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

The first National organization I looked at in terms of career opportunities was the National Education Association. I chose this particular organization because they are the voice of education professionals. Their Mission is what stood out to me the most, which is to advocate for education professionals and to unite our members and the nation to fulfill the promise of public education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world. NEA also believes every student in America, regardless of family income or place of residence, deserves a quality education. An open position that look very intriguing to me is the Creative Services Specialist. The essential functions of this position include establishing and maintaining relationships with NEA internal clients as well as work with NEA state affiliate communicators and editors (http://www.nea.org/home/19583.htm). Processes creative-related job requests and creative briefs; identifies resources needed and assigns individual responsibilities with management approval; anticipates client needs as well as sets and achieves client expectations; and maintains communication with clients to increase client satisfaction and deepen client relationships. The required skills for this position are proven experience in project management and demonstrated knowledge and proven experience in setting, creating, developing, and successfully coordinating the deadlines and deliverables of a full-service creative services team, unit or department within an established budget; ability to diplomatically enforce deadlines and solve problems in an efficient and professional manner (http://www.nea.org/home/19583.htm).

The second organization I chose to research on a federal level is the Office of Child Care which provides the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF). This organization works with state, territory and tribal governments to provide support for children and their families juggling work schedules and struggling to find child care programs that will fit their needs and that will prepare children to succeed in school. The Child Care and Development Fund is a multibillion-dollar federal and state partnership administered by OCC to promote family economic self-sufficiency and to help children succeed in school and life through affordable, high-quality early care and afterschool programs (http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/occ/about/what-we-do). CCDF also improves the quality of care to support children’s healthy development and learning by supporting child care licensing, quality improvements systems to help programs meet higher standards and support for child care workers to attain more training and education. There are currently no positions open for this organization, but one position that I would enjoy working as would be as the Office of Child Care Regional Manager.

The third and final organization I chose to research was the Zero to Three, National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. I chose this specific organization because they are a nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development (http://www.zerotothree.org/). As an advocate for Early Childhood, I believe organizations like these are extremely important in helping families gain resources to things they may not know exist. Their mission, which matches very similar to mine, is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. A career opportunity that I found intriguing to me was the Assistant Director for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Technical Assistance Coordinating Center (TACC). The Assistant Director provides oversight to technical assistance delivery from the TACC including the supervision of Technical Assistance (TA) Specialists and the e-Learning Coordinator, the management of all consultant agreements, and coordination with partners and other TA providers, ensuring that all technical assistance activities are carried out in a high quality manner. The skills required for this position are Excellent leadership skills; Experience leading multi-disciplinary staff and supervising direct reports; Strong supervisory skills, including experience providing reflective supervision; Strong interpersonal skills; Effective time management skills; and the ability to be flexible. I believe I possess all of the skills required for this position.

References:
http://www.nea.org/home/19583.htm
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/occ/about/what-we-do
http://www.zerotothree.org/

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

After researching my state and local Early Childhood Organizations, I have found that there are many agencies that share the same passion I do. One particular organization that stood out to me was the PennAEYC, which is a state affiliate organization that builds and participates in collaborations and connections across the state, promotes and practices advocacy for funding high quality children’s programs and services, represents members and early care and education providers on various committees & task forces, publishes online and print newsletters, and provides technical assistance, leadership support, and networking for our local affiliate chapters. PennAEYC’s vision is that every child in Pennsylvania has the equal opportunity to be a successful, responsible, and productive member of society as a result of their early childhood experiences. That is a motto that I live by and practice in my daily duties as a Preschool Program Director.
Another organization that does outstanding work and was very appealing to me was the OCDEL, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning. This agency has focused on creating opportunities for the commonwealth’s youngest children to develop and learn to their fullest potential. OCDEL strives to build a strong foundation for children, starting in infancy, through the establishment of a statewide standard for excellence in early care and education and the creation of financial and technical supports to achieve that goal. The final agency I chose to take a deeper look into was the Early Intervention Services. This specific agency provides support and services to families with children birth to age five, who have developmental delays and disabilities, supports services and resources for children that enhance daily opportunities for learning provided in settings where a child would be if he/she did not have a developmental delay and disability, provides families’ independence and competencies, and respects families’ strengths, values and diversity.
I currently serve as a Preschool Program Director and it is a wonderful job. My ultimate goal is to work in a center that serves children with Autism. I have certifications in working with children on the spectrum and I would love to be able to work in that capacity as my career. In these agencies, there are always opportunities to serve as a Child and Youth Program Assistant, a Home Visitor, a Behavior Support Specialist, or a Team Leader of Early Intervention Services. I am already equipped with the skills necessary to perform the duties of all of these employment opportunities. Having a degree in the field and experience working in the field is what many employers look for. I have 6 years or more working specifically in the Early Childhood field and I feel I would be an asset to any of the organizations.

References:
http://www.pennaeyc.com/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/dpworganization/officeofchilddevelopmentandearlylearning/
http://www.pattan.net/category/Educational%20Initiatives/Early%20Intervention