In week 4, we are continuing to examine organizations and agencies that work with or for the field of Early Childhood Education. Previously, we had to focus on local and state wide agencies and organizations related to the field of ECE. This week, we need to move towards researching national and federal ECE organizations and agencies we would be interested in.
Two national organizations I decided to focus on this week are heavily involved in the field of Early Childhood Education are the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and Zero to Three. First, the NAEYC is the organization which provides the guidelines, codes and standards by which all ECE programs and facilities should be operated. This organization supports all ECE organizations and programs, including Head Start, small daycare centers, public school programs, etc. This organization has many core values and beliefs in which it firmly honors, as well. For instance, the NAEYC Core Values include appreciating "childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life cycle" as well as "the bond between the child and family" while the Core Beliefs include "excellence and innovation, transparency, reflection, equity and opportunity, and collaborative relationships" (National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC], n.d., p. 1 para. 4-5). The NAEYC has several job opportunities posted for their organization in Washington, D.C. on their website, as well as a portal to find positions they are affiliates for throughout our country. While I was not qualified or necessarily interested in the NAEYC direct positions, I did find several openings posted for affiliated programs throughout the country for Family Advocates, Directors of ECE programs, and ECE Advocates/Professors at the college level. Once again I would gravitate toward the Family Advocate or Director position, in which you would need strong communication skills, proper education and training, and experience working with children and families in ECE.
The second organization, Zero to Three, is an organization I had learned about in previous courses in my Master's Degree program at Walden University. As stated on their website, "ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals, and policymakers the knowledge and the know-how to nurture early development" (Zero to Three, 2014, p. 1 para. 1). This organization has provided a wealth of information and support for educators and families in regards to the importance of development and effective ECE programs. It is a wonderful organization and I was very interested to see what opportunities they had available. After researching their site, the position available that I found most interesting was the Community Coordinator position. As stated on the posting, "The Community Coordinator facilitates coordination and
collaboration among community stakeholders on the New Haven and Milford Teams, serves as a
bridge builder across the many disciplines involved with infants and toddlers in foster care,
schedules Team meetings, and conducts follow-up activities related to Team goals" (Zero to Three, 2014, p. 1 para. 1). This is something I would be highly interested in as it allows active community involvement in the ECE programs and field overall. It would require communication skills, experience in the field, and the proper experience and certifications, once again.
Thirdly, an international organization that is based out of the United States that I follow and contribute to is Save the Children. This organization works to help children worldwide to be safe and get an education. "Save the Children invests in childhood - every day, in times of crisis and for our future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. By transforming children's lives now, we change the course of their future and ours" (Save the Children, 2015, p. 1 para. 1). In prior courses, I have researched this organization and have become very interested in their work. I follow them on social media and through news articles via e-mail. I have contributed through donations of school supplies mailed from my students and I to a country of children in need, as well as monetary donations. I explored the career section of their website to find job opportunities currently available. Of the multitude of positions available throughout the United States sector, the ones that stood out the most were teacher, director, and child protection specialist or coordinator positions. These positions would require experience and education in working with children and families, as well as child development. I believe the background knowledge I currently have would allow me to fulfill such a position. This organization is one in which I am extremely interested in working with in some capacity moving forward.
Having the opportunity to research these organizations in the Early Childhood field and consider potential job opportunities is a great way to envision what I could do in the future with Early Childhood Education upon receiving my Master's Degree!
References:
National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC]. (n.d.). Our mission and strategic direction. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/about/mission.
Save the Children. (2015). Who we are - Save the children. Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6146355/k.24E9/Who_We_Are.htm.
Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2014). Zero to three: About Us. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/.
Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2014). Job Posting. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/careers/jobs/community-coordinator-for-ct-court-teams.pdf.
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." ~ Dr. Seuss
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels
Hello and welcome back! It is hard to believe but it is time to begin the final leg of this journey at Walden University. The final course of my Master's Degree program - the Capstone - is underway! We will be utilizing our weekly blog once again for this final course. For our first blog post this week, we need to research and examine local and state agencies and organizations related in some way to the field of Early Childhood Education. When researching such, we need to choose 3 different organizations, agencies, or communities of practice from our local town or community and/or state that we have interest in learning more about. Once we choose the three to focus on, we must explain our reasoning for our choice, job opportunities that are posted or we would potentially be interested in fulfilling, and skills or experiences needed to fulfill such job opportunities.
