Time Well Spent

There are so many things I have learned through my journey in this Master's of Early Childhood Studies program.  The one thing that sticks the most with me is that in one way or another we are all advocates and that advocating for young children and families is what we do everyday!  I constantly share this insight with my colleagues who find themselves surprised that they are considered advocates.

I also learned all the ways in which we can advocate for families and young children from voting, to writing letters, blogging, and communities of practice.  I am excited to share and utilize what I have learned to better advocate for families and young children. 

I have also learned how to identify issues and challenges that I am passionate about.  I have learned out to analyze these issues and challenges and how to create a response to these challenges. 

My long term goal is to continue my education and to go on for a Doctorate in my field.  While I am still trying to decide on an exact specialization and program, it is definitely something I want to achieve.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my fellow students.  It has been a joy to experience this journey with each of you.  Your feedback has been invaluable and I look forward to staying in touch with each of you.  I would also like to thank the instructors of our program for their support, encouragement, and feedback that assisted each of us in achieving our goal of a Master's Degree in our field. 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Field: Internationally

The first international organization that comes to mind in the early childhood education field that I would like to work for would be Parents As Teachers (PAT).  This organization is dedicated to families and promoting quality care and education from birth to three years of age.  I chose this organization last week as well and would like to be a trainer if I worked for this organization or even in their administrative department.

The second international organization I found appealing to work for was the World Family Organization [WFO] (www.worldfamilyorganization.org).  This organization's mission is to "promote means, opportunity, equal rights and chances for women and men to assume their role and functions within the Family and Society, in conditions of freedom, equity, security, and human dignity, and promote policies and actions to bring about better life condition to all families, respecting their diversity and culture" (www.worldfamilyorganization.org).  I found their WFO University and Research Centre the most appealing to work in. 

The last international organization I chose was the United Nations  Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  Their mission is to:

provide international leadership to create learning societies with educational opportunities for all populations.

provide expertise and foster partnerships to strengthen national educational leadership and the capacity of countries to offer quality education for all.

work as an intellectual leader, an honest broker and clearing house for ideas, propelling both countries and the international community to accelerate progress towards these goals.

facilitate the development of partnerships and monitors progress, in particular by publishing an annual Global Monitoring Report that tracks the achievements of countries and the international community towards the six Education for All goals (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/about-us/how-we-work/mission/). 

For this organization I would like to work in the Education department in some capacity. 

The skills, knowledge, and experiences I would need to work for these organization would include learning another language; continuing to become culturally competent; staying current on the latest research and issues within the field; and continued work experience in the field of early childhood education. 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National / Federal

Parents As Teachers (PAT) is an international organization that I would be interested in working for in the future.  They are dedicated to the development, facilitation, and evaluation of programs and public policies that provide family support and education through the earliest years of life (www.parentsasteachers.org).  One position I would like would be a Parent Educator Trainer.  In this position I would assist in training others around the country in the Parents As Teachers curriculum and program.  The skills I would need to hone would be public speaking (I'm a little nervous about that) and continued experience utilizing the Parents As Teachers curriculum.  This position would also require me to travel, which is something I enjoy doing as well.  I chose this organization because we use PAT as a resource and I find it to be very valuable to our program and believe in its mission to educate and empower families.

The National Education Association (NEA) is another national organization that I would like to work for in the future.  The NEA is not only passionate about working to improve family-school-community partnerships and involvement but they are also one of the top 100 companies nominated by Women's Magazine for having the most family-friendly benefits (www.nea.org).  This demonstrates their commitment to families.  It is their dedication and commitment to families that peeked my interest in this organization. The skills I would need to develop would be to continue my education and research into the issue of Family Engagement and building partnerships.  There were no specific jobs listed so I am not sure of the exact title of a position but would love to work for them in the capacity of working on family engagement.

The last national organization I would like to work for in the future is the National Head Start Association (NHSA).  The position I would be interested in is an opening for Public Policy and Research Director.  For this position they do prefer a PhD. so continued education in the field of early childhood would be something I would have to pursue.  As a prior Head Start parent I am always passionate about Head Start / Early Head Start and their mission to support and facilitate healthy growth and development for our nation's infants / toddlers, and preschoolers as well as their families.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Three local and state communities of practice that appeal to me are:

1.) Professional Child Care Association of Southwestern Indiana (PCCASI), (Email: dskomppccasi@yahoo.com).  This organization was started by a local family care provider, Diana Skomp, in order to bring other licensed family care providers within the area together to share ideas, work together on professional development, and to improve the quality of licensed programs.  They often partner with other licensed centers for professional development and meet once a month for professional development.  While they do not have a website the founder regularly emails and sends newsletters out to members. 

