TIME WELL SPENT

 

“Changes are products of intensive efforts.”
― Muhammad Yunus, Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty

                This course has added a tangible depth to my journey as an emerging leader in the field of early childhood education and as an agent for positive social change. I have learned that as an advocate in this field, recognizing the inequities in early childhood prompts the desire to respond to it. Secondly, I have learned that such a great task cannot be done alone. Pinpointing individuals that will serve in the community of practice is vital to achieving goals and resolutions. Lastly, I have discovered the leader that I plan to be. I have targeted skills and characteristics that will assist me in being effective as I lead forward as an activist in the field.

`One long-term goal that I have is to join the international organization The World Organization for Early Childhood Education – United States National Committee (OMEP-USNC).

As I begin my work as an agent for social change locally, I want to extend it internationally among under privileged children as a means of optimizing their opportunities of living healthier lives, environmental resource, and access to high-quality learning.

 

 

 

            I would like to send an enormous THANK YOU to Dr. Teri Davis. The effort in ensuring that my colleagues and I were successful in discovering the true essence of being agents for positive social changes through our capstone projects, meaningful discussions, and exploring various organizations went beyond my expectations for this course and will serve as a resource towards my future endeavors. I would like to wish each of my colleagues success in their journeys as leaders, professionals, and educators in this field. I hope that you live out the futures that we imagined in our speeches. Last but not least, I would like to thank Walden University for an amazing educational journey that has prepared me to inspire, uplift, and transform early childhood for the betterment of young learners, families, and communities.

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

 

Save the Children:  http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

Save the Children is an international organization that advocate for children’s rights. This organization appealed to me because of the services it extends to being a social agent of change. Social injustices such as hunger, health and nutrition, and education are addressed through this organization. There are several ways to join their force of combating inequities that children face globally. This collaboration includes sponsoring a child or giving a donation. I am very interested joining this organization. As a member, the skills that I would need to function effectively are passion, commitment, communication, and active listening. It is essential that maintain these skills being that joining this community of practice will require that I maintain effective communication skills and draw from my professional and educational experience to ensure that we proactively address the issues/trends of children and transform their negative experiences into positive outcomes.

 

 

 

International Step by Step Association (ISSA): http://www.issa.nl/

The International Step by Step Association is a community of practice in the field of early childhood care and education. I was drawn to this organization because of the 3 Pillars that calls them to action in the field early childhood. They are: (1) access and equity, (2) quality and professionalism, and (3) parents and community. Essentially, these pillars confront the disparities of young learners and seek to improve them. You can join this organization by becoming a friend or a member. As a member of this organization I would have to maintain excellent communication and research skills to stay abreast of topics that effect children’s development, growth, communities, and families.

 

 

 

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): http://www.oecd.org/index.htm

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) regulates policies on a global perspective. These policies supports the socio-economic statuses of individuals worldwide. This organization is interesting to me due to the fact that it is critical to understand policies in order for them to be implemented correctly and efficiently. There are many career vacancies with this organization. One position that caught my attention was Senior Advisor Global Relations: Education and skills. This position effective builds relationships and partnerships around the world that collaborate in gaining equity in education and employment opportunities. This position will allow me to work closely within a community of practice that serves as activist for ensuring that there are procedures in place that supports high-quality programs with professionally trained educators. To fulfill this role, I will need to have extensive knowledge concerning the field of early childhood care and education, working with children and families, and with policy makers. I believe that I would greatly enjoy this position. Being able to contribute my professional expertise of the early childhood field and how it operates would be my ideal career.

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

THANK YOU!!!!!

Communicating is an integral part of our daily lives. Being competent and effective is extremely vital in our interactions and conversations with our colleagues, friends, loved ones, children, families, and communities that we serve. Our online learning community has played a valuable part in providing me with the much need advice, perspective, and suggestions that have engaged my thinking and added insight contributing to my professional and personal achievements. And for this I would like to send an enormous thank you to each of the individuals that took part in this journey with me. I will continue to communicate through this blog. I would like for us all to maintain this support until we finally get the chance to share our experiences face to face. Until then, I wish you all success in your professional and educational endeavors. See you soon!

Sincerely,

Dionna L. Palmer

Adjourning

“It’s so hard to say good-bye to yesterday”…. BOYS II MEN

As I was studying the Five Stages of building a team, I ran across this wonderful video that broke down these stages  through one of my favorite movies: Remember the Titans”.

                “Adjourning is the stage of group development in which members reflect on their accomplishments and failures as well as determine whether the group will disassemble or take on another project” (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012). I believe that highest performing groups are both the easiest and hardest to leave. When a group is high performing, there is a sense of accomplishment and success achieve within these groups making it easy to adjourn. The trust and commitment of each individual establishes a bond that supports meaning in their relationships making it hard to say good bye. When I have adjourned from a group, some of the rituals that took place were: closing ceremonies, presentations, and just a simple ending session. I imagine adjourning from my group of colleagues in my master’s program through our graduation ceremony. I imagine meeting and hugging each and every one of them, thanking them for making my online learning experience a wonderful one, as it has been. Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it is signifies growth and learning experiences as a team and also serves a segue to more team projects.   

 

 

Reference: http://youtu.be/hEJaz3sinEs

 

Disagreements and Conflicts

In the field of early childhood care and education, teachers, parents, and administrators play an integral part in the holistic success of the children we service. But sometimes the influential individuals that are a part of this web of supporters do not agree. I was currently the mediator for a situation that happened between a teacher and a parent. To make a long story short, the child broke out with an unidentified rash, so the teacher approached the parent, questioning her about his condition. The teacher then proceeded to bring the child inside of the building, away from the other children. The parent was offended by her child being isolated. The parent went to the assistant director requesting that her child be taken out of that teachers’ classroom. When the incidence was bought to my attention, I took a minute to reflect on the situation. I wanted to think about the intentions of the teacher and the feelings of the parents. I took the opportunity to talk to both the teacher and the parent. And then we took the opportunity to meet together to dispel the friction and tension between the two that had developed. Two strategies that I have learned about is the Platinum Rule and Active Listening. The Platinum Rule allowed me to get them both involved in considering the perspectives of the other person. This broke the ice for them to begin talking about how their relationship was before this situation happened. Then, I was able to incorporate the process of active listening to successful get the two women to effectively communicate and eventually apologize for the confusion and give each other hugs. The parent actually bought lunch for the teachers the next day.

                The Pre-K Master Teacher that works alongside myself is an individual that I have sought input and advice on several instances. I consider her an extremely effective communicator. I asked her how she learned to be a more effective communicator as it relates to conflict resolution skills. Her response to me was, “I learned how to become an effective communicator by going through countless conflicts that I had to find resolutions to.” This statement was so profound. I completely agree that one way to become an effective communicator is to go through the process of communicating over and over again, finding ways to be a neutral entity, and compromising for the better good.