.

The skills and experience that will need to competently fulfill these roles is investment in continual education. As education continues to evolve my goal is to stay abreast of cutting edge information in regards to education by maintaining membership with the National Association for the Education of Young Children and The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies.

References

Early Education for All. (n.d.), Accomplishments. Retrieved March 24, 2012 from http://www.strategiesforchildren.org/eea/EEA1_accomplish.htm

Strategies for Children. (n.d.), Children are our common wealth. Retrieved March 24, 2012 from http://www.strategiesforchildren.org/

Virginia Department of Social Services. (n.d.) Child care facilities. Retrieved March 24, 2012 from http://www.dss.virginia.gov/family/cc/index.html

Virginia’s Office of Early Childhood Development (2012).  Access. Retrieved March 24, 2012 from http://www.earlychildhood.virginia.gov/access.shtml

Virginia’s Office of Early Childhood Development (2012).  Quality. Retrieved March 24, 2012 from http://www.earlychildhood.virginia.gov/quality.shtml

 

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg/Smart Beginnings – because they developed a system to improve the quality of early care and education programs; parents of young children – their children are the future and I need the parents to understand why quality early education is so vitally important and lastly, law enforcement officials – they provide information on the end result according to some statistics of children that do not have the quality early childhood education experience. “Economic research shows that investments in children age 5 and younger improve school readiness and decrease crime, teen pregnancy, delinquency, substance abuse, and welfare dependency” (Voices for America’s Children, 2010).

 I am currently working in my career field of choice: Early Childhood Education, but I would like to become more actively involved in the Community.

The experiences that I believe that I need to competently work in the community and develop relationships with the state, local or communities of practice is to conduct firsthand research to ensure that these organizations are consistently pushing to reach the common goal of providing quality early education for all young children.

References

Voices for America’s Children (2010). The impact of high quality early childhood programs on

improving the educational achievement of at-risk children. Retrieved January from

http://www.voices.org/wp

content/uploads/2010/05/Impact_of_High_Quality_Early_Childhood.pdf

Using Social Media to Get Connected

My past experience with social media is the infamous ‘FACEBOOK.’  A friend of mind spoke so highly of facebook that she talked me into creating a facebook page.  Once I created that page I could not wait to log on everyday just to see if I had reconnected with old classmates, family etc.  Facebook is an excellent tool for staying in contact with friends, family, co-workers etc.  However, once I reenrolled in school I discontinued the facebook page as I would be consumed with facebook for hours at a time.  I also have a blog that I have utilized for my studies while at Walden University. I definitely use email.    Now I frequently use youtube to find clips of Sunday Morning Messages, Children’s Choirs singing and to look up information for my headstart classroom.  I do not have any experience with twitter.

The social media that I feel lends itself to effective advocacy are the following: Youtube (PSA’s); online newsletters from credible resources.  I could use Youtube to demonstrate different aspects of the classroom environment for early educators.  For example, we could demonstrate effective strategies to transition three year olds from one area to another.  We could also demonstrate to parents how children learn in the classroom through play.  We could demonstrate to policy makers why children need early childhood experiences to be effective in society in their latter years.

What ways do you think that I could effectively use social media in my advocacy efforts?

ADVOCACY MESSAGES

 “You didn’t give up on sex. Don’t give up on birth control” (Ad Council, n.d.)

“You don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent; there are thousands of children in foster care who that will take you just as you are” (Ad Council, n.d.)

I believe that the messages are effective in creating action because they are true.  We must think of possible outcomes when engaging in sexual activity and when becoming a parent there are many children that are waiting to be adopted and being perfect is not one of their requirements.

