Exploring Roles in the Early Childhood Education Community: Federal/National Level

As an educator, I believe strongly in the advocacy for children with special needs, as well as the promotion of high quality preschool, for all children.

I too feel their needs to be greater support for teachers and the work they do with young children and families. Each of the three organizations I have included appeal to me because each of them have each of these goals in mind.

1.The Institute also supports The National Professional Development   

    Center on Inclusion (NPDCI).

·      The website for the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion is http://npdci.fpg.unc.edu

The center is working with states to ensure that early childhood teachers are prepared to educate and care for young children with disabilities in settings with their typically developing peers (National Professional Development Center on Inclusion [NPDCI], 2013).

Having the opportunity to work for a well renowned agency like NPDCI, would be both rewarding and challenging. I would love to be the person who provides professional development training to early childhood programs, schools, and teachers. NPDCI has an impressive reputation. It is highly recognized and seen as the “guru,” for inclusive preschool practices. I feel that in so many ways, teachers are unsupported and they have continuous expectation placed upon them. I would love to offer my support and working with the NPDCI hopefully my role would allow me to do just that.

2. The next organization I am interested in working with is United States

     Department of Education.

·     The link to the website is http://www.2.ed.gov

I am interested in employment within the Office of Early Learning. Their work is to promote of school readiness and improved learning outcomes of young children.
By providing high quality professional development programs to improve the knowledge and skills of early childhood educators and caregivers who work in early childhood programs located in high-poverty communities and who serve primarily children from low-income families (United States Department of Education, n.d.). My primary focus is on supporting teachers and programs on the provision of high quality early childhood programs. I am currently am employed with the Arizona Department of Education as a program specialist. The job with the United States Department of Education would hold a similar job title. I think that working with the federal department of Education and having an impact on the national level could allow me to better understand the laws, and rules along with the use and allocation of federal dollars.

The last agency I am interested in working with is the Center on the Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL).

·      The link for the website for CSEFEL: http://www.csefel.vanderbilt.edu

The organization's attention is on promoting the social emotional development and readiness of young children birth to age five. CSEFEL is a national resource center funded by the Office of Head Start and Child Care Bureau for disseminating research and evidence-based practices to early childhood programs across the country (CSEFEL, n.d.)

I think working for an agency like, CSEFEL, would be a unique opportunity. I hold the Head Start Agency in such high regard in relationship to their continued efforts and focus on young children birth to age five and concern for children's overall health and development. 

I must sound boring. Yet, I am once again attracted to a similar career path, which provides professional development and training to coaches, educators and families. 

Currently, there are no open job opportunities with any of these three organizations. Yet, if they did the skills required would include strong knowledge that encompasses all developmental domains and knowledge to ensure each child's education success. 

The educational requirement for each position is a Master's Degree, along with:

·      The ability to provide training, technical assistance to programs with regard to best teaching practices for children to encourage a cultural learning that promotes school readiness

·      Ability to provide professional development

·      Ability to maintain up to date knowledge of current research and developmental practices

·      Understanding of content standards for toddlers and preschool, guidelines, school law, IDEA, and developmentally appropriate practices.

·      Knowledge of effective teaching strategies in early care and school programming

·      Five plus years of experience in the field of early childhood education

·      A Masters in Early Childhood Education

If given the opportunities to work with either one of these agencies, I realize that I would be utilizing the knowledge and skills I currently possess. Yet, at the same time, each would offer me new challenges and continued professional growth.



References:

 The National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI).   http://npdci.fpg.unc.edu

The United States Department of Education.

http://www.2.ed.gov

The Center on the Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL).
http://www.csefel.vanderbilt.edu

Community of Practices within the state of Arizona. Job Prospects are they in my future?

        I am new to the state of Arizona, so I was excited at the prospect of researching state and local early childhood organizations. There are three Community of Practices (CoPs) I learned about and would like to share with you. The first is the regional council through the organization First Things First. First Things First is one of the critical partners in creating a family-centered, comprehensive, collaborative and high quality early childhood system that supports the development, health and early education of all Arizona’s children birth through age five (First Things First, 2013). http://www.azftf.gov/

All together, there are 31 regional councils throughout the state of Arizona. The councils consist of volunteers who share in the unique responsibility to work with their communities to determine what children five years and younger need to arrive at school, healthy and ready to succeed. The volunteers are made of individuals who have are stakeholders in the promotion and care of the young children within the communities. Many of the professionals are coaches, mentors, program specialist, coordinators from varied organizations: Head Start, The Arizona Department of Education, Blake Foundation, Division of Developmental Disabilities, Quality First and Early Child Care Programs. The councils meet four times a year to discuss specific early childhood issues. During this upcoming school year through my work with the Arizona Department of Education, I will have the opportunity to work with a council within a specific region. The council’s role is important within the early childhood professional groups.  When issues and trends arise, the council volunteers work then on how to strategize and initiate ideas with the hope of change. The council member then report and sharing this information with the stakeholders. I am excited at the prospect of future affiliation with the council, as I believe the investment will positively affect the children and the programs I will be working with.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC; n.d.) has affiliates within each of the states. I would like to become involved with the Arizona affiliate Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children (AzAEYC; 2013). “AzAEYC is the leading voice for early childhood programs ensuring all young children have access to high quality early care and education,” (Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children [AzAEYC], 2013).

My classroom at the time held an accreditation through NAEYC (2013). During those years, I often thought about becoming a member, yet was unable too.

Now would be the perfect time, to become active within the organization. I access the NAEYC (2013) site continuously through my work as well as during our studies. I am impressed with their work and the wonderful commitment in addressing policy, programming and trends. I enjoy reading the Young Children Magazine.

I too know that the meetings would allow me to meet with other professionals who devote their energies to the needs of young children and families. I am still learning so much about the state of Arizona in terms of resources and programs and my thought is having an affiliation with  (AzAEYC, 2013) would contribute to my personal and professional growth.

Through the Arizona Department of Education Early Childhood Special Education Unit, the Tucson Unified School District, the Division of Developmental Disabilities and the Easter Seals Blake Foundation has developed a Community of Practice. This CoP meets regularly and delves into early childhood programmatic issues which they encounter as these programs collaborate on such issues as transition, communication, funding, and programmatic issues. The concerns are specific to Tucson. The Arizona Department of Education often chairs the meetings. Tucson is a community who has a long history as far as their support for young children and their families. I have a number of sites and programs within Tucson, so I think involvement with this CoP is important, as want to have a better understanding of each of these programs.

As far as working with any of these organizations the only one I would slightly be interested in is through the First Things First program. They unfortunately, do not have any positions that I am qualified for. One position is for the Director of Pinal county which is the Tucson area. I do not have the necessary experience or background for this job.

I think one job that I find interesting as well is working with the Head Start Organization. They do not have any current positions posted other then teacher positions. As much as I loved teaching, and I miss the children I have no immediate need to step back into that particular role. The position I find intriguing is the Head Start State Manager positions. There are a few of these posted but they are in other states. This positions would entail working on professional development, monitoring, and mentoring for the varied programs.

References

         First Things First (2013) Mission Statement. Retrieved from http://azftf.gov/whoweare/pages/default.aspx

        Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children (AzAEYC)(n.d.). About The Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children. Retrieved from http://www.azaeyc.net