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