If this profession has taught me anything, it is that our impact is often invisible in the moment. We may never fully know how a conversation, a classroom, a relationship, or an act of kindness shapes a child ' s future. But I believe it does.
And that is why, after all these years, I still love this work.
Because every day, in ways both big and small, we are helping write the first chapters of someone’ s story.
— Thomas Williams Jr., director of programs in Louisville, Kentucky
Advocate for Yourself and the Profession
I went to college as a premed major and was putting myself through. So I found a workstudy job at a parent co-op infant and toddler center. This was the early 1980s, and the parents were mostly graduate students or professors at a time when women were gaining ground in academia and the workforce. The other teachers and directors saw this as social justice work— feminist work. I loved the work, the children, and the mission. I switched my major to child development and worked at the center all four years and joined the board my junior year.
After a master’ s focused on the impact of infant child care, I began a career as a program manager with very low pay. My director saw something in me and encouraged me to join the local AEYC Affiliate and present at their workshops. This brought me to so many smart, committed early childhood education professionals and helped me see beyond the joys and riots of the toddler classroom— and reflect on my practice.
The developmentally appropriate practice book also has a profound impact, giving clear guidance about how to best support child development. I still keep a copy of Reaching the Full Cost of Quality in Early Childhood Programs in my office to keep worthy wages top of mind. We know what it costs: Let’ s get there! The Worthy Wage campaigns at NAEYC conferences also had a profound impact on my path. I stayed engaged and ended up as president of Connecticut AEYC( CTAEYC), putting on conferences with a team of folks.
26 Educating Young Children
Fall 2026