ECE Advocacy Final Flashcards
Professionalism is often connected to a person’s…
work ethic, how they conduct themselves in a work environment
although these are important they are often defined within an employment setting, policies & expectations and although ECEs are expected to have a strong work ethic there are some bigger elements
The CECE offers this definition of Professionalism within ECE
“Professionalism is grounded in ethical values and refers to the use of knowledge, skills and judgement in the best interest of children and families. Professionalism is demonstrated through relationships with children, families and colleagues, and accountability to the public and the profession.”
code of ethics Standards of practice connection to professionalism
Standard IV: Professionalism and Leadership
A. Principle
Registered early childhood educators (RECEs) demonstrate professionalism in their relationships with children, families, colleagues, and the communities in which they practise. They are reflective and intentional professionals who engage in continuous professional learning. RECEs collaborate with others to ensure high quality early childhood education. All registered early childhood educators, regardless of position or title, are leaders.
Professionalism is based on 2 elements
Knowledge and practice
Two elements of professionalism
Knowledge:
Practice :
knowledge in current legislation, policies, procedures relevant to the profession, etc - go through all in doc - the knowing of professionalism
Practice indicates how you put this into practice - the doing of professionalism
Standard V:
Professional Boundaries, Dual Relationships and Conflicts of Interest
A. Principle:
Registered early childhood educators (RECEs), by virtue of their professional role and responsibilities, hold positions of trust and responsibility with regard to children under their professional supervision.
RECEs understand the importance of maintaining professional boundaries with children, families and colleagues. They are aware of dual relationships and identify and declare conflicts of interest when they arise and take action to prevent harm to children or their families
Standard V is important to professionalism because it supports…
how we act, how we present ourselves / describe our selves not only in person but also social media for example Posting inappropriate pictures is going to impact your professionalism - why? Impacts how people see you which impacts how they see our field / value our profession, etc
Standard V
Professionalism is spoken to within 3 areas :
dual relationships, professional boundaries & conflict of interest -
Ontario early childhood sector, decent work charter
What is it designed to do?
This charter was designed to highlight the importance of the work that Early Childhood Educators do each day & connects to the Four Foundations for Learning.
HDLH for foundations for learning
Connection to the the workforce itself
Belonging, well-being, expression engagement
Staff feel like they belong when they are recognized as a valuable professional
Staff well being is supported by professional pay
Professional learning and ongoing PD supports appropriate engagement as staff and for the children
Expression is best met by staff within a quality work environment
While the Four Foundations for Learning is aimed to guide the work of professionals in their work with children and families, we believe that these four foundations are also aligned with the value of…
The workforce itself.
Professional pay and decent work advocacy efforts.
Video talked about
The current issues and recent advocacy strategies used by professional advocacy groups
Professional pay and decent work advocacy efforts.
Video
Unaffordable fees
Not enough enough high-quality space
Recruitment and retention challenges
Decent work movement
The AECEO decent work task force is committed to work, collaboratively with sector, partners, local communities and other decent work movements to create the conditions needed support decent work for all
The AECEO, decent work task force defines decent work as
Recognization of staff as valued professions
Professional pay/compensation
Professional learning
Quality work environments
The need for advocacy suggests:
There is a need for change
There is work to be done to make things better
In doing so we bring to light stressors within our field
We cannot talk about advocacy without also talking about….
the impact of the need to advocate on our mental health.
Educator well-being becomes a key component for quality!
Well-being
• Advocacy
• Personal stress
• Caring Field
Add to this that we are in a caring field that can impact our mental health as well
our own personal stress….. We find ourselves feeling depleted at times which impacts our well-being
Educators who feel valued, respected and heard will be motivated to
provide the best possible education and care for children (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2018)
In reference to The Importance of Early Childhood Educator Mental Health & Well-Being: A guide to supporting educators, 2019
When considering wellness, we are looking at the overall physical and mental well-being of an individual. Our current early years pedagogy highlights the importance of fostering children’s wellbeing and, since educators play a key role in children’s development, it is essential to also consider and support educators’ overall well-being.
Management teams and colleagues can support one another’s mental well-being through:
•Mutual respect
•Professional development opportunities
•Fair competition for all practitioners
•Acknowledging and rewarding efforts and intelligence
•Creating a welcoming calm space for conversation and reflection
•Allotting time for collaboration and discussion between colleagues and management teams
What does it mean to self-advocate?
