Professional Goals, Hopes and Dreams


Since the beginning of my journey of pursuing a master’s degree in early childhood education, I have set professional goals and have evolved them as we are navigating each course in the program.  My professional goals encompass my passion, personal experience, and commitment to making a difference in children’s lives:

  • to apply my personal experience and learned knowledge from Walden to educate other educators in the future by instructing early childhood courses at an accredited educational institution.
  • to be a leader and advocate for children and families that may not have a voice or know how to exercise that voice by coaching families through scheduled training and consultations and attending any required activities with voiceless individuals.
  • to bring an awareness to the importance of infant and toddler development in the early childhood field by attending local district meetings and becoming a member of community projects directly impacting early brain development.
With my current residence in the state of Michigan, I am developing the desire to make a difference in the overhaul that is taking place in creating and implementing quality rating systems within the state.  Michigan is in the beginning stages of laying out a star rating system that is optional for providers and programs to participate in to receive specific monetary and marketing kickbacks.  The Great Start to Quality (2018), organization is in place to implement quality assessments and support providers in improving and achieving high quality ratings.  Great Start uses over 40 program quality indicators that are coordinated with the Michigan’s Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Infant and Toddler Programs and Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Prekindergarten (Great Start to Quality, 2018).  

Within my current organization, I have had the opportunity to receive online training and certification in conducting quality assessments in infant/toddler programs specifically.  I have also held a lead infant/toddler teacher position for over ten years, giving me professional experience to better support assessing and coaching other infant/toddler programs.  I believe that I can achieve components of each of my goals by striving to be involved with the emerging rating system within my state.  

Furthermore, I live in the upper peninsula of Michigan, which is a rural and under populated area.  My local communities within the state of Michigan need support in professional development in quality and funding in mentors to provide that support.  I recently was approached by the local community college to consider teaching associate level courses before I had obtained my master’s degree because the school is that in need of higher level early childhood educators.  Many do not go on further academically than the minimal requirements because there is typically minimal financial return in compensation rates or professional development (Carter, 2008).  My current organization is NAEYC accredited site that is five-star rated.  However, we are struggling finding qualified teachers in our area that our quality standards require because there are no institutions locally that offer higher than an associate degree in early childhood education.  We have found ourselves recruiting teachers over 10-12 hours away with the requirement of relocating to take the position with our organization. 

My ultimate hope and dream is to do both tasks in achieving my professional goals: instruct college level courses locally to grow our field of quality early childhood professionals and to mentor early childhood professionals who are already in the classroom through consulting/conducting quality assessments locally.  That would be the best of both worlds for myself personally.  With the ability to advocate and support high quality in early childhood education by touching the future educators in college and the current educators working in the field.  And through doing so, I will be advocating for quality experiences for the children and families I serve locally every day that do not have the opportunity to exercise their voice the way I can.

The challenge to obtaining my hopes and dreams is the same challenge that my community is facing in moving towards meeting statewide quality in early childhood education.  I live in a rural area with little job opportunities or professional development opportunities.  Advocating for job growth and investments in the early childhood education sector in my area is the number one priority for achieving my goals.  With the recent increase of $2.9 billion dollars, nearly doubling the funding for the Childcare and Development Block grant, with an increase of 5,200 children being funded (CLASP, 2018).  I am hopeful that the future investments will be put into these two areas of need in my community and state to aid the workforce of early childhood education.  Then, I could make the difference that I know I can for so many lives.


References

Carter, M. (2008). Assessing quality: What are we doing? Where are we going? Exchange, (184), 32–35.

CLASP (n.d.), (2018, February). State by state impact of doubling CCDBG funding in FY 2018.  Retrieved from https://www.clasp.org/sites/default/files/publications/2018/02/State%20Impact%20of%20Doubling%20CCDBG%20.pdf

Great Start to Quality (n.d.), (2018). How great start to quality works. Retrieved from http://greatstarttoquality.org/how-great-start-quality-works


Comments

  1. Megan SmithApril 22, 2018 at 2:38 PM

    Crystal,
    You sound like such an asset to your community! Kansas is currently piloting their new quality system, Links to Quality (http://ksqualitynetwork.org/links/). Also, I understand the struggle to find quality teachers and more importantly compensating them appropriately. I am hoping the new funding to the Childcare and Development Block Grant can work towards increasing teacher salaries, especially if they are highly qualified. Good luck on your advocacy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hope DLGApril 22, 2018 at 10:13 PM

    Crystal,
    I am overjoyed reading your blog this week. It seems that as a country there is much needed attention to the needs of early learners. I appreciate your desire to help with the overhaul. It takes dedicated individuals like yourself on the frontline that are going to be instrumental in making and implementing changes. There are many challenges like you have mentioned however, I believe that if we all band together to ensure that the changes are beneficial for the children, their families as well as teachers the work is worth the reward. Excellent blog.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownApril 23, 2018 at 12:48 AM

    Crystal,
    I appreciate your blog and sharing your professional goals. I think that experience is very important in education. When I use my experiences, whether they are positive or negative it helps when in the class as well as when I am advocating for my students. Your challenging area seem tough, but I hope that everything will work out in your best interest. There will be push back, but as long as you keep advocating, I am certain that you will be able to achieve your goals.
    Danielle

    ReplyDelete

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