Abstract
Colleagues,
The COVID-19 virus’ spread across the globe has changed life as we know it for all of us. My hope is that you, your family, your friends, and your colleagues are safe and well. I also hope that if you or someone you love has been impacted by COVID-19, be it illness, job loss or financial insecurity, hunger, depression or anxiety, that you are able to find the care and supports you need.
We—individuals and systems—are overwhelmed. The need to be physically distant from others is hard—humans thrive with interaction and contact. Our core systems—education, health care, and food—are built around connections. COVID-19 has reshaped how we live our lives—and it has done it in a matter of months.
That said, I am fascinated by the collective shift in narrative from me to we. Communities are coming together to help each other, to recognize and respond to challenges, and to think about innovative ways to do what needs to be done. Sometimes, our systems and processes divert attention from collaboration, and connection. Current policy conversations at the federal level, though, are an opportunity to reassert the primacy of collaboration to develop supportive, inclusive communities everywhere.
The DEC Executive Board has been reviewing the Priority Issues Agenda to ensure it helps the organization achieve its ends. As I reflect on that document in this moment, I believe that there are three pillars of the Priorities Issue Agenda, which strongly resonate right now and which help us stay focused on “we.” Creating and Maintaining a Strong Family Partnerships, Adequately Equipping A Highly Effective Workforce, and Overcoming Implicit Bias are important determinants as to whether our systems and services will deliver on IDEA’s promise, or if we will continue to have a system that fails to reach all communities.
Creating and Maintaining Strong Family Partnerships: Family partnerships were always important to Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education. COVID-19 and the sudden move to distance learning/remote has made them more important. Caregivers are emerging as a cornerstone for service delivery. That level of engagement may be new for some families and practitioners.
When parents do not or will not engage with service providers, they are labeled as “difficult” or “hard to reach.” In reality, they are stressed, overwhelmed or just unsure. Many parents right now who are overseeing their older child’s remote learning are those “difficult” parents right now (that’s me!). We are stressed because we are in a crisis. The reality is that before the pandemic hit, many families already were in crisis. As we acknowledge the impact of crisis, how do we acknowledge that and approach all families with compassion? Moreover, what needs to change in our programs and policies that allows trust to grow?
Adequately Equipping a Highly Effective Workforce. As strong parent engagement becomes a bigger part of the work, our systems must support practitioners and parents in accessing, and learning how to use technology. This extends beyond functional usage: For some disciplines, service delivery and practice standards may need change. How will we support the evolution of practice standards? Virtual relationship building is different from in-person rapport building. Systems will need to figure out how to incorporate how to teach those skills as well.
Overcoming Implicit Bias. Bias, both implicit and explicit, is the reason that some communities have disproportionate health and educational outcomes. It is at the root of disproportionate suspensions and expulsions from early childhood programs. If we do not recognize and manage bias during this moment of stress and crisis, a disproportionate number of children, likely low-income children and children of color, will leave needed early intervention and special education programs. When we are distanced from people, it is easy to forget the person and to generalize or rely on stereotypes. We all need to remember to take a moment, remember the person, remember their strengths, hopes, dreams and the right to achieve their full potential (even if they cannot give 100%) and let it guide our actions.
COVID 19 is highlighting the challenges that children, families, and practitioners have been wrestling with for years. In this moment of crisis, we have an opportunity to assert solutions that are rooted in connection and collaboration and that move our communities to full inclusion. The way there is together, and I am honored to be with you.