Speak up for yourself - knowing when enough is enough for you Learn how to get information
Finding support / safety net / who will support you & reaching out
Know your rights / responsibilities
Problem solving
Learning about your own self-determination
Reflection is key!
Stress is a part of all of our lives. Stress can help…..
Understanding your stressors is good practice and can….
…motivate us to act but if not managed, it can become a problem.
…help identify triggers.
What is a stress bucket analogy
Our stress tolerance, or the size of our bucket is a part of our genes, personality, and life experiences and varies from person to person
Water is stress in our life’s
Coping methods our like taps that can help drain the water
Positive or negative experiences can affect the water level
self-advocacy is greatly dependent on…
self-reflection
Taps = coping mechanisms that keep your bucket from overflowing
Examples of this are
going for a walk, stand up and move around do something fun as reinforcement to do something hard motivation declared self time
physical stress signatures
Physical: Low energy/tired, Headaches, Upset stomach, including nausea Aches, pains, and tense muscles Chest pain anarapid heartbeat, Trouble sleeping, Nervousness or shaking,
Clenched jaw or grinding teeth
What is a stress signature,
a certain way that their body feels when they are stressed.
Developing an awareness of your______ _______ is one of the keys to relieving your stress.
stress signature
What are the four types of stress signatures?
physical, emotional, social, cognitive
emotional/cognitive stress signatures
Emotional / Cognitive: Becoming easily agitated, frustrated, teary, moody. Feeling overwhelmed, like you are losing control or need to take control. Having difficulty relaxing and quieting your mind Feeling bad about yourself (low self-esteem), lonely, worthless. Difficulty concentrating.
Social stress, signatures
Social: Disagreeing or arguing with others. Avoiding social situations. Feeling easily irritated or annoyed by friends or family
Passion in the field
Understanding the connection of our mental health to the quality of…
what we can provide to the children.
Passion in the field.
The importance of ______and knowing when enough is enough, keeping a balance always with the______ in mind.
self-advocacy
children
Passion in the field.
Understanding the depth of _______ of our work.
importance
Sustaining passion in our field means we must
self advocate, and knowing how to manage our stress
Parents as their children’s best ______
advocates
And advocate performed several functions
• Supports, helps, assists, and aids
• Speaks and pleads on behalf of others
• Defends and argues for people or causes
• (Advocating for Your Child, PETER & PAM WRIGHT, 2021)
Parent advocate does well when they
• Be educated on the issue
• Seek out information as needed
• Communicate well
• Create a support network of like minded adults
Additional roles, that families with children with diverse needs take on
Educator expert therapist, financial planner case manager advocate.
The impact that taking on additional roles has on families
• Takes away from your role as a Mom
• Extraordinary time commitment that advocacy takes / exhaustion
• Necessity of spending more time on additional needs, less on sibling / guilt
• Guilt when you recognize the fact that if you don’t advocate no one else will
• Recognize that you will have limits as well
Canchild research:
Comparing the health of caregivers in our study to the health of Canadian parents of children without disability
What parents want us to know
• The need for society to be more educated about CP (social stigma, teacher, friends)
• Constantly having to advocate and fight for their child
• Lack of information on resources/services
Barriers to accessing and maintaining services (paperwork, inconsistent staffing, transportation)
Lack of flexibility of services
• Lack of coordination of services
Balancing work and caregiving
• Uncertainty/concern for their child’s future
Balancing time with other children in the family
• Personal health (stress of daily living, exhaustion)
• Financial issues
• Lack of support from others for the caregiver role (by family, friends and professionals)
• Preserving self (making time for self)
• Communication (respect, level of language)
• Aspects of child and family health in additional to physical issues
• Approach (focus on child’s ability and potential rather than on disability)
Our role in supporting families
(Ethic A, Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, 2017)
“Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) make the well-being, learning and care of children their foremost responsibility. They value the rights of children and create learning environments where all children can experience a sense of belonging and inclusion.”
Code of ethics
responsibility to children
Responsibilities to Children
RECEs make the well-being, learning and care of children their foremost responsibility.
They value the rights of children and create learning environments where all children can experience a sense of belonging and inclusion.
RECEs foster children’s joy of learning through child-centred and play-based pedagogy.
RECEs respect and nurture children’s first language and/or traditional language and culture.
They demonstrate a commitment to address the unique rights and needs of Indigenous children and their families.
Code of ethics
responsibilities to families
Responsibilities to Families
RECEs build and maintain responsive and collaborative relationships with families.
These relationships are based on mutual trust, openness and respect for confidentiality.
