Leading Early Education in the 21st Century

Renatta M. Cooper, the Program Specialist at the LA County Chief Administrative Office made two important statements in the video about f ive early childhood professionals sharing their passion, motivation, and commitment to the early childhood field. "I learned it's not about you. You gotta take your ego out of it and think what's best for this child. And you care about them enough to help them transition to what comes next and what's best." ~ Renatta M. Cooper Program Specialist @ LA County Chief Administrative Office "A lot of this work I feel is equity work." ~ Renatta M. Cooper Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). The passion for early childhood . Baltimore: Author. Elsie's Comments: As an educator when prepping myself for this field I was always told that you have to have passion. You are putting your heart into this field because you are working with children, families, and everyone who is involved in this little ones life. ...

Poverty must not be a bar to learning and learning must offer an escape from poverty. –  Lyndon B. Johnson Wicker, T. (1964, May 23). President Urges New Federalism to 'Enrich' Life. Retrieved from https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/04/12/specials/johnson-federalism.html Elsie's Thoughts (Why this quote stood out to me): - Growing in the Early Education Field I can see how much children's home lives effect their success in school. It is important that as educators we can help students escape the difficulties around their home life and focus on their education & their growth. - Educators should create lessons that build on social emotional skills and problem solving. Educators should offer students ways in which they can apply these skills to their day to day lives. - This is why learning through play is so important, student develop in skills that not only assure their success in school but also in life outside of school. - Escape from poverty i...

“ While standards serve the important functions of basic protection and of education in health and safety; it is not sufficient that children survive in child care; it is essential that they thrive. ”- Dr. Susan Bredekamp Bredekamp, S. (1993). Day-care standards: need and impact. Pediatrics, 91(1), 234. Elsie's Comment: As an Education Coordinator I always remind teachers that it is important to not just create activities just to have something written down, but to create purpose, connection to curriculum themes, and addressing students needs. We want to do more than just the minimum. For example, one teacher I am working with is centering his month on the theme of The Ocean. He would write Magna-Tiles or Cars and Soft Blocks. When I asked his purpose for these activities he would tell me it's to 'fill the table'. We then evaluated the interest students would show to these tables that were simply "filler activities." Students would play with little interes...