My Role as an Advocate

My motivation for becoming an advocate for very young children comes from my experiences as a young child as well as seeing my Mother advocate for children.  I also work with infants and toddlers on a daily basis so I see firsthand the difference that an advocate can make in their lives.
 
It is essential to acknowledge and foster advocacy efforts at the micro as well as the macro level because you never know when or if you will need some assistance from others.In order to be an effective advocator, you need to establish contacts and communication with others and the best way to do that is to acknowledge other people's hard work.

In order to be a community leader on early childhood issues, one needs to understand and have knowledge of the issues that are faced by children, families, and all those in the field. They would also need to be good listeners and communicators as well. 

The best resource a state leader on early childhood issues can have is parents, children, and educators.  In order to know what is really needed in this field, a state leader will need to go directly to the source, the people who live and breath in this field.

In order to mobilize others, an advocate needs to be strong willed and determined. They also need to make sure they are well respected by others and also be able to delegate responsibilities.