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

As I researched organizations at the national/federal level, I found several that appeal to me including The National Center for Children in Poverty, NAEYC, and Zero to Three. All of these organizations are designed to foster the well-being of children, families, and the early childhood field.

The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) 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. This organization promotes family-oriented solutions at the state and national levels.

NCCP vision:
• Family economic security
• Strong, nurturing families
• Healthy child development

Associate Research Scientist

Description

The Associate Research Scientist will assume the role of Director of Child Care & Early Education Research Connections and will provide overall leadership for this multi-dimensional, web-based project, operated through a cooperative agreement with the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children & Families, DHHS. The Director guides project activities for which staff at the National Center for Children in Poverty have primary responsibility (ongoing development of the site's comprehensive database of research on early care and education and outreach to researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders in the field). Also oversees work on activities conducted by NCCP's partner/subcontractor, the Inter-University Consortium for Political & Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan (maintenance of the project's state of the art website; growing its archive of datasets for secondary analysis), and guides and coordinates activities for which NCCP and ICPSR share responsibility (technical assistance and training; development and maintenance of metadata describing the project's collections of research and datasets). The position is 60% time and effort with opportunities for the candidate to pursue own research in support of NCCP's mission to potentially bring to full-time (100%) status.

Qualifications

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. Candidate must have demonstrated excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills, grant writing experience, and five or more years of relevant experience beyond the doctoral degree.

My thoughts about this organization and job opportunity… I have a desire and passion to help meet the needs of children and families who are struggling. This organization is committed to helping families in difficult situations. Although I am not qualified for this particular job, I think it proves to be very beneficial to helping meet my challenge.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is committed to improve the quality of child care by establishing quality programs that meet particular standards.

Senior Director, NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation

NAEYC seeks an effective leader with proven success managing large complex systems and expertise in organizational administration and management to lead the NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation. Recognized as the gold standard for excellence in early childhood education, the NAEYC Academy works to improve the quality of child care, preschool and kindergarten programs by establishing high-level, research-based standards and accrediting programs that meet these standards. The Senior Director, working collaboratively within the overall NAEYC staff structure, manages a team of approximately 30 people. Through strong leadership and effective management, the Senior Director:

• Maintains the NAEYC program standards as the gold standard of excellence in early childhood education, reflecting current evidence from research and practice.
• Ensures that NAEYC Accreditation supports continuous quality improvement, is rigorous but not unduly burdensome to programs, and provides a valid and reliable assessment of program quality.
• Works with senior leadership and Council to make NAEYC Accreditation a critical component of total quality improvement processes for early childhood systems at the national, state and local level.
• Reaches out to states and other systems to form partnerships that utilize NAEYC Accreditation as a cost-effective approach to improving early childhood systems.
• Ensures mission-focused, cost-effective day-to-day operations of the NAEYC Academy, through supervising and mentoring staff, fiscal management (e.g. develop and monitor budgets, contract management), planning and execution.

Requirements: Demonstrated leadership and management skills administering early childhood systems and quality improvement initiatives. Demonstrated track record of staff supervision that motivates excellent performance and supports ongoing staff development. Excellent organizational, communication and interpersonal skills. Strong conceptual and analytic skills and talent for innovation. Advanced degree in nonprofit management, business administration and/or early childhood education/child development preferred. Some travel required.

My thoughts about this particular organization and job opportunity… The NAEYC is a remarkable organization that promotes the well-being of children in a variety of ways. I think this would be an amazing and honorable job to obtain.

ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development. Zero To Threes mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life.

