Child advocacy refers to individuals, professionals and organisations that speak out on behalf of the children, to protect each child’s rights, individually at the most curtail time in their lives, when they are unable to have their say.
The first policy that I think explores childhood advocacy is the National Quality standard, Additional Needs Policy, linking to Quality area 1, Educational Program and practice. It implies that all children have the same opportunity regardless of their age, gender, background or abilities (NQS Guide, ACECQA, 2011 p. 203)
All children and all people at different times in life have additional needs. These needs may be life changing or minor life altering situations.
In the learning setting, all children have
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Allowing them to be successful learners, confident and creative. Helping develop interests through play based learning, to construct their own identities of the world. Research demonstrates that children’s quality early learning experiences set them up for academic success and personal wellbeing later in life (Sylva, Siraj-Blatchford, Taggart, Sammons, Melhuish, Elliot and Totsika, 2006; Clarke, 2009).
Linking each experience to one of the five outcomes. The students’ products and performances can also increase their own awareness and self-esteem (Kiger, 1998). BELONGING, helping children to find one’s independence and defining identities. BEING, in the now, making their own meaning of the world around us and BECOMING, knowledge and understanding each individual’s skills that evolve and change during childhood. Setting the ground work for all children and their inclusive rights as a child. Ensuring that educators and children develop safe and secure relationships to support their individual development, their wellbeing and to assist with providing nurturing relationships. High expectations with all children and their development through play, provide quality, help children to succeed, regardless of their circumstances and abilities. Individuals involved in gifted advocacy should expect challenges along the way, but should always remain focused on the gifted child who will benefit from their efforts (Enersen, 2003). Understanding that each child develops at their own rate, responding to barriers and to hold high expectations of the child in collaboration with the parents, will lead to educational success. Enersen (2003) compared building a mandate for gifted education to constructing a bridge that will rescue high-ability children waiting on one side of a deep chasm and take them to the other side replete with opportunities for self-fulfillment and academic