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.

Time Well Spent - Farewell

I must say it has been quite a journey completing my masters in Early Childhood Education.  When I started this program I did not have much faith in on-line education.  I can say that I have learned a lot and am a now a fan of on-line education.

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 learned so much from the articles and papers that I have read throughout the program.   I have also learned that keeping abreast of the issues and trends in this field is very important.  There is so much research being done that reading keeps you aware of what is happening in the field.  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.   

I would like to say good bye to each of you and that you are successful in what you do next in life.  It has been a pleasure knowing each of you.

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/

 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community

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.  There are 80,000 members.  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 a posting for one job and that was a position for a teacher in Baltimore Maryland.  I am not interested.

 

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: Local and State Levels

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 nationally recognized 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 no positions open.  This is an organization that I would like to be employed with because they monitor child care facilities and provide policies and procedures to child care organizations.   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 pressing needs of Georgia's youngest children and their families. With innovative state and local programs and outreach initiatives, Smart Start has developed and maintains strong 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. 

Reflecting on Learning

When I decided to advance my education and pursue a Master’s in Early Childhood Education the only thing I had in mind was to become a teacher that is memorable.  One of those teachers children come back to see after many years of leaving you.  I want to make a difference in the lives and hearts of the children and families that I serve.  I want to be a valuable resource to them.  I want to make learning something that is second nature to my students and help develop the skills they will need for future successes.  I believe that anti-bias education is such an incredible tool for children’s social emotional development that I would like to become proficient in establishing it in my classroom.

I would like to thank all of my colleagues in this course for their opinions, encouragement and questions.  I have learned a great deal from each of you and have enjoyed this course partly because of each of you.  I wish you well in all of your future endeavors.

Impact on Early Emotional Development

I choose West and Central Africa.  I choose Africa because I would like to visit this country one day and was interested to find out more about this area of the world.  The children in West and Central Africa are faced with a lot of challenges such as disease.  Many children die of malaria diarrheoal diseases and vaccine preventable diseases such as the measles.  Malnutrition is widespread in the region.  In the Sahel countries half of the child mortality is related to under-nutrition in children.  1.1 million children under 5 will suffer acute malnutrition and 3 million will suffer moderate acute malnutrition.  Poverty and traditional beliefs keep 40% of children out of school and girls in particular are penalized the most.  If children do attend school they are faced with sexual and other forms of violence in school.  Many of the children in this region are exploited in other ways as well child trafficking, child labor, children in armed conflicts, children victims of harmful traditional practices.  There are many children who are orphaned by AIDS.  In West and Central Africa today there are close to 5 million children who have been left without the caring and protection of one or both of their parents. 

The children in West and Central Africa are faced with many challenges that threaten their well-being.  The problem of malnutrition is causing deaths of many children in this region.  As for the children that survive malnutrition their physical development is delayed and jeopardized.  Malnutrition affects these young children’s brain development which can cause developmental delays.  Many of the children who have lost parents to the AIDS virus will suffer emotional problems due to a lack of emotional support that a parent or parents offer young children. 

It is very hard to read about the afflictions and challenges young children around the world are experiencing.  I am glad that I am teaching in America since we are not faced with such widespread hunger and exploitation.  I am glad that I live in America, but feel an obligation toward the young children in other countries that are not experiencing a healthy childhood.  While reading about West and Central Africa I kept thinking what can I do to make a difference in some of these young children’s lives.  Can I volunteer to go to Africa to teach or maybe I can participate in mission work.  I feel that all Early Childhood Professionals should take an active part in trying to make the lives of these children better.

Reference: UNICEF (2011). http://www.unicef.org