Words of Inspiration and Motivation

"If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much."

- Marian Wright Edelman

"No person has the right to rain on your dreams."

-Marian Wright Edelman

"My son's best social secutiry was not from the government. It was people. Friends. Community."

-Ann Turnbull, Ed. D

"My mother used to tell me that instead of playing house, I would play school."

-Louise Derman-Sparks

This week, our assignment was to research two significant contributors to the Early Childhood Education field. I chose to learn more about Marian Wright Edelman and Ann Turnbull, Ed. D. Marian Wright Edelman represents the Health and Well Being sector of ECE. She is the founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, which ensures every child has a safe, health, fair, and moral start. Its aim is to bring the needs of children to public attention and to encourage preventive efforts in areas like health care and teen-age pregnancy (Lawson, 1992). Mrs. Edelman works to put children and families first, especially those who are poor or needy. Ann Turnbull, Ed. D. represents the Research and Academia sector of ECE. She is a Professor of Special Education at the University of Kansas, and an advocate for persons with disabilities. In 1999, she was awarded as one of only 36 people who have made the most significant contribution to enhancing the life for persons with intellectual disabilities. Ann and her husband Rutherford had a son with severe disabilities and in 1988 they founded the Beach Center on Disability. Their center’s focus was to improve the quality of life for families and individuals affected by disability through excellence in research, teaching, and technical assistance (Jess, 2011).