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.

Communication Evaluation

 

                This week’s blog assignment included an evaluation that I conducted on myself and I had to choose two other individuals to evaluate my effectiveness in speaking, listening, and communication anxiety. The three assessments began by informing me that the best way for this assessment to be accurate was if I were to be honest. The test was pretty simple in strategy and technique. They contained 20-21 questions per assessment and ranged in degrees from always to never.

                Comparing the three evaluations revealed that the Listening Styles, Communication Anxiety Inventory, and Verbal Aggressiveness Scale all ranked within the same category. For Listening Styles, I scored highest in Group 1 deeming my style to be people-oriented. In Communication Anxiety Inventory, my score ranged in the 21-33 categories, labeling my communication anxiety Low. Verbal Aggression scale ranked at a Moderate level with my scores averaging between 53-68.

                One thing that surprised me the most is how all three of our evaluations were similar. I believe that most of the time I cope with anxiety, avoid verbal aggressiveness, and listen effectively. It made me feel good that others think this way about me as well. It a very tedious task to supervise 18 adults and try to be consistent and calm even when everyone else is in an uproar.

                Two insights that I have learned this week have encouraged me to continue striving to become a competent communicator. The evaluations served as an instrumental tool in envisioning how well I am doing and also some improvements that I need to make. It was equally important to know how others evaluated my ability to communicate. Part of being an effective leader is the ability to listen, speak, and deal with anxiety, not only for you, but for all others as well, including children, families, colleagues, and teachers. I think that as professionals, these assessments should be done on a regular basis for each individual in the work place. Being a competent and effective communicator both professional and personally has the limitless possibility to overcome barriers in communication, dispel cultural myopia and bias schemas, and positively influence our interactions and engagements with everyone that we come in contact with.

               

 

 

Communication Strategies

Communicating across cultures can be a challenge. As I reflect on this week’s blog question, I can honestly say that I do not communicate differently with people from other cultures but, however, sometimes my communication skills are similar and differ between contexts. For example, in my professional occupation, I communicate utilizing a linguistic intelligence solely related to early childhood care and education, while in a relational context I may utilize a different language context from my speech repertoire such as euphemisms or slang, which is more relaxed and informal when I am around friends and family.

Strategies that I could use to help me communicate more effectively with various people or groups include:

(1). Practice active listening

(2). Avoid cultural assumptions

(3). Practice being patient

(4). Ask for clarification

(5). Check for understanding

(6). Develop cultural awareness

 

 

Communication Video: http://youtu.be/8-hGDlifwhg