Home, School, & Community
Final Project: Advocacy and Action Plan
NAEYC KEY ASSESSMENT
For your final project, you will create an "Advocacy and Action Plan" that requires you to demonstrate the culmination of knowledge you have gained throughout this course about fundamental concepts and core, underlying components for authentic home-school-community partnerships. You will have the opportunity to: 1) identify a pressing issue and/or concern for young children and their families, 2) act as an advocate for change, and 3) plan action.
A. Written Plan: Your advocacy and action plan will consist of 4 to 5 pages not including the Title and References pages. You are required to utilize course resources (e.g., textbooks, articles, and media).
B. Live or Videotaped Presentation: Prepare a 5 to 7-minute presentation of the key advocacy and action messages. Deliver the presentation either live or via videotape.
Instructions
Be sure to review the assignment rubric to prepare and finalize your plan. Complete all of the following steps. Submit both the written plan and presentation document (e.g., PowerPoint and videotape).
A. Identify one issue from one of two sources:
i. The 2017 status of children in your home state or another chosen state (Children's Defense Fund Annual "Children in the States Fact Sheets")
OR
ii. Your environmental observation and documentation review research (i.e., visit to a center, family child care program or early elementary classroom)
B. Connect the issue to one of the five Strengthening Families Protective Factors.
Write an explicit description of the issue and the connection to a protective factor.
The five protective factors are:
i. parental resilience,
ii. social connections,
iii. concrete support in times of need,
iv. knowledge of parenting and child development, and
v. social and emotional competence of children.
C. Present your advocacy position
Explain why you have selected this issue and the need to advocate for change. Apply:
i. one sociological theory,
ii. at least two fundamental course concepts.
Final Project: Advocacy and Action Plan 120 points
At least one ideal or principle from the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct
At least one standard from the Family and Community Relationships standards
D. Present a plan for action. Plan an ACTION TEAM!
How would you address this issue to improve conditions for families with young children?
i. Utilize at least two evidence-based programs, approaches, strategies and/or tools from course resources. Examples: Help Me Grow, a checklist from Beyond the Bake Sale, an article, a video.
ii. Demonstrate how this action plan supports families as their children's first and most important teachers and advocates!
ACTION TEAM: Who will you need to partner with in the development and implementation of your plan?
Families must be on the team! You are not to do this on your own!
E. Video Presentation
Based on your advocacy and action paper create a presentation to help others understand and support your position.
i. Design a thorough, persuasive advocacy statement.
Gather and structure key messages from all of the written paper sections.
Be sure to Demonstrate application of one sociological theory, and two fundamental course concepts.
ii. Prepare a 5 to 7 minute, narrated digital presentation.
(e.g., PowerPoint, iMovies, digital story)
You may find it helpful to revisit videos:
TED Talk by Rita Pierson: "Every Kid Needs a Champion"
"Wright's Law: A Unique Teacher Imparts Real Life Lessons | The New York Times"
TED Talk by Geoffrey Canada: "Enough is Enough! Reforming Our Schools"