Exploring Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Federal/National Level

"Research shows that children who are poor hear approximately 30 million fewer words than their more affluent peers during the first three years of life. This "word gap" can lead to disparities in not only school readiness, but also long-term educational and health outcomes, earnings, and family stability (BTWG, n.d.)". Bridging the Word Gap is a National Research Network Community of Practice in which includes the Department of Education (ED), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to help parents, caregivers, and teachers on this importance issue. As someone who teaches in a low-socioeconomic area, I can attest to having students come in at the second grade level, having no knowledge of many sight words that should have been learned before entering Kindergarten. This is not necessarily the parents fault, but the fault of the society we live in which cannot afford to give these families the same privleges as their affluent peers during the first three years of life.



The Build Initiative is a Federal Community of Practice that "assists state leaders in planning and implementing a comprehensive early childhood "system of systems" that crosses policy domains. The aim is to prepare young children aged birth - five to succeed by helping their families access high quality early learning programs, family and parenting support, early intervention services for children with special needs, and comprehensive health, mental health and nutritional services (Build Initiative, n.d.)". This Community of Practice is made up of state leaders, families, teachers, early childhood professionals, interventionists, child counselors and psychologists, and other members such as nutritional services that cater to schools. This Community of Practice appealed to me as I have actually been to a Professional Development meeting in which members of the Build Initiative came to speak to us educators about joining the Build Initiative at our state level in order to make a difference. I have been considering this for quite some time now and this week's Blog assignment has just further pushed me to finally take the chance and help make a change for students in our country.

The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Visiting Community of Practice was established by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Administration on Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which also includes state level organizations for this Federal Community of Practice that visits soon-to-be moms as well as moms who have just given birth or have children in the early childhood stage of development. They provide resources and knowledge to help these families out and to ensure everyone is safe, healthy, and happy while also getting what they need to survive.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

President and CEO of Early Learning Indiana (ELI) - Statewide
ELI seeks a leader with at least ten years’ progressive leadership experience and a passion for ELI’s mission and vision. Knowledge in the field of early care and education and prior management experience, preferably in nonprofit or educational leadership, is required. Strong business, financial and organizational savvy will be evidenced by a proven ability to set clear priorities, delegate and guide the investment of human and other resources to help achieve goals. The successful candidate is an active listener who will support and value the skills of staff, bring a collaborative and compassionate nature to problem solving, and demonstrate a history of building and supporting a diverse team though equal opportunity in operations, community engagement, employment, and decision making.

Early Learning Branch Manager - Seattle, Washington

• Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or psychology related degree with an emphasis in early learning/childhood.
• Two years of experience in managing and leading an early learning program for young children. Preferred experience in working with children and families that have been involved with the Child Welfare system or other social services
• Must have 45 Credits of ECE in accordance with Childcare Licensing
• Must be able to obtain cleared Portable Background check through Department of Early Learning
• Must have a valid WDL and safe driving record.
• Must clear agency background check and drug test screening
• Current state approved infant/child (or community if school aged) CPR certification
• TB test by Mantoux method.
• HIV/AIDS training certification.
• Completion of minimum MERIT required 30 hour training.

Executive Director, Children's Museum in Easton

• Passionate advocate for the mission
• Experienced nonprofit or business manager
• Demonstrated success in raising funds
• Exceptional communication skills
• A thoughtful visionary and creative entrepreneur
• Astute networker and collaborator
• Keen emotional intelligence
• Team builder
• Experience working with boards of directors
• Strong social media and information technology skills

Websites

http://www.buildinitiative.org/

http://www.bwgresnet.res.ku.edu/

https://mchb.hrsa.gov/maternal-child-health-initiatives/home-visiting-overview

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

I entered upon the world of Early Childhood through education. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree, I knew that I wanted to work with kids in a small group setting. I entered this program at Walden with the hopes of procuring a Masters in Early Childhood so that I would be able to enter the field, yet two months after starting, I was blessed to get a job as a Kindergarten teacher over a thousand miles away from where I was living at the time. I decided to continue with my Masters as I had already fallen in love with the program and knew that I wanted to better myself for my future scholars.

