Time Well Spent

I must say it has been quite a journey completing my masters in Early Childhood Education.  I had my doubts about on-line education when I first started, but I can say I have learned a lot and am now a fan.

I have learned a great deal from my journey.  I have learned about myself that I am disciplined and committed to my profession in the early childhood field.  I have worked hard and have been diligent in my approach to learning. I have gained a great deal of insight from the research papers and articles that I have read due to this program.   Remaining knowledgeable about the issues and trends in this field is very important.  The research that is conducted is valuable to know, it helps me in the classroom.  I have also learned how fragile young children are and that my commitment to teach them is a very important job.    I realize that my input in their lives is invaluable and makes a difference for them in the future.   Lastly I learned that my colleagues/classmates are an invaluable tool to my learning.  I gained a great deal of insight from reading your discussion and blog posts.

I would like to become part of an initiative that is focused on helping families living in poverty.  I can see myself working to eradicate poverty from the lives of young children and their families.  There is an organization here in Georgia that is impacting the poor; I think I will join their efforts to combat poverty in the lives of people. 

I would like to say a special thanks to Dr. Teri and to all of my colleagues.  I wish all of you the best in your future endeavors.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

DEC, The Division for Early Childhood is one of seventeen divisions of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).  They are the largest international organizations dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and or the gifted.   Their mission states they promote policies and advances evidence-based practices that support families and enhance the optimal development of young children who have or are at risk for developmental delays and disabilities.  The DEC publishes journals such as the Journal of Early Intervention and Young Exceptional Children which is focused on issues related to young children.  They host a conference where professionals from around the world take part in presentations and strategies as well as discussions that will change the way professionals think about early childhood.  This website did not offer employment opportunities.  They are located at http://www.dec-sped.org/

The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) mission statement is to promote and support the optimal education, development and well-being of children worldwide and to promote the professional growth of educators and others who are committed to the needs of children in a changing society (ACEI, n.d.).  This organization has consultative status with the United Nations.  This website did not offer any employment opportunities.  They are located at http://www.acei.org/

UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.  This organization states that they work to create the conditions for dialogue among civilization, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values.  Their mission is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information(UNESCO, n.d.).  UNESCO focuses on two global priorities Africa and gender equality.  One of UNESCO’s objectives is to attain quality education for all and lifelong learning.  UNESCO is looking for qualified people in the following areas Payroll Specialist, Treasury Analyst,  Systems and Web Development Assistant.  I would not be interested in these positions.  UNESCO’s website is http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/

Reference:

The Division of Early Childhood (DEC) (n.d.) Retrieved from www.dec-sped.org

Association for Childhood Education International (n.d.) Retrieved from www.acei.org

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2011). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/

Job/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

The first organization that I found was NAEYC the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  This organization was founded in 1926 and their work is in behalf of young children ages birth to eight years old.   NAEYC sets standards of excellence for programs and teachers in early childhood education.  This site offered one position that I might be interested in Accreditation coordinator.  This position is in Washington, DC.  The responsibilities include working with program administrators and decision makers through the process of accreditation.  BA in Early Childhood Education/Child Development, 3-5 years experience in the field of early childhood education and a sound understanding of its practices is required.  Experience with high quality programming and NAEYC accreditation is a plus.  Excellent oral and written communication, analytical, MS Office and database skills are required. 

The next organization I found was the Council for Professional Recognition.  The mission of this organization is to promote improved performance and recognition of professionals in the early childhood education of children aged birth to 5 years old.  The council administers the Child Development Associate (CDA) national credentialing program.  This organization did not have any job listings.

The last organization that I found is the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE).  Their purpose states to promote the professional growth of members, to discuss educational issues specific to membership and to advocate for improvement in early childhood teacher education.  NAECTE’s job link has several postings for instructors.  They are looking for someone to teach adults Early Childhood Education in a college setting.  I would not be qualified for this position I would need to acquire teaching experience teaching adults.

 

Reference:

NAECTE http://www.naecte.org

NAEYC  http://www.naeyc.org

Council for Professional Recognition http://www.cdacouncil.org

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: State and Local

There is an organization called Bright from the Start which is a state agency.  They are responsible for meeting the child care and early education needs of Georgia’s children and their families.  They oversee a wide range of programs focused primarily on children ages birth to school age and their families.  They administer the Georgia Pre-K program.  They license and monitor all center-based and home based child care facilities. They oversee the federal child and adult care food program and the summer food service program.  They provide technical assistance, training and support to families and child care providers who care for children with special needs.  When I checked for employment opportunities they had a few positions open nothing that I might be interested in except the infant/toddler specialist position.  This position provides technical assistance to centers as well as Bright from the start approved training.  If I were to pursue this position I would need to work on my presentation skills.   There website is http://decal.ga.gov/Default.aspx

Smart Start, the Early Childhood Division of the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, was created in May 1999 to address the needs of Georgia's youngest children and their families. “With innovative state and local programs and outreach initiatives, Smart Start has developed and maintains commitments and partnerships with state agencies, child care providers, parents, training and technical assistance organizations, and government and business leaders to improve the quality of early care and education for all children ages birth through five”. “Through its programs and initiatives, Smart Start works to increase school readiness, with the aim of having every child ready to succeed in school by the time they enter kindergarten”.  There website is http://www.smartstartga.org/default.aspx.  This site did not have an employment section.

“The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) is the part of DHS that investigates child abuse; finds foster homes for abused and neglected children; helps low income, out-of-work parents get back on their feet; assists with childcare costs for low income parents who are working or in job training; and provides numerous support services and innovative programs to help troubled families.”   There website is http://dfcs.dhs.georgia.gov/.  This website posted some job positions many of them were not directly associated with early childhood education, I did find one position that services young children and it is Immunization Field Service Manager.  This position is responsible for the day-to-day supervision of 18 immunization program consultants located throughout the state of Georgia.  This position serves as a consultant on immunization and vaccines for children (VFC) issues to the health districts and county health offices, VFC Providers and the general public.  Qualifications for this position require experience in managing staff in public health or human services, experience in the area interagency collaboration and partnership building and experience in planning and goal management based on data and statistical information. 

The Georgia Head Start Association, Inc. (GHSA) is a statewide non-profit organization whose mission is “to enhance the capability of local Head Start programs to deliver quality services to children and their families”. GHSA represents the 30 Head Start and Early Head Start agencies in the state of Georgia that provide these services to over 24,000 low-income preschool children birth through five-years-old and their families.   The website is http://www.georgiaheadstart.org/about/organization.php.  This site posted a position for an Executive Officer of Head Start.  This position is a high level position with the candidate having experience in general management as well as public relations, professional development, advocacy and fund raising.  I would need to acquire management skills and public relations knowledge to qualify for this position.