Brave Conversations

12/05/2023

There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.
Margaret J. Wheatley, writer

As the title suggests, Valora Washington and Elizabeth Spisich of the CAYL Institute share welcome encouragement and a fresh approach to advocacy in their article, “Persist, Reform, Transform, Reframe: Four Next-Level Advocacy Strategies for Early Childhood Education.” These ‘next-level’ strategies invite us to:

The four strategies they highlight are:

Persist: continually seek to align our varied sectors into a coherent field of practice;

Reform: convert COVID-era policy exceptions into sustainable innovations;

Transform: turn the potential fiscal cliff into a bridge of sustainable funding;
and above all,

Reframe: shift the workforce narrative in ways that emphasize early care and education (ECE) as a good job, recognizing employment experience as a fundamental factor underlying difficulties in the recruitment, retention, and advancement of staff.

While navigating a host of challenges, early care practitioners and directors have numerous opportunities to strengthen new and existing relationships to advocate for the necessary funding, community engagement, and institutional support. Building and sustaining meaningful relationships with families is an essential piece of this equation, often requiring what Washington and Spisich would call "brave conversations."

One vital aspect to consider as the ECE field persists is how to sustain meaningful relationships with families.

The CAYL Institute will host a webinar, as a part of their Moonshot series on Dec 7th entitled: Powerful Parenting with Brave Conversations

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.