About Me

My photo
I work full-time as an Early Head Start Home Visitor. I have a Bachelor's in Child Development with a specialization in Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers. I have recently graduated with my Master's in Early Childhood Studies specializing in Public Policy and Advocacy. I am currently in a Doctoral Program for Early Childhood. I love working with children and their families. My company encourages and empowers individuals to be more self-reliant; we not only educate children but their families as well.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

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.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

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.