Senior Information Specialist

The Senior Training Specialist is responsible for contributing to the efforts of the EHS NRC to develop a comprehensive body of knowledge for the EHS and MSHS community by organizing and enhancing the quality of EHS NRC training efforts. This position will provide a limited number of research-based training through face-to-face venues as well as distance venues (audioconferences, webinars and/or webcasts). This position will work closely with the Senior Training Coordinator to ensure quality across EHS NRC trainers by reviewing power point slides and other materials for consistency; organizing the electronic filing system for maintaining PowerPoint slides and training handouts; and creating training templates, utilizing previously developed PowerPoints and other materials. This position will serve as an integral part of the EHS NRC team, contributing to other duties as needed.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
• Provide limited number of workshops, large trainings and key note addresses to EHS programs, Federal staff, and other audiences as requested on topics related to Early Head Start services and infants, toddlers and families;
• Provide limited number of distal trainings in the form of audio conferences, webinars and webcasts;
• Review EHS NRC PowerPoint slides and provide recommendations for consistency and enhanced quality (e.g. limited number of words per slide; descriptive trainers notes; formatting; photo citations, etc.);
• Organize training filing system to ensure accessibility for all EHS NRC staff ;
• Develop training templates utilizing existing materials;
• Contribute to development and implementation of the annual national Birth To Three Institute; and
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience
• Strong knowledge of early childhood development and early childhood systems; with a specific focus on infant and toddler development;
• Strong knowledge of Early Head Start program development, the Head Start Program Performance Standards, and EHS technical assistance resources;
• Excellent training skills and experience providing training to a variety of audiences;
• Strong skills in the use of Microsoft Office products including Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher;
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks;
• Strong oral, and computer skills;
• Experience working in various databases;
• Ability to work collaboratively with individuals representing a range of backgrounds and skill levels;
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable to dynamic changes in the work environment;
• Ability to work with a team as well as independently;
• Strong interpersonal skills; and
• Encourages and practices critical thinking
• Is self-reflective and empathic
• Recognizes the influence of workplace relationships on outcomes and results
• Maintains a respectful and accepting approach to others
• Awareness of the influence of the larger context on individual behavior
• Collaboratively and creatively supports the work efforts of colleagues at all levels and in all areas of the organization

Education
Master’s degree in early childhood development or related field.

My thoughts about this organization and job opportunity…I think Zero To Three would be an incredible organization to be a part of! This particular job is one that I am qualified for and I would love it.

References

National Association for the Education of the Young Child (n.d.). Retrieved July 21, 2014, from
http://www.naeyc.org
The National Center for Children in Poverty (2014). Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http://www.nccp.org
Zero To Three (2014). Retrieved July 22, 2014, from http://www.zerotothree.org

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

This week I have been exploring ECE Community roles at the local, state, national, and international level. There are many beneficial agencies and organizations that foster the well-being of children and families. The ones listed below are the ones I chose to post.

The National Center for Children in Poverty is an organization that was founded in 1989.This center is dedicated to promoting health, security, and the well-being of America’s low-income families and children. This organization has a goal of ensuring positive outcomes for the next generation. Among the visions for the organization include building family economic security, nurturing families, and healthy child development. This site provides a wealth of resources about poverty. When looking at the state profiles, you are able to choose any state and view the demographic profiles and statics about children living in families with low incomes. I did not see any current job opportunities; however I think it would be very beneficial being involved with this organization even if only as a volunteer.

http://www.nccp.org/about.html

United Way is an organization that helps children and families in various ways. Providing food, clothing and shelter touches on the surface of the many needs they are involved in. One job in particular I that caught my interest is the Director of Community Impact. Community investment is a major job responsibility for this position, as well as, coordinating collaborative efforts between United Way, partner agencies and other community organizations. On the local level, there are many ways to be involved by volunteering. United Way partners with food banks and shelters in helping to meet the needs of many struggling families. Since this is my passion along with my challenge, I would love to work on a volunteer basis.

http://unitedwayroane.org

Hands of Mercy is a food bank located in my town. This organization is in partnership with the local police department, area schools, and a variety of churches. After speaking with the director, I knew I wanted to sign them on to my team. Once a week people from our area are able to visit the site and receive food for their family. This will be an excellent resource for the struggling families I serve. Receiving food once a week will be an amazing and much needed resource for these families. I was not able to find out about any particular jobs however; once again volunteering would be a pleasure.

http://www.handsofmercy.com

Reflection on Learning

As an early childhood educator, my most passionate hope for my future is for all children and families to feel accepted and welcome. It is important for children to be able to embrace their identities and develop into who they are or should become. It is my hope that all children and families have a sense of belonging and experience affirmation of their identities and cultural ways of being (Derman- Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

I want to thank each of my colleagues for the many words of encouragement as well as the helpful words, ideas, and insights through our discussions and blogs. I wish each of you the best as we continue to strive being anti-bias educators in the early childhood field.

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

For this blog assignment, I chose to do some research on children and schools in Latin America and the Caribbean. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua, with my church, and participate in missions. I loved the area and the people. It is a very different way of love however; the people and children seem very happy.

Latin America and the Caribbean are considered the most unequal region in the world. While there have been notable development leaps that have improved the lives of some children, there remain varying risk gaps that continue to leave millions of other children and their families at risk (United Nations International Children’s Fund, 2011).

Among the challenges children and families are facing, in this area, is poverty. Many families consist of large numbers and are living in deprived conditions. Many families own farms and the children have to work as the parents do in order to provide for the family. These conditions do not afford the children many opportunities to attend school. An estimated 35 million children do not enter any educational program. One of the stories I read described a whole generation being illiterate because they were not able to attend a school. When this generation had children of their own, they were not able to provide any education for their children while at home.
The education of girls and female adolescents is a priority of UNICEF’s global work. Progress has been made in Latin America and the Caribbean in reforming educational systems so that education forms an integral part of national strategies to fight poverty (UNICEF, 2011).

