The role of an advocate, both for the clientele professionals serve and the profession itself, was not included in the list of commonly accepted criteria of a profession presented at the beginning of this chapter. Nonetheless, advocacy is important for many professions, including early childhood education. Note that both the NAEYC Professional Standards and Competencies (2019) and the Washington State Core Competencies for Early Care and Education Professionals (2009) include professionalism as a core standard area and advocacy as a competency area.

Advocacy is any action supporting or defending a specific cause or issue. Advocacy aims to cause change and various activities can accomplish this goal. Often those of us in the early childhood education field feel uncomfortable with the idea of advocacy. It may feel too political, too aggressive, or require one to be able to speak eloquently about an issue. None of those characterizations need to be true about advocacy. There are many ways for an early childhood educator to engage in advocacy without experiencing any discomfort.

Advocating for children and families

Part of the advocacy obligation for early childhood educators is standing up for the rights of those we serve—young children and their families. As members of a profession, we have access to evidence-based information and have acquired first-hand knowledge about what children and their families need to grow and develop successfully. Our professional responsibility is to speak out against initiatives counter to this knowledge and not good for children or families.

Advocating for the Profession

Speaking out on behalf of the workforce that does the work of early childhood education is another form of advocacy that early childhood educators are called to. Advocating for recognition, compensation comparable to similar professions, and regulation not in opposition to what we know to be good for children and families are all ways of advocating for the profession. When advocating for the profession, it is important to recognize the difference between one’s personal interest and the best interest of the entire profession. Sometimes what is important for the profession may result in the imposition of requirements that may create hardships for the individual professional. For example, advocating for inclusion in the early childhood education profession to require a certain educational preparation may mean one must pursue additional education. As a part of the profession, one is called to advocate for what is best for the profession, rather than what one wants to do as an individual.

Methods of Advocacy

One way to organize the myriad advocacy methods is to divide them into personal and public advocacy (Feeney, 2012), as detailed below.

Personal Advocacy

Personal advocacy happens during your workday and includes speaking up about what you know to be the best practice for young children. When you share information with parents, co-workers, or agencies you cooperate with, you are advocating for children’s rights. When you refer your families to reliable agencies within your community or provide them with written resources, you are advocating. Too often early childhood educators feel reluctant to respond to calls for advocacy. Advocacy does not have to involve a public event; it can occur through the relationships you have built as an educator.

Public Advocacy

Public advocacy occurs when you speak out to address issues of concern in the larger community. It might surprise you how compelling it can be to hear the story of those working directly in the field. Policymakers need data and statistics, but even more, they need to hear how people are affected by the policies they set. They want to hear from the front-line workers about the reality of the days they spend caring for and educating young children.

However, even public advocacy does not require a public display; it can include voting with early childhood education in mind or writing to your congressional representatives at the state or federal level. Public advocacy can, however, involve engagement that is more visible to others:

• Testifying at a legislative hearing
• Attending a public rally for an early childhood issue or during the state legislative session
• Participating in a community awareness event, such as Week of the Young Child
• Writing a letter to the editor of your local paper on some specific early childhood issue
• Visiting your state or federal representative or senator to share your perspective on the importance of early childhood education

Early childhood practitioners can feel isolated and consequently limited in influencing policymakers or the public. Luckily, at both the state and national levels, advocacy groups exist to support individuals in their advocacy efforts. A list of such groups is listed below. Many of these agencies maintain email lists for individual professionals to stay informed of current issues.

• Children’s Alliance
  • Develops a legislative agenda each session with issues specifically related to early childhood education
  • Holds an annual advocacy camp to learn how to effectively engage in advocacy
• League of Education Voters
  • Convenes informational events, advocacy days, and sponsors fundraising events
• Washington State Association for Head Start and ECEAP
  • Advocates on behalf of Head Start and ECEAP programs
  • Provides information about current issues on its web page
  • Supports professionals in advocacy efforts
• MomsRising
  • Campaigns for early care and education
  • Provides information about current issues on its web page
• Child Care Aware of Washington
  • Advocates on behalf of child care providers
  • Presents data to support advocacy efforts
  • Presents action plans for individuals
• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  • Mobilizes members and other early childhood educators and allies to advocate on behalf of professionals and the children they serve
  • Presents legislative agendas
  • Holds training events to empower educators to advocate on behalf of the profession
  • Gathers professionals annually to visit federal representatives and senators
• Washington Association for the Education of Young Children
  • Disseminates advocacy information from the NAEYC to membership and others
  • Sponsors advocacy training
  • Collects and disseminates information on state legislative issues and actions

Advocating on behalf of the profession and the children and families it serves is part of the role of the professional early childhood educator. There are numerous ways to become involved in advocacy efforts and opportunities abound for both the new professional and those with more experience . Exploring these opportunities and considering how to begin or expand advocacy engagement is essential.