Image: Screenshot from NAEYC's website
Image: Screenshot from NAEYC’s website

 

Turn off the television news for a while and tune into an inspiring election that’s all about children: NAEYC’s election for its 2017 Governing Board.

Here’s how the election process works:

“As a membership association governed by an elected board, NAEYC is committed to diverse leadership on the Governing Board. The slate for each year’s election is identified by the Nominating Panel. Candidates are chosen to reflect broad knowledge and awareness of the issues facing the Association. They are selected for their ability to objectively consider the variety of perspectives inherent in decisions affecting the Association’s future, not to represent a particular group, region, or interest.” 

The slate has eight candidates and two appointed candidates who will, if elected, work to support NAEYC’s vision that, “All young children thrive and learn in a society dedicated to ensuring they reach their full potential.”

This work is based in NAEYC’s core values and beliefs, which include excellence and innovation, equity and opportunity, and doing work that’s based on knowledge of how children develop and learn.

The two candidates for President Elect are:

• Sherry M. Cleary, executive director of the New York Early Childhood Professional Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y., and

• Our own Amy O’Leary, director of the Early Education for All Campaign at Strategies for Children here in Boston

NAEYC members will also be voting for at-large Governing Board members and student board members. In addition, the treasurer and one at-large member are being appointed by the Governing Board.

Image: Screenshot from NAEYC's website.
Image: Screenshot from NAEYC’s website.

The candidates will be formally presented next month at NAEYC’s annual conference in Los Angeles. NAEYC members will also receive a written statement from each candidate. And all the candidates’ biographies are available on the election website.

Who is eligible to vote? “All current NAEYC members on December 31, 2016, will be eligible to vote in the election. Voting begins by mid January and closes March 1.”

So if you’re an NAEYC member, please vote. Nothing beats a big-hearted election for an organization that recognizes “that children and adults achieve their full potential in the context of relationships that are based on trust and respect.”