Since the last Stories From the Field issue in the summer of 2020, we have experienced a year of traumatic circumstances that have dramatically affected the well-being of babies, families, early childhood professionals, and their systems of care. The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented fear, illness, isolation, loss, and grief. In addition, young children and their families have also been experiencing the direct and indirect impacts of other extended traumas in their communities, including racial injustice and social tensions, natural disasters, and economic stressors. As with any profound challenge, the past year also brought unparalleled opportunities for growth and transformation.
So for this year’s Stories From the Field issue, we reached out to our ZERO TO THREE members and colleagues and asked them to share their experiences as early childhood professionals in organizations that have been called upon to adapt, innovate, and form new partnerships to overcome significant barriers to meet the needs of the most vulnerable children and families. In the articles in this issue, authors from a wide variety of early childhood programs share how they have discovered strengths, learned skills, formed new partnerships, and found innovative ways to pivot and reimagine how to continue their critical work.
We gratefully acknowledge all the people and programs who shared their stories with us, and recognize the courage, perseverance, and resilience reflected in their work. We received many more submissions than could fit in these pages, and will be posting additional stories in our online Journal Supplement, as well as through Crib Notes, the ZERO TO THREE Member Newsletter, and in future Journal issue.
In addition, we invite you to use our online community platform, Member Connect to share your own reflections on serving young children and their families during these tumultuous times. What have you learned about yourself, your colleagues and leaders, or the families you work with?
Personal connections are central to all of our work at ZERO TO THREE, and they have never mattered more or been so challenging to maintain. We hope that as you read through these articles, the supplemental articles online, and the reflections of others in our ZERO TO THREE community, you will be encouraged and inspired in your own work of strengthening connections that deeply matter in the lives of babies.
Kathy Reschke, Editorial Assistant, ZERO TO THREE Journal
Stefanie Powers, Editor-in-Chief, ZERO TO THREE Journal
Suggested Citation
Powers, S., Reschke, K. (2021). This issue and why it matters. ZERO TO THREE Journal, 41(4), 2.
