The Beginning of the End is Just the Beginning

"We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history." 

            Sonia Johnson      (http://www.successories.com/iquote/author/12540/sonia-johnson-quotes/1)

By following the link below you will see the Wordle I created related to the early childhood issues that keep me up at night.

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/7808977/BC_Capstone 

All these issues challenge the field of early childhood and are related to a lack of   Equity in Programs that support young children and their families.

• Low Status of the Early Childhood Workforce 

• Affordability

• Accessibility

• High Quality

Starting today I will begin to pare down these issues and challenges to one focus for my Capstone Project where I feel I can make a difference.... From there I will determine how, with my friends and colleagues, I can change the world!

Profile of a Volunteer

           My Grandmother Elizabeth S Guenzel lived her life as a volunteer and philanthropist.  The following two paragraphs extracted from her obituary describe her efforts as she gave her time and energy to help others. 

Betsy spent her time as a community volunteer in both downtown Chicago and in the suburbs.  The Junior League of Chicago, Children’s Memorial Hospital and Hadley School for the Blind where she recorded books on tape were a few of her many activities.  She was a Brownie Troop leader and one Brownie was quoted as saying that “Mrs. Guenzel looked like spinach in her green uniform”.  She was also a cafeteria line volunteer at North Shore Country Day School where her children attended school.

In the 1960s, Betsy met Joyce Myers, a Special Education teacher at the Hibbard School in Chicago, at a course where Joyce was lecturing.  Betsy was very interested in volunteering in Joyce’s classroom for emotionally disturbed children but she needed to complete a course that was given for graduate students at The Institute for Psychoanalysis.   Although she had not finished college, she was able to use her volunteer work and her life long interest in psychology as “life credits” for entrance into the course.  Upon completion of the two-year course, Betsy worked as a volunteer four days a week in Joyce’s classroom for four years and then part time for another two years after her husband’s retirement.

When I was a senior in high school I was able to participate in an internship program and also volunteered in Joyce Myers's classroom for three weeks.   It was at this time I truly understood the role my Grandmother had played as a volunteer to support these children with diverse needs daily.  Her commitment to the work and the families was unsurpassed.

Often people identify an area where they may want to contribute their time and energy, but do not pursue it because it is too difficult.  My Grandmother recognized she wanted to help the children in Joyce Myer’s classroom, but she had an enormous hurdle to over come and had to participate in two years of training before she could enter the classroom.  Instead of walking away she faced the challenge and with tenacity reached her goal.  As an advocate for the well being of young children and families I am often faced with challenges, but  my Grandmother’s example has taught me I must face forward and stay the course.  It will be worth it in the end!

Using Social Media To Get Connected

              I am a social media user.  I have a Facebook account, a Twitter account and I have been blogging as a Walden University student.  I am a comfortable Facebook user, a novice Tweeter and I am becoming a fan of blogging. 

            This week is the celebration of the Week of the Young Child.  Everyday this week I have used Facebook and Twitter to remind the world of all the reasons I can think of to support programs and policies that focus on the well being of young children and families.  I have shared and re-tweeted posts from NAEYC and other like-minded organizations and I am now writing about it on my blog.  I have gotten positive responses from friends and acquaintances form all across the nation, some whom I did not expect to be interested.  Maybe I have engaged a new ally.  

            I think social media is a great advocacy tool especially for informal messages, alerts, reminders, updates, and links to articles with more information.  I think it reaches a diverse and endless audience.  It may evoke someone to find out more and become involved in your effort.  I do not think it should be used to replace more formal advocacy work when a formal letter or a personal call or visit is in order.  Social media allows an advocate to reach out further and spread the word.

            I have actually written about this topic on my blog before with mixed reviews from my colleagues.  I look forward to reading their comments and blog posts this week.

Celebrating the Week of the Young

Celebrating the Week of the Young TM

What is The Week of the Young Child? Each year the National Association for the Education of Young Children dedicates a week to recognize the importance of the early years in every child’s life. The Week of the Young Child (WOYC) is a time for communities to recognize that Early Years are Learning Years for young children, and the important role that adults play in the education of the young child.

The purpose of Week of the Young Child is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families, and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs. The Week of the Young Child is also an opportunity for early childhood programs across the country, including child care, Head Start programs, preschools, and elementary schools, to hold activities to bring awareness to the needs of the young children in their communities.

The Week of the Young ChildTM is

April 6-12, 2014

Advocacy Messages

           As I was thinking about how to go about this blog assignment it occurred to me to think about some of the most iconic advocacy campaigns I can remember.  The following are the first two that came to my mind.  For me they have stayed with me since I first saw them when I was a child, and they are still used today.  I think the success of these two messages, and the associated advocacy campaigns, is they are short, catchy and touch your emotions.  The image of the vanishing young man or feeling the responsibility of keeping the forest and wildlife safe from harm are powerful messages.  They are messages that are difficult to ignore!

