Lowcountry Advocacy Group Pushing Teacher Discussion on Early Education Concerns – Live 5 News

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Early education teachers are getting a safe space to discuss classroom issues in a new group meeting.

The BEE Collective, which stands for “the Beloved Early Education and Care Collective,” is an advocacy group that supports the community’s early childhood development, maternal health and families.

The group is bringing early education teachers together Saturday to discuss classroom issues. The idea is to address common themes across schools with discussions on workplace treatment, teacher rights and personal development.

Teachers will meet at Saint John Catholic Church at 3921 St. Johns Avenue from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Educators can sign up to join the discussion online.

Leaders say the goal is to find solutions, as children are affected by these issues. “Community champion,” or someone who advocates for the community with the BEE Collective, Stephanie McFadden says hearing concerns from parents is easy but listening to educators is a “holistic” approach to future policy work. She says this is a first step that will benefit students in the long run.

“I know this sounds cliche but they’re our future. That is…these are our future doctors, our future lawyers, these are our future community members. And a community cannot be successful if we’re not caring for our children, if we’re not caring for our future.”

The group addressed prekindergarten suspension rates in a town hall meeting earlier this year. Leaders say supporting teachers is a step toward resolving child behavioral issues in the classroom. McFadden says advocacy work is not successful unless the community is involved.

“Also, supporting our educators so that we are able to recognize what are these behaviors saying,” McFadden says. “Because we know behavior is communication and that we are giving children a fair shot to thrive in these settings. But also that the teacher feels supported as well so that they are able to provide that care that we know they can.”

The discussion is limited to educators and early child care workers. McFadden says the goal is to create a safe space away from managerial positions.

The initiative is the second meeting for the group. Teachers will receive a gift card stipend for attending. Leaders hope to continue discussions each month.

Source: Lowcountry advocacy group pushing teacher discussion on early education concerns