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