After perusing local and state organizations from Bellmawr, NJ, Camden County, the surrounding cities, and the state overall, I chose to focus on the following four organizations, agencies, and/or communities of practice: Larc School; Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties; Center for Family Services; and Twin Oaks Community Services. First I chose Larc School because it is a private, special education school that provides services and educational opportunities for children and adults who are severely disabled. I worked in this school over 6 summers and have a true passion, love, and respect for the work they do and the school. It would be great to create a CoP with teachers, staff, and families from this school, in combination with those who live in my community and work in my building and district, especially since this school is in my community, as well. Secondly, I chose the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization as it is an organization I have been interested in being a part of since I was young. I have always admired those that volunteer and give back to others in any way possible. My cousin participated in this organization but in a branch in Philadelphia growing up and I learned so much from her and the experiences she shared with me which has given me more respect and admiration for the organization and it's premise. Thirdly, I chose to focus on an agency called the Center for Family Services in Camden, NJ, as they have a wide variety of support services for children and families throughout the Southern New Jersey region. You can also volunteer and mentor for children and families through this organization and this agency offers a variety of support for families, such as access to Early Childhood Education opportunities like Head Start and Public Preschool Openings, as well as healthcare and housing help. Lastly, I chose the Twin Oaks Community Services agency because it is a facility where children and/or families can go for assistance with behavioral and mental health services. Once again, I have heard of this reputable agency who have provided services to families in desperate need of support. They are willing to come to your home or you can attend their facilities and they provide support for individuals as well as the entire family, as needed.
In considering each of the aforementioned organizations, I have discovered or pondered about job opportunities I would envision myself pursuing with that specific organization. In regards to Larc School, I have already worked as a teacher and as a paraprofessional assistant to which I could see myself doing again in the future. In addition, I could see myself in a Speech and Language Pathologist position as this is something I have always considered going back to school for later in life. After perusing the site for the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization, I have discovered that the best job opportunity I believe I would enjoy and partake in would be as a volunteer. Again, I have always hoped to give back in this sense in some way to this organization as I witnessed my cousin do successfully and wholeheartedly growing up and volunteering would be the best way to do so. The Center for Family Services does has several job postings placed on their website to peruse. After some consideration, I have taken great interest in the "Family Service Advocate" job opportunity at a Head Start program in my county. This is a possible role I am highly interested in fulfilling in my own school district and/or community upon completion of this program at Walden so I was very excited to see this opportunity. Lastly, after perusing the website for Twin Oaks Community Services, I have not discovered any available job opportunities I am interested in. However, I would be interested in either volunteering at this agency or taking on a role such as a Family Advocate for this type of agency as it would combine my knowledge of behaviors and mental health from all of my training and education in Early Childhood, Elementary, and Special Education, as well as my education in working with families and children.
In order to successfully and effectively complete any of the aforementioned job opportunities, a certain skill set and experiences within the field with children, families, and education would be necessary. First of all, an individual would need to be an effective, competent communicator, willing and able to work with and communicate with ALL families and individuals in our communities. The individual would need to know how to read and understand nonverbal and verbal language, as well as have strategies and resources to communicate despite language barriers. Additionally, the individual should have experience teaching children and working with families in the educational setting, in order to properly work with and advocate for children and families in other settings. I think I would possess each of these skills and qualities, as well as being flexible, a lifelong learner, and dedicated anti-bias educator.