References

Ad Council, (n.d.).  Retrieved February 4, 2012 from http://www.adcouncil.org/

MY OWN CAPACITY

The issues fuel my passion in the early childhood field: 1) Early childhood education not being available to all young children 2) The low income status of early childhood workers 3) Money being the determining factor as to whether or not a child receives and early childhood education

These are the special skills that I have: 1)Having worked in administration for 10 years gave me an understanding of written and oral communication 2) I have worked as a director for a non-profit child care center for 7 years where I gained an understanding of different state, federal, and local regulations that govern the child care industry 3) Now after 7 years as a director I have been working as a substitute for an Headstart class with children ages 3 to 4 – here I am grasping an understanding of working hands-on with children to prepare them for the next level of their education – I can also relate the teachers and how tedious, but very rewarding their job is. 4) Lastly, my education, obtaining my Masters Degree in field of study for which I have learned first hand through my experience.  These skills coupled together with my degree I believe will help me to continue to thrive as an advocate for young children and their families.

The resources that are at my disposal are: My mentor, partnerships that were developed with other non-profit organizations such as the United Way of Greater Richmond and SMART Beginnings that are all apart of our participation in Virginia’s Star Quality Rating Initiative.

One of my many talents is that I love art.  I love creating things that will open up the minds and creativity of children.

Through this training at Walden University in the Master’s Program I have already gained a wealth of knowledge regarding public policy and what an advocate really is.

MY ROLE AS AN ADVOCATE

What motivated you to start advocating for very young children? My motivation came from a desire to see children from all communities have the necessary tools in their early education to become successful in school years and later as productive citizens in their future communities.

Why is it essential to acknowledge and foster advocacy efforts at the micro as well as the macro level? I believe that fostering advocacy efforts at the micro as well as the macro level is important as it allows you to build a community of advocates from the families and children that are affected to local community leaders and then to government officials.  These are simply building blocks to ensure that everyone involved understands their importance.

What does it take to be a community leader on early childhood issues? 1) Research to ensure that you have an understanding of your community needs regarding families and young children 2) Persistence 3) Established relationship with community organizations such as: civic league, principals in schools and other non-profit organizations within your community – familiarity with other non-profit organizations will allow you to understand their focus so that you are not duplicating efforts but may be able to combine efforts to reach a common goal.

What resources does it take to be a state leader on early childhood issues? In some instances I believe that in order to be a state leader on early childhood issues is similar to that of a community leader.  1) You must have an understanding of issues regarding young children and their families in your state 2) Persistence 3) Be familiar with organizations within your state that may have similar programs for children.  For example: we may be able to take the steps that Elliot Regenstein took in the State of Illinois in implementation of the Preschool for All Initiative.

What tactics or strategies do you use to mobilize others? 1) Build a relationship with the individual 2) Grasp an understanding of who they are 3) Work with them to set goals for themselves 4) Praise them when they accomplish those goals 4) Be honest in correction

What advice would you give to someone who was interested in taking a leadership role in advocating for young children and their families? 1) Be persistent 2) Research 4) Do not get discouraged 5) Stay focused on your overall goal.

PERSONAL ADVOCACY REFLECTION

This person would be my mentor.  She has been consistently consistent in her quest to provide the best quality care for the children in our care.  A few years ago she began by investing in her staff.  She developed a partnership with United Way of Greater Richmond. This partnership allowed us to have mentors from different aspects of Early Childhood whether it is a retired educator or a college professor of early childhood education.  These individuals came into our center and began to share information that would push us forward in our quest for quality.  As a result of her quest she and I along with several other staff members enrolled in a local community college to obtain the credits needed to submit applications for our Child Development Associate (CDA). After completing the program together we all obtained our CDA’s and now we continue with the STAR Quality Initiative there is a push for the staff to obtain their Associates degrees.

She realized that in order to provide quality to the children she had to have staff with credentials that would allow for that provision.  As a result of her passion for young children and quality education I not only pushed to obtain my CDA but obtained my Bachelor’s degree and now a pursuit of my Master’s degree in early childhood education.  Without her belief and push I probably would not have pursued a college degree.  However, through her advocacy efforts and investment in the staff she realized that there was another aspect that was lacking, the parents.  So today, another partnership has been developed with the City of Richmond Early Childhood Initiative.  She sent me to a three day course to learn how to facilitate the classes.  This partnership will allow us to provide parenting classes to parents, grandparents and caregivers of children ages 0-5. 

