As early care and education professionals, we all share in the realization that we are living and working in a time of exciting, albeit rapid, changes in our profession. Ohio AEYC, as the “premier membership organization and voice of early care and education professionals in Ohio” is diligently working to keep pace with our professional world, so as to best serve our members. The current landscape of early care and education at the State level, is entering a new era not only with sweeping revisions of our licensure structures, but also with the presence of Early Childhood as strong voice within our overall education and care systems. Along with our profession’s evolution and progress, the Ohio AEYC Board of Directors (formerly “Executive Committee”) have established a new framework of leadership that enables us to imagine the new and endless possibilities for our future. 

From the important work of our Membership Consultants during 2008-2009, we learned about the needs and questions from our members from across Ohio. Local leadership was very clearly identified as a top priority. After much careful thought, study, and collaboration we are excited to announce the formation of our new “Leadership Council” which, working alongside of the Ohio AEYC Board of Directors, will focus on strengthening both leadership and services for Ohio AEYC members at the local level. Our Leadership Council consists of representation from Ohio’s Affiliates, Chapters, and Members-at-Large and has begun working together to identify the council’s initial goals as well as possible pathways of services to Ohio AEYC members to meet these goals.

This new leadership framework is also critically important to the work of your Board of Directors. The Board’s on-going work at the state level, representing Ohio AEYC and all its members on the various initiatives and endeavors for early care and education throughout Ohio, impacts all early care and education professionals throughout our state. Our new leadership framework enables that essential work to take place while also supporting the more direct work with and for member through local leadership, which the newly formed Leadership Council is charged with facilitating.  Ohio AEYC will continue to support all of its members through the annual conference, many on-line services and resources, by representing early care and education professionals at the state level, and by other ways not yet discovered. 

Moving into our new framework of leadership has, and will continue to take time, as good and important work never happens quickly, easily, or without questions.  And as we move forward during 2010 the Ohio AEYC Board of Directors has also identified a goal of focused work on strengthening our relationships with Affiliates, Chapters, and Members At-Large, through the work of our Leadership Council, through member services at the state level, and through our continued work representing early care and education professionals during this important new era of change and beyond.

We are excited to move forward with our work together, using our new leadership structure as a framework.

If you have ideas or would like to get more involved, contact us at contactus@oaeyc.org .