RECEs work in partnership with families, sharing knowledge and resources to support the well-being and learning of children.
RECEs recognize and respect the uniqueness and diversity of families.
They provide meaningful opportunities for families to engage in and contribute to the learning environment and their child’s experiences
RECEs understand and uphold their responsibilities with regard to the_______ of children with disabilities and their families. The inclusion of children with disabilities is important, not just because it is a human right and required by certain legislation, but because _____ benefits from engaging in a welcoming society where all members are supported to participate fully.
inclusion
everyone
RECEs advocate for inclusion because it is an ethical and professional_________.
_________policies and practices support children, families, colleagues, the profession and society as a whole.
responsibility
Inclusive
Supportive strategies
• Provide a warm welcome during the intake process
• Offer a transition meeting with family, any resource agencies and staff to support a positive start
• Schedule regular meetings to check in
• Ask families how they approach caregiving routines, what works best at home, which supports consistency
• Learn about the cultures, values, and beliefs each family has
• Communicate with families about children’s individual development, including strengths, interests, and progress.
• ADVOCATE for families by offering helpful resources (Children First, JMCC)
• Carry over strategies recommended by professionals into the daily activities of your classroom in a natural way
Allowing parents to make choices about what is best for their children is
the powerful method of building a good working relationship with families
- a strength-based approach considers the skills, knowledge and resources that the parents and families already have and builds upon them (Best Start Resource Centre, 2010)
Children’s first
Rights of families
• to be a full partner in all aspects of your child and family’s involvement;
• to know the name and role of those involved with your family team;
• to be informed of the possible risks and benefits of all treatment options and whenever the intervention/treatment changes;
• to be treated with dignity and respect, without discrimination;
• to have your personal information treated in confidence and used in a way that respects your wishes;
• to a welcoming, accessible, safe and secure service environment;
• to receive services in a format suitable to your own learning and communication style or needs;
• to bring forward a concern or complaint and have access to a complaint resolution process;
• to withdraw consent at any time; and
• discontinue your voluntary involvement with Children First.
Children’s first
Responsibilities of families
• actively participating in all aspects of your child and family’s involvement with us;
• providing accurate and timely information about your child and family;
• asking questions to ensure you understand;
• treating others with dignity and respect, without discrimination; and
• notifying Children First if you no longer wish to participate in services.
What is most important for families of students with special needs
To feel included to feel heard to feel like the expert of their child
To ensure their child is cared for in a way they would if they were there
To know that you understand the specific needs if there is a medical emergency, you know what to do
What is your role when it comes to families of children with special needs?
An advocate for the child/family
Meso
How can you communicate respectfully and build responsive relationships?
Solution focused, positive language
Family centred (what are the families needs)
What does the supporting parents of students with special needs Article talk about?
Speaks to the disconnect between parents and educators when they share information talk about how parents see your behaviour versus how an educator sees a behaviour
3 R’s of inclusion
Respect, relationship responsibilities
3 Rs
Respect:
RESPECT - “There is no substitute for respect when it comes to children developing a positive understanding of themselves and others. Respect and understanding grow when children of differing abilities and cultures have the opportunity to play and learn together.”
3 Rs
Respect opens the door for ________ and _________ allow for trust to then build effective communication / interactions between….
relationships
relationships
…parents / educators
3 Rs
We also have a ____________ to close the gap between what we ______ about the benefits of inclusive education and what we are _______ to make that vision happen.
RESPONSIBILITY
know
doing
Research indicates that educators are not always comfortable working with children with disabilities.
Often, people working with children feel they
lack the knowledge, skills and experience to effectively support the diverse learning pathways of all children.
kubler/Ross stages of grieving
Accepting a diagnosis/ medical condition
- Kuble grieving (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance)
Personal and system challenges
• Larger class or group size
• Lack of resources
• Waiting lists /administrative processes
• Leadership beliefs about inclusion
Hands off our special education classroom
Geared towards teacher
Stop budget, cuts in the special education sector
I knew you could book
It’s important for families to know the progress regardless of how big this provides hope and support a positive mental health approach to what can feel like difficult and heavy caregiving at times
Life has it’s tunnels / dark moments
Acknowledging that different is ok.
Comparing to others - we all want what we don’t have / enjoy who you are what you are given
Toot your own horn - be proud of you
Ask for help when you need it, it’s ok
Impact on siblings of those with diverse needs
John McGivney children’s Centre provides a sibling days where siblings can meet others with similar experiences and families can receive resources as well
