It's hard to believe that Election Day 2008 has come and gone.

What's even more difficult to believe is that we have all experienced history in the making. Regardless of who you voted for, you can tell your grandchildren or great grandchildren, that you experienced “the election of 2008.” Perhaps you have the front page of your local newspaper dated Nov. 5, 2008; perhaps you have a campaign button, bumper sticker or yard sign supporting your candidate of choice - whatever you have, keep it as a reminder of this historic event.

As we move forward with a new president at the helm, I can't help but hope that we pull together as a country and stand behind Barack Obama as he works for all of us. As I watched his acceptance speech late on the night of Nov. 4, I couldn't help but feel hope for a better tomorrow for all of us as I saw the faces in the crowd #- young and old, Caucasian, African-American, Asian and Hispanic, men and women of all sizes, shapes and colors; a true representation of our country.

As an early childhood professional, I can't help but express my satisfaction with the results of the election. President-Elect Obama was one of the few candidates for president who, from the very beginning of his bid for the White House, voiced his concern about early childhood education and his plans to enhance early childhood education in the United States.

In fact, he was one of only four presidential candidates (out of 15) who responded to the National Association for Education of Young Children's request to complete a questionnaire about early childhood education (the other respondents included: Hillary Clinton, Christopher Dodd and John Edwards). The responses to all the questionnaires received were posted on

the NAEYC Web site (www.naeyc.org), and I was thrilled to be able to read the responses before voting in the election.

The questionnaire included questions such as: “What are your views on the needs of young children (birth to kindergarten) and what specific steps would you take to address those needs?,” “What kinds of expertise and experiences will you be looking for in people when filling the senior administration positions that have responsibility for the key federal early childhood education programs, such as child care and Head Start?,” “What do you consider the appropriate federal investment in programs that support young children's early care and education?” and “What are your views on raising the compensation of child care workers and what steps would you take to make attracting and keeping quality educators in the early childhood education field?”

I was encouraged by Obama's responses:

“I promote quality early education for all children. I will reform No Child Left Behind to improve assessments and support schools that need help. I will recruit a generation of new teachers with service scholarships and provide new teachers with mentorship and support.” (You can read his complete response to the questionnaire at www.naeyc.org).

As our new president takes office, we cannot forget that we need to “hold him to his word” #- to support early childhood education. We must continue to be the voices for the profession and for the children that we serve.

I can't help but be reminded again of the importance of an old African saying: “It takes a village to raise a child” #- in this case, the biggest village of all #- the United States.

Patricia Gridley, Ph.D., is an associate professor and the coordinator of the Early Childhood program at

Cayuga Community College