Sunday, January 18, 2015

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

 
 
 
Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels
            The three organizations that interest me is the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), Martha’s Table, and the National Education Association (NEA).  It is my belief that I was put on the earth to be of service to children who have had a rough start in life because of economic struggles.  It is sad that some children are born into poverty and they have no control over their circumstances.  It is my goal as an educator and activist to lift families out of poverty by offering resources, training, and excellent nutrition. 
The Children’s Defense Fund was founded in 1973 by Attorney Marian Wright Edelman who had worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights era (CDF, 2015).  The goal of the CDF is to better the lives for children and families and to give young children a healthy “Headstart and fair start” in life (CDF, 2015). This organization wants to strike down the statistic of the preschool to prison pipeline.  The CDF has lobbied lawmakers on the hill, provided extensive research on solving problems of the poor and disadvantaged, and “Freedom Schools” were created to train young teachers how to help to help impoverished children become successful.  The “CDF” mission statement is “Leave No Child Behind” and I have adopted this mission in my own life.  There no jobs currently available in my area.
The next organization of interest is the Martha’s Table organization which was founded by Dr. Veronica Maz in 1979.  Martha’s Table started out as a social service agency that focused on feeding the poor (Martha’s Table, 2015). ` It has now blossomed in to job training, healthcare services, and high quality early child care.  After school program were later created because Dr. Maz realized that many poor children had no place to go after school so tutoring and snacks are provided for school age children.  Martha’s Table also offers free clothing and training programs for clients.  There is presently a job opening for a Chief Operating Officer that requires that the candidate must have 15 years experience in direct funding and hold a /bachelors and Masters degree and other qualifications.
The National Education Association was founded in 1857 and is the oldest organization to admit Blacks before the civil War (NEA, 2015).  This organization supports quality public education and quality teachers.  I am a firm supporter of public education and believe all children regardless of the economic status in life are deserving of top notch educational opportunities.  The NEA and AFT (American Federation of Teachers) have partnered in order to protect the rights of all children and teachers.   The NEA has been very vocal regarding educational legislature for public school children.  The website also offers theme-based lesson plan as a great teacher resource.
References
About NEA. (2015, January 17). Retrieved January 17, 2015, from http://www.nea.org/home/2580.htm
Home Page. (2015, January 17). Retrieved January 17, 2015, from http://marthastable.org/index.php
Protect America's Children | Children's Defense Fund | CDF. (2015, January 17). Retrieved January 17, 2015, from http://www.childrensdefense.org/