Let’s Stay in Community. Let’s Re-Imagine. Let’s Stay on Mission.
By Tonia R. Durden
Reflections Over the Past Two Years as Your NAEYC Board President
June 1, 2024, was day one for me as your NAEYC Board president. I remember this moment vividly, as I had just stepped off the plane in New Orleans for NAEYC’s Professional Learning Institute (PLI) with my favorite green dress, yellow fingernails, and green hair highlights. I was coming to NAEYC as your new leader and my authentic self. I was ready and eager to lead, engage, learn, and be in community with one of the most dedicated and talented groups of professionals and champions for young children. It was also during this conference that I announced how we were re-imagining PLI and encouraged us all to begin engaging in the forward thinking and innovation that will propel NAEYC into the next 100 years.
Little did I know how foreshadowing this moment would be. Just a few months later, our early childhood field would be greatly impacted by funding cuts and policies that were detrimental to the health, education, safety, and well-being of the children and families we serve. We were forced (ready or not) to be creative, forward thinking, innovative, resilient, and steadfast in our commitment to this profession. Now, more than ever, we needed each other. We needed to be in community. We needed NAEYC’s leadership.
Shortly after PLI, my first Young Children column was published. In it, I asked, “Who are you? Why are you here? Are you ready?” In leading with these questions, I introduced myself as a person, educator, scholar, and leader. It was essential for me to share my whole self and the multiple lenses I bring with me, which include having children within the early childhood age band. When I started as a Board member, president-elect, my children were 2, 4, and 6. During my time as president, I’ve included pictures of my family in my columns. They are now 6, 8, and 10. They have been my advisors throughout this leadership journey and are one of the “whys” I am here.
Finally, I shared how I was ready to be your NAEYC Board president:
I indicated how my purpose was to elevate the conversations on how we are creating equitable, high-quality experiences for children, families, colleagues, and our communities. During my tenure, I’ve led presidential sessions at NAEYC Annual Conferences about how we have actualized the advancing equity position statement since its inception in 2019. I’ve brought together NAEYC leaders, scholars, researchers, and educators to discuss how we are creating equitable spaces for the children, teachers, and families we serve—despite efforts to dismantle this work. We were in community. We re-imagined. We stayed on mission.
I expressed my intention to operate from a strengths-based approach to acknowledge and draw upon the collective experiences, perspectives, and knowledge that contribute to these conversations. Along with other Board members and NAEYC staff and leadership, I’ve engaged in multiple conversations, webinars, and initiatives with our Affiliates, Interest Forums, and members to build upon and gather expertise and knowledge. These efforts have helped to center community and belonging within NAEYC. I supported and provided my expertise as the NAEYC staff, Board, and professionals across the country revised and published our updated “Early Childhood Program Standards” and “Code of Ethics for Early Childhood Educators” position statements. We were in community. We re-imagined. We stayed on mission.
Lastly, I reflected on how my action would be to demonstrate through my leadership, teaching, and scholarship the practices, policies, and experiences that are high quality and equitable. During my two years as president, I have kept quality and equity at the center of my multiple roles and responsibilities. All of my columns have provided insights on how we can maintain quality and equity. I asked and pushed for the highest quality and equitable outcomes for all of the decisions we made as a Board and as NAEYC leaders. I am most proud of how we have drawn upon our 100-year legacy of resiliency, strength, and community despite these turbulent times. As Beyonce sings in her song “16 Carriages,” our legacy is one of the most important things we can leave and be remembered by. We were in community. We re-imagined. We stayed on mission.
In closing, I asked in my first column, “Are you ready?” My answer was I am ready. I was ready to listen, be joyful, learn, grow, groove, laugh, teach, converse, debate, analyze, evaluate, deliberate, celebrate, soar, and reflect with you. As I reflect over the past two years, I have done each of these things with our members, Affiliate leaders, Interest Forum leaders and members, policy leaders, NAEYC staff and leadership, our Board members, and our NAEYC stakeholders. It has been such a remarkable experience serving as your leader and supporting the efforts of NAEYC CEO Michelle Kang, who has consistently demonstrated through her visionary leadership her commitment to a NAEYC that thrives and is a safe and professional space for those of us who serve, care for, and educate young children.
So as I transition to past president, you will be in such good hands with a dynamic new leader: Dr. Nadia J. Jones, who will be your next Board president. We also have new Board members who are eager and ready to represent our NAEYC membership and take us to new heights. I have no doubt that under Nadia and Michelle’s leadership—along with the support of our NAEYC Board and staff—we will be in community, we will re-imagine, and we will stay on mission.
My final question to each of you comes from the Maasai community: “Kasserian Ingera: And how are the children?” Let’s continue, my NAEYC friends, to seek their response of “All is well.”
Onwards and upwards in early childhood education!
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