Time Well Spent

I am coming to the end of my journey to complete my Master of Science in Early Childhood Studies concentration in Administration, Manager, and leadership. The last two years was an amazing experience for me because I had the opportunity to learn from my classmates and Professor Dr. Darragh. I am looking forward to applying my skills and my knowledge to my career as an early childhood professional and as an advocate. It was a pleasure working with so many individuals who share the same passion as me such as providing quality help to disadvantaged children and their families. I know I want to have a career where I can make a difference and for this reason I chose to enhance my knowledge in the early childhood field so that I can help to contribute to early childhood field by helping disadvantaged families gain access to quality resources that can make a difference in their life. This course helped me become a better professional by enhancing my knowledge, my skills, and my ability to provide quality services to child and their families.

From this course I have learned how to build and utilize my community of practice effectively as well as how to communicate with my team members effectively. I was able to identify leadership characteristic that I can apply to my work as a leader. For example an effective team leader is honest and keeps an open minded to all team concerns. As a professional in this field it is very important to communicate effectively with others so that we can service them based on their needs. I learned that active listening is one of the important skills an early childhood professional practice, because how well I listen to the children and families needs has an impact on the effectiveness of the outcome. I have learned so much in this course such as exploring international organization that has been working on social change in the early childhood field. I was able to learn about individuals who are helping to make a change in early childhood education so that young children can become early educators. My long term goal as a professional is to stay knowledgeable in the early childhood field so that I can continue to provide quality services and help make a difference in children and families lives.

I am going to take a moment to say thank you to all my colleagues who enhanced my knowledge throughout this course. I am so grateful for their feedback and knowledge sharing as an early childhood professional. With the help of my fellow classmates, I became a better professional in the early childhood field because I believe we can achieve anything if we work as team. To Professor Dr. Darragh, thank you for all your wonderful feedback. My knowledge has improved a great deal. Thank you for helping me become a better educator as well as building on my skills as an early childhood professional. Words cannot express how much I appreciate Dr. Darragh and my fellow classmate for their insight, for sharing their experience as an early childhood professional, and so forth. I am looking forward to work with you all again in the future. I can be contacted at sophy.f.marsh@gmail.com. Good luck to everyone and best of luck in your journey as an early childhood professional.

Jobs /Roles in the Early Childhood Education Community: Internationally

The first organization mission of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. They work with governments to understand what drives economic, social and environmental change.  They look into issues that directly affect everyone’s daily life, like how much people pay in taxes and social security, and how much leisure time they can take. I chose this organization because they have information on the social change and their goal is to help the needy families all around the world. As an advocate in the childhood field to help struggling children and families, it is very important to surround myself with organizations that can provide resources that change children and their families for a life time. The Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have many careers opportunity for professionals who are looking to work in an awarding field. The job that interests me is Junior Analyst- System of Health Accounts. The requirements for this position are an advanced University degree in economics, statistics or a related field, at least two years of relevant professional experience in official statistical role in a national or international organization or research institute, Knowledge of health accounts or national accounts. The knowledge of health expenditure and financing analysis would be an advantage. Expertise with Microsoft VBA and database management software would be an advantage, excellent drafting skills and very good ability to communicate orally in one of the official languages of the organization (English and French). Some knowledge of other languages would be an advantage. This position is not my first choice but it can work for a professional who want to put their foot in the door of organization.

The second organization is Academy for Educational Development. They are a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Their work continues to be grounded in research and science, strengthened by partnerships and focused on building the capacity of individuals, communities and countries to succeed. I chose this organization because they have information such as data analyzed behavior change, and creative services. For example their creative design includes the value of education and creating positive social change that can make a difference in the life of needy children and families. The job that interests me is Education Team Leader. The qualifications are a Master’s degree in education with experience in girls education, a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience working on reading assessments, instruction, upper primary and lower secondary development (specifically 5^th , 6^th , 7^th , and 8^th grades) block grants and training especially in developing countries, effective communication skills, both orally and in writing to make formal and informal presentations and to develop professional and analytic reports and program documents, excellent interpersonal and team work skills, and English and Portuguese is highly desired.

