Parent, Family, and Community Engagement

Head Start

Parent, Family, and Community Engagement

I listened to the stories of the parents and grandparents from each category and decided the common denominator was that Head Start not only helps children but the family as a whole. Almeta Richards for example, went from being a struggling parent to a program director; Lawrence Thomas became the chairperson of the policy council and is an active member of the Fatherhood initiative after he obtained full custody of his sons; and Sandra Reza was able to obtain her degree in psychology to help her grandchildren. Each parent shared their individual stories about Head Start and how they are not your typical childcare agency and preschool and truly focuses not only on high quality education for children but parental empowerment and involvement to become as partners in not only their child’s education, and a better way of life for the entire family. Through their experiences, these parents have been motivated to reach back and help those who were once in their shoes and truly combat poverty in this country.

Head Start provides many opportunities for parental involvement and maintains that parents are the child’s first and most important teachers and how they interact with them physically and emotionally promotes healthy brain development and improved developmental outcomes. 

Family involvement is critical not only for Head Start, but for every strand of service because not all families are able to be served by Head Start but each deserve the high quality program they provide

and parents can make a difference in that quality at every educational level from Day Nurseries to Primary school and beyond by using their voice, becoming a part of the policy councils, and partnering with EC professionals, community leaders and government officials to make the necessary changes for the betterment of all children.

Each story is unique but also can touch the lives of so many experiencing the same challenges in their own lives giving hope, motivation and encouragement to persevere. From a professional perspective, it is encouraging knowing the work teachers are doing is valued, effective, and positively impacting lives. Hopefully these stories will also encourage and ignite the public, policymakers, and government officials to continue to financially support Head Start and even expand to other service providers to be able to accommodate all children and families at some level, not just the super poor.

Reference

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs/about/stories/

Quality Programs for All Children

Quality Programs for All Children

I believe that current public opinion in the US with regard to the value and importance of providing quality services for all children and families is that all children have the right to a quality education and all should have equal access as well. Also, I feel that “quality education” entails professionals that have the skills and training to support the growing diverse population of children and families here in the US including language, cultural and ethnicity; culture and diversity rich classrooms; appropriate services for special needs children.

Parents are now viewed as partners in collaborating with childcare and educational professionals because the families play a significant role in a child’s development and I believe they are now taking a much more active role and should continued to be embraced and encouraged by administrators and teachers. I hope that over the next five years, funds will be made available at every level to accommodate all children from birth through graduation providing them with a quality of care and education that will help to improve their academic, social and developmental outcomes in a positive capacity. I would like to see teachers, with all of the new educational requirements, be recognized for the important role they play and receive higher salaries. I feel this is not only fair but also serves as an incentive to gain the training and skills necessary to provide quality education to all children. My hope is that impact of advocacy, services, and policies will reduce the number of children receiving remedial services, thus increasing the amount of children successfully graduating high school and moving onto higher educational and economic statuses.

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

Why did you choose this specialization? 
I chose the specialization public policy and advocacy of early childhood education because I am passionate about increasing positive developmental, academic, social/emotional, and physical outcomes for all children and especially those with exceptionalities by providing more accurate evaluations of children at risk for special needs services; reducing the time gap between diagnosis and treatment; increasing the number of children mainstreamed into regular education/co-taught classes, graduation, and post secondary education; partnering with parents and providing them with the tools they need to help their child(ren) reach their fullest potential such as parenting classes that teach families how to acclimate to an exceptional child, learning all the facets of an IEP, and their rights under IDEA and other government programs.

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

I feel in order to be an effective advocate, I must possess the knowledge and skills to share with and help the people I interact with and most importantly, I must have a passion for what I do. That along with my experience makes me a trustworthy advocate individuals can count on in their times of need. It is also important to have a reliable and accurate resource base in which to refer my parents and families so they can get the assistance they need.

 What do you hope to learn about public policy and advocacy and articulate at least three goals related to this specialization at this point in your coursework?

The three goals I have related to public policy and advocacy include:

·        Gaining more knowledge about what advocacy entails, i.e. policies as it relates to children and families

·        Collecting resources I can take and use in my professional career

·        Learning how to locate and partner with advocates in my community