Early Childhood Public Policy and Advocacy (EDUC-6765)

I chose to specialize in Early Childhood Advocacy and Public Policy due to my background in psychology. Through my years of study, I have learned how crucial the early childhood period is. A child's future success often hinges on the resources they have access to early on, so I knew it was important to involve myself in this field to help influence positive social change.

I am a former foster child and owe much of my success to the caregivers who advocated on my behalf. Foster children are considered part of a vulnerable/disadvantaged population, much like children with special needs, those going through the juvenile justice system, children in poverty, and English Language Learners (ELLs). After foster care, I came to live with my grandmother. After a year, we moved, causing my designated school district to change. Seeing that I was thriving and understanding that changing schools could disrupt the stability I so desperately needed, my grandmother advocated on my behalf and asked the school board to allow me to remain at my current school. Certain terms and conditions had to be met, but I was allowed to continue in my previous school district with all of the friends I had made. After so many traumatic events and instability in my young life, having that one constant was so important to me.

Advocacy in the early childhood field is essential because children are considered one of our most vulnerable populations, increasingly so for those coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. Advocates recognize a problem or issue that affects them personally or someone else, and then they work to do something to resolve it (Kieff, 2009). Advocacy allows children and early childhood professionals to have their voices heard on issues that impact them; it allows for someone knowledgeable to help influence decisions that are being made about their lives.

Through this course, I hope to learn more about how I can be an advocate and what specific areas I can advocate for. So far, I've found that I am very passionate about advocating for vulnerable/disadvantaged populations specifically. My first goal is to learn more about what these special populations need. My second goal is to find out what I can do to serve as an advocate for them. My third goal is to discover how I can advocate for education in the U.S. overall. I hope to look at what works and what doesn't work, especially within international education systems. I think there are many things European countries are doing better than the U.S. right now in regards to education, and I think we can take a lot of those ideas to help shape and improve our current educational climate in America.

References

Kieff, J. (2009). Informed advocacy in early childhood care and education: Making a difference for young children and families. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Final Blog Assignment (EDUC-6162)

One consequence of learning about the international early childhood field for my professional and personal development is that I have learned the U.S. is trailing behind other countries in terms of early childhood education. Although the U.S. spends more per 4-year-old pupil than other countries, most of our funds come from private sources. We enroll approximately 30% fewer preschool students in public educational settings compared to our international counterparts. International governments assume responsibility for early childhood education, whereas in the U.S., our preschool education is supported by some federal and state aid, local agencies, or paid for directly by families (Benbow, 2012). With this system, it's easy for children to fall through the cracks and fail to enroll in an early childhood program.

Another consequence is that I have become more of an advocate for early childhood education in America, particularly in regards to disadvantages/vulnerable populations, such as children in poverty, those involved in child welfare situations, children going through the juvenile justice system, students with special education needs, and English Language Learners (ELLs). Numerous large-scale studies show that high-quality early childcare programs lead to positive long-term outcomes in education, as well as in social and emotional areas (Lash & McMullen, 2008).  Additionally, high-quality programs in early childhood are linked to improved economic outcomes for the nation, as well as positive outcomes for vulnerable children and their families (Matthews & Ewen, 2010; The Obama Whitehouse, 2014). Children from wealthier households and school districts tend to have more resources than these groups, so investing additional resources to reduce inequality and equalize the playing field can lead to more positive outcomes in academia and on a national economic scale. Targeting disadvantaged children and their families can reduce the achievement gap, the need for special education, and the crime rate, while also leading to healthier lifestyles and a higher investment return (Heckman, 2011).

A final consequence I have learned is that the early childhood field is flawed across all countries, not just in the U.S. No country in the developing world has a comprehensive program to reach all children. Programs are typically small scale and rely on donors, and they typically only focus on preprimary schooling, rather than also incorporating issues such as reducing poverty, maternal health, parenting practices, and health and nutrition (Atinc & Gustafsson-Wright, 2013). In order to be effective, programs need to focus on all factors that influence early childhood education as well as ways to capture all children.

One goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends, and the spirit of collegial relations, is to touch base with international early childhood professionals to learn what works and doesn't work for them. I would then hope to compare how their programs relate to ones in my area, what we could change or implement, and share ideas that might also help them make improvements to their programs.