The third organization is International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). The International Step by Step Association is a vibrant network that connects professionals and non-profit organizations working in the field of early childhood development and established in the Netherlands in 1999. Their vision is a society where families, communities and professionals work together to empower each child to reach her or his full potential and embrace values of social justice and equity. Their mission is to support professional communities and develop a strong civil society that influences and assists decision makers to provide high quality care and educational services for all children from birth through primary school, with a focus on the poorest and most disadvantaged. I chose this organization because they have the same mission as I, to help disadvantaged children fulfill their dream of becoming an early educator. This organization can help my community of practice retain information on how to better service the poor children because they work with professionals and other nonprofit organizations to empower young disadvantaged children on a day to day basis. They have services that assure access to quality care and education for every young child such as Early Years Regional Alliance. Therefore I believe I can work collaboratively with International Step By Step Association to achieve my goal as an advocate. There were no career opportunities on the website. The job that interests me is Communications Specialist II, HIV Prevention Trials Network. The qualification and skills needed for this job are Bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, marketing, public health or related field and 6-9 years relevant experience; or MS/MA in journalism, communications, marketing, public health or related field, and at least 5-7 years of experience in a communications role. Being able to articulate, professionally and able to communicate in a clear, positive manner with clients and staff. Must be able to read, write and speak fluent English and strong organizational skills, with the ability to work simultaneously on multiple projects to meet short deadlines. This position will be a good fit for someone that wants a career in the communication field as well as an advocate in the low-income environment.

Reference

Academy for Educational Development. (2011). FHI 360, The Science of Improving life. Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm 

International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.oecd.org/home/0,2987,en_2649_201185_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

 

Job/Roles in Early Childhood Education Community

The first National/Federal organization I would be interested in is the Tennessee Department of Education. Their core value is focused on the ambitious goal of ensuring that Tennessee is the state with the fastest improving student achievement. For them to achieve their goal they have to commit to the following core values such as excellence, courage, teamwork, and optimism. For this reason I want to be a part of a rewarding team that provides crucial skills and cognitive ability to children.  As a professional in this field I thrived for excellence therefore the job that is interesting to me is Director, Teacher Training & Support, Division of Curriculum and Instruction. The position responsibility is Managing the overall experience, training, and work of the School Team Training Series Core Coaches, Oversee the process of assigning Core Coaches to training events, as informed by data and consultation with our logistics team, Manage the overall experience, training, and work of the School Team Training Series Core Coaches, and so forth. The qualification are excellent communicator and skill in building productive working relationships, desire to work with educators from across the state to provide training and support and experience working with diverse teams successfully and so forth. There is no specific degree require for this position. However this role will also support the yearlong reading courses, lead conference, and other Training & Support projects as a member of a nimble, goal-oriented team. I chose this job because I always have an interest in working for Tennessee department of education. I believe that working for this company will help me achieve my goal as an educator as well as an advocate for the early childhood field.

The second National/Federal organization I would be interested in is Head Start an Office of Administration for Children and Families Early Children Learning and Knowledge Center. This organization promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through local programs. For this reason I wish to be a strong advocate for children and families in need. The Head Start position that caught my interest is Family Services Specialist II; I believe this position will give an opportunity to make a difference in a child's and family life.  The position is full-time and their responsibilities are to ensure maximum enrollment by utilization of all conceivable means of recruitment, Work with individual families to encourage, motivate and to assist the family in its own effort to improve the conditions and quality of family life, demonstrate positive and professional work habits, and so forth. The qualification is a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Relations, Social Work, Psychology and/or related areas of study, experience working with low-income families, teamwork experience, and so forth. I chose this position because any experience working with children and family is a warding experience.

The third National/Federal organizations that appealed to me is the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP). This organization is one of the nation’s leading public policy centers dedicated to promoting the economic security, health, and well-being of America’s low-income families and children. NCCP uses research to inform policy and practice with the goal of ensuring positive outcomes for the next generation. They promote family-oriented solutions at the state and national levels. This organization can help me achieve my goal as an early childhood professional. They have resources that can make differences in families who are facing economic hardship. I found that the National Center for Children in Poverty did not have much position open, however the Associate Research Scientist is a part-time position and their Qualification are the position requires a Ph.D. or Ed.D. or equivalent in Early Childhood Education or a related field. Must have knowledge of early childhood research, policies, and programs, as well as experience with various forms of outreach to research and policy audiences. The candidate must also demonstrate excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills, grant writing experience, and five or more years of relevant experience beyond the doctoral degree. This position also requires for candidates to have qualification experience with SAS, SPSS, and/or other statistical software packages; Microsoft Office and database software, such as Excel and/or Access. My interest of this position is to learn more regarding children and families living with minimal resources and low-income. I believe research is as important as any other position in the early childhood.

