Professionals and Policy     

As a leader in the field of early childhood education, it is important that you are aware of the host of federal programs available that address the needs of young children and their families. This knowledge has important implications for those children and families in your care, and is inherently tied to the NAEYC Standards  that we discussed in depth in Week 2 of this course. If you recall, standard 6e of the professional preparation standards calls for you to engage in informed advocacy for children and the profession (Bredekamp, 2017). In order for you to be an effective advocate, you must understand the programs and resources that are available to you, your school or center, and to children and their families. That is the basis for this discussion this week.

To prepare for this discussion, review the article Tracking Federal Child Care & Early Childhood Education Policy from the Zero to Three website. Choose one of the Federal Laws or Programs from that site (listed below), or another law or program of your choosing.

• Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)
• Head Start/Early Head Start
• Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
• Part C of IDEA
• Early Learning Challenge Fund
• Promise Neighborhoods

For your initial post:

• Summarize, in your own words, the law or program you chose. In your summary include details about the law or program as well as how this program specifically supports each of the following:  educators, schools/centers, children and their families. Support this portion of your discussion with at least one scholarly resource.
• Analyze ways you as a leader can use your knowledge of this law/program to support the children and families in your classroom or school/center. Provide at least two examples of practical uses for this information.
• Defend the importance of advocating for children and their families. Include specifically how advocacy and your role as a professional and leader are interconnected. Support this portion of your post with at least one scholarly resource.

please answer all the instructions and answer all question that is required. Thanks In Advance