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