3. What do you see as the greatest opportunities and challenges to advancing NAEYC’s mission?
It is significant that the heart of NAEYC’s mission is “all children, birth through age 8.” NAEYC’s challenge—and opportunity—is the application of this commitment to each child within the overwhelming “all.” There is no question that this requires a commitment to the entire constellation of early educators in our diverse workforce, from those who work directly with children to those who provide professional development,
establish public policy, and serve as advocates (see Transforming the Workforcefor Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation, Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, 2015).
NAEYC’s commitment to “all” (each) of the early childhood workforce is both a challenge and an opportunity. It makes NAEYC’s expansion and reform
efforts even more meaningful. Current reform efforts provide an opportunity for Affiliates to be more autonomous and assume increased responsibility for their viability. This enables them to establish an organizational identity that is responsive to—and mirrors—the early childhood workforce in their community, building membership at the local, state, and national levels.
The greatest challenge is to focus on building leadership skills. This challenge provides NAEYC with an opportunity to support leaders who emerge from the workforce—an opportunity to create leaders from all sectors who are passionate about what they do and who are articulate about the importance of membership in a professional organization. This will create greater member ownership of the organization
and the pride that comes with a “sense of belonging” to our profession. That is,perhaps, the most powerful benefit of membership.