References

Head Start an Office of Administration for Children and Families Early Children Learning and Knowledge Center (2014). Retrieved information from http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs

Tennessee Department of Education (2014). Retrieved information from http://www.tn.gov/education/

National Center for Children in Poverty (2014). Retrieved information from http://www.nccp.org/about.html

 

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

 

Local and state organization that appealed to me are:

First Local and state organization is a Metropolitan Nashville Public School. Their vision is to provide every child with a foundation of knowledge, skills, and character necessary for excellence. I believe that they share the same passion as me. We want to make a difference in each child's academic ability to grow as an educator through adulthood. Metropolitan Nashville Public School have over 25 elementary schools that service early childhood children from age 3 and up. Their philosophy is to succeed. We must provide an excellent teacher in a classroom so that children can receive quality foundation academically. Another item that appeal to me is that they believe the families and organization must be a partner in meeting their goal of putting children academic growth first. As a professional in the early childhood field I have a passion to help children be all they can through play. The two position that interest me are Instructional Aide and Kindergarten teacher. The requirement for the Instructional Aide is to acquire a Bachelors’ degree and be currently enrolled in an accredited, post-secondary teacher preparation/education program in Tennessee. The job qualification is to provide instructional and classroom management support in conjunction with one or more certificated teachers and provides academic and behavioral support to a cohort of students, Helps teachers maximize learning time and implement differentiated instruction and support, and so forth. The requirement for the kindergarten teacher position is to have a Bachelors’ degree and state of Tennessee teaching license.

The second Local and state organization is Metropolitan Action Commission. Their mission is changes people's lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities and dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other. This organization have three head start partner sites. I chose this organization because their main goal is to help people achieve their goal for a life time of success. My passion is to make a difference and I want to be in an organization that will help individual achieve their goal and transition to a better environment.  The two positions that are currently available now is a full-time head start teacher and head start teacher assistant. The head start teacher requires a minimum, a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and/or the equivalent hours equal to a major in Early Childhood Education, a submitted copy of an official transcript when applying, previous work experience with young children, the ability to promote the appropriate development skills in young children and teamwork experience. The head start teacher assistant position minimum requirements are a high school diploma/GED AND a CDA OR an AA degree in Early Childhood Education, the ability to work with children and must be physically agile.

The third local and state organization is Tennessee Department of Human Services. Their mission is to offer temporary economic assistance, work opportunities, and protective services to improve the lives of Tennesseans. They are also responsible for Child Support, Child Care Licensing, Child Care Assistance, Adult Protective Services, and Rehabilitation Services. This organization appeal to me because I would like to be a part of a child care provider that pushes quality in an early childhood program to a higher stander. Out of the many positions they have open, I am only interested in one the Child and Adult Care Licensing Program Director. Their qualification include, Bachelor’s degree in Management, Business, Political Science, Social Work, etc. Master’s degree in same preferred Demonstrated ability to foster team work and progress toward a stated vision with a large scale workforce, exceptional writing and verbal skills, including presentation and public speaking skills.

As a result to this week blog assignment I was able to view the job opportunity in areas that I would want to start a career in as an early childhood professional.  The three jobs I chose indicated some involvement in the early childhood field such as head start teachers, child and adult care program director, kindergarten teacher, and instructional aid. The three position have a similar involvement such as educate young children and provide quality environment for growth. My interest in these organization is based on what they stand for in the community to help children and adult gain knowledge. They can help me gain knowledge in the areas that I want to build on for a successful and rewarding career in the early childhood education field. 

References

Metropolitan Nashville Public School (2014). The information retrieve from http://www.mnps.org/Page63178.aspx

Metropolitan Action Commission (2014). The information retrieve from http://www.nashville.gov/Metro-Action-Commission.aspx

Tennessee Department of Human Services (2014). The information retrieve from http://tennessee.gov/humanserv/us.html