Blog 2

Throughout the advocacy plan process I have gained valuable insight into one of my main topics, Diabetes type 1 in the early childhood classroom, however I am having a little trouble in allocating childcare financial assistance for one of the three families at my host site.  The state does provide assistance to qualifying low income families but these families must meet certain income levels.  I found scholarship opportunities provided through Michigan's Great Start program which allows over income help but there is a long wait list.
Does anyone know of any financial assistance that lower-income (under middle class) families can access to enroll their 3 year old in a quality early childhood program?

I have brainstormed with the family and the teacher but so far we have been unable to come up with an appropriate plan.  I have however been thinking about a co-op situation and was wondering if anyone has had any luck with such a plan?  My thoughts are the parent could, if willing, get the appropriate clearances and trainings to become a volunteer that could supervise the children. Although this would not be a paid position the program could use this parent to assist in the classroom and possibly give the family a credit on the bill.
It may be a long shot but I would love to hear your thoughts on this before I approach the director and parent.

I have found the State of Michigan (www.mi.gov) and Great Start (www.greatstartforkids.org) websites to be very helpful in determining eligibility for these three families but if anyone has any other helpful websites or resources please let me know.

Smiles,

Katrina

First blog

I love both of these quotes!

“It's never too late to have a happy childhood.” ― Tom Robbins

“Nothing you do for children is ever wasted.” ― Garrison Keillor

A little background:

I have two main short time goals within my advocacy plan:

 1) Get family and staff at the child's preschool educated and trained on Diabetes type 1.  This training is vital to ensure that this child can continue to attend her current preschool and ensure that the family is comfortable with allowing staff to care for her.

2) find financial assistance for three families that need help in paying tuition.

 

 

What inspires me most about my advocacy plan is that I am helping families connect with services that they need to sustain their family structure and to ensure children are receiving quality early childhood experiences. 
While meeting my goals and supporting these families I must also be in compliance with the State of Michigan's Licensing rules and regulations which is where I meet my first hurdle.  I had the opportunity to meet with a local licensing consultant where I inquired about the medication log requirements that the staff at the center would be required to complete upon administering Insulin to the 3 year old. I was initially told that only a registered nurse could give the injections and that she (the consultant) would not approve any of the classroom staff to do this.  The classroom is based in an elementary school but they do not have access to a nurse, especially as often as 3-4 times per day.  I also questioned whether the program could deny her enrollment without violating a Disabilities Act.  I took my questions to a seasoned early childhood professional that works with Head Start and she was able to connect with another licensing consultant that was able to clarify this situation.  The two consultants apparently had a heated discussion regarding this but in the end we were able to proceed with the staff trainings, and the child will resume her position in class as early as next week.
The second challenge that I seem to be facing is that most program directors have their hands "tied" when it comes to offering discounted rates to families. They must charge every family the same rate with the same optional discounts such as multi-child, contract vs. drop in, seasonal vs. yearly and so on.  I was however able to get in touch with a program that offers scholarship opportunities and also with the Department of Human services which aids in the cost of child care for qualifying families.

 
I feel as if this hurdles have helped me think outside the box a little bit more and helped me realize that at times I may need to reach out to other resources or agencies to get the desired goal met.

I have been working closely with each of the families and they seem to genuinely appreciate my efforts. I think that having hands on experience is the best way to familiarize myself with advocating for what the individual family needs.  I have very little anxiety about presenting my plan because I have been able to build a professional partnership with the administrators that will be listening to me. 

I feel confident in encouraging others to follow their passions when it comes to advocating.  The answers or goals that they are looking for may not be in black and white but with a little perseverance they can overcome the hurdles.