When I Reflect About My Collegial, Professional Learning Community

Three downfalls of being apart of the professional learning community are:

1. The lack parental involvement that is sometimes present.
2. Misrepresentation of student's true needs.
3. The lack of funding needed to properly ensure that individual needs are met.


One goal that I have created is:

I want to effectively and efficiently represent the children and their families in the field of early childhood education, and I will provide the best information and resources that I can to make their development successful.

My Hypothetical Family Situation

For this assignment, I identify myself as a parent who is about to adopt a three year old little boy (Jacobe) that has just recently been diagnosed with autism. Both of his parents were killed in a tragic car accident and he does not have any family who is willing to adopt him with the severity of his condition. I am currently married and we currently have a 6 year old daughter. He does not have any siblings from his parents but has been separated from his grandparents. They felt as though they were to old to care for their grandchild. I am currently a speech therapist with my own practice and my husband is a marketing executive for Apple. Due to our financial successes, we feel as though we are equip with the resources to adequately care for a child with special needs. The knowledge and experience that I hold as a speech therapist in Early Learning and with special needs children, also qualifies for being great foster parents. English is our first language and is also the first language of Jacobe.

The Political Will to Improve Early Childhood Systems

Advocates for Special Education are using effective strategies to collaborate with school districts, families, and educators to make the most informed decisions in regards to students needs. The advocates make voices for parents and explore various avenues of concerns that may be present. They look for opportunities that may be missed or are not funded by the school district, and ensure that the parents are afforded that greatest opportunities for their child. There are not any credentials that are to be verified in order to be an advocate, so it is important that the parents do their research and background investigation to ensure they can meet their needs. The collaborative efforts with the school can make a huge impact on the successes of the student.  

Parents feel a sense of security when the advocate is familiar with the school district that their child attends, and that they are informed about how the school district operates. The comfort that parents feel from having an advocate that can make informed decisions for their student makes parents at ease. Advocates do typically charge fees, but there are ways to assist with the cost. 

The part of this work that appeals to me the most is the research and knowledge that goes into collaborating within the field. The work that gets put into the meetings that make the best decisions for the children. Also, comforting skills for the parents and making them understand the decisions that are made for the child. 

Parent, Family, and Community Engagement

The use of family and community engagement is very vital to early childhood. Children and educators are valuable assets to a child's  academic achievements. Community involvement and family stability will always be a major contribution to a child making adequate progress.

Professionally, I have gained a greater appreciation for family involvement. It is a known fact that having adequate family support makes a student successful, but the family is just as needed for the teacher as they are for the students. Teachers are able to gather background knowledge about the family and home environment and use this knowledge to use in the classroom. Parents hold key information about children that teachers need to know in regards to a child's learning style.

These stories are very helpful to the field of Early Childhood to share various perspectives within the field and give insight and ideas to the field. The resources that we share with each other are more valuable than anything because they are based upon experiences. Parental involvement will always have a great lasting impression upon the community of early childhood. The use of parent's experiences helps to open up various avenues of teaching and researching students characteristics.