Monday, July 21, 2014

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

NAEYC – Early Learning Director

One of the national organizations that I found and have turned to for support on many occasions throughout my classes here are Walden is the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). 

The NAEYC promotes the quality care of children birth to 8 years old through educational and developmental services. A position that is offered through the NAEYC is the Early Learning Director. The skills needed for this position are:

Ø  Preferred candidates will have at least five (5) years’ experience in early childhood education field including a minimum of 2 years classroom teaching and 2 years managing staff and program. Directly experience with ages Birth-to-3 years is strongly preferred.
Ø  BA in Early Education or Child Development, or a degree in a related field with at least 45 credit hours from an accredited college or university in Childhood Education. Must have current CPR and First Aid Training. Experience with children with special needs is wonderful, but is not required.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Head Start Director

Department of Health and Human Services is the United States government's principal agency for protecting health and providing essential human services to Americans.

Head Start Director - The director of any Head Start program is responsible for:

Ø  directing, managing, planning and coordinating programs
Ø  supervising teachers and students
Ø  coordinating and planning with other Head Start agencies
Ø  working with other employees to correct any problems and evaluate programs
Ø  choosing and training staff

The Director of a Head Start Program must have a master’s degree in Child Development, Human Development, Public Administration or a similar field. Directors must also have a Child Development Program Director Permit.

The Children’s Bureau – Community Liaison

On a federal level, The Children's Bureau is a Federal agency for children, and its’ primary responsibility is administering Federal child welfare programs. The Children's Bureau seeks to provide for the safety, permanency, and well-being of children through leadership, support for necessary services, and productive partnerships within the state and communities. A position that sounds interesting to me is a Community Liaison. This liaison would serve in The Community Partners program which is a home based program that offers case management services and who will assist families in developing and meeting specific family centered goals. The liaison also helps families find and will help families discover and bond with local community supports and services, as well as providing families with assistance as needed, and being an advocate and support for the family. I love to go and work directly with parents and children in and out of the homes and feel that this would be a great fit for me.

Community Liaison requirements are:

Ø  Bachelors' Degree in a human service related field requires.
Ø  Minimum of 2 years experiences in with child/families
Ø  Must have a valid driver’s license and insurance.
Ø  Ability to work independently.
Ø  Good verbal and written communication skills.
Ø  Trained in child development.
Ø  Knowledge of community resource services and program.
Ø  Knowledge in areas of abuse/neglect.
Ø  Demonstrate an ability to handle any situation that arises during visitations.
Ø  Experience in empowering families, setting goals for clients, and assisting them in the process to change required.
Ø  Experience/ability to respond appropriately to culture differences in the community, staff, and clients is required.
Ø  Ability to perform general operations in computer word processing, email and texting, copier, telephone, and other various office machines is required.

References

Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Retrieved July 21, 2014, from
http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/npr/library/status/mission/mhhs.htm

National Association for the Education of the Young Child (n.d.). Retrieved July 21, 2014, from
http://www.naeyc.org

The Children’s Bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved July 21, 2014, from

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb

4 comments:

  1. Hi Amy,
    I enjoyed reading your selections. The Children's Bureau is an organization that I was not previously familiar with so it was great to learn something new about an organization that does such great work in promoting the well-being of children. As I read about the positions you are interested in, I noticed experience is valued in so many ways. I especially like that NAEYC values experience serving in different roles. I often feel that people in leadership roles lack the perspective of those "working in the trenches." So I think the experience piece is a very valuable requirement that only strengthens the organization. As I did my own searching, I began to realize that diverse work experiences are so valuable in securing leadership positions. I definitely have some work to do in that department and think this has been an eye-opening assignment.

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  2. Amy,

    I see that majority of my colleagues love NAEYC's organization! This organization has been helpful to each of us in various ways. I would love to be a part of their team some day and have a wonderful experience that I could share with others. The position as an Early Learning Director would be a perfect fit for me. I have had CPR training in the past and have worked with special needs students. Actually, this makes me think about other positions I would like to take on in the field. Thanks for the insight!

    Latasha

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  3. Amy,

    I love reading your post and I love the NAEYC organization. It's pretty cool to see that everyone shares similar interests in the NAEYC and you posted some very cool jobs that's very interesting as well.

    Jasmyn

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  4. Thank you for sharing the information about the Children's Bureau. I am not familiar with this agency but it sounds similar to a position that a friend of mine has worked in. She visits and works with children and families that are in the foster care program in our state. It is a position that is so beneficial to children and families that are involved.

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