Summative Assignment

Running head: Commitment to Professionalism 1

Commitment to Professionalism

Annette Williams ECE671: Management and Administration of Early Childhood Programs

Instructor Guevara

March 23, 2020

Commitment to Professionalism

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Commitment of Professionalism 2

A great passion of mine is to advocate for child abuse and neglect. Research shows that

child abuse and neglect is a critical issue because it happens daily. The focus of my advocacy

efforts is child abuse and neglect as I am passionate about the well-being and safety of all

children. I would like to address the issue of abuse and neglect of children by their caregivers or

any adult figure. Although some parents may have the means to provide adequate resources, they

oftentimes fail to satisfy areas of needs with children that include but are not limited to

compassion, respect, access to learning resources, proper food and clothing, protection and

safety, good moral character development, love and much more.

An example of a policymaker I would consult would be the Department of Children and

Families (DCF). The Department of Children and Families would be first on my list to contact as

they are easily accessible and ready for contact as they deal with child abuse, exploitation, and

neglect directly. Furthermore, the Department of Children and Families are always open to

providing information that will be useful on the topic and assistance with furthering knowledge

on the processes and issues with child abuse and neglect. The strategies that will be used to gain

support from the Department of Children and Families would include formally arranging a

meeting with the Children’s Courthouse and the main department located in Tallahassee, Florida.

There would be community events available to agencies that are contracted under the

Department of Children and Families regarding receiving their support; as we battle against the

same cause. Becoming an active volunteer within the agency will establish a collaborative effort

to fight against an issue that we both are passionate about. The strategies would include taking

part in open-ended conversations, telling stories to persuade the individuals at hand, creating a

plan to combat these issues through advocacy and ensuring that they are adhered to, telling

narratives and building and leveraging the already established relationships. “Building

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1. advocate for child

advocate for the prevention

of.... [Frank Guevara]

2. daily.

adding a source for this

information would make your

statement stronger - and

some statistics [Frank

Guevara]

3. The strategies would

include taking

part in open-ended

conversations, telling

stories to persuade the

individuals at hand,

creating a

plan to combat these

issues through advocacy

and ensuring that they are

adhered to, telling

narratives and building and

leveraging the already

established relationships.

this is a very long sentence

with too much information;

how can you break this up?

[Frank Guevara]

Commitment to Professionalism 3

relationships is intrinsic to any successful advocacy effort and should also commence at an early

stage” (Payán et al, 2017). Another important strategy would be working with the support groups

for mothers and caregivers. Engaging in open-ended dialogue would be an effective way of

persuading a person about the importance of a particular issue.

The strategies to gain support through collective advocacy would include partnering up

with other professionals dealing with a similar issue, taking supporters through engagement

funnels and leveraging established relationships. supporters who are curious about the issue can

be guided through several asks to ensure that their level of commitment to the issue is increased.

Networking with other individuals who share one’s cause is crucial to gain support. “it can be

important to consult with other organizations, especially those which share similar goals and

interests” (Hock et al, 2018). It is important to link with the providers of special services such as

occupational therapists and work with the support groups.

One talking point is how neglected students are likely to underperform in school due to

child appearance, bruises and appetite, also lack support services that often lead to abuse and

neglect. For example, Owen used to come to school with soil and smelly clothes, bruises on his

back and hungry. He is performing poorly in all of his subjects in school. His parents were not

very supportive and would miss parent meetings held in the school such as family fun nights. His

parents were informed of the need to attend school meetings and told that it was a requirement to

attend them. After attending several meetings, the teacher was able to discuss the child’s living

situation and the poor performance of Owens with the parents. He later found out that the parents

were having difficulties at home and not have learning materials for math such as wooden blocks

at home. The parents were urged to get come help and purchase the wooden blocks for Owen to

practice math while at home. They were also urged to help him with learning at home.

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1. with the support groups

for mothers and caregivers.

who are these groups?

what sort of persuasion will

you engage in? [Frank

Guevara]

2. other professionals

dealing with a similar issue,

who might these people be?

[Frank Guevara]

3. asks

asks?

or

tasks? [Frank Guevara]

4. Owen

a case study like what you've

described can be very

powerful [Frank Guevara]

Commitment of Professionalism 4

Eventually, getting services helped the performance of Owen in both math and science greatly

improved. Children thrive when their parents can promote positive growth and development.

I will care for and educate children in positive emotional and social environments that are

cognitively stimulating and ensure that all stakeholders provide the necessary care to the

children. Key fact handouts will be developed containing facts on the topic of child abuse and

neglect. The information to be represented in the handout will include the effects of neglect on

child growth and development. Talking points on the benefits of taking care of children will be

developed. There will also be white papers to ensure that the problem of neglect of students is

described in detail. This will be done by welcoming the students who have been enrolled in

internships or other courses requiring them to interact with children, mentoring and coaching

novices to enhance their skills and knowledge of young children and being a resource to those

who want to know more about career options in the field of early childhood education. by

welcoming interns, one can help them learn more about the field and direct them. Some people

may also not understand the area they should specialize in. It is important to guide them and to

ensure that they understand the best career options.

The efforts will support the field away from unskilled workers by ensuring that they learn

how to provide services to the children such as giving them food and towards paradigm

professionals by ensuring that they are providing adequate information to ensure that they remain

informed and engaged professionals.

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1. Children

what is your second talking

point? [Frank Guevara]

2. welcoming

welcoming them where / to do

what? [Frank Guevara]

3. about the field and direct

them.

it's unclear what this has to

do with abuse / neglect

issues? [Frank Guevara]

4. how to provide services

to the children such as

giving them food

who is getting the food and

why? [Frank Guevara]

Commitment to Professionalism 5

REFERENCES

Freeman, N. K., Decker, C. A., & Decker, J. R. (2018). Planning and

administering early childhood programs (11th ed.). Retrieved from

https://content.ashford.edu/

Hock, G., & Meyers, C. (2018). On the Road to Change: Moving from Literacy to

Advocacy. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 91(2), 2.

Payán, D. D., Lewis, L. B., Cousineau, M. R., & Nichol, M. B. (2017). Advocacy coalitions

involved in California's menu labeling policy debate: Exploring coalition structure, policy

beliefs, resources, and strategies. Social Science & Medicine, 177, 78-86.

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