"The famous quote, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste," was a part of a campaign slogan used by the United Negro College Fund in 1972 and has remained unchanged for more than thirty years. This phrase has become part of the American vernacular and is used widely by lay persons and educators alike to drive home the point of the necessity of education" (Reference.com, 2014).

"The longest running campaign in Ad Council history, Smokey Bear and his famous warning, "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires," was introduced to Americans in 1944. The Forest Fire Prevention campaign has helped reduce the number of acres lost annually from 22 million to 8.4 million (in 2000). Responding to the massive outbreak of wildfires in 2000, the campaign changed its focus to wildfires and Smokey's slogan to 'Only You Can Prevent Wildfires' " (Ad Council, 2013) 

Ad Council. (2013). Fire prevention. Retrieved from: http://www.adcouncil.org/Our-Work/The-Classics/Wildfire-Prevention

Reference.com.(2014). Famous quote a mind is a terrible thing to waste. Retrieved from: http://www.reference.com/motif/history/famous-quote-a-mind-is-a-terrible-thing-to-waste

My Own Capacity

Which issues impacting young children and their families and/or the field of early childhood fuel your passion?

            I have a personal vision that fuels my passion.  My vision is a nation where all children and families have access to affordable high quality early childhood programs.  Understanding my vision is broad and will take the work of many to accomplish, I have spent much time thinking about my strengths and how they can be used to take a small step forward.  As a leader in my state and on the national level, I believe we, as the field of early childhood, must pick ourselves up and lead the necessary changes that must occur to elevate our status and secure the programs and policies to reach my vision.  As I look forward to the completion of my Master’s degree I believe I am prepared to help early childhood workers to see their leadership potential.  I hope to facilitate the advancement of the early childhood field so one day we can truly call ourselves a profession.

                                                           

   

What resources do you have at your disposal that can benefit your advocacy work?

            As I have progressed through my course work it has become obvious to me the human resources I possess.  Through my volunteer work with NAEYC I have become acquainted and built relationships with some of the most important thinkers in our field.  Being able to use them as resources and to work along side them to advocate for change is truly a gift.

              What knowledge, skills, dispositions, and/or talents do you possess that will contribute to your advocacy work?

            One of my greatest skills is my ability to build relationships.  This ability is especially helpful as I work to build bridges and alliances.  Successful advocacy is dependent on the combine effort of all strands of the field of early childhood.  I am able to build respectful, reciprocal and responsive relationships with other advocates so we can help shape the programs and policies necessary to reach my vision.

        In what ways do you hope to grow in order to be a more effective advocate?

            In the end I hope to reach and motivate as many people in the field of early childhood to become the leader I know they can be.  I can picture myself in front of a crowd of early childhood workers sharing my knowledge and passion.  I know that it will take work and small steps and some more confidence, but I can see the growth I have had in my career and know I can keep going so I can actively participate in the elevation of the field of early childhood.

Betsy Carlin's role as an Advocate

•                     What motivated me to start advocating for very young children?

                To be honest I am not sure when I would say I became an advocate for young children, but I know my motivation was knowing that my actions could help an individual child, a program, families, my staff, the early childhood workforce, an early childhood system or all young children and families to be more able to thrive in their pursuits.

•                     Why is it essential to acknowledge and foster advocacy efforts at the micro as well as the macro level?

       

                Advocacy and speaking out for what you believe in is not always easy.  Many people equate it to conflict.  Fostering small, but important acts of advocacy, builds a person’s confidence and supports their effort.  Just like major policy change, becoming an advocate is a process that is developed over time.  Beyond that, macro advocacy or in other words major policy change, happens because of many micro efforts.  Large change can not happen in one step…. It takes many small steps to create major change.

•                     What does it take to be a community leader on early childhood issues?

                To be a community leader on early childhood issues you must be able to build relationships, relationships with the early childhood workforce, the families of young children, the media, and policy makers.  These relationships allow a leader to communicate across the community to build a common voice and support for policies that positively affect young children, their families and the field of early childhood.              

•                     What resources does it take to be a state leader on early childhood issues?

                To be a state leader on early childhood issues an advocate must be organized.  An advocate must have access to research and evidence to support their statements.  An advocate must have a network of like-minded leaders with whom to work.  An advocate must have a solid communication plan. A advocate must have policy makers who champion their issue.  And an advocate must have vision along with stamina.

•                     What tactics or strategies do I use to mobilize others?

                To mobilize others to advocate for young children, I use my passion, enthusiasm and facts.  I share stories of success and inequity.  I paint my picture of the future and the map to get there.  I provide them with small steps to get them started.

•                     What advice would I give to someone who was interested in taking a leadership role in advocating for young children and their families?

                Get to know the issues.  Find partners.  Take it slow.  Stick with it.  And enjoy the ride!