2.) Children's Coalition of Indiana, www.childrenscoalition.org.  This organization is "a united and informed voice for Indiana's children, youth, and families".   Members and organizations unite through this coalition to ensure that policy makers at the state, local, and national levels hear year-round about issues and concerns that affect families and children in Indiana.  Members contribute their time, expertise, knowledge, and resources so that important issues and trends in the early childhood care and education field will be heard. 

3.) Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children (IAEYC), www.iaeyc.org.  This state organization promotes and supports quality care and education for all young children, birth though age eight.  The IAEYC has 16 chapters and approximately 2,000 members.  They focus on offering professional development for early childhood professionals and assist in improving quality within programs.

These communities of practice interest me because they focus on sharing information with other early childhood professionals, keep me informed on current issues and trends, and promote and advocate for families and young children.

Job opportunities that interest me are:

An educator for adults in the early childhood field.  I believe I would prefer to be a virtual instructor but would be interested in learning more about teaching in a classroom environment.

Parent Involvement Coordinator.  This is a position that we have within my own organization that I find very interesting.  The coordinator encourages and facilitates family engagement within our program and partners with local businesses and organizations. 

Skills and experiences I would need to completely fulfill these roles would be continued experience within the early childhood field as well as continuing my education.  As an educator we are lifelong learners.

Profile of a Volunteer

When I think of the word "volunteer" I think of someone who gives selflessly to others, to their community, and to the well-being of others.  Someone who wants to give-back to others and cares about others.  I also think of my fiance, Troy.  Troy is the Volunteer Fire Chief of our local fire department (for the last 10 years), is a reserve Police Officer, and the Boy Scout Cub Master.  Troy gives his time freely to these organizations to ensure that our community is safe and that the children in our town have organizations like the Boy Scouts.  In the past he has also volunteered (with me) on our local pool board to ensure that the local pool would remain open for the kids, assisted me when I was a Girl Scout Leader, and volunteered his time as an EMT. 

I know that Troy has had an enormous impact on the lives of others within our community.  We have seen the teens that he has pulled out of car wrecks graduate; he has kept others safe during Police and Fire incidences; and created a safe learning environment for young boys.  He has also sponsored several boys who were unable to pay the registration of Boy Scouts so that they could have the same experiences he was fortunate enough to have as a child.  When our children were in Head Start he was always volunteering in some capacity.  When our bus needed seat belts he arranged for the Fire Department to install them. 

  (Troy giving our son his Derby award!)

I believe the "take-a-way" message is that we must be willing to give of ourselves to help others.  When we help others we are helping ourselves and providing something greater with our time and efforts.  It was Troy's volunteer efforts actually that inspired me to start giving back by volunteering on the Pool Board, Girl Scout Leader, and Middle School Cheerleading Coach. 

One of my favorite quotes is: "No one cares what you know, unless they know that you care." 

Using Social Media to Get Connected

My experiences with social media mainly consists of Facebook and LinkedIn.  I have utilized LinkedIn to stay connected to contacts that I have made through my work as well as conferences and trainings. In the beginning I primarily utilized Facebook as a way to stay connected to old friends and family.  After I began my journey into Advocacy I realized I could also use Facebook to link to other advocacy groups.  Occasionally I will use my status updates to share news on funding issues for Head Start and Early Head Start or on other educational issues.  I also share links to organizations such as the Association for Childhood Education International, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and Child Advocacy. 

I believe social media sites like Facebook, Blogs, and LinkedIn are beneficial for effective advocacy.  These sites allow advocates to share their message as well as stay connected with other advocates.

I am interested in hearing how my colleagues utilize social media and if there are sites I have not heard of that I could also utilize.

Advocacy Messages

Fatherhood Initiative Public Service Announcement

This public service announcement was inspiring to me because it demonstrates that the "smallest moments make the biggest impact" and that it "takes a man to be a dad".  So often society forgets what an enormous impact fathers have on our children and their growth and development.

 

Autism Awareness Public Service Announcement

This public service announcement on Autism drives home the fact that Autism affects 1 in 110 children and puts it in perspective.  It also shows that Autism affects anyone, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, and is a global issue that affects all of us.

Literacy Awareness Public Service Announcement

This is a public service announcement from the Library of Congress and I find it inspiring because it shows how literacy can open our minds and hearts.  Books open the door to imagination, new worlds, and endless possibilities.