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

While searching online for three national and federal agencies or communities of practice or organizations I selected three that were appealing.  The first organization I selected was National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators at www.naecte.org.  I selected this group due to their purpose.  This organization supports professionals by advocating improvements and development of professionals working in the field of early childhood education.  The organization also provides a network where communication can occur between other professionals in the field ("National Association Of Early Childhood Teacher Educators", n.d.).

The second organization I selected is Association for Childhood Education (ACEI) at www.acei.org.  I selected this organization due to the collaboration of diverse professional sharing information in order to support education that provides quality for all children.  Done of the professionals in this organization that stood out to me was Dr. Graham who focuses on developing the workforce.  I also selected this organization due to the shared focus of developing teacher’s education by Jesus Paiz-Albo ("Association For Childhood Education International", 2015).

The third organization that was appealing was National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS-SDE) at www.naecs-sde.org.  I selected this organization based on the ability to make contact with professionals who have a big influence in the field of early childhood.  The organization focuses on providing high quality by making improvements in instruction, curriculum used and how programs are operated.  There is also a collaboration of members with professionals in the field, organizations, agencies and, state departments to strategize on shared challenges ("National Association Of Early Childhood Specialists In State Departments Of Education", n.d.).

After completing my search of communities of practice on the national and federal level, I looked on the organizations websites and the internet for job positions that I found required continued professional development and learning.  One position that I found was an adjunct early childhood education in Suffolk, Virginia.  To qualify for this positon a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood or elementary education was required.  The individual would also need to have teaching experiences, oral and good writing skills.  There is a preference for a Master’s degree with a minimum of 18 semester hours of graduate teaching discipline.  Also there is a preference for previous teaching experience in a community college and using technology ("Monster Jobs", 2015).  Currently, I am qualified for this position and would like to gain additional experience teaching adults while working in a college setting.  I would eventually like to teach in the university and this is great start to my journey.

While browsing National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators, I found a job announcement.  The position is Director-Henderson-Hopkins School.  The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Early Childhood Center in Baltimore, Maryland.  To qualify for this position, the individual must have knowledge of best practices in early childhood and pre-k leadership skills working in early childhood center based settings.  Experience working with stakeholders is also needed.  Knowledge with assessing development in holistic areas.  There is a preference for experience in Head Start and Early Head Start Programs.  The applicant must also have five years of experience as an administrator and a preferences of a Master’s degree in early childhood or related field ("National Association Of Early Childhood Teacher Educators", n.d.).   This position appealed to me because I meet the qualification and I have past experience of working with public school programs in pre-k and working as a trainer focusing on the holistic areas of children.

The last positon a Center Director at Right Start Early Childhood Center in Chesapeake, Virginia.  The applicant must be 21 years or older with a minimum of an Associates or Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.  The applicant must also have two years of experience working as a director with good leadership skills relating to children and adults.  Lastly the applicant must have CPR & First Aid/ MAT certification and Food Handlers ("Indeed Job Search", n.d.).   This job appealed to me due to my past experience of working as an assistant director.  I feel that I am qualified for this positon based on my continued professional development and experience over the years to manage a program.

References

Association for childhood education international. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.acei.org/

Indeed job search. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.indeed.com

Monster jobs. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.monster.com/

National association of early childhood specialists in state departments of education. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.naecs-sde.org/

National association of early childhood teacher educators. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.naecte.org/

 

 

 

Exploring Roles in the Early Childhood Education Community: Local and State Levels

Exploring Roles in the Early Childhood Community: Local and State Levels

After looking online for three local or state communities of practice or organizations I have chosen three that were appealing.  The first organization is Virginia Cross-Sector Professional Development Team  at www.vcpd.net.  I chose this organization due to their mission to promote coordination in professional development for programs working with young children in Virginia.  The mission is to also evaluate professional development through implementation development and planning.  The program looks at characteristic in early childhood such as fair wages for high standards of credentials and licensure.  Providing access early childhood educators to gain understanding of what they do in the area of development and knowledge that supports using practices based on evidence ("Virginia Cross-Sector Professional Development Team", 2013). It is important to help new and seasoned teachers understand the importance of what they do including the importance of continued education. 

The second organization I chose was Virginia Association for Early Childhood Education at www.vaece.org.  This organization seeks to support programs or groups working with young children in Virginia.  The program works to promote professional development to support the growth of educators through resources and ways to improve the quality of education for children.  The program also advocates for decisions in public policies to and get information out that support children and families ("Virginia Association For Early Childhood Education", n.d.). I chose this organization because they work to promote the need for early childhood educators to seek professional development in order to increase quality in their programs.

The last program I selected was Tidewater Association for Early Childhood Education at www.taece.org.  This is a local organization that works to get early childhood professionals on the goal of providing development that is ideal for children living in the Tidewater area.  The program also provides training to early childhood educators to support improvements in quality care ("Tidewater Association For Early Childhood Education", n.d.).  I selected this program because it is local and works to provide information to early childhood educators on the need for continued professionals development in order to ensure high quality and standards of practice in the field.  I can use all of these programs to share information with teachers in my child care program.

After learning about some communities of practice and organizations that support the need for professional development I browsed the internet for job positions available to early childhood professionals that support what I would like to do in the field.  I selected a position that is no longer available on line for an adjunct professor at Norfolk State University ("Indeed Job Search", n.d.). I chose to complete my master’s degree in adult education and training so that I could teach adults interested in working in the field of early childhood education.  I quickly realized that I must continue to work on my professional development by striving for my PhD in education.  I have not yet found any positions available for someone with a master’s degree, but I will keep looking.

I also found a positon for a child care licensing specialists.  After reading over the minimum qualifications, I learned that I am qualified for this position by having my bachelor’s degree in child development.  I have had the required minimum of working for two years as an administrator ("Indeed Job Search", n.d.).  I currently work as a trainers of adults and one of the duties of this job is to provide trainings for technical assistance for providers of child care.  I would also have to travel by completing on-site visits.  This would be very similar to what I am doing now minus the traveling.

The last position I would like to apply to is similar to my time as a teacher working for the public school.  The job is early head start home based family consultant.  This positions minimum requirement is to have a bachelor’s degree with a preference for a master’s degree ("Indeed Job Search", n.d.).  I have to have skills in home visits for a minimum of a year.  This is something that I used to do when I worked for a program called Bright Beginnings.  We were required to complete one home visit a year.  This position is appealing because I would get to work with families by providing playgroups for their children and parent education.  I need to continue to work on becoming bilingual as a form of professional development to meet the needs of child and families I may come in contact with. 

  

References

Indeed job search. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.indeed.com

Tidewater association for early childhood education. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.taece.org

Virginia association for early childhood education. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.vaec.org

Virginia cross-sector professional development team. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.vcpd.net