References

Atinc, T. M., & Gustafsson-Wright, E. (2013, November 25). Early childhood development: The promise, the problem, and the path forward. Brookings. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/articles/early-childhood-development-the-promise-the-problem-and-the-path-forward/

Benbow, C. (2012, November 6). Early childhood education in U.S. is trailing behind other countries. Vanderbilt Peabody College. Retrieved from https://my.vanderbilt.edu/camillabenbow/news/early-childhood-education-in-u-s-is-trailing-behind-other-countries/

Heckman, J. J. (2011). The economics of inequality: The value of early childhood education. American Educator, 35(1), 31-35. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ920516.pdf

Lash, M., & McMullen, M. (2008). The child care trilemma: How moral orientations influence the field. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 9(1), 36-48. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.2304/ciec.2008.9.1.36

Matthews, H., & Ewen, D. (2010). Early Education Programs and Children of Immigrants: Learning Each Other’s Language. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute. Retrieved from https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/29116/412205-Early-Education-Programs-and-Children-of-Immigrants-Learning-Each-Other-s-Language.PDF

The Obama White House. (2014). The Economics of Early Childhood Investment. Retrieved from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/docs/the_economics_of_early_childhood_investments.pdf

Professional Goals, Hopes and Dreams

• What issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live and work?
• I volunteer as a cheerleading coach for my stepdaughter's cheer squad. My assistant coach is an elementary school teacher. We were recently talking about how South Carolina is always reported as falling behind other states, but that the standards her students are expected to meet in our state are much higher than the standards they had to meet when she taught in New Jersey. That was surprising to me. How can states be compared to one another if their education standards are different? I think that if this is going to happen, equal standards need to be measured and compared.

• What opportunities and/or requirements for professional development exist?
• The SC Department of Education offers a lot of online professional development opportunities. The self-paced learning modules and courses offered are for 20 or 40 renewal credits. Seven-week courses are also offered each quarter.

• What are some of your professional goals, inclusive of goals related to supporting social equity?
• Some of my professional goals are to fight for more resources for disadvantaged students, specifically children of immigrants and those in the foster care system. I would also like to see more diversity in both public and private schools, with public schools receiving an increase in funding. 

• What are some of your professional hopes, dreams, and challenges?
• My hope is that one day, education will be equitable for all children, not just those from higher socioeconomic classes. I dream that education will also one day be more than just "teaching to test." I hope that it grows back into an enjoyable holistic experience. I think that this will be challenging, as our country focuses heavily on easily measurable outcomes, rather than the learning experience itself. 

Sharing Web Resources (Week 6)

Some of the outside links on the Children's Defense Fund's website take readers to the state offices of California, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Texas, and the Southern Regional Office for the organization. I went through each link, but they all had the same information as the national site. The only unique thing I noticed was that you were able to donate to specific states, versus at the national level, if you selected the state's page. It would have been helpful to read about activism, volunteering, or programs and policies specific to that area.

I decided to explore the page for CDF Haley Farm, which was once the home of Alex Haley, author of the novel Roots. Located near Knoxville, TN, Haley Farm now houses the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Child Advocacy Ministry, the Ella Baker Freedom School training, spiritual retreats, and other gatherings. It serves as a training facility for those who seek to improve the lives of children and families in poverty.

With the midterm elections coming up, CDF is encouraging readers to vote. They include a link to TurboVote, a service that allows you to register to vote and receive up-to-date information, and sends reminders about local and national elections. CDF also includes information on voter ID laws for each state. The information, in my opinion, is the CDF Voter Guide. This guide gives voters questions to ask candidates during elections. These questions pertain to the health and well-being of children and families living in poverty. As advocates and voters, it's important that we know where the candidates we're voting for stand in regards to the issues that matter to us.

This website focuses heavily on equity, with policies on child poverty, health, education, and welfare. CDF notes that children living in poverty often fall behind their peers as they are more likely to lack access to high quality early childhood programs. This often leads to children of color and those with disabilities to be denied opportunities for success, contributing to the risk of them entering the school-to-prison pipeline.

While exploring the website this week, I saw a recent press release noting that the Trump Administration proposed change to the "public charge" rule, which could potentially plunge millions of immigrant children and families into poverty, hunger, and homelessness. This change would allow the Department of Homeland Security to deny visas and green cards to immigrants who use public assistance programs. As nearly 1 in 4 children in America has an immigrant parent, this proposed change could result in millions of children going without food assistance, health coverage, safe housing, and more.

Equity in Early Childhood

Children from lower-income families and children of color often fall behind their peers in terms of education. This is because they do not have equal access to the same resources as their more affluent peers. Without access to high-quality programs and learning opportunities to aid in early development, they cannot read or compute at the same grade level as other children. Children of color and children with disabilities are also denied opportunities for success, leading to a risk of entering the school-to-prison pipeline later in life. Children who are homeless or in foster care are also at a greater educational disadvantage and risk failing or dropping out of school.

Research shows that children from low-income families are less prepared for school at the age of five.  Additionally, 67% of public school 8th graders cannot read at their grade level. These issues can be corrected by making preschool education a right for all children, creating a level playing field. Tax-based public education funding can be used to create equitable resources for all children, regardless of race or poverty levels. Extra attention can be applied for students from poor and low-income families, children with disabilities, non-English speaking students, homeless children and those in foster care, as well as those exiting juvenile detention programs.

Children's Defense Fund suggests the following solutions to eliminate discriminatory practices and policies in early childhood education:

• Promote equitable school funding
• Work to reduce the achievement gap
• End the school-to-prison pipeline
• Expand after-school and summer literacy opportunities