This website provided many different stories about children and their families. One story told of a family consisting of thirteen children. Only one of the little girls had been chosen to attend school through a grant. Some of the other siblings wanted to go. I found this story very disturbing. All of the children should be allowed to attend, but the family cannot afford to pay the cost. I am sure the other children must have felt they were not as good as their sister and have very low self-esteem. Reading this information made me realize how many children are deprived of receiving any education.

While visiting Nicaragua, I went to Corn Island. There was a school on the island however; the children were not required to attend. The school was not free and many families could not afford to send their children. I was able to visit the school and I realized how lucky we are. The school was in need of several repairs and there were hardly any materials for the teachers and students to use. However; these people, living on the island, were some of the happiest and most relaxed people I have ever met.

UNICEF (2011). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

After reading the article “So Sexy So Soon”, I was devastated hearing what some children are saying at such an early age. However; it shouldn’t be that alarming due to the graphic messages the media freely displays. Examples include music, television, internet, video games, movies, and clothing. I teach second grade and have had several experiences with children’s conversations. Also, little girls will sing song lyrics and incorporated inappropriate dance moves during recess. Children have always been curious about sex and sexuality from an early age, and it is good for parents and schools to give them honest and age-appropriate information (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). Parents and educators need to pay better attention to the messages that games, songs, movies, and television are portraying to our children. The sexualization of childhood is having a profoundly disturbing impact on children’s understanding of gender, sexuality, and relationships (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). As a parent and an educator, I will strive to do a better job at taking a stand and helping children grow and develop in appropriate and respectful ways.





Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practices

When thinking about diversity, it almost impossible to separate your personal and professional identities when considering the issues of –isms. An –ism is about the institutional advantages and disadvantages people experience due to their membership (or perceived membership) in certain social identity groups (Derman-Sparks & Edwards & 2010). Isms come in different forms including racism, classism, sexism, ableism, religionism, and ageism. As professionals, we bring in our own individual perspectives, hopes, ideas, and morals into the settings in which we work with young children and families.

A dear teacher friend of mine, this year, left the public school system to go work at a private school. The benefits are numerous however, so are the challenges. She says the families are very wealthy and a lot of the teachers are as well. Feeling very uncomfortable is an issue she has faced during the school year. The school serves children K-12 and some of the older students drive very expensive vehicles (much nicer than hers). She says many days she does not feel “as good” as the teachers, parents, and students. She feels as though certain comments, about others not quite fitting in, have been made by families in front of their children. Therefore, the children have views that maybe are not their own. I have been thinking about this scenario being one that I could be facing. I think it would be a very difficult and emotional situation. If we want children to thrive in a diverse world and choose to stand up for themselves and others, then we must choose to help young children make sense out of the confusing and often emotionally charged messages they receive about themselves and others (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Observing Communication

Last Sunday, at church, I noticed two little girls asking questions about a particular young lady who is in a wheelchair. When the lady, in the wheelchair, entered the sanctuary, the little girls stopped what they were doing and looked very curious at each other and then to their mothers. One little girl was very loud and said "Why is that lady in a wheelchair can she not walk?" The mother began sushing the child and lead her out of the room. The other little girl just looked at her mother to see if she would answer. I thought this mother did a great job with her reply. The second mother must have known the lady and replied, "This is Ms. Marcia and she has to use the chair in order to come to church. She enjoys coming just like we do however, she can't use her legs so she must rely on this wheelchair to help her come." The little girl asked, "Why can't she use her legs like we do?" The mother replied, "When Macia was younger, she was in a car accident which hurt her legs and right now she is unable to walk. Maybe one day she will be able to use them again." The little girl then said the sweetest words, "Mommy we should pray for Marcia to use her legs again so she can walk just like us." The mother replied, "Honey, that is a great idea, we will start today." I feel as though the first mother could have communicated better with explaining to the child rather than sushing her and ushering her out. However; I do not know what she told her once they were out. I thought the second mother took the needed time to explain the child's question. I also thought her answer was great! Parents and teachers alike must continually ask ourselves how we can use language for our ultimate purpose: to support children's developmet and learning (Rainer & Durden, 2010). When communicating with children, I think it is very important to answer their questions the best we can. We need to listen to them and not ignore what they are thinking. They are very curious and will grow and development effectively when time is invested into their lives.

References

Rainer Dangel, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login