Here I am, nearly two years later, still teaching for the same school system and almost completed with my degree. Up until now, I had thought that education was my only niche in the Early Childhood community, but this week we were asked to explore state and local level roles in the Early Childhood field. I have discovered multiple opportunities at the state and local levels that would provide an excellent opportunity to remain in the Early Childhood field, yet be able to take on different hat to help the children we serve.


One of these organizations within my great state of Texas, is the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children. This is the Texas state affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) which caters directly to celebrating, education, and advocating for young children, families, and the early childhood profession. I chose this organization as I have become extremely familiar with NAEYC through this program and was extremely interested in finding that there was a state branch that followed the same mission. Perhaps the biggest appeal in choosing this organization, is how it caters directly to Texas and the issues and topics we are facing as a state, for example, the TXAEYC website has an entire section dedicated to accepting donations for Early Childhood Programs that were affected by Hurrican Harvey back in August. As I have seen the direct affects of Hurricane Harvey, it was great to see how this organization is giving back to the community and helping the young children who were affected by it.


I picked the Association for Early Learning Leaders as an organization as it appeals to my current career plans to become and a Leader in Early Childhood. This organization is made up of hundreds of individuals that are committed to excellence by promoting leadership development and enhancing program quality through the National Accreditation Commission's standards and which caters directly to program directors, owners, and administrators. This organization holds many conferences all over the USA to reach multiple people who are interested in either furthering their career to become a leader in early childhood or to reach those who are already in the position and want to continue to improve. They are directly interested in providing resources to these communities while also providing the perfect outlet for communication and collaboration for these individuals so that they may hold each other accountable and can rely on one another for questions and issues that may arise.

The last organization I chose was the Council for Professional Recognition which is focused on advancing the professional development and recognition of early childhood educators. As I am currently an early childhood educator, I have seen firsthand the lack of relevant available professional development for early childhood educators and how the lack of recognition leaves the field with a high turnover rate. Whereas many individuals believe that early childhood teachers are simply babysitters, without actual recognition for the amount of work and time we spend bettering our students, many early childhood educators are left feeling like their roles do not matter or believe they could be better recognized in another field.

Jobs Available:

Preschool Teacher at Country Home Learning Center #4
"Daycare facility ready to hire caring, dedicated Preschool Teachers to work a variety of Part Time shifts including Infants, Preschool, and After School Teachers. We are specifically looking for those qualified with a CDA or an Early Childhood Education background. Employer will train. Duties may include: Maintain a safe play environment. Dress children and change diapers. Observe and monitor children's play activities. Communicate with children's parents or guardians about daily activities, behaviors, and related issues. Sanitize toys and play equipment."

Adjunct Faculty in Early Childhood -The Texas A&M School System
"The Department of Educator and Leadership Preparation is currently seeking a non-tenured track Adjunct faculty in Early Childhood for Spring, Summer, and Fall 2018. Responsibilities include teaching undergraduate courses in Early Childhood. Master's degree in related field from a regionally accredited institution.Experience as a teacher of young children or early childhood professional working with children and families"

Preschool Teacher at Upscale Chilldcare Center - PREP School of Stone Oak
"We are looking for professional people with a great attitude that have a love for children and are looking for a great opportunity with a new Private Preschool! Strong knowledge of Licensing and great references are a must! Job Requirements: CDA or Early Childhood Development Degree is preferred Previous work history in a licensed child care facility is preferred HS Diploma/GED 18 years or over Pass a Background Check and fingerprint scan"

After searching for Early Childhood jobs, it can be easy to see why many think early childhood is solely dedicated to the field of preschool and daycare teachers and why people do not take them seriously when the only requirements are to be 18 years old, a high school diploma or a GED, and they must pass a background and fingerprint check. It makes the field of early childhood education seem like an easy thing and discredits the trust early childhood educators that have devoted their lives to bettering our society by raising and teaching students with their whole hearts.  
 


Websites
http://www.texasaeyc.org/
http://www.earlylearningleaders.org/
https://www.cdacouncil.org/