Sharing Web Sources

Children’s Defense Fund

What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

The “Take Action” section of this website has provided information on how to be an advocate it describes how you can be an advocate through email, calling elected officials, send letters to elected officials meet with friends of elected officials or write an op-ed.  I feel as I continue this journey I will become an advocate and leader in fighting for all children to receive a high quality early childhood education.

Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?

The programs and campaigns section of the website featured different campaigns and programs they have created. The “Cradle to Prison Pipeline” campaign made me think about how important it is to be involved, influential, and nurturing to early childhood. The statistics state that one in three black and one in six Latino boys born in 2001 are at risk of going to prison during their lifetime. The CDF’S vision with this campaign is to decrease detention and incarceration by increasing preventative supports and services. Children need access to quality early childhood development and education services, and accessible comprehensive health and mental health coverage. The “Black Community Crusade” for children is another campaign the CDF has spearheaded this campaign was organized to confront a deepening crises faced by black children and is calling America to make moves. A mix of poverty, illiteracy, racial disparity, violence and heightened incarceration is sentencing millions of children of color to dead end, powerless and hopeless lives.    

What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?

Neuroscientists, politicians, economists support the early childhood field in that they recognize how beneficial a high quality early childhood education is very important. We must invest in high quality education for every child, livable wages for families, income supplements, job training, job development, and support childcare and health coverage.

What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

In exploring this website, I know that we have a great deal still to accomplish in the early childhood field. We must advocate to end child poverty, guarantee every child and expecting woman comprehensive health, and mental health coverage and services. Protect every child from abuse, neglect and connect them to caring permanent families. Provide high quality early childhood care and development programs for all children. Ensure every child can read at grade level by fourth grade and guarantee quality education through high school graduation. Prevent jail sentences of children at younger ages and invest in prevention and early intervention.

http://www.childrensdefense.org/policy-priorities/