When I changed careers in 1989 from practicing child advocacy law to directing a child care program, I was shocked to see firsthand how our society devalued this important work. I had experienced only high esteem in my work as an attorney. In sharp contrast, as an early childhood administrator I felt the important work I was doing was marginalized. In frustration, I wrote a Chicago Sun-Times guest editorial in which I stated, “I experience this low regard for the work of early childhood practitioners as a slap in the face.” I have been engaged ever since in working to change the conditions of low respect and low wages that plague the early childhood profession. … Download this resource to read the rest of this story.
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