We will engage in a 15 week series where they will earn to foster positive self esteem in themselves and children and how culture and community affect parenting.  In addition, they will learn how to gain a sense of personal power, handle stress and anger, establish nurturing routines and use effective discipline.  I am so grateful to have such a person in my life.  My mentor.

ADVOCACY ACTION OVERVIEW

I have worked in an Early Childhood setting for seven years now.  Seven of those years I have been director in a non-profit child care center in an at-risk neighborhood.  On this year I have have the most wonderful opportunity to work as a substitute teacher in a three year old Headstart classroom for the same organization.  While this is a great challenge I am enjoying the day-to-day interactions with the students and parents as a teacher versus a director.

During our readings on this week I was really able to hone in on what advocacy really is.  There are so many different facets of advocacy, and to my surprise I have been advocating for individual families and children, and for our program for many years.  I look forward to learning more about informed advocacy during this eight weeks and what else I can do to advocate even more for the families and children that we serve.

When I Reflect About My Collegial, Professional Learning Community

Post at least three consequences of your experience being a part of a caring, collaborative learning community for your professional growth and development. Use any format you choose. 1) It is always great to learn from the experiences and/or training that others have gained in the field. 2) We do not always have the pleasure of training with those that have like passions.  So that was great!! 3) You really have the opportunity to study and grow in your field.  Because I have been working in the field of early childhood for several years the information that I have gained is very useful.  Lastly, my goal in each of my classes has been to apply the knowledge or sure an enlightenment with those that I work with.

Post one goal for using this collegial experience to enhance your advocacy, policy, and/or system development work on behalf of young children, families, and the early childhood community.  During study of early childhood systems, I must say that the assignment regarding the Hypothetical Family was the most impactful.  I really had to think when considering how I would make sure that my family had everything that it needed in a comprehensive early childhood system.  I know that the development of a strong comprehensive early childhood system would be of most benefit to everyone, but as an advocate I would like to actively work with those policymakers to ensure that every aspect of that system would be covered.

My Hypothetical Family Situation

I am single young parent still in my sophomore year of high school.  On January 25^th I gave birth to a premature son.  Upon speaking with the doctors because of his premature birth several of his organs did not fully develop to include his lungs.  He gained enough weight to come home after a one month stay in the hospital.  While having my exit interview with the Doctors they informed me that because his lungs did not fully develop he would have to have a portable oxygen tank with him at all times until his lungs are able to mature a little more. Brain functioning was delayed.

Needless to say, I was devastated. I am employed at McDonald’s making minimum wage and living with my mother.  I do not have the finances needed to properly take care of a special needs child, but this is my child and my choice is to raise him myself.  After bringing my child home I noticed that he was not using his limbs properly they were stiff and limber.  After returning to the Doctors office with these concerns it was discovered after many medical tests that he also had cerebral palsy which affects muscle tone, movement and motor skills.

1.       Have I given a complete picture of my family, or are there details missing that I should include in order to complete the assignment successfully? If so, what are your suggestions?

2.       Is this situation realistic?

3.       Are there any specific websites I should be reviewing with regard to learning about quality services and programs for my child and family in this hypothetical family situation?

4.       Does anyone have any thoughts, based on my specific family situation that will affect the early childhood system I am creating?

The Political Will to Improve Early Childhood Systems

President Obama – “The Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge” this is a $500 million state – level grant competition. The Obama Administration has sought and secured increased investments in Head Start and child care so that more families have access to quality, affordable care, while pursuing important reforms such as requiring Head Start grantees to compete for continued funding (Press Office, U. S. Department of Education, 2011).

What appeals most to is the continual support of early education and the pursuit to provide quality care for those family.  I think that this challenge will cause grantees to push towards quality in order to be considered for obtaining the grant.

References

http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/obama-administration-announces-500-million-race-top-early-learning-challenge

PARENT, FAMILY, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• The value that hearing such stories has for early childhood professionals, for the public, and for policymakers and government officials.  Listening to the stories by parents gives those teachers and professionals that are working in field the added push to continue the great work of passionate teaching, advocacy and involvement in the Head Start programs.

