Politicians play a key role in determining policies in early childhood education. As a result, services offered and program quality are dependent upon the policies these politicians set. Advocates of early childhood care and education can employ various techniques to help influence the decisions that are made. One strategy is the use of media to influence public opinion, which can in turn influence policies. While politicians have their own personal beliefs, they are also concerned with how they are viewed by voters. Politicians may tailor policy decisions and how those policies are presented to the public (Bown, Sumison, & Press, 2009).
Utilizing the media, politicians may use key words and phrases to appeal to the public. They may also use strong imagery to appeal to the public's emotions. This is done to enhance their message and strike a nerve among listeners and viewers. Politicians may also focus on critical periods, such as the early years of a child's life, to rope in members of the public who feel especially concerned about care givers, teachers, and young children (Bown, Sumison, & Press, 2009).
Advocates and organizations can use the media to reform early childhood education by using these same tactics to influence public opinion. Advocates can raise public awareness through the use of media and then push for policy change. Advocacy can be done through social media, traditional media, film, or websites. The more platforms used, the more people that can be reached. Advocates can also use the media to create a sense of community within their target audience and to maintain a relationship with members of this community. This can encourage dialogue and increased engagement. This concept of community engagements is especially useful via social media (Whelpton, 2015).
Overall, utilizing media platforms is an excellent way for advocates and organizations to advance their goals, influence public opinion, and indirectly influence policy making. The sense of community is what appeals to me the most. I like the idea of bringing likeminded people together to advocate for change and using media to reach others who share similar advocacy interests.
References
Bown, K., Sumison, J., & Press, F. (2009). Influences on politicians' decision making for early childhood education care and policy: What do we know? What don't we know? Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 10(3), 194-217. doi:10.2304/ciec.2009.10.3.194
Whelpton, S. (2015). Why investing in media is critical to successful advocacy. Arabella Advisors. Retrieved from https://www.arabellaadvisors.com/2015/07/28/how-investing-in-media-is-critical-to-successful-advocacy/
Hi, I enjoyed your post. I think that using the media to advocate for the reform of childhood education is a great idea. I've seen the number of changes being made because of the awareness that people are able to share. Once something gets shared on the media that people deem important, the message or story spreads like wildfire. I've seen things shared from domestic violence, child abuse, rare diseases, bullying, cancer stories, women dying while and immediately after giving birth, homelessness, political fights, and racism. These stories are shared and within seconds of sharing them, they become national knowledge. The media would be perfect to get the word out and could possibly help to see the improvements that are badly needed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Hi Jamie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cortney's comment, social media is a powerful tool! It seems like every business/organization has a Facebook page that can garner support by liking, subscribing, or sharing. The Head Start that I work for has a Facebook page and is always posting about early childhood facts, new legislation, and stories from the classroom. I happen to have a lot of teacher friends, so articles about early childhood education are constantly appearing on my page. I think the key is to figure out how to get the information out to people who are not in that circle and how to get them to actually read the information. You've given me some food for thought!
Laura
Hi Jamie,
ReplyDeleteI know you are right;that is how things change, public outrage or concerns becoming important to the politicians. And the media is always available, social, or public to broadcast it to the world. It sounds easy, but we know that it is not, if it is local,small coverage, national, then it will matter. So advocates who inform, and raise the awareness of the early childhood quality care issues will play a major part in the change. If we could show the correlation between early childhood education as a deterrent to what is happening to certain youths in our neighborhoods we may indeed see a change. I would like to know how many armed robbers, carjackers, went to early childhood care, and what type of care they received.I used that as a example of what I think it will take to get the public to fight, something essential.
Great Blog, and I enjoyed reading it!
Jamie,
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more that media can play a major role in persuading the will for those who can influence change. I believe that we have seen it more with our current president to further prove your point. Social media especially is playing a bigger role than before. I know that I use social media to stay updated on many political issues. However, I do believe that the instant knowledge can develop a false illusion for many issues. For example, statistically the crime rate is down but because we are able to see it everywhere, it feels as if we are constantly living in a state of violence (Grawer, Onyekwere, Kimble 2018).
Grawer, A., Onyekwere, A., and Kimble, C. (2018). Crime and Murder in 2018: A preliminary analysis. Brennan Center for Justice. Retrieved from https://www.brennancenter.org/analysis/crime-murder-2018