Time Well Spent

Dear Colleagues,

Completing this course and program has been an arduous journey for me.  Your feedback and encouragement are immensely appreciated.  I began this program with much more motivation and enthusiasm than what I am leaving with today.

•  Leadership styles are diverse and using a combination of various styles can lead to greater success. 

• Administrating a high-quality program optimizes childrens' development and learning and academic success.

• Establish relationships and invite input from families and staff.  Create an environment to make them feel valued.

Long-Term Goal

To pursue better standards to provide quality child care for family providers.  I would like to serve and provide input on a committee or board that writes quality improvements for early childcare programs.

Favorite Quotes:

"Leaders aren't born they are made and they are made just like anything else.  Through hard work and that's the price we'll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal."
Vince Lombardi

'You must be the change you wish to see in the world"
Mahatma Gandhi


Thank you Dr. Teri for your invaluable feedback.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The first organization of interest is the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also known as United Nations Children Fund is a global organization created to improve the lives of children around the world affected by poverty, disease, violence, and discrimination.   I took an interest to this organization because of its promotion to girls’education.  The UNICEF educate girls on how to better themselves in parenting and contributors to society. 

Currently there are not any open positions in my area.  However, an opening in New York for an Education Specialist appealed to the most.  The position is responsible for the overall management and coordination of UNICEF contributions to Global Partnership for Education processes.  Several aspects of the position I found appealing include, proposal developing, implementation, management support, quality management, communications with Regional and Country offices, program and policy work.  A master’s in Education or Social Services is required and 8 years of relevant work experience in the national and international levels in programme management.  I do not meet all the desired qualifications. 

http://www.unicef.org

The second organization is the FHI360. This organization works with individuals and communities to reach their highest potential and tackle their own challenges.  FHI360 programs uses evidence and real experiences to make the strongest impacts to individuals and communities.  I chose of this organization because of its programs to support the learning and development of children to adulthood.

A grantee specialist-fiscal position is open and appeals to me.  It is located in Washington DC and is seeking an individual to lead designs, development, planning, and implementation of fiscal operation.  Also responsible for the fiscal management and principles that support Head Start programs.  A four-year degree is required and a masters is preferred.  10 years of financial management experience is also required.

http://www.fhi360.org

The third organization is the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) is an organization with global reach from Central and Eastern Europe to Central Asia, and the United States.  ISSA promotes equality and access to quality education for all children.  ISSA supports child-centered learning and family participation.  I also like that the organization offers online courses for preschool and kindergarten educators.

This is a membership organization and I did not find any job openings on the site. 

http://www.issa.nl

ECE Community National and Federal Level

1)   The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has several employment opportunities and Researcher opening is highly appealing to me.  Child Trends is a nonprofit organization offering the position located in Maryland.  Child Trends is a research center that provides information about children that policy makes, educators, and funders have grown to rely on to make informative decisions.

      Researchers are required to perform high-quality research ranging from education, work, policy and cultural experiences and share results with practitioners and policymakers. This position interest me because I would have the opportunity to research data and provide information to influence  future education programs and environments for young learners. 

     The salary is open and a masters level of education is required.  There are 8 openings for this position and the organization offers benefits. 

  

2)   Department of Education-Office of Postsecondary Education

     The federal government has always appealed to me because of the political influences and policymakers.  The position (Education Program Specialist) is supervisory that reports to the director of policy coordination.  The program specialist is responsible for participates in the development of legislative, regulatory, and subregulatory policies regarding accrediting agencies, student achievement, new education models, and other academic areas. 

    

      Education requirements include an undergraduate degree with a minimum of 9 semester hours in education courses.  Four years experience of a combination of education and experience. 

3)   The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) is seeking volunteers to serve on their board.  Individuals must be highly committed to the mission of strengthening the profession of family child care.  Goals include supporting local and state associations, promoting NAFCC Accreditation, advocating  for families , delivering effective education programs, and securing strong financial management. 

Elections are held in the spring and board positions are held for three years.  Only members of the NAFCC are allowed to submit an application and members only are allowed to vote. 

Websites:
www.naeyc.org
www.ed.gov/jobs
http://nafcc.org/

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

I would like the opportunity to work for the Community Action Council in my community.  The organization appeals to me because the organization provides support to community residents by providing social services for families in need.  The organization partners with government agencies,  community leaders, and volunteers.

The two open positions are education coordinator and head start director.  I am most interested in the head start director position because it would give me the greatest opportunity to build relationships with community leaders and better position me to open a child care center.  The education coordinator is responsible for implementing and developing an education plan for five head start programs in the county.  The head start director has extensively more responsibilities geared towards administration.  I have the qualifications for both positions.  I need grant writing skills to fulfill the director qualifications.

A third position is offered by the state.  The position title is Education Program Specialist II.  The position is responsible for administering, managing, coordinating, and evaluating federal grants that address the education for homeless children and youth programs.  This organization and position appeals to me it provides an opportunity to help those in need.  I meet the education requirements however, I do not have knowledge of programs that address education for homeless children.  

Maryland State Department of Education has a Program Manager position responsible for designing, developing, and managing major grant program initiatives and for coordinating the pursuit, acquisition, and management of external funds from public and private sources.  Experience needed: five years administration, grant administration, writing and management. Education: Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education, Public Administration or related field.  I chose this organization because it offers unlimited opportunities for collaboration and communications.

Happy New Year to you all!