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

At least three national/federal organizations or communities of practice that appealed to you and why you chose them One national organization that appealed to me was the National Education Association. The reason that it appealed to me because I read that they are committed to improving early childhood education. I also like the fact that the NEA recommends federal funds to make pre-kindergarten programs available for all three-and four-year-old children from disadvantage families. They also recommend free, publicly funded, quality kindergarten programs in all states (NEA, 2002). Another national organization that appealed to me was the Zero to Three. The Zero to Three appealed to me because they are a nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals, and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development (Zero to Three, 2014). One last thing that appealed to me about this nonprofit organization was their mission. I love the fact that their mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life (Zero to Three, 2014). The last national organization that appealed to me was the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood. T.E.A.C.H. This national organization appealed to me because their mission is to implement and sustains programs and strategies that result in a well-educated, fairly compensated and stable early childhood workforce to ensure the long term success of our nation’s children in school and in life (T.E.A.C.H., 2014). Another thing that appealed to me about this program was the fact that they are a comprehensive scholarship program that provides the early childhood workforce with access to education. I love the fact that they have a lot of core values as well and one that stood out to me is the fact that they build partnerships for professional development and another one was how they create educational pathways, which is something I feel is big when working with children and their families (T.E.A.C.H., 2014). Job opportunities (currently available or not) that interest you Right now in the area I am living in there is not many job opportunities that I have heard about. I have been looking on websites to see if I could find something, but I haven’t had any luck just yet. I am still in the process of looking for a director position because right now this is a position that interest me. I would also like to pursue a teaching position working in a school. In order for me to work in a school I need to receive a teaching certificate. So, right now working in a daycare teaching those children will do for me right now until I come across a job that I am looking for that interest me. Skills and experience that you would need to competently fulfill each of these roles The skills and experience that I would need to competently fulfill each of these roles is to make sure that I have the knowledge and experience that I need in order for me to be able to teach the children like they need to be taught. The other skills and experience that I need is to make sure that I have the materials that are needed in order to help them learn in a way that is easy to catch on to. Another thing I need is patience like I mentioned in the previous blog. No one can work with children with no patience. Reference NEA. (2002). Early childhood education. Retrieved from www.nea.org/home/18163.htm T.E.A.C.H. (2014). T.E.A.C.H. early childhood scholarship project: a national effort. Retrieved from http://www.childcareservices.org/ps/teach_ta_qac/teac-early-early-childhood-national/ Zero to Three. (2014). The latest from zero to three. Retrieved from www.zerotothree.org/

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

At least three local or state organizations or communities of practice that appealed to you, and explain why you chose them One state organization that appealed to me was the Southern Early childhood association. The reason that it appealed to me because I read that they are committed to improving the quality of care and education for young children and their families through advocacy and professional development (SECA, n.d.). I also like the fact that they have been around for quite some time (fifty years) and not only that they are in various states and that you could become a member of their organization. Another state organization that appealed to me was the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children. I love the fact that they are the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children. I also love their mission and their goals. Their mission is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights, and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources(NAEYC,n.d.). The last state organization that appealed to me was the NAECS-SDE which is the national organization for state education agency staff members with major responsibilities in the field of early childhood education, from infancy through the primary grades. I love the fact that the Association promotes high-quality services to young children and their families through improvement of instruction, curriculum, and administration of programs. One last thing I like about this organization is that they allow the members of the association have an opportunity to share ideas and to work together toward the solution of common problems (NAEC, n.d.). Job opportunities (currently available or not) that interest you Currently where I am located I haven’t seen or heard about any job opportunities. There are some jobs that interest me though. I would like to be a director of a daycare. I feel that I would be able to bring things to the table that some people aren’t capable of bringing. For example, at the daycare I work at, there are directors that have no organizational skills, not loyal to employees, and one of them are very passive. She lets some of the employees do what they want and I feel that she needs to be in another profession. One other job opportunity that interest me is becoming a pre-k to kindergarten teacher. I love dealing with the younger children and also helping them grow and develop. Skills and experience that you would need to competently fulfill each of these roles The skills and experience that I would need to competently fulfill each of these roles is to have great organizational skills, be a great communicator, and listener. I also need to make sure that I continue to keep my patience when dealing with the children as well as the employees. Also to fulfill each of these roles I know I would need to make sure I have educational classes that I have taken to ensure the safety of the children, CPR as well, and to have worked around children of all ages for at least six months. Reference NACES.(n.d.).National association of early childhood specialist in state departments of education. Retrieved from http://www.naecs-sde.org/ NAEYC.(n.d..About naeyc. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/content/about-naeyc SECA.(2014).Become a member of seca. Retrieved from http://www.southernearlychildhood.org/become_member.php