Professional

• Part I

Identify the focus of your advocacy efforts and give an example of an issue you would like to address as an advocate.

• Identify one individual or group (local policy maker, state-level legislator, corporate leader, etc.) that you can contact for support of your issue and provide a rationale for choosing this individual/group.
• Describe the strategies you would use to gain the support needed for this issue through individual advocacy.
• Describe the strategies you would use to attract the support needed for this issue through collective advocacy.
• Create two talking points using one concrete example  for each point to demonstrate the importance of the issue.
  • These talking points should be appropriate to use when talking to legislators or the media about the issue for which you are advocating.
• Part II

Create a Commitment to the Profession Statement. Address the following:

• Describe how you will advocate on behalf of young children, their families, and the profession.
• Describe how you will support the development of future practitioners and leaders in the field.
• Refer to Figure 13.1 “A Professional Continuum” and describe how your efforts will support the field away from unskilled workers and toward paradigm professionals.

The Commitment to Professionalism paper

• Must be at least two double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.).