NAEYC and Early Childhood Education in Context

We have begun to see tangible effects of the hollowing out of public education and social welfare policy in the United States: the degradation of civic discourse and the understanding of how government functions, and deepening inequality across many dimensions. One of these dimensions of inequality is the status of the early childhood education field (ECE), characterized by a persistent lack of access to high-quality ECE and an unstable teaching workforce. It is clear from the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC, the Association) vision and mission—operationalized via its strategic direction—that the Association seeks to alleviate unequal access to ECE programs and services and to stabilize and empower the workforce.
 
NAEYC as a Thought Leader

The vision and mission of NAEYC are why I support the Association’s work, and continue to see it as a thought leader and change agent for the ECE field.  As a long-standing member of NAEYC, I value the Association’s commitment to serving its membership but also maintaining its focus on moving forward the field at-large. NAEYC’s service to its membership includes flagship initiatives, like the National Dialogue, which streamlined the affiliate system and offered new ways in which individuals and groups could engage with the Association. Its service to the field more broadly is exemplified by the Power to the Profession consensus process (P2P), for which it has convened a broad group of stakeholders in an attempt to create within the diverse sectors of the field a unified conception and set of competencies for the ECE profession.
 
While these efforts signal that NAEYC is a leader for the ECE field, there is still work to be done to strengthen the status of the Association as an organization. It is here that I would apply my focus as a Board member and member of the executive committee. The Association’s policy governance approach lends itself well to enabling board members to contend with the major challenges facing the Association. Likewise, policy governance permits the Board to contextualize its decision-making on behalf of the Association within the landscape of research, policy, and practice.
 
Critical Issues Facing the NAEYC Board

Within the frame of policy governance, there are two issues germane to the organizational health of the Association that I would aim to address as a Board member. The first is the Association’s commitment to being a high performing inclusive organization (HPIO). The future of the Association lies in engaging new members and new leaders. These new members must come from a more diverse demographic than the current composition of Association members.  During my tenure as an at-large member of the Board, I worked to help change board culture.  As the chair of the board development committee, I worked to develop policies and processes that offered the Board systematic opportunities to reflect on (a) the composition of Board members and leadership across a variety of dimensions of diversity; (b) Board policy and procedure, and the policies of the Association to insure they fostered diversity and inclusivity; and (c) the Board and staff’s definition of “high-performing” and its inextricable link to inclusivity. Inclusivity means that there exist clearly defined, accessible mechanisms for members to have a voice in the Association; members must have a voice without first having to go through a set of institutionalized rituals that are set up to gatekeep an individual or subset of individuals from voicing dissenting opinions.
 
The second area in which I would apply my focus is on cultivating young and emerging leaders within the Association and the ECE field. As one of the youngest at-large Board members of the Association, I experienced firsthand the challenges that young leaders face – in the ECE field and in society. The desire to focus on leadership is not simply a personal one; rather, the NAEYC code of ethical conduct demands it. If the field is to thrive, we must ensure there is a vibrant and diverse pipeline of leaders. This could necessitate a rethinking of how the Association engages new members – particularly millennials. I see it as the responsibility of the Board to lead the field in engaging young and emerging leaders.
 
Leveraging Knowledge, Skills, and Experience to Advance the Work of the Board

As Secretary, I would bring to the Board table several assets to accomplish the aforementioned goals. First, I possess deep knowledge of ECE research, policy, and practice, each of which are contextualized within the domains of political science, curriculum theory, and systems theories.  In addition to teaching young children and adult learners, my work has centered on developing and implementing ECE systems, including understanding and breaking down systems of institutional oppression to work towards greater equity for children, families, and the workforce. To me, this work is essential to the transformation of the ECE field and, thus, compatible with the executive committee’s responsibility to lead the Board and guide the Association. Second, I am highly analytical. This disposition helps me to examine issues from a myriad of perspectives, seeing the benefits and challenges of each. Finally, my experience in the philanthropic sector has provided me with insight into how foundations work and the opportunities for collaboration between nonprofit organizations like NAEYC and philanthropic organizations.
 
In closing, I re-articulate my deep commitment to the Association, its mission, and its vision. To the extent that I can be helpful in helping NAEYC sustain and expand its work on behalf of the field, I would dedicate my Board service to that end.