Peaceful Pathways to Advocacy
EPCC has just completed a three-part workshop series on advocacy. The three workshops were advocacy for and with children, advocacy for and with families and advocacy for ourselves and the field. Exploring the act of finding our power and developing it in children, in partnership with families, was a rewarding journey.
As educators, we have a unique opportunity to model for and encourage the children in our care to recognize unfairness and develop empathy and skills to stand up for themselves and others. We can ask the “wonder” questions like: How do you feel about that? What can you do to help? We can start with the very youngest children by providing the language for them: It looks like you are sad, worried, or mad… We have the opportunity to build advocacy with children as we observe and interact with them every day.
Building partnerships with families is foundational to our work. We know that the family is the child’s first and most important teacher. When we establish that partnership from the first time a family comes to tour our program, we build a trusting relationship that allows us to advocate with and for them. We can make sure we have current lists of resources when they need assistance. We can keep helpful articles that we can share when a family has a concern, and we can provide family education and discussion meetings to share information and to build a community of caring adults.
Now we come to the third area for advocacy. This is the hardest for us. We are caregivers. We think about others and their needs long before we think about our own. In order to be the best we can be for the children and families we have to care for ourselves. Here are some of the ways we can do that. We can continue our education to be the best educator we can be. Find an educator organization and get active so you can build a community of professional support and join others in advocacy actions. And don’t forget to make sure that you are maintaining a balance of work and personal life.
This article is part of our Newsletter 2025 Issue 4. See all articles.
