The New Early Childhood Educator: Powerful Public Impact at Significant Personal Cost

July 31, 2015 (MMD Newswire) — Today, millions of families dropped off their young children at child care or preschool–not really knowing much about the people who care for their young children or the circumstances under which they work. Early education is growing in popularity for children of all backgrounds, and as a matter of public policy preschool is being promoted as a means to close the achievement gap and reduce social inequities. Nearly 50 years of research point to the economic and educational benefits of early education.

But as the authors of The New Early Childhood Educator point out, achieving the high quality early education that has been proven successful does not occur by magic. Effective early education is carefully constructed from a host of building blocks-staff that is both knowledgeable and nurturing, environments that feel both safe and stimulating, family engagement, effective leadership advocacy, a curriculum that is child focused, and so on. Yet many of those building blocks are frequently absent, including the unequivocal necessity to focus on staff and leadership.

Indeed, the early childhood educator faces many “Goliaths:”

- While the research is strong that children’s experiences in the early years shape the trajectory of their lives, respect for the early childhood educator is hard-won: too many people continue to assume that ‘anybody’ can work with children from birth to age 5 without special knowledge or skills.

- While public expectations of outcomes from early education have escalated, early childhood remains woefully underfunded.

- While the family budget is stretched by the cost of care, programs have limited resources. Most families have no idea that the person caring for their child has a good probability of qualifying for public assistance.

The New Early Childhood Professional: A Step-by-Step Guide to Overcoming Goliath is exceptional because it is based not just on one person’s story or theory of how organizations or social change work. Rather, in this book Valora Washington, Brenda Gadson, and Kathryn Amel present the insights and experiences of hundreds of practicing early childhood leaders. Two “calls to action are offered”:

- First: During this dynamic era of interest in early learning, early childhood educators must be better organized, equipped, and empowered to lead change for both children and themselves-to face their “Goliaths” with confidence and persistence.

- Second: Families and communities must realize that the powerful public impact of early education often occurs at significant personal costs for the early childhood educator; the field’s staff, in effect, subsidizes families and society with their low wages. It is hoped that The New Early Childhood Professional will strengthen our collective resolve to invest in young children and the people who care for them.

The CAYL Institute’s mission. Sensing her peers’ thirst for courage and community, Valora Washington established The CAYL Institute in 2004 to help early care and education leaders become architects of change. To organize, equip, and empower early childhood educators, CAYL brings together disparate parts of the field to immerse educators in constructive, active learning that stimulates innovation. CAYL fosters collegial debate, cooperation, and coordination, typically pushing participants out of their comfort zones to define our own truths and pursue appropriate solutions. CAYL energizes participants to bring forth their tacit knowledge and frame it in actionable policy and practice terms.

Valora Washington is chief executive officer of the Council for Professional Recognition and the founder of The CAYL Institute in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. She is the coauthor (with Stacie G. Goffin) of Ready or Not: Leadership Choices in Early Care and Education. Brenda Gadson specializes in working with community-based nonprofits and is the owner/operator of BMG Consulting in Ocoee, Florida. Kathryn Amel is the associate manager of programs and operations with The CAYL Institute.

Contact: Kate Amel Office: 617.354.3820 Email: media@cayl.org

The CAYL Institute 31 Heath Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 Phone 617.354.3820 Fax 617.354.3823 media@cayl.org

Online: www.newearlychildhoodprofessional.com

###