Words of Inspiration and Motivation from Early Childhood Professionals

Marcy Whitebook

"Recognition of the importance of early childhood staff is increasing despite intolerably high turnover rates, a growing shortage of qualified personnel to fill vacancies, and persistent low morale among these underpaid, undervalued workers."

"Being an early childhood educator requires more than working with children. Good teachers also need to develop skills for working with co-workers and parents. But more and more, early, childhood educators must also learn how to advocate for themselves, recognizing advocacy as an important part of their professional responsibility. They need preparation in how to work for change, to create belle' programs for children and families."

Lyndon B Johnson

"Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity."

Louise Derman-Sparks

"The preschool years are critical, they are the first most fundamental period when children are in fact noticing who they are and are noticing the attitudes and the stereotypes and the discomforts or the positive messages about their skin color, their racial identity, their ethnic identity and so on."

Raymond Hernandez

"I'm not here to save the world I'm here just to make a difference in the community that I'm working and to me making a difference may sometimes mean helping one child be able to be successful in the classroom"