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

The National Association for the Education of Young Children is an organization that appeals to me because their “mission is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources” (NAEYC, n.d.). Current jobs available are Conference Program Coordinator and Editors which do not appeal to me. I did not find any jobs related to early childhood here.

The Alliance for Children and Families is a national organization dedicated to blending “intellectual capital with superior membership services in order to strengthen the capacity of North America’s nonprofit child and family serving organizations to serve and to advocate for children, families and communities…” (Alliance for Children and Families, 2010). This organization has several jobs available including: accounting administration, senior level management, human resources, information technology, management and supervision, and resource development. Resource development is of particular interest to me, as well as management and supervision.

I was particularly interested in the National Center for Children in Poverty but there are currently no positions available. I would be very interested in working for a group of this kind to help end childhood poverty nationally and globally.

The National Head Start Association is another organization that I am interested in. Their vision is “to be the untiring voice that will not be quiet until every vulnerable child is served with the Head Start model of support for the whole child, the family and the community” and “to work diligently for policy and institutional changes that ensure all vulnerable children and families have what they need to succeed” (NHSA, 2012). They have several openings at this time. Of particular interest to me was a Child Development Manager of the Head Start in Phoenix, Arizona; Early Childhood Specialist, Oregon; and Resource Development Specialist in New York City, all of which I am qualified for.

References:

Alliance for Children and Families (2010). Retrieved from http://www.alliance1.org/mission

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/

National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP). (2012). Retrieved from http://www.nccp.org/about/jobs.html

National Head Start Association (NHSA). (2012). Retrieved from http://www.nhsa.org/services/job_board

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Communities of Practice are defined as “people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better through interacting with one another” (Helm, 2007).

The first community of practice that appeals to me is the City Rescue Mission. This is an organization that is dedicated to easing the plight of the homeless and hungry in our city. This volunteerism appeals to me because I am blessed with so much and see people hurting everyday as I pass them on my way to work. I work in an area that has the highest homeless population in our city. I care deeply about those individuals who are hurting the most, but really don’t do anything about it. They did not currently have any job opportunities, but I did apply to be a volunteer. Their mission is to “lead our community by serving the homeless and near homeless with help, hope and healing in the spirit of excellence, under the call of Christ” (City Rescue Mission, 2012). I have the skills and experience to help this organization by serving food to the homeless.

The second community of practice that appeals to me is Head Start in Oklahoma. This organization is administered locally by Community Action agencies, private nonprofit agencies and American Indian Tribes. At the federal level, the Head Start Bureau is part of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Ten regional regional offices administer the Head Start grants. Oklahoma is included in Region VI which is headquartered in Dallas. The American Indian programs are managed by branches of the ACF Head Start Bureau in Washington, DC.  Head Start is for children ages 3-5 and their mission is “to promote school readiness for children in low-income families by providing comprehensive educational, health, nutritional, and social services (Head Start, 2012). There were various job opportunities at the local level and I would be qualified to work in Head Start because of my degree in early childhood education. This organization currently has various positions available throughout the United States.

The third community of practice that appeals to me is the i-to-i volunteering organization. This organization is dedicated to helping people volunteer to work with children in other countries. They coordinate volunteer efforts in China, Kenya, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, Vietnam, India and Tanzania, as well as other countries around the world. Their goal is to help people “build and renovate, work with children, care for wildlife, help develop communities or teach English” (i to i, 2012). This organization did not list any positions currently available. I am qualified to volunteer with this organization, especially in the area of teaching children since I am a first grade teacher.

References:

City Rescue Mission. (2012). Retrieved from http://cityrescue.org/

Helm, J. (2007). Building communities of practice. YC: Young Children, 62(4),

12-16. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d41f39c3-8fe8-46c5-b717-50aaa2c920d3%40sessionmgr10&vid=2&hid=17

i to i.com. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.i-to-i.com/

Oklahoma’s Head Start Programs. (2012).  Retrieved from

http://www.benefits.gov/benefits/benefit-details/1934