Federal Policy

I would like to know more about US federal policy for funding early childhood programs and begin to compare it other policies around the world. I came across this resource. Maybe you have seen it?
http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/federal-policy/

Introduction

As far back as I can remember, I knew I wanted to work with young children; the younger the better!

As an early childhood major at the University of New Hampshire, I worked at for the University’s childcare center in the newborn and infant classroom. I met a little boy named Liam, who I connected with almost instantly. Liam was learning baby sign language and by the age of 10 months, could communicate using some very basic signs. Because of his ability to communicate, he cried less and was more willing to take risks than the other babies. It was intriguing to see the power of communication. That is when I decided to change my major to Communication Sciences and Disorders. I wanted to know what could be done to prevent breakdowns in communication.  

Many of the classes I took as an undergraduate had a heavy focus on speech disorders. The majority of my clinical hours were focused on speech and language therapy. As I was completing my clinical hours, I realized that I was more interested in language acquisition and audiology, which was a shift in my thinking at the time. Because of this shift in my educational interest I decided to postpone applying for graduate school so I could examine all of my professional options. I found a small private preschool for children who were deaf and hearing-impaired. I volunteered for one year as a teacher’s aide, assisting in lesson planning and learning about the IEP process. I fell in love with the profession and decided to pursue a career as a Teacher of the Deaf. I had the opportunity to teach children who were deaf and hearing-impaired how to communicate through listening and speaking!

I went on to earn a Master's at The Clarke School for Hearing and Speech services at Smith College. The graduate program was one year long. My coursework focused on speech and language development, assessment, audiology and US law as it pertained to students with special needs. During my teaching practicum, I learned about the fundamentals of hearing loss and its impact on school performance. I witnessed, first hand, the challenges a person with a hearing impairment faces living in a hearing world. This experience taught me empathy and insight into daily living with a hearing impairment. It also showed me how to advocate as a teacher for students with hearing impairments not just in a school setting but also in life and gave me more insight in how to support students to advocate for themselves.

Currently, I am teaching at an international school in Santiago, Chile. I carry that same philosophy with me each day. Children should be supported and guided to learn themselves, believe in their potential and know when and how to advocate for themselves.