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