Where are we?

My October 9th blog post, "What the Government Should Have Learned in Kindergarten," ended with a call for government officials to follow the simple rules outlined in Robert Fulghum's book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Now that it's over, I am glad there's no need for today's post to urge our elected officials end the shutdown. That said, I am saddened by both the length of time and the amount of energy that was wasted over this fight. On September 30th when the negotiations broke down, I never imagined that the impasse would go on for 16 days.

In my days as teacher I endured many children with stubborn dispositions, but even the most strong-willed toddlers fighting over a favorite toy came to a compromise within a reasonable amount of time. I do not believe that 16 days of lost services, support, and revenue is reasonable. When I was teaching, disagreements lasting more than five minutes were deemed critical and in need of additional intervention. Perhaps we should consider sending our Head Start teachers, public preschool teachers, and family child-care teachers to Congress to mediate the next round of budget negotiations.

What did we lose?

It is difficult to put a price on what was lost during the shutdown. Some communities have attempted to estimate the cost of the shutdown through the amount of lost revenue from tourism-related activities. Other agencies have highlighted the value of the services that could not be provided by government workers on furlough and must be retroactively administered. Some government workers have highlighted the productivity expense in terms of the work hours it will take them to dig through the backlog of emails, voicemails, and projects that piled up during 12 days of furloughed work. These amounts are important, and if quantified, the totals would range well over $50-, $100-, or even $250 million.

In my mind, however, it is the missed opportunities, the lost initiative, and the disillusioned public that are the unspoken losses we must face as a result of the shutdown. This summer, early childhood education was finally moving front and center on the national policy agenda:

  • President Obama’s Preschool for All initiative was receiving recognition for the positive impact increased access to quality early childhood education could have on our nation’s greatest resource—our children.
  • The Race to the Top—Early Learning Challenge applications were providing state agencies an opportunity to come together at one table to discuss building effective early childhood state systems.
  • The Build Initiative’s 2013 National Meeting brought 400 early childhood state and national leaders together to discuss developing, implementing and revising the next generation of quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS).
  • Finally, the August Science article, “Can Rating Pre-K Programs Predict Learning,” opened the channels of discussion on the importance of including measures linked to improved outcomes in QRIS.

Unfortunately, these important discussions were quickly forgotten as the nation focused on the impact of the shutdown.

Where do we go next?

It’s time to refocus our national attention back toward early childhood education. At times the hurdle appears too great, but this topic is too important to ignore. At times like this, when an initiative seems too difficult to tackle and I struggle to identify a way forward, I draw on a strategy I used in Individual Family Service Plan meetings during my days as a special educator in Arlington, Virginia. When you are faced with a goal that seems insurmountable, break it down into short and long-term tasks. By focusing on each individual item, you are better able to approach and successfully reach your goal. To this end, I have outlined a series of short- and long-term tasks to move the early childhood education agenda forward. I encourage everyone to choose a few and create a personal advocacy plan.

Short-term tasks

1. Increase your knowledge of early childhood education and education systems by:

2. Vote in upcoming local and state elections. Ensure your candidates support early childhood education within their platforms.

3. Join advocacy groups such as the National Head Start Association or the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Both were extremely vocal at the local, state, and national level during the shutdown.

4. Share stories on the importance of early childhood education with those outside of our community. Tie those stories to data you have on improved attendance, family engagement, and kindergarten outcomes. The stories will be remembered and the data will be highlighted.

Long-term tasks

1. Attend a state or national early childhood conference (NAEYC or Zero to Three) to network with your peers, learn about new research, and reenergize yourself.

2. Plan an evening with teachers, families, and staff to share information on how to be an advocate for children.

3. Sponsor a local meeting with school districts, Head Start boards, community funders, and city business and community leaders to develop a plan for increasing early childhood services in your region.

4. Advocate nationally by sending emails to representatives in Congress, attending rallies at state capitals and Capital Hill, and meeting with representatives to Congress.

Closing thoughts

The time to start is now. Our children’s futures are too precious to waste a moment. Pick a short-term task, a long-term task, and get started moving our agenda forward!

How have you been affected by the shutdown? What steps have you begun to take? What is your personal advocacy plan? We'd really love to know. Please use the comments below to keep the conversation going.