Motivations, Strategies, Resources, Leadership, and Advice

My father was an alcoholic when I was growing up.  He was very abusive to my mom and  me and my siblings.  We moved thirteen times in my elementary and high school years.   I isolated myself from everyone and had few friends in school.  I was so embarrassed to bring friends over because I never knew if my father was going to get drunk.  I decided when I had my children that they would never have to feel the pain and abasement I had as a child.  And they never did.  But I also wanted to make sure that other children in my care as a Preschool Director would never feel as I did as a child.  The reason why it is essential to acknowledge and foster advocacy efforts at the micro as well as the macro level is that both levels are very important when it comes to the Early Childhood Field.  The core of being a community leader is having passion for an issue.  Also needs to be committed, so that they can create an environment that will move public will and promote community-wide investments in our young children.  Money is an extremely important resource to be a state leader on early childhood issues.  Another good resource is regional network.  Some tactics/ strategies you can use to mobilize others are to pass on information.  Another way is to send newsletters to your target organizations.  Also creating workshops to inform the community in issues.  The advice i would give is that the most undervalued and yet the most critical is that leadership roles in the early childhood field is that of the facilitator.   Building relationships is the key!!