This week's blog has provided me with lots of 'food for thought' to consider. As we come to an end of this journey at Walden University and I move forward with my Master's Degree in Early Childhood Studies, it is important to consider the variety of opportunities that await. This does not limit me to the classroom, especially if I would like to be an advocate. Many of these opportunities are not full time positions that could be completed and performed in addition to maintaining a teaching position within the Early Childhood field. This was eye opening and exciting to learn about and consider these opportunities that could await in my future endeavors! :)
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Organization/Agency Websites:
After perusing local and state organizations from Bellmawr, NJ, Camden County, the surrounding cities, and the state overall, I chose to focus on the following four organizations, agencies, and/or communities of practice: Larc School; Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties; Center for Family Services; and Twin Oaks Community Services. First I chose Larc School because it is a private, special education school that provides services and educational opportunities for children and adults who are severely disabled. I worked in this school over 6 summers and have a true passion, love, and respect for the work they do and the school. It would be great to create a CoP with teachers, staff, and families from this school, in combination with those who live in my community and work in my building and district, especially since this school is in my community, as well. Secondly, I chose the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization as it is an organization I have been interested in being a part of since I was young. I have always admired those that volunteer and give back to others in any way possible. My cousin participated in this organization but in a branch in Philadelphia growing up and I learned so much from her and the experiences she shared with me which has given me more respect and admiration for the organization and it's premise. Thirdly, I chose to focus on an agency called the Center for Family Services in Camden, NJ, as they have a wide variety of support services for children and families throughout the Southern New Jersey region. You can also volunteer and mentor for children and families through this organization and this agency offers a variety of support for families, such as access to Early Childhood Education opportunities like Head Start and Public Preschool Openings, as well as healthcare and housing help. Lastly, I chose the Twin Oaks Community Services agency because it is a facility where children and/or families can go for assistance with behavioral and mental health services. Once again, I have heard of this reputable agency who have provided services to families in desperate need of support. They are willing to come to your home or you can attend their facilities and they provide support for individuals as well as the entire family, as needed.
In considering each of the aforementioned organizations, I have discovered or pondered about job opportunities I would envision myself pursuing with that specific organization. In regards to Larc School, I have already worked as a teacher and as a paraprofessional assistant to which I could see myself doing again in the future. In addition, I could see myself in a Speech and Language Pathologist position as this is something I have always considered going back to school for later in life. After perusing the site for the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization, I have discovered that the best job opportunity I believe I would enjoy and partake in would be as a volunteer. Again, I have always hoped to give back in this sense in some way to this organization as I witnessed my cousin do successfully and wholeheartedly growing up and volunteering would be the best way to do so. The Center for Family Services does has several job postings placed on their website to peruse. After some consideration, I have taken great interest in the "Family Service Advocate" job opportunity at a Head Start program in my county. This is a possible role I am highly interested in fulfilling in my own school district and/or community upon completion of this program at Walden so I was very excited to see this opportunity. Lastly, after perusing the website for Twin Oaks Community Services, I have not discovered any available job opportunities I am interested in. However, I would be interested in either volunteering at this agency or taking on a role such as a Family Advocate for this type of agency as it would combine my knowledge of behaviors and mental health from all of my training and education in Early Childhood, Elementary, and Special Education, as well as my education in working with families and children.
In order to successfully and effectively complete any of the aforementioned job opportunities, a certain skill set and experiences within the field with children, families, and education would be necessary. First of all, an individual would need to be an effective, competent communicator, willing and able to work with and communicate with ALL families and individuals in our communities. The individual would need to know how to read and understand nonverbal and verbal language, as well as have strategies and resources to communicate despite language barriers. Additionally, the individual should have experience teaching children and working with families in the educational setting, in order to properly work with and advocate for children and families in other settings. I think I would possess each of these skills and qualities, as well as being flexible, a lifelong learner, and dedicated anti-bias educator.
This week's blog has provided me with lots of 'food for thought' to consider. As we come to an end of this journey at Walden University and I move forward with my Master's Degree in Early Childhood Studies, it is important to consider the variety of opportunities that await. This does not limit me to the classroom, especially if I would like to be an advocate. Many of these opportunities are not full time positions that could be completed and performed in addition to maintaining a teaching position within the Early Childhood field. This was eye opening and exciting to learn about and consider these opportunities that could await in my future endeavors! :)
----------------------------------------------------
Organization/Agency Websites:
- Larc School: http://www.larcschool.com
- Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties: http://www.bbbsbcg.org/site/c.5oIJJVPsGbISF/b.6458217/k.774A/Big_Brothers_Big_Sisters_of_Burlington_Camden__Gloucester_Counties.htm
- Center for Family Services: http://www.centerffs.org
- Twin Oaks Community Services: http://twinoakscs.org