Activity 3.1 | Importance of the ECE sector
Activity 3.1 | Introduction
Advocating for change
Identifying Your Advocacy Goals
After examining the impact of early childhood education on broader society, it is evident that your role as an ECE manager and leader is pivotal, though not consistently recognized. It can feel overwhelming when you become aware of the work needed to raise awareness and make meaningful change.
You may not think of yourself as an "advocate", but you have already advocated if you have ever:
- Helped a family receive needed services,
- Stood up for someone who was being treated unfairly, or
- Attended conferences, city council meetings or other events highlighting injustice and exploring actions for change.
You can move into more active advocacy for policy change and educational reforms that prioritize ECE education, and that can potentially shape public perception and awareness. After completing all activities in Topic Three, you will create an action plan to share with others to begin your advocacy journey. The first step towards making your action plan is to identify your goals.
Identifying your goals
To identify your goals, you are encouraged to do one or both of the following activities:
- Visualize your preferred future
Imagine you have just woken up, and it is five years in the future. You realize that your program and the ECE sector are exactly as you have hoped they would be - what has changed? What policies have been put into place? What are the working conditions like? Visualizing your preferred future makes you likelier to see your imagined potential come to light.