Be the voice for children 🤍

During the global health crisis of COVID-19, the new norm of learning make some children feel scared, stressed, and confused when facing new challenges and changes. Let’s review some characteristics to differentiate long-distance, virtual, and online learning.

Microaggressions are verbal expressions that are unintentional (or intentional) that carry a hidden message of oppression, discrimination, or any other -ism against marginalized people or groups because of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or religion. Microaggressions offer a clear demonstration of unconscious bias.

We learn about the sufferings that most diverse people live. Being oppressed and discriminated against because of skin color, or for being a woman, or gay, old, poor, or atheist results in damages to the individual. Many people believe and promote prejudices and biases against their family members, including their children. These practices contribute to the spread of hate crimes, offenses, oppression, microaggressions, and discrimination.

Teaching respect for our differences and acceptance of our identities promotes diversity in our children's lives. Including families is an essential part to be successful in supporting children to accept, understand, and value our diverse world.

For all new early childhood professionals, I have this message for you! After living all kinds of experiences of knowledge, today you reached one more step in your professional education.  When you began several years ago, you thought about your goals and desires and how you were going to contribute to the early childhood field, children, families, and colleagues.

Respect for cultural diversity is pointed out internationally and nationally as a basic requirement of professional practice in early childhood education (ECE). Early childhood educators require to be intercultural competent because of the changing demographics and diversity in our countries and for the possibilities of growing professionally in other jobs and roles in the early childhood field in other countries.

As advocates for children’s well-being and development, professionals in the early childhood field have the commitment to protect children respecting what they need to develop and achieve their full potential. One way is fulfilling children’s needs by providing love, care, understanding, adequate nutrition, and medical care, accessible and available high-quality education, and full opportunity to play and learn.

The early childhood field consists of professionals who share and learn together with passion. Seeing groups of educators sharing their professional experiences and supporting each other is not new, sometimes it is seen by themselves as irrelevant, and it happens very often. What most of them do not realize is how beneficial is the impact of what they share and how powerful in the improvement of performance and practice it offers.

As we move forward to our professional goals developing effective communication and collaboration skills helps us to be better persons and professionals. Practicing collaboration and communication demonstrate and develops our abilities and strengths as leaders and advocates on behalf of children and families. Collaboration is a fundamental key to achieving our goals!

Who does not find inspiration in the words of others? Here's a compilation of some early childhood quotes about the play, family, advocacy, learning, inclusion, diversity, and more. These quotes are positive and motivational for advocates and early childhood professionals who want to find inspiration for their contribution to the well-being of children, families, and the early childhood field overall. Read, enjoy, and get inspired!