Stories of men in early education
February 06, 2017
Three staff members of Educare schools shared stories about their profession with Men in Early Childhood-Colorado, an audio digital story project.
The initiative was created by Soren Gall, formerly of Educare Denver. More than 50 men from across the country shared their perspectives as students and professionals in the early learning field.
Here are highlights of the Educare staff member’s stories.
On partnering with families
“Clayton has a strong emphasis on families and parents. I’ve learned a lot about my role as an educator with the parents—how I can best tell them about their kids, talk about things they can do in the home… I’m learning how to step outside my role, getting to know the parents, their cultural background, things they really want to know about their child.” — Samuel McCabe, teacher at Educare Denver and Clayton Early Learning
On working with children with disabilities
“I work with a specific 4-year-old boy who has autism. When I first started working with him, he was almost completely mute. He would just make a few sounds every once in a while. This past month, he’s really started to open up. He’s blooming like a flower. He and I walked into our classroom other day, and he looked at me and said, ‘This is our classroom.’ That was the first sentence he’s ever spoken.” — Evan Hill, paraprofessional at Educare Winnebago
On the rewards of working as an early childhood professional
“For me, this work is about ensuring that all children have access to high-quality learning and development opportunities. And it’s also about striving for economic and racial justice in my community and country. For any male passionate about social justice, child welfare or community empowerment with a desire for tangible results every single day, the early childhood field is incredibly rewarding.” — David Faich, former family advocate, Educare Tulsa at Hawthorne
Read tips from our experts on getting men involved in early education.
Listen to all of the audio stories.
