Baby Business

Using Social Media

The lack of professional preparation for high quality teaching of infants and toddlers is a problem that may have its beginnings in the hiring process.  In my experiences, the requirements are low, so there is a number of unqualified teaching staff hired to work with infants and toddlers.

In order for change in teacher quality to take place, the hiring administration must include a professional training course for new hires of infant/toddler classrooms in a program at the preservice level and a second set of training components midway to their first year of employment.  The series of orientation trainings will be conducted by the Head Start education specialist, health, and family components along with the Guilford County Partnership for Children of Greensboro, NC.  There must also be staff of expertise in infant/toddler education to be a part of the hiring process.

Parents of the Early Head Start program have the power to change some of the policies and decisions made at this level.   Using the Policy Council that is comprised of Head Start parents being 1/3 of the governing body and parent committees of each center of this program to advocate for high quality, will assist in bring forth what is needed in early care.

The plan for this solution is to create an Infant/Toddler Awareness Fair.  This event will take place during the summer months so that more help can be elicited from Head Start teaching staff of the preschool classrooms while they are on their summer break.  This time will also help those teachers who are participating in the fair to gain some knowledge and awareness of the importance of infant/toddler quality care. 

The plan is to have area organizations set up booths with information and prizes for their initiatives that collaborate with the idea of infant/toddler quality care.  There will be balloons, ice cream, hot dogs, and other celebratory events to usher in the atmosphere.  The Guilford County Partnership for Children, The Zero to Three/Statewide Network, and representatives from EQuIPD (Education, Quality Improvement, & Professional Development for Early Care and Education Programs) will participate, to name a few.  I will also ask Dr. Deborah Cassidy, a Professor for Human Services at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and newly elected president for NAEYC, to be the speaker for this event. Dr. Cassidy has been in many positions in the early childhood field and can bring a wealth of knowledge to this issue.

Social media is a great way to advertise and get the word out, especially parents of the program. The most popular means of communicating through social media that I would use is Facebook and a blog created for the intention of sharing information and networking ideas among the parents of infants and toddlers.  The advantages for these two streams of media hit two important areas.  Facebook is a way to advertise the Infant/Toddler Awareness Fair and can also be a means to get parents and teachers involved in the event itself.  The local community is also targeted through Facebook and will be able to get the notification of the event.  Photos, videos, and updated information about infant/toddler early learning can be shared.  The second stream of media would be a blog for parents that will be for discussion of concerns, issues and events surrounding their infant/toddler needs.  This may add a personal touch and can be a way for parents to freely express their concerns or ask questions of other parents that may be intimidating to ask their child's teacher.  Since this is the digital age, I believe that the social media I have chosen will make a difference in getting our groups closer to where we need to be for the sake of teacher quality and education.

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