Jobs/Roles in the ECE Field on the National/Federal Level

          I had a great time exploring the various organizations and agencies that are out there for the Early Childhood Field.  Learning about the different opportunities for people like myself and all of my colleagues is exciting.  I examined many organizations and agencies however, there were three that interested me the most.  They are:

1. National Education Association (NEA):  Their mission is to advocate for education professionals and to unite our members and the nation to fulfill the promise of public education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world.  The NEA works on every educational level from early childhood to graduate level such as the one we are in currently.  They discuss different issues such as common core standards, education funding, and early childhood.  They provide resources for teachers and administrators, as well as information about grants and funding.  I chose this organization because it is such a broad resource for teachers.  It offers a wide variety of information.  A job that I could apply for there is a state affiliate.  They lobby legislators for the needs in the education field.  The job requirements are: a bachelor's degree, successful public school teaching and leadership experience with an advocacy organization, previous chief negotiator, collective bargaining and grievance arbitration experience is desired, proven ability to develop and coordinate an effective membership organizing program,proven ability to work independently and in a diverse, collaborative, and team environment, effective consulting, training, presentation and representation skills,strong problem-solving and conflict resolution skills,knowledge of office automation technology including word processing and data applications, and strong written and verbal communication skills (NEA, 2014).

2. National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP): Their vision is family economic security, strong nurturing families, and healthy child development.  The NCCP is a public policy center that works to help the low-income families of America.  They work at the state and national level and are family-oriented.  They perform research to find solutions and develop strategies to help child in poverty.  They take on projects such as housing subsidies and child development, promoting paid family leave, and the some topics that they research and discuss are child poverty, children's mental health, early care and learning, and immigrant families.  A job that is available with this organization is an Associate Research Scientist, this position's role is Director of Childcare and Early Education Research Connections.  The job requirements is to have a Ph.D or Ed.D or equivalent in Early Childhood Education, must have knowledge of early childhood research, policies, and programs, and five years of relevant experience (NCCP, 2014).

3. Council for Professional Recognition: Their mission is the Council for Professional Recognition promotes improved performance and recognition of professionals in early childhood education of children ages birth through 5 years old.  They provide the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential.  The CDA is required in many states for early childhood professionals.  In Arkansas, a director must have a CDA or a Bachelor's in a related field.  There were no job openings listed for this organization (Council for Professional Recognition, 2013).

References

Council for Professional Recognition. (2013). About the Council.  Retrieved from http://www.cdacouncil.org/about-the-council

National  Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP). (2014). About NCCP. Retrieved from http://www.nccp.org/about.html

National Education Association (NEA). (2014). About NEA. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/2580.htm

Communities of Practice

          During this week in our course, we learned about communities of practice.  Communities of practice share three common aspects: interest, community, and focus (Helm, 2007).  For this assignment, we were to choose three local or state communities of practice that we would like to belong to.  The three organizations are listed below:

1. NAEYC - I chose this organization because at the very beginning in our Foundations course, we were introduced to the NAEYC.  Before, I had never heard of it, and never knew anything like it existed.  The NAEYC is one of the largest Early Childhood Resources and organizations around.  They offer thousands of resources to parents, families, childcare centers, early childhood professionals, etc.  The resources and the things that the organization does for the field of Early Childhood is so great and it makes me want to be a part of it.  I want to be a part of something that influential to young children and their families (NAEYC, n.d.).  A job opportunity that was posted on their site was Director of Early Childhood, in Dallas, TX.  I would love this job!  In order to fulfill this job, I would need to be knowledgeable of the licensing requirements for the state of TX, have patience to work with families, children, and the staff, an understanding of advocacy, great organizational skills, and a passion for the early childhood field.  

2. ZERO TO THREE - The mission for this organization is "to ensure all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life" (zerotothree.org, 2012).   The reason that I chose this organization is because, just as with the NAEYC, we learned about this organization in the Foundations course.  They offer thousands of opportunities for babies and toddlers. They offer articles and research studies about issues that deal with babies and toddlers.  The site also offers information to parents such as how important play is.  There is a job available titled, Senior Writer/Training Specialist.  The knowledge and skills required for this job is to have a strong knowledge to the Early Head Start program, strong knowledge of infants and toddlers, strong knowledge of different cultures and an education requirement would be a Master's in Early Childhood Development.  

3. Arkansas Department of Human Services - The mission for this program is "Together we improve the quality of life of all Arkansans by protecting the vulnerable, fostering independence, and promoting better health.  As a teacher at a childcare center, we have to work with the licensing person when they come to our center to ensure that the requirements are met.  The licensing and regulations are just one part of DHS.  They protect children and families, they offer ARkids insurance for children, the SNAP program (nutrition program), and many others that serve the families in the state.  This organization is respected in the state and I admire the work that they do.  A job posted on this site was Family Service Worker Supervisor. The skills for this job is knowledge of supervisory practices and procedures, knowledge of the principles and practice of counseling, social work, and case management, knowledge of state and federal laws, rules and guidelines, etc.  The education requirement is to have an equivalent to a bachelor's in social work, sociology, or psychology, or a related field (http://humanservices.arkansas.gov/, 2011). 

References

 Helm, J. (2007). Building communities of practice. YC: Young Children, 62(4), 12-16.

Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database

Beginning of the End

     WOW!!! We are beginning our last class here at Walden University! That is so crazy! However, I am so excited to take this last class and learn all that I can from Dr. Darragh and from all of my classmates.  The first week's assignment have been challenging so far and I look forward to the next 7 more weeks that we have together to grow and develop into the early childhood professionals we were meant to be.