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

The first organization that I chose is NAEYC (National Association of the Education of Young Children). I am currently a member of this organization and attended the National Conference 4 years ago in Orlando Florida. It was then that I realized that this organization was a big part of the field of early learning. Their mission or main focus is to promote the highest level of quality learning for young children from birth -8 years of age. Their focus is to “connect early childhood practice, policy, and research.”

The second organization I chose was CDA council and this organization was something that stuck out to me when I first got involved in the field and I contemplated should I go to get the credential to give me more insight. I have recently signed up to become  a CDA PD Specialist, this means that I will bring in my mentoring skills and all Child Development knowledge to assess the candidates skills and I will assist the candidate to complete their self-reflection assessment. The CDA council promotes improved performance to the professionals in the field of ECE.

The final organization I chose is NHSA (National Head Start Association). This organization is committed to giving every child the chance to succeed in school regardless of their circumstance, social class or family background. Many successful adults can think back and remember head start being the place that they developed the foundation and passion for learning.

The first organization NAEYC has a position for Reliability Manager and this position calls for someone to support those in the accreditation process which is voluntary to improve the quality of care that is provided.

 The second organization CDA council has already approved me to qualify to become a CDA PD Specialist contingent upon me passing the test that is required. I think this position held my attention because I love to help someone that wants to help themselves become more marketable in the field.

The final organization has a position for a Family Developer Specialist and I think this job would be ideal for me because it can help me to build up the family character of families in need. With assistance this position can help families to build a bond and reconnect in some way.

Skills needed for the mentioned positions above is patients and the ability to work with others. You should know how to effectively communicate and display leadership skills. Show passion and the desire to help those in need.

References:

National Association for the Education of Young Children: (2015) Retrieved from: http://www.naeyc.org/

Council for Professional Recognition: (2015) Retrieved from: http://www.cdacouncil.org/

 National Head Start Association (2015) Retrieved from: https://www.nhsa.org/

 

One organization that I have always been interested in working for is DVAEYC (Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children) this is a local organization in the Delaware Valley that is connected to the national organization NAEYC. DVAEYC is devoted to ensure that children are getting high quality early learning experiences by providing training to the educators and helping local programs with best practice techniques.

The second Organization that I chose is Keystone STARS, this is also a local affiliate in the Delaware Valley particularly in the Philadelphia region. This organization is improving the quality of early care also through four areas of interest:

·         Standards

·         Training/Professional Development

·         Assistance

·         Resources

·         Support

This program was created through the Office of Child Development and Early Learning and the work to enhance and give recognition to programs that are providing higher quality care and they offer incentive to continue to improve the quality of services provided to children and families.

The last program I decided to reflect on is the CDA council for Professional recognition. This organization also provides services along the lines of Professional Development and assistance with helping providers obtain their CDA. The CDA promotes improved performance, this national credentialing helps to meet the need of  young children by supporting their educational needs through professional development and trainings on child development.

I was able to find one job of interest in each organization:

1.)    In DVAEYC I found a job opportunity as a Quality Improvement Specialist and this job stays within the lines of my passion and that is to assist in ways to help maintain and increase the quality of programs within city limits.

2.)    I found a job opportunity with Keystone STARS as a STAR Specialist and this position works closely with teachers and providers to help them improve their quality by engaging them in Continuous Quality Improvement project. You would work side by side with providers to help them implement appropriate plans to achieve the goals of the Keystone Stars so they can move up the STAR ladder to achieve and maintain the highest STAR level of a STAR 4.

3.)    The final job opportunity I found was with the CDA council as a CDA PD Specialist. This opportunity brings mentoring skills and knowledge of ECE to assist and assess the candidate competencies in the ECE area of knowledge. They are their to assist and complete the process of CDA designation and I think this is wonderful to help a provider achieve this goal.

 

I found this assignment very interesting and I enjoyed learning and narrowing down my interest in the field. I see now that I want to fulfill the mission of continued quality assurance and I want to help programs fulfill the mission of achieving and maintaining highest quality care.

 

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Week 2 Assignment