The Early Childhood Committee is a space for educators and allies of students in preschool through second grade who are passionate about all topics related to early childhood. Our committee educates, advocates, and organizes for the rights of educators, students, and their families within and beyond our district. We research and address student assessment, teacher/program evaluations, staffing, enrollment, curriculum, early childhood special education and bilingual education, and other areas of interest to CTU early childhood educators. The committee also promotes collaboration among other committees, as educational advocacy is intersectional. We welcome all CTU members who are interested in addressing the challenges and impacts of early childhood issues.
The committee’s goals this year are to:
- Revise and update all contractual language regarding early childhood education.
- Continue our CPS/CTU joint committee work.
- Further our collaboration with other committees within the CTU.
- Address issues brought forth by committee members.
- Recruit and expand committee membership.
The committee is proud of the joint work done by our members and the Office of Early Childhood Education (OECE) to address enrollment issues. Additionally, our committee passed a resolution denouncing CLASS program evaluation. And we have been able to push early childhood issues to the forefront through organizing and collaboration.
We plan to continue our work and to ensure that early childhood CTU members have democratic input into our CPS contract demands. Through surveys, member discussion, and interaction, the committee is focused on gathering the input of early childhood educators to act on our understanding of what is integral to garner equity and improvement and to fight for the rights of our members, students, and families.
To learn more about the committee, reach out to Diane Castro, castrod1113@gmail.com.
