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

Oh how I love the field of early childhood! I remember when I first chose this degree and frighten I was that the jobs were going to be limited. Boy, was I wrong. This week has reminded me of exactly how vast this field is.

First things first...I love my job and won't be leaving it any time soon (at least I hope not)! I love to travel and teach, which is what I do. However, deep down inside, I have dream. That dream is to make laws for the the quality education of young children in Washington D.C. Which is funny because I love D.C. Washington D.C. is the foundation of so many companies and for some reason that is the same for the ECE field. All three federal and national organizations that I want to work with someday, all are based out of Washington D.C. Does that mean that I might become of resident of Washington D.C? Only time will tell...the future is never set in stone. Here are the three national/federal organizations that could be a part of my community of practice and a future career.

        1. National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
This dream might happen sooner than later. NAEYC is the white to my rice and a lines with everything I believe in with young children. Hey! Come to think about it, this is how I found out about Walden and this degree program, almost two years ago. NAEYC is about providing the gold standard to young children and providing professional development to early childhood professionals.        There is one job opportunity that I am interested in and it is called "Editor-in-Chief, Young Children". It's sounds scary right, but it's not. The function of the job includes providing leadership, strategic planning, content planning, editing and writing (could get better at this), content expertise, website and social media, managing workflow and a lot more. I like to dream big and work hard to make a difference, and this would be right up my field.
        The skills I would need are strong project management, analytical and strategic planning skills (Check) A bachelor's degree, a MA desired (check), Minimum of 7 years of experience leading content products for the teacher and educator audience (I'm short a couple of years), high proficiency with MS Office (check) and many more! But it's worth this! Link here: https://naeyc.applicantpro.com/jobs/416051.html

2. Zero to Three
         I have worked with Zero to Three over the years for Train-the -Trainer opportunities. I have friend who works there now and she is a parent advocate. Zero to Three focuses on family partnerships and family education. Just like NAEYC, Zero to Three is a leading organization that focus on child development in the first three years of life.
        Zero to Three is based in Washington D.C. but has headquarters all over the nation. The current job opening that I would be interested in is Senior Training and Technical Assistance Specialist. The main function of this job is to provide training and technical assistance to programs who provide care for birth to five years olds. OF course, there are other job duties but this seems to be the main function.
       The skills needs for the job is strong knowledge of children birth to five and their development (check), strong knowledge of CLASS Pre-K Observation tool (um...double check, I train on this tool for a living an also reliable!) and a Master's degree in Early Childhood or related field ( I will after August 21st!).
Link here: https://www.dcjobs.com/j/t-Sr-Training-Technical-Assistance-Specialist-e-Zero-to-Three-l-Washington,-DC-jobs-j18745795.html

3. Department of Education
          It's is my dream to work for the Department of Education. I want to be at the top, making big differences for children. Department of Education has an ECE section but it is intertwined with Head Start (another company I could work for in Washington D.C.)
         There is an opening for an Education Program Specialist and is located in Washington D.C. The main function of this job is ensure that there is compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Act, so that Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers and young children can receive the assistance that they need with provides. This job includes grant writing so that they children can receive the materials and assistance that they need.
          The skills and experience that I would need is 24 hours of course work in the related field of the position with at least 9 hours being in education (might be able to meet this???). At least 1 full academic year of professional teaching experience (check) and knowledge of the federal grants discretion process as it relates to special education (would have to find a course some where). Link here: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/445377800/

All three organizations are amazing! I know that someday I will have to move to Washington D.C., but I just don't know when. Thanks for reading!

Cierra

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

This week, I shared an experience that I had that helped me to become a part of a community of practice. I had joined a community of practice after I had observed an ineffective teacher-child interaction. The community of practice was filled with a group of members who wanted to improve teacher-child interactions in our community. For this blog post I decided to find three communities of practice that appealed to me and caught my interest. 

1. Workforce Child Care Services http://www.wfscapitalarea.com/ChildcareServices.aspx (Austin, TX)

I chose this organization because it is my favorite community of practice in my community. Workforce Child Care Services wants to promote quality care for all young children. The organization partners with other community members to utilize resources, tools and experience to solve the problem of the lack of quality child care. This organization is also a community of practice for my Capstone Project issue which is teacher preparation because it offers many great resources for teachers including trainings, materials for classroom environments and free CDA classes. They currently have a position open for a mentor/coach for child care directors and teachers. The applicant has to have at least 2 years experience in a child care center, director or administrative titled preferred, a degree in Child development or in an related field and experience as a mentor/coach. 

2. United Way of Austin http://www.unitedwayaustin.org/ (Austin, TX)

United Way has always been a great resource in the field of early childhood. United Way has many locations around the country and I am glad that there is a location in my community. United Way of Austin, works with families, child care directs and teachers to ensure that children receive quality care and develop to their full potential. United Way has a grant that works with NAEYC programs that helps their teachers be successful in the classroom. This organization is also a community of practice for my Capstone Project.  They currently do not have a job open at this moment. 

3. Teachstone, LLC http://teachstone.com/  (Charlottesville, VA)

I know what you're thinking, hey that is not anywhere close to Austin! I know, I know but this organization has remote coaches. This means I could work for this company but work with teachers in my community. This organization focuses on improving teacher-child interactions. I chose this community of practice because teacher-child interactions is in my opinion, the heart of teaching. In addition to making assessments and products for professional development, this organization wants to change the teaching field through interactions. There is a job opening for Professional Development Specialist. The requirement are a master's degree in education or a related field, 5 or more years in professional experience in the field of education, certified of the company's assessment, experience providing professional development and support to education professionals, knowledge of the current trends in the earl-childhood education research and practice, ability to translate research into practice, ability to provide feedback that is both directive and supportive, excellent oral and written communication skills and a willingness to travel. 

These three organizations support teachers which is one of my professional goals. Maybe one day I can join one of their teams!

Cierra