Lessons from Katrina

Many of you followed the gripping daily updates of Kay Albrecht’s post-Katrina work at the Houston Astrodome (see: http://mail.ccie.com/go/eed/838). In the upcoming November 2005 issue of Exchange, Kay looks back at the lessons she learned from this experience. Here is one lesson she shared in this article:

"I also learned how much the early childhood community has to offer in disaster situations. We are well prepared to support families in dealing with the aftermath of a disaster. Our skills and strengths are exactly what is needed for young children and their families in such situations. Early childhood educators are 'can do' people. We saw opportunities, found avenues, worked hard, persisted, and most of all, used our considerable interaction skills to slowly but surely bring smiles back to children’s faces and the joy of uninterrupted play to a setting woefully lacking in opportunity and alternatives. It was a wonderful contribution.

"That experiences linger is the last lesson. Time has passed and I am amazed at how experiences linger. I still wonder what happened to Blake, a four year old who was separated from his mother; how Lily found her only living relative who was somehow put on a different bus; if Roy found work. Did the child who could only pound on the pounding bench find other positive ways to express his intense feelings? Did the family of five with the six-day-old baby find a place to live? How wonderful it felt to stand back in the middle of the night and view the fully arranged play space that took dozens of volunteers from the ECE community near and far and team after team from the volunteer staging center to complete. The collegiality, professionalism, and skills of the ECE community accomplished together more than any of us dreamed was possible."

You can read this entire article on our web site at http://mail.ccie.com/go/eed/839. Here you can read a text only version of the article online, or you can print a pdf version which is a copy of the article as it appears in the magazine complete with photos.

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.

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