|
The lack of pay parity for skilled and talented educators, the unaffordable price tag on quality early childhood education, and the absence of robust federal and state level investments are key issues that fueled the formation of our Shma Koleinu: Hear Our Voices Coalition. Jewish values anchor our commitment to uplift our diverse early childhood communities and engage with stakeholders to champion crucial child care policies. As members of Shma Koleinu, we bring these messages with us wherever we go, in our various roles, experiences, and collaborations. We welcome new partners on our ongoing mission of listening to and advocating for children, families, and early childhood education. The following is an excerpt from reflections* shared by two valued Shma Koleinu members, Shellie Dickstein and Ellen Greene.  Our History, Our Goals, Our JourneyAlong with other colleagues working in Jewish nonprofit sector, we were feeling frustrated that we could not do advocacy work for the field as part of our educational portfolios because it was viewed as “political.” So, we reached out to Jewish early childhood directors and leaders to organize and create a volunteer consortium, outside of our formal work positions, to lend our Jewish voices (hence the name Shma Koleinu) to advocate for Federal, State and local support for these issues. We began around the time of the 2020 elections building our own knowledge and trying to parse out the details about what proposals were being written on the Federal level. We connected with consultants to understand the political landscape and to train in how to speak to representatives and tell our stories, and then make calls to our representatives to support the family and early childhood proposals of the Build Back Better Bill. We learned that personalized stories and those of individual teachers and parents struggling were best. At the same time, we continued to get the word out and build our coalition of volunteers. Leading up to the 2020 election, we also gathered resources about introducing young children to concepts of democracy and citizenship and made them available to educators on our website. We each also had to learn about the local support mechanisms in each of our communities and report back at meetings so we could put together a picture of similarities and differences in localities. And many of us became involved with local efforts to get legislators to increase their budgets in support of early childhood and families. We also started educating ourselves around issues of inclusivity and connecting to the broader early childhood movements to understand the experiences in minoritized communities. When Build Back Better became the Inflation Reduction Act, we spent time phone banking to Congress to support the portion for children and families and even though nationally we were very disappointed as each of these proposals shrank and left the issues of children and families out, we never gave up, and will not give up, adhering to the saying from Pirke Avot, “Lo alecha hamlacha ligmor, lo alecha ligmor,” "You are not required to finish the work, yet neither are you permitted to desist from it.” We know this is ongoing work, and just recently leading up to the midterm elections, many of us worked to get out the vote for candidates that support our agenda and mission. We are continuously advocating to elevate and personalize the field of early childhood education. Our members are like all of you, who have chosen our professional journey dedicated to young children and their families. They live all over the country and like you are leaders in our chosen field. The most remarkable part is that the focus of Shma Koleinu is ever changing with remarkable achievements so far in our ongoing journey. *From AJU'S Early Childhood Education Mentors Meeting
 This week, in Parshat Bereishit, we read that God created the world with space for people to play an active role in its ongoing creation. One way we enact B’tzelem Elokim, being made in God’s image, is through an intentional engagement in the creation of a more perfect and just world. The work is vast, but, “it is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.” (Pirkei Avot 2:16). Our tradition teaches us that this duty extends to the participation and betterment of the communities in which we live. As individuals, we can do this by voting for our elected officials and motivating others to vote. Monday, November 8 is election day- use your voice and right to vote in order to make the world a better place for its youngest inhabitants. Our country needs an early learning system that can meet the needs of working families- and the early educators they rely on. Set our children up for success. Vote! Share this flyer with your educators and families with a QR code to register to vote!
Read these articles about voting and young children:
On Wednesday, September 7, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) experienced the beauty of early childhood Jewish education as she engaged with, and even danced with, her youngest constituents, students at JCC Chicago Beth Emet in Evanston. Congresswoman Schakowsky’s visit is an example of an important advocacy approach: inviting legislators as partners into our programs. During her time at Beth Emet, we thanked her for her ongoing support, shared about the Jewish Early Childhood Collaborative, JUF Chicago, and JCC Chicago, and discussed the current child care landscape. We laughed, and we cried. The successful visit ended with pictures, hugs, and a shared understanding that the child care system requires long-term, federal funding.
After her visit, Congresswoman Schakowsky amplified the main child care issues from our conversations on her Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages: "Child care costs are up, while teacher pay remains low. All families deserve access to affordable early childhood education and teachers deserve higher wages. Let’s do it.” In the beginning of her post, she expressed the joy from her visit: “No better way to start the day.” And those of us in her presence could not agree more. Congresswoman Schakowsky’s visit, besides being enjoyable, left us feeling optimistic and energized: optimistic that our legislators represent the interests and needs of families with young children and energized to continue engaging in the advocacy work necessary to advance robust child care investments.
Advocacy is an ongoing endeavor within many levels of influence from our daily interactions with children and families to our partnerships with elected officials. The journey is challenging; disappointment and frustration often ensue. But it is meaningful opportunities like this one with Congresswoman Schakowsky that leave a strong impression and provide lessons to continue along the advocacy path:
When greeting Congresswoman Schakowsky at the start of the visit, she looked me straight in my eyes with an intensity I had never previously experienced. It was an affirming feeling. I knew her commitment to showing up that day was not just something to check off a list; she was there for a purpose--to partner with us in efforts to affect change. And, yes, there was “no better way to start the day” than engaging in advocacy for child care and early learning!
Ilana Dvorin FriedmanEarly Childhood Policy Analyst, JUF Chicago
#SolveChildCare
#ShmaKoleinu #HearOurVoices The Paradigm Project Pop-Up |
Categories
All
Archives
December 2022
|
RSS Feed