Where does the motivation and passion come from?

All of these quotes stood out to me because they are a reflection of why I continue to push forward in the field of Early Childhood Education.  I want to make sure all children are in the best environment conducive to their development.  That they know their is more opportunities out there in the world and they are not limited by what they see.  I feel that the extra lengths that some educators will go through make such as positive impact on what families get out of their experiences in early childhood.  It comes from our experiences as a child and how we are passionate about what children and families get out of their experiences.  How they are able to deal with issues in their lives and still make sure their children will be okay.

Louise Derman-Sparks

".....the passion to make sure all children were taught in environments and in ways that truly nurtured their ability to grow and to develop to their fullest ability."

Raymond Hernandez

"...there is more to life than what's in their neighborhoods.  Their children can do more than just that."

Renatta Cooper, Program Specialist

  "I knew it was important for me to go out and to make those efforts to meet him because he was obviously not coming into the yard.  I had no idea how to support a family through this but I knew I needed to learn."

"The lack of family policy in this country is an issue."

 Leticia Lara

"As I think of my profession in early childhood, that passion stems from my experiences as well as from my experiences in looking at my parents, from thinking about my grandparents.  There is a lineage of helping folks in my family."

 

Sue Bredekamp

I feel this quote directly impacts what is expected from early childhood educators and how they are expected to deliver the best services to children and families.  Clear communication of expectations and best practices are essential!

"As we advocate for the practices we believe serve children best, it is particularly vital that we be clear in our own thinking and precise in our communication."

 Excerpt from Educational Perspectives "Play and School Readiness"

"For children to benefit fully from play, teachers must take their own roles seriously.  Early childhood educators cannot wander around classrooms operating on the vague assumption that children learn through play while, at the same time, lamenting the challenges to play coming from parents and administrators.  Instead, teachers must recognize play as one of the key teaching and learning contexts in early childhood classroom, must acquire skills themselves in research-based effective teaching strategies such as scaffolding language to use during play, and must incorporate play along with other more directive teaching throughout the preschool day."

Art Rolnick

Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Early Child Development from Measurement to Action 

"In our view, the case is closed on why we must invest in ECD (Early Child Development).  Now it is the time to design and implement a system that will help society realize on a large scale the extraordinary returns that a high quality ECD program have shown they can deliver."

Excerpt from The Region "Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return"

"The quality of life for a child and the contributions the child makes to society as an adult can be traced back to the first few years of life.  From birth until about five years old, a child undergoes tremendous growth and change."