• Your opinion regarding why or why not parent/family involvement is an essential system element for all strands of service in the early childhood field.  Parent/family involvement is so important to the as the first educators of children are their families.  When the family becomes a partner with the teachers the child develops great relationships in their education.  When teachers develop those partnerships they are also able to understand the child in a different way by understanding the uniqueness of each family.

QUALITY PROGRAMS FOR ALL CHILDREN

From your perspective, what is current public opinion in the United States with regard to the value and importance of providing quality services (including early care and education) for young children and families?  In an article entitled “Why Obama’s Plan to fix Head Start is Not Enough” by Kayla Webley it states that in Forty Years there is still the question of the effectiveness of the preschool program Head Start (National Institute for Early Education Research, 2011). What indicators and other information have influenced and are influencing your thinking? I think that the Head Start program is great but the continual discussions from the public to determine its effectiveness leads me to believe that statistics from the program and college graduates are not sufficient. 

Over the next five years, I hope that the public’s opinion would change and they would see the validity in offering early childhood education not only to those in poverty, but to everyone.  There are many aspects of early care that children need to foster positive outcomes in their education journey.  How do you hope this change in public opinion will influence early childhood education strands of service, systems, policies, and advocacy?  Should the public’s opinion change and the need to have education for all is enforced overall we will be a stronger society with well education citizens. What then do you imagine will be the related implications for young children, families, and the early childhood field? I can imagine stronger families which will produce stronger leaders and educators and the day when early education is seen as EDUCATION and not as an alternative to babysitting.

References

National Institute for Early Education Research, (2011). Retrieved November 9, 2011 from http://nieer.org/news/index.php?NewsID=3205

CHILDHOOD ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC POLICY

Part 1: Why did you choose this specialization? I chose the specialization of Advocacy and Public Policy because while working in the early childhood field my passion to help families and to make them aware of available resources to them grew stronger and stronger.  In order to grasp and understanding of what was available to the families it was also important to me to be aware of new policies and how they make affect the families.

Part 2: Why are advocates essential in the early childhood field? Advocates are important because I believe our job entails seeking out what is in the best interests of families and young children.  Without advocacy there would be a disconnection between the early childhood field and what is available to assist families and young children.

Part 3: What do you hope to learn about public policy and advocacy? 1. How can I advocate for families on the local as well as the world level. 2. How efficient is advocacy? How to stay abreast of new policies being introduced how to be instrumental in helping families to understand how policies will affect them and their families should they become law.

Another 8 Weeks Completed!!

It has been wonderful to share information during this coarse on collaboration and communication.  I thoroughly enjoyed the insight gained from each of you in our weekly discussions.  My prayer is that each of you will be successful as we continue our journeys in our chosen career field.  Once again our time together has been great.

Team Building and Collaboration, Part 1 - Blog Assignment

Consider the adjourning phase for several of the groups in which you have been involved. Think about which aspects of the groups made for the hardest good-bye.

The aspect of one particular group that made it hardest to say good-bye was a group that I participated in during undergrad.  The reason it was hard to say goodbye because I had learned so much about these individuals during the forming of the group.  At once entering the performing stage I saw who would step up under pressure and the person that actually held the group together.  It is so wonderful to see how people interact and who the really are outside of the environment for which you are used to seeing them.

Are high-performing groups hardest to leave? I would agree that for me high-performing groups are hard to leave.  However, on the other hand in a group where you see growth in individuals it makes the effort put forth in the group much more valuable.

Groups with the clearest established norms? This would be a group of individuals that have worked together before where all are aware of one another’s weaknesses and strengths. 

