My Heart For Early Childhood Education
Every day I wake up before dawn and relish the calm before the storm. I begin by preparing lunches and cleaning up from the night before. I start waking the children up at 6:30 a.m. Once everyone is awake, quiet time is over, and our home sounds like an auditorium full of kids. My oldest two are home-schooled, and they manage themselves in preparing for their day. Some of the kids are picked up by van and taken to school, and I drop the little ones off at their early education center. All of these activities occur before 8:10 a.m. My last stop is Urban Academy, a wonderful school close to my home, where I volunteer and one of my daughters attends. After about four to eight hours of service at the school, I head home to complete classes for early childhood education.
Quality early childhood development has meant everything to my family. In 2003, I was 17 years old with plans to go into the military until I became pregnant with my first child. I had no help from the father or his side of the family, so I was on my own. I had my last child in 2022, and I also took in my niece, making me a single mother of eight children ranging from 2 to 20- years-old. As a parent, I have relied heavily on the guidance and reassurance of early childhood education programs while
juggling parenthood, work, and school.
Being A Single Mother
Parents face a variety of challenges that are compounded even more so for single moms. Often, our work schedules require daytime hours and conflict with our children’s school schedules, making drop-off and pick-up times tricky. We rely on the flexibility of early child care programs to provide support during those hours. Another problem we face is finding high-quality care at an affordable rate. As a child care provider, it’s been a priority of mine to support other parents by offering reasonable prices.
In addition, families depend on early childhood educators to bridge the gap in the basic education needs they may not be able to meet
while they are working to support their families. Children achieve significant milestones from ages three to four, and the social development they gain from being with their peers during this time is also beneficial.
Becoming An Early Childhood Educator
I want to stand in the gap for these families in an even bigger way, which is why I’m putting myself through school to earn a degree in early childhood education. The skills I have acquired as a mother and child care provider have helped me develop ideals to create a nurturing environment for children in their early developmental years. My love of learning and creating a safe space for children is my livelihood and my passion. I find great fulfillment in helping young people achieve and reach milestones through play and education. Watching a child’s eyes light up in an Aha moment when they finally connect to the lesson is one of the most rewarding experiences.
The support that early childhood educators provide goes beyond teaching. The best-case scenario is that they are also an extension of the family. As a mother, educator, and mentor I understand how impactful it is to have a village behind you as you raise your family and lay a strong foundation. The educators at the Homewood Children’s Village program have been an absolute blessing and an example of this impact. The program hosts events like family fun nights and mindfulness classes for mental health and awareness for parents. They also serve community dinners and offer many resources that benefit single-family homes.
Our Preschool
Another way educators offer valuable support is by instilling principles that help parents raise their children into conscientious humans. As I get through my long days I am often rewarded by witnessing things my children are learning from their preschool program. One of my favorite memories was when one of my daughters started singing their class clean-up song and invited her sisters to sing and clean with her. I had never heard this song before, and it melted my heart to know my little people are being instructed with important core values for everyday life.
The Need For Early Childhood Educators
Early childhood educators are desperately needed to shape the educational journeys of our young people and to be an extension of their families when they’re away from home. This is an ideal career path for mothers who want to get closely involved with not just educating their children, but a whole generation of children coming up that could greatly benefit from the hands-on experience of empathetic and compassionate educators. I strongly encourage anyone with a love of learning and a passion for teaching to look into the field of early childhood education.