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

The Blog Assignment for this week consists of three parts:

 Part 1: Why did you choose this specialization? Share what resonates with you about this specialization. Consider the relationship between your passion and aspirations related to public policy and advocacy and what you hope to accomplish with regard to promoting the well-being of children, families, and the early childhood field.

                I’ve learned not to assume I know what all encompasses in public policy and advocacy through my coursework with Walden.   Every time I thought I knew a term or a concept, boy was I wrong.  There were so many more things to learn, avenues to go down, opinions to take in, and aspects of myself that changed my thoughts about the topic.  So to answer why I chose this specialization (public policy and advocacy) I would have to answer based off of what I think it all means right now.  To simply fight and be a voice to be heard FOR children.  Whether that means standing up for something that is being plagued against them, or where their voice isn’t even being considered, to understand the policies that surround children’s rights today and then to advocate for their rights.  Most importantly I want to help be a voice for them. 

                When my mother and father were going through a custody battle in court I remember having to go and sit in a nearby conference room where I could still hear all that was going on.  Only a few times I testified but I was warned only to answer the questions that I was asked.  Being just a child, there was so much I wanted to say, that I wanted to get out, but also being just a child no one ever asked or gave me that right.  That is what I remember vividly from that court battle, among others things that I’d rather not share.  The fact that no one ever asked me what I wanted, needed, felt, experienced, anything.  That experience left a trail of memories with me that led me to want to help others speak out.  If I could find the correct position, I would want to be that person working in the court system with children who help them be a voice in a scared, dark, and lonely place. 

Part 2: Why are advocates essential in the early childhood field? Explain why you believe becoming a skilled and confident advocate is crucial for early childhood professionals and for the field.

                I believe that advocates of all areas are crucial for the early childhood field because sometimes children can’t speak for themselves or know what is coming.  Children are care free and innocent, they want to play and make friends, and make up words and worlds.  Children don’t necessarily need to keep track of where their school’s funding comes from, they only know that they love going to school.  Children aren’t able to build their own playgrounds, but they sure know that playing on them is fun and having one close to home is great.  Children become used to abuse at home and think that their guardians are their protectors when sometimes they are not.  Let the people who have dedicated themselves to early childhood worry about the resources, funding, and steps to take to protect children by making things happen.  And let the children be children with no worries. 

Part 3: What do you hope to learn about public policy and advocacy? Articulate at least three goals related to this specialization at this point in your coursework.

                I hope to learn more about policies, and who makes them, who gets involved, why are they written, chosen, and who benefits from them more.  I also hope to learn about becoming an advocate.  I have so many ideas about what advocacy is, I would like to have solid answers. 

Three goals:

1)      Learn about advocacy in the capacity that I feel comfortable explaining the definition to someone else.

2)      Learn more about policies and just who makes them.

3)      Be on track to the confidence needed to fight for someone much smaller than me.