Telling stories is one way to honor early childhood educators.
Sharing these stories with those in the position to make change is another.
Despite what we know about the benefits of high-quality early learning environments for young children, our nation’s early education and care system is on thin ice. Without the broad and sustained federal funding that K-12 public schools receive, many early learning programs operate on razor-thin margins and cannot pay providers a livable wage. As of 2019, every single U.S. state had a higher poverty rate among early childhood educators than the average U.S. poverty rate.
Early childhood educators need you—educators, parents, and allies—to raise your voices and demand that our nation’s policies support and compensate those who provide care for our youngest children.
Stay informed
Organizations across the early childhood ecosystem play a role in helping audiences understand research on child development, approaches to teaching practice, and policy changes that impact young children, families, and early educators.
The Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative at Harvard University maintains the Zaentz Navigator, which a user-friendly, interactive, and innovative digital tool that users learn how cities and states across the country are working to improve early education and care.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) promotes high-quality early learning for all young children by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research.
The Alliance for Early Success focuses on connecting, equipping, and funding state early childhood policy advocates who push for policy that improves and scales early childhood success.
The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University makes the science of early childhood accessible and actionable, working to produce larger impacts on the learning capacity, health, and economic and social mobility of young children.
Engage your elected officials
It’s important to let your elected officials know that early childhood education matters to their constituents. Many platforms, like America for Early Ed, allow you to easily look up and write to your representatives about why they should join you as part of the early childhood education movement.