The First Step Leadership - Personal Engagement

Have you ever joined a club or group?

Did you ever write a letter to the editor about an issue that moved you?

Are you a member of a professional organization?

These are the first steps to becoming engaged. First you must begin to feel comfortable becoming involved in things that matter to you. Then you can consider moving into leadership roles. For some it comes more naturally. For others, it takes time to feel comfortable. The first step is becoming personally engaged.

To become engaged, you must consider how to assert yourself. Be bold and step forward to join a professional organization (NCAEYC or NCECA for example), or start by joining the PTA, a church group or take part in a neighborhood activity.

Once you feel comfortable in your new journey to be involved, then you can consider additional leadership and advocacy activities.

Child Advocacy - Advocacy means becoming active with a particular issue of interest. Advocates act on behalf of themselves or on behalf of someone else. There are many issues related to children and families that you can read about and hope to influence. Some of the actions a children's advocate can take are:

• Inform the families in your care about the issue and your concerns
• Talk with other professionals to gather information about the issue
• Read about the pros and cons of the issue
• Write a letter to your legislator expressing your opinion
• Make a phone call to your legislator expressing your opinion
• Attend a rally with fellow advocates to demonstrate support to legislators
• Participate in State Capitol or National Capitol Hill Day events to visit legislators
• Tell other advocates about the issue to increase awareness and support.

Legislative Advocacy - State legislators say it only takes about 12 letters or phone calls to get their attention on an issue. And, on average, you only need five to 12 legislators backing your issue to pass or kill it. That means your single phone call or letter really can make a difference!

Think about how your voice and your interest can affect many people! How will you become personally engaged in the field of early childhood education?

Good books to read

Advocates in Action by Robinson & Stark
Offers practical guidance and concrete strategies for making change on behalf of young children and families at the school/center, local, state, and national levels. Includes material on the legislative process, with a glossary of legislative terms. Profiles of inspiring work nationwide highlight just what informed and motivated advocates can accomplish. Published by NAEYC.

Leadership in Early Care & Education by Kagan & Bowman
Early childhood leaders offer thoughtful discussion to stimulate administrators to stand back and look at leadership's various facets, including effective management, mentoring other early childhood professionals, working to advance the field, and community leadership roles.

Leadership in Action by Bloom
Explores the subtle and important distinction between leadership as a role and leadership as a set of skills and competencies that can be supported and nurtured at all levels of the organization. This book will help you assess your unique leadership style; understand the values and beliefs that shape leadership behavior; increase interpersonal understanding among staff; increase shared commitment to the center's goals; make action plans that get implemented; solve organizational issues in a collegial and non-confrontational way; and plan for your successor.