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

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

National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI)

Reference: http://www.blackchilddevelopment.org/

The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) was founded in Greensboro, North Carolina, in1978. Since then, they have moved across the country serving children, families, and communities through the efforts to enrich and empower the lives of young children. Under the National Black Child Development Institute is the Americorps Program. This program sends their members to non-profit learning facilities in low-income neighborhoods as “helping hands”.

I have a great amount of experience working alongside Americorps volunteers. They are wonderful instruments in the learning environment. As team workers, they engage with the teachers and children, assist with classroom management, and perform daily routines as a coexisting member of the teaching team. Becoming a member serves as a great opportunity to gain experience and emerge as a leader in the field of early childhood care and education. This organization connects with local partners to increase the quality of life of children and families. Volunteering with this institute affords me the opportunity to be the change that I want to see as an agent for social justice. Strengthening children, families, and communities is a personal and professional goal that has driven my educational endeavors.

The World Organization for Early Childhood Education – United States National Committee (OMEP-USNC)

Reference: http://www.omep-usnc.org/

 

The World Organization for Early Childhood Education – United States National Committee (OMEP – USNC) is a member of an international group of organizations that work globally to promote equity, social justice, and advocate for high quality programs for children and families that support health, development, and learning.

I would love to be a member of such an organization that networks globally to foster the needs of children and families in underdeveloped, poverty stricken parts of our nation. This organization serves as a platform for educators, policy makers, families, and activists to discuss and develop solutions to the issues and trends that diversely affect the well-being and education of children. They also engage in several projects, activities, and research that make early childhood care and education a priority and serve as activists by being the children’s voice when it comes to ensuring that children have sustainable opportunities for learning.

Although there are no job opportunities available, becoming a member is just as important. As a member, I could support the organization through monetary contributions, emerge as a leader and prominent voice in the field of early childhood, and support the work of others through conferences, elections, and volunteering globally.

 

Zero to Three: The National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families

Reference: http://www.zerotothree.org/

Zero to Three is a non-profit organization the targets healthy growth and development of infants and toddlers. Their goal is to serve as a resource on how to encourage and support flourishing maturation early on.

Senior Program Associate is a job opportunity currently available within the Zero to Three Organization. Its primary job responsibility is to provide technical assistance to Early Head Start Programs, professionals and educators, and assist with planning, developing, and coordinating meetings, conferences, and trainings.

I would find great pleasure in working for this organization. Being able to provide information and resources to programs ensuring high quality is my ideal career. I believe that having a learning institute that operates correctly from the beginning is essential to children and families, communities, and maintaining access to high quality programs. Through this, we optimize the learning abilities of children early on, decrease the achievement gap, and dispel inequities and social justices by proactively nurturing their needs.

 

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The agencies that I have chosen play an invaluable role in the field of early childhood care and education, the community, and the children and families that they service.

Bright from the Start Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning holds the dutiful task of ensuring that the needs of children and families are met through various learning facilities, organizations and programs. Its mission is to achieve academic success through high quality programs that promote and support learning from infancy, preparedness for school and school performance reform. One of the positions available with Bright from the Start is Child Care Consultant. Some of the responsibilities of a childcare consultant are that they make certain that rules and regulations are being followed, provide technical assistance to professionals and families in the field, and are approved trainers. I chose this organization because I believe that they set the bar for what high a high quality program should look like and how it should operate. One of the systems for measuring quality though Bright from the Start is Quality Rated. Local learning facilities can become rated though a system recognized by the state. If a facility receives the highest rating of a “3” then it is published as having achieved the mark of fostering the holistic needs of children and families. These ratings are publically available for families, investors, and childcare providers to view. I like the fact that if you score under a “3”, then they provide the program with fundamental materials and funds to towards meeting those needs effectively. I would like to work for an organization such as this one to share my experience and expertise in the field. I would like to assist early learning facilities in providing adequate services to families to gain self-sufficiency, decreasing the achievement gap, and dispelling inequities within learning.

The United Way Foundation is an organization that supports education, income, and health. This organization provides an array of services to children and families in need. Their mission is to stabilize communities through resources provided to families that improve their overall success in society.  I chose this organization because they serve as advocates for families that face adversities such as poverty.  As an advocate for positive social change, here is where my passion meets reality.  I understand that in order to realistically assure that children are successful I must make certain that their caregivers have the necessary tools for survival. The current position of Development Officer struck my interest. This liaison oversees strategies for acquiring gifts, donations, and grants for local communities. It is critical that programs are financially supported they are expected to maintain high quality programs.

Annie E. Casey Foundation is a private charitable organization established for children facing adversities such as social injustices. Through public policies, human services, and communities, The Annie E. Casey foundation seeks to meet the needs of children and families by way of initiatives, grants, and projects. I have a professional connection with this organization being that it found the learning facility for which I am currently employed. The community that I work in has been deemed “poverty stricken”. To break the cycle of crime, high dropout rates, and low thriving families that has plagued the community for generations, they have foundation an early learning and literacy resource center to support the socio-economic needs of parents, developmental needs of children, and the ingenuities of communities to enhance their well-beings. As the Director of Evidence Based Practiced, I envision myself having the responsibility of measuring quality through data and research and utilizing this information as a pertinent piece in providing viable corroboration of how imperative it is to applaud early childhood care and education and its vital existence in the lives of children and families both locally and globally.

 

References:

http://decal.ga.gov/Default.aspx

http://www.unitedway.org/

http://www.aecf.org/AboutUs.aspx