At an early age, I always knew I had a strong desire
and passion to work with young children. My motivation to advocate for them
came when I realized that there were so many laws and policies that would have
a major effect on their educational career that they could speak on themselves.
Being the parent of children with and without disabilities was also a
contributing factor. My lifelong goal has and always will be that all children
regardless of ability or disability should have access to a quality education. So
many parents like myself who may not fully understand need to be informed of
all the opportunities available to them. I had someone who was willing to help
me I can now do the same for someone else. Because of my voice others will have
the opportunity to become productive members in their community.
Young children and their families are vulnerable and
there is a critical need for advocacy at the micro level as well as the macro
level. When we can advocate for change at the micro level and are successful in
our efforts, this increase our chances for success as we advance our efforts. Micro
level advocacy is important because legislature and civic leaders need to hear
the concerns of those they represent. If no one expresses to them the negative
impact of pending or existing legislation or policies on their communities,
they will not feel a need to do anything about it. The advocate’s role at the
micro level is to inform public officials of the needs in the communities. When
legislators and civic leaders understand how policies affect people’s lives,
they are better able to develop, revise, and/or fund projects at the macro level
that will foster the well-being of their constituents.
To be a community leader you must be willing to act
against issues that threaten the livelihood of young children and their
families. You must know and have a clear understanding and be knowledgeable
about the issue. You must be thoughtful and connected to others you are
advocating for as well as those you will work with. You must also be firm and
stand strong on what you believe. To effectively influence the creation,
implementation, or regulation of public
policy, you must know some basic facts about the legislative process and
understand different strategies you can use to influence it. In the advocate’s
role, an individual works to promote, defend, or defeat policies and programs
she believes are in the best interest of specific members of the community. An
advocate takes a stand, spreads the word, and creates visibility for the issue.
She uses the information provided by experts to develop campaigns to create,
support, or change policies that impact children and families.
The first step
in effective advocacy is understanding the policy making process. We can also communicate with elected officials
by phone, through e-mails, writing letters, and by visiting local and state
offices. We should able to work with the media, to draw attention to laws and to
build public support. An advocate can use information provided by experts that
will allow them to develop campaigns to support, change, or create policies
that will impact children and their family.
When developing, an effective advocacy plan you must
be strategic and intentional. It will involve choosing strategies that educate
policy makers and the public about an issue. Strategies include information kits, fact
sheets, surveys, web sites, reports, multimedia presentations, position papers,
and letters to the editor or editorials. To implement your advocacy plan, you
may need to convince key policy makers to support your cause by going beyond
educating. Effective persuasive strategies include visits, letters and e-mails,
phone calls, testimony, and hosting policy makers at your program, school, or
center. Effective advocacy efforts require the use of many different persuasive
and educational strategies combined.
