Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

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       This week my blog will focus on the roles that I can play in the Early Childhood Education Community via Communities of Practice and choosing job opportunities that will allow me to help bring social change to my community.  Communities of practice can be associations, groups, clubs, or just co-workers that work together to help each other grow or to meet a need in the community.  The goal is to help someone else do a better job as their passion is shared with others.  

      The local and state organizations that appeal to me will help me be a better administrator and keep me up to date with all legislature and changes in the ECE field.  They all have levels of advocacy that I can participate in but the most appealing aspect of them all are that they will help fuel my passion for ensuring developmentally appropriate practices are being used in every area and stakeholder involved in the early childhood field.

      

       My three organizations of choice are the following:

       1.      FLAEYC.  This is the Florida Division of NAEYC.  Information about FLAEYC can be found at flaeyc.org.  I believe that being involved with FLAEYC will benefit me as an educator because it is the largest professional organization for people working in the early care  and education field in the state of Florida. They have a mission to benefit children and families by providing leadership, advocacy, and professional development for early childhood professionals (flaeyc.org).    The organization offers resources, professional development and the opportunity to purchase CEUs on their website. 

      2.      ECPC.  This is the Early Childhood Personnel Center.  This community of practice’s mission is to “facilitate the implementation of integrated and comprehensive early childhood systems of personnel development (CSPD) for all disciplines serving infants and young children with disabilities” (http://ecpcta.org/cspd/leadership.html).  The center plans to meet all of the needs for young children in 8 states; with Florida being one of the states.  There are trainings and resources available to assist parents, grad students and administrators of the legal and ethical issues surrounding children with disabilities.  I believe that this organization will help me in my professional career as an administrator by helping me make the right decisions about children with disabilities that are enrolled in the center I will direct.  This organization will assist me in ensuring that I am offering developmentally appropriate practices to children with disabilities.

      3.      The Early Coalition of Manatee County.  (www.elc-manatee.org)

      This is the local child resource and referral organization for my county.  This organization conducts trainings, provides technical assistance, and partners families and child care centers together to provide services to the families in the area.  ELC of Manatee is proponents of developmentally appropriate practices and makes it mandatory for all childcare providers to follow these practices.

      As I approach these last weeks on my road to mastery, I sense the need to find employment that coincides with my level of Mastery.  Therefore I have looked at the various Internet career assistance websites and found three jobs that I am interested in applying for. 

      1.      CYS Administrator.  This job can be applied for on USAJOBS.gov.  This position is a civilian job with the Department of the Army.  It requires a 4-year degree in Child Development, Early Childhood Education or an equivalent.  The duties of the administrator are the same as a regular child care center but the difference is that the center is located on the base.  The jobs on USAJOBS.gov are of interest to me because they would give me the opportunity to live in other states or countries and educate the children of our soldiers. 

      2.      Child Care Administrator.  The job requirements are that I have a Director’s Credential which only requires minimal courses in education.  Many of the positions require that I have at least a Bachelor degree and several specific Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) courses and/or training that will provide me with a VPK endorsement for my Director’s Credentials.

      3.      Certified Kindergarten Teacher.  The requirements for certification are to have a Masters or Bachelor degree with courses in specific areas of Early Childhood Education.  The qualifications for certification are to pass the Professional Knowledge and subject area exams.  This job is of interest to me because it will allow me to provide children with an extra push towards developmental standards before they enter into the First grade. 

      4.   College Adjunct Professor.  Qualifications are to have a Doctorate or Masters degree in Early Childhood Education.  I have an interest in teaching new educators what they will need to know to become skilled and qualified to teach children. 

      My ultimate career opportunity is to use all of my education and work experience to open my own educational establishment that will serve children from 0-8 using levels of continuity of care.  Continuity of care will help children to form nurturing relationships with staff that will be with them for at least three years.  These relationships will help create an environment that is educationally friendly and encourages learning without having to adjust to a new teacher every year.