Which of the groups that you participated in was hardest to leave? A group formed during my undergrad years.  Why? I knew that I would no longer see those individuals; we would not have late nights in the library studying for exams and no more birthday and anniversary celebrations.  What sorts of closing rituals have you experienced or wish you had experienced? Christmas party, attending graduations and dinners afterwards and strong friendships developed.  How do you imagine that you will adjourn from the group of colleagues you have formed while working on your master’s degree in this program? I think that this would be somewhat difficult, but not as difficult because we only know each other through are introductions at the beginning of each course and through our views in different discussion assignments.  The element that is missing is our one-on-one interaction in which I feel creates a stronger bond with your peers.  This is the one thing that I miss from my undergrad years the one-on-one contact with my colleagues. Why is adjourning an essential stage of teamwork?  This stage is important because you celebrate the victories and it is also an opportunity to discuss changes that could improve the event if it takes place consistently.

Nonviolent Communication and Conflict Management

On this week the conflict that I experienced with a colleague was as follows: there are many reports that are due at the end of the month for our child care center.  I along with another colleague rely on each other for certain parts of the report to be completed before submittal.  On this week my colleague indicated that I had given her the incorrect information the day before the report was due.  I followed up with her when I had not received my portion of the report only to find this information out on the day of.  However, I knew that I had not given her the incorrect information, because I only had in my hand what she was lacking.

Instead of arguing with her I decided that I would make another copy and drive the information over to her and put it in her hand rather than fax it to ensure that she received her copy and I would at that point make a copy of the report that I needed to complete my month end report.  This is not the first time that this colleague has indicated that I had not given her what she needed so I was very frustrated that she waited until the last minute, but I also know this about her.

STRATEGIES:

1.    I could have used the cooperative strategy and asked her if she needed help.  I saw when I arrived that she had a lot going on and may have been overwhelmed but would not ask for help.  I should have offered help.

2.    I could have also used reciprocity – if I help her this time without her having to ask if she is missing documents or needs help the next time she will ask and she will also ask me if I need help to ensure that we both complete our reports in a timely manner.

Who Am I As A Communicator?

During my initial evaluation of myself in the Communication Anxiety Inventory I scored a 60.  In this evaluation I did not agree when I scored High which according to the test “reveals considerable anxiety in most areas of communication.  This is not unnatural, but this type of general anxiety about communication presents problems for you as you attempt to influence others” (Rubin, 2009).  The second evaluation Verbal Aggressiveness Scale I scored a 76.  I disagreed with the score High which according to the test indicates that I “often resort to character attacks and ridicule to others who do not share your viewpoints.  Your aggressiveness may cause anger, hurt feelings, and embarrassment, and will rarely, if ever, persuade the listener to your point of view” (Rubin, 2009).  Lastly, my evaluation of Listening Styles Profile I scored in Group 1.  I agree with the majority of this evaluation but not that I “struggle in fast-paced environments” (Rubin, 2009).

What was very surprising is that those individuals that evaluated me in reviewing the results from the test they both indicted that Communication Anxiety Inventory was Low, Mild, Moderate, Elevated and High in this order.  My Verbal Aggressiveness Scale was None, Low, Moderate, Significant and High and lastly my Listening Styles Profile was Group 1.  Their perceptions of me did not differ from what I perceived myself to be but as indicated I disagreed with some of the results of the evaluations. In discussions while sitting with the other two evaluators it was very interesting to know that they both thought that I enjoyed public speaking, but I do not.

Insight gained - 1) "Self - monitoring is your ability to watch your environment and others in it for cues as to how to present yourself in a particular situation" (Snyder, 1974).  Sometimes I tend to over self-monitor and count myself out of situations that I may have been very successful in doing.  2) "Self - disclosure when you reveal yourself to others by sharing information about yourself" (O'Hair, 2009).  Because of past experieces I am very reserved when it comes to sharing information about myself.

Should I work on these two areas I will be able to better communication with colleages and parents in the early childhood profession.  As communication is all about building relationships.

References

Rubin, R. B., Palmgreen, P., & Sypher, H. E. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.

Rubin, R. B., Rubin, A. M., Graham, E. E., Perse, E. M., & Seibold, D. R. (Eds.) (2009). Communication research measures II: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge.