Time Well Spent

Wow! As I come to the close of this chapter in my life, I can’t help but look back over the last twenty months and think about the new friends that I have made, the instructors that have supported and challenged me, and the knowledge that I have gained that will continue to encourage me and drive me to promote change and success not just in my life but in the lives of others as well. I have learned how important it is to communicate with our children and their families, and to begin this as early as the infant years. I have learned how to identify my biases and the strategies that will help me overcome them. But most of all, I have learned that there is a community of professionals and organizations, not just local, but nationally and internationally that surround me and that I can turn to them for the support that I may need as I continue to seek change in my own professional life.

A long term goal that I have identified for my professional and personal life is to continue teaching families as well as children on the important part they play in the lives of their own children. Parents are as important as their teachers and when working together we can serve as a great team for the success of all involved.

To my colleagues, thank you for your kind words and support. I wish you the very best! Keep learning and following your dreams. Who knows where they may lead you! Thank you to my instructors for the many resources, the professionals that have been shared with us through media segments and for the support, encouragement, and comments along the way!

Job/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

After visiting some of the international organizations, I chose the following three as ones that I thought I would most like to work with and for.

Save the Children

Save the Children gives children in the United States and around the world what every child deserves – a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. It is an independent organization for children working in 120 countries. We save children's lives; we fight for their rights; we help them fulfill their potential. We work together, with our partners, to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. We have over two million supporters worldwide and raised 1.9 billion dollars last year to reach more children than ever before, through programs in health, nutrition, education, protection and child rights, also in times of humanitarian crises.

A job opportunity that interested me was in the City of London, United Kingdom. It is a full time, 12 month position as an

OPERATIONS TEAM SUPPORT MANAGER

The Role

The role of the Operations Team Support Manager is as follows:

•  Responsible for day to day operations of the Operations Management team
• Serves as a liaison with Save the Children members to play a key role in ensuring operations and humanitarian response are appropriately resourced - including leading on proposal writing and negotiation
• Ensuring effective administrative systems are in place and that processes and planning are closely coordinated
•  Lead on the coordination of the Centre EPP and in the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal job description and vary working hours accordingly.

Qualifications and experience

Essential Skills Necessary

• Proven writing and numerical skills and experience in basic financial information systems (e.g. Excel), budget monitoring, editing of proposals and drafting of summary reports and briefing documents.
• Proven attention for detail and ability to effectively manage a high volume of data and information
• Excellent interpersonal and verbal / written communication skills in order to deal tactfully and sensitively with a wide range of people in a large organization, very often at a distance.
• Previous experience of working in a program management department in the humanitarian sector
• Previous international operations experience
• A flexible and initiative-taking attitude with the ability to manage an unpredictable workload
• Good project management skills related to the development of information products.
• Excellent computer skills including word processing, presentation and use of spread-sheets combined with the ability to develop and maintain office and management information systems.
• Highly developed communication skills.
• Experience of problem solving.
• Willingness and ability to travel abroad at short notice.

Desirable

• A second language preferably French, Spanish, Portuguese or Arabic.
• Knowledge of Save the Children's key sectors
• Strong presentation skills.
• Commitment to Save the Children values.
• Knowledge of international humanitarian systems, institutions and donors.
• Ability and willingness to change work practices and hours in the event of major emergencies including travelling at short notice and for extended periods of time.

I would possess the appropriate necessary requirements and have had experience with international operations; however, I am not fluent in a second language (though this is not a necessary but desirable skill).

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF):

UNICEF is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. We have the global authority to influence decision-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn the most innovative ideas into reality. We believe that nurturing and caring for children are the cornerstones of human progress. UNICEF was created with this purpose in mind – to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path. We believe that we can, together, advance the cause of humanity. We advocate for measures to give children the best start in life, because proper care at the youngest age forms the strongest foundation for a person’s future. We promote girls’ education – ensuring that they complete primary education as a minimum – because it benefits all children, both girls and boys. Girls who are educated grow up to become better thinkers, better citizens, and better parents to their own children. We act so that all children are immunized against common childhood diseases, and are well nourished, because it is wrong for a child to suffer or die from a preventable illness.

Communication Specialist (Donor Relations & Fundraising), P-3, Kigali, Rwanda

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

• Advanced university (Master`s) degree in Business Administration, Communication, Public Relations; or equivalent professional work experience in the donor relations area combined with advanced university degree in related discipline.
• Five years of relevant work experience in fund raising, donor engagement, donor reporting and two years of which should be in developing countries.
• Fluency in English and another UN language. Working knowledge of French would be an asset.
• A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Competencies of Successful Candidate

• Has highest-level communication skills, including engaging and informative formal public speaking.
• Able to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment.
• Sets high standards for quality of work and consistently achieves project goals.
• Has good leadership and supervisory skills; co-ordinates group activities, ensuring that roles within the team are clear.
• Quickly builds rapport with individuals and groups; maintains an effective network of individuals across organizational departments.
• Translates strategic direction into plans and objectives.
• Negotiates effectively by exploring a range of possibilities.
• Demonstrates and shares detailed technical knowledge and expertise.
• Seeks and proposes opportunities for advancing UNICEF`s mission.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.

I love that UNICEF is specifically points out its dedication to the education of girl’s and makes sure that immunizations are given to all children, as well as being an advocate for nourishment as these are preventable illnesses.

FHI 360

VISION

FHI 360 envisions a world in which all individuals and communities have the opportunity to reach their highest potential.

MISSION

To improve lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions for human development.

We believe:

• A 360-degree perspective is required to address complex human development needs.
• Sustainability comes from building the capacity of individuals, communities and countries to address their needs.
• The key to improving lives is in generating, sharing and applying knowledge.
• Partnering with governments, civil society organizations, the private sector and communities leads to success.

Our values:

• Innovation to meet the evolving needs of our beneficiaries, funders and partners.
• Mutual respect for diversity and cultural differences.
• Passion driven by a personal commitment to make a positive difference.
• Accountability for our work, measuring, reporting and continually improving all that we do.
• Commitment to excellence assured by the highest ethical, quality, operational performance and scientific standards.
• Teamwork across disciplines and geographies, within the organization and with our partners.

Education Team Leader, Mozambique-Maputo

Project Description:

The goal of SFCS-OVC is to reduce the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS on OVC and their caregivers in Mozambique. The overall objective is to enhance the capacity of families and communities to support, protect, and care for OVC and caregivers.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Provide technical leadership to the project on improving school attendance
• Provide technical leadership to the project on learning outcomes for vulnerable children, especially girls.
• Provide technical leadership and direction for program interventions related to improved learning outcomes; define and implement activities in a manner that achieves the greatest coverage and impact;
• Lead and facilitate an effective partnership with local education institutions and other education stakeholders at national, provincial and district levels;
• Supervise relevant technical staff to ensure timely achievement of program results;\
• Monitor progress of education components of the program
• Ensure synergies with other elements of the project to ensure comprehensive programming
• Review and provide technical feedback on results and project reports to donors in order to ensure quality and full compliance towards achieving results.
• Identify successful practices in the project that can be showcased in publications, communication materials and conferences.
• Prepare communications materials that highlight the Project’s successes and lesssons learnt in girls education
• Contribute to M&E

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in education with experience in girls education
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience working on reading assessment, instruction, upper primary and lower secondary development (specifically 5th , 6th , 7th , and 8th grades) block grants and training especially in developing countries.
• Demonstrated ability to work with government and cooperating partners in implementing a complex project under challenging circumstances.
• In-depth knowledge of Mozambican education system
• Effective communication skills, both orally and in writing to make formal and informal presentations and to develop professional and analytic reports and program documents.
• Excellent interpersonal and team work skills.
• English and Portuguese is highly desired.
• Ability to navigate politically sensitive terrain and maintain constructive relationships with a diverse set of key stakeholders;
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and transmit his/her vision to partners and colleagues.
• Expertise in education, with a focus on gender, vulnerability and inclusion
• Experience in upper primary and lower secondary development (specifically 5th , 6th , 7th , and 8th grades)
• Experience in research publication to develop the evidence-base for lesson learning and achieving results
• Knowledge of and experience with the design, management and implementation of OVC programs.
• Sensitivity to cultural differences and understanding of the socio-economic and political situation in Mozambique and the ethical issues surrounding OVC programming.
• Ability to organize systems to monitor results.
• Well-developed written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work well with others and to develop and maintain compatibility among project staff, subcontractors, consultants, and recipients of assistance.
• Ability to travel as needed

This job appealed to me on different levels – but mainly because of the work, support, and communication opportunities with families and communities. I am not fluent in Portuguese, but have worked with girls, specifically with 5th – 8th grade girls on different levels.

References

Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/

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

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

In searching for communities of practice within my area, I found the following organizations to be of interest to me.

http://www.taeyc.org

The Tennessee Association of Education of Young Children seems to offer many professional development opportunities with membership availabilities. This community of partners is made up of a board of members and I believe that this could open up an avenue for relationships with a community of learners that share the same interests and concerns. On a more local level, the AAEYC, located in Anderson County, works directly with Roane County and offers that same type of assistance. While you can become a member of these organizations, at times there are opportunities for working as a board member. There are opportunities to work as an advocate for early childhood education with other members of this organization to help become a voice for our children and their families with a variety of issues.

TAEYC Mission Statement

TAEYC exists to provide members with professional development opportunities and to advocate for best practice in the care, development, and education of all Tennessee’s young children.

TAEYC Vision Statement

Reaching potential together.
Value Statement

TAEYC values...

Collaboration with all members of the community
High performing organizational strategies
Inclusive environments for all children and adults
Leadership in child advocacy and public policy
Diversity in the early childhood community
Relationships with children and their families
Early care and education professionals who use best practices
National, regional and local alliances

http://unitedwayroane.org

United Way – United Way is an organization the helps children and their families in a variety of ways. This organization works toward bringing the communities together while focusing on what is most needed. Every day, United Way supported programs help provide a nurturing environment for children, health care for seniors who might otherwise go without, food and shelter for those facing tough times, safe havens from physical and psychological abuse, therapy for those coping with special challenges and so much more.

I have served as the representative for United Way at my school and have had the opportunity to be a part of meetings where we discussed needs for our children and their families. United Way of Roane County brings people together to focus on the most important needs in our community. Through our allocation process, trained volunteers determine the most efficient use of the community’s resources to meet local needs. The money that we as a county give, when designated, stays in our county and helps our children and their families. This program has been able to provide monetary supplements for a number of programs that are used for our very own children and their families. I think that it is great to be able to serve as a volunteer with United Way and even more wonderful to be able to see the money that we have given help those right here in our community. As far as skills needed for this opportunity, as a volunteer working with United Way, I was responsible for bringing a list of needs to the meeting so that we could discuss them and make decisions based on what was brought to the table.

https://www.secondharvestetn.org/

Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee - Food for Kids - “Food for Kids is a collaborative effort between Second Harvest and area schools, with the goal of fighting hunger among young children in our 18 County East Tennessee community. Food for Kids provides backpacks filled with kid-friendly food for elementary aged children to take home after school or on the weekends.”

Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee - Kids Cafe - “Kids Cafe is a collaborative effort between Second Harvest and various youth service providers.” In Rockwood, the Kids Café is held on Mondays at 5 PM at the Rockwood Housing Authority with the collaboration of the Rockwood Ministerial Association and the First Christian Church. “On Mondays at 5PM you can find a group [of volunteers] serving a free meal, and offering homework help, games, and friendship to children and youth.”

As the wife of a minister in the area, I am able to work directly with the ministerial association that takes care of the Second Harvest Backpack Program for our children. This is all volunteer and my job for this program is to help identify what children would benefit from receiving assistance through the Second Harvest Food for Kids Program.

Reflecting on Learning

As an early childhood professional, my most passionate hope for my future is to be able to model and teach my children and their families how important it is to not only understand, but respect each other for who they are and where they come from. I want my children and their families to know that we are here to protect their child from bias behaviors. Valuing and supporting families no matter what is important to building relationships and partnerships as we work together to provide the best education for them that we can.

I would like to thank each of my colleagues for your encouragement as we come to the close of another course here at Walden. You truly have blessed me with some very valuable information and your support has been wonderful. I have enjoyed hearing of your personal and professional experiences which will help us as we continue working in the early childhood field. I wish each of you the best as you continue in your next class, and for most of us, our last one!

Impacts of Early Emotional Development

•Share with your colleagues the area of the world you chose and why.

I chose to focus on the region of Latin America and the Caribeban and more specifically, Guatemala. I chose to investigate Guatemala because we have formed a partnership with some missionaries in Guatemala and I am very interested in learning about the children and families in this area.

•Describe in detail some of the challenges that children in this region of the world are confronting.

Upon reviewing of this region, I found that the quality of education is not meeting expectations. The ever increasing poverty and unemployment, natural disasters, violence and civil conflict continue to threaten the progress made. Even though the countries of Latin American and Caribbean have advanced significantly in both the recognition of human rights of children, and effectively improving their living conditions, we still have millions of children living in situations of violence, malnutrition, exploitation and discrimination which is seriously putting their growth and development at risk. It is estimated that in Latin America and the Caribbean more than 2 million children, mostly girls, are working in private households as domestic servants (Unicef, 2011).

•Explain how these experiences might have an effect on children’s emotional wellbeing and development.

Guatemala has the highest rate of chronic malnutrition in children under five in all of Latin America. Some areas experience 49% up to 78% and can be linked to stunted physical and mental development. These challenges can also affect their self-esteem, how successful they are in school (If they even attend school), their social skills and how they communicate as well as their behaviors. In rural Guatemala, many children (particularly girls) do not complete their basic education, speak only their native Mayan language, and grow up functionally illiterate. Adolescent females marry as young as 12 years of age and have an average of seven children. All of these factors serve to reinforce the vicious cycle of poverty unless investments are made in children at a very early age (Save the Children, 2014).

•Include a personal and professional reflection. Explain the insights you gained and the influences they may have on you as a person and as an early childhood professional.

Unicef’s website offered great insight into the various regions and information about each of them. I have learned that children in the Latin American and Caribbean region suffer from poverty related issues, which includes health care. They also suffer greatly with education because of the poor quality of education in this region. Personally, although we do have families and children that experience poverty related issues, here in the United States, we have many resources available to us for health and education. Professionally, reviewing websites like this encourages me to become a better, and more informed teacher. I think we never should become comfortable with what we do. Although it can be challenging at times, we must utilize the resources that are available and always strive to learn more so that we can make a difference in the lives of our families and children.

References

Save the Children. (2014). Guatemala. Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org

UNICEF (2011). Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

It is shocking to hear children of these ages say such things. I teach in a fifth grade class, and I have been shocked by some of the things that they say and do. These children have no filters on their mouths, they are allowed to watch and play movies and games that are way more mature than they are, and the way these children are dressing is very inappropriate. Children growing up today are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sex and sexiness in the media and popular cultures (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009).

Three examples that I feel illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment are marketing provocative clothing geared for young girls, lyrics of music, and television shows. Fueled by influential media and an overly provocative clothing market, today's young females are rocketing into adult behaviors at young ages, and multiple risks are along for the ride (Hawkes, n.d.). I have seen girls that have developed anorexia because they want to maintain that “thin, skinny” look and be able to fit in those clothes that girls find as “popular” yet are very inappropriate and do not leave a whole lot for the imagination. I heard about a parent that went to Pac Sun and purchased all the T-shirts that were being sold that were inappropriate so that other children would not buy them. I would like to see parents stand up and make a statement to their children that we are not going to have that “provocative clothing”, “explicit music” and we are going to preview what is being watched in our homes, then maybe these marketing companies might get the hint. As parents and educators, I feel that it is our job to educate our children to show respect to themselves as well as demanding respect from others. We as a society have sexualized our children and have taken away their childhood. We are essentially forcing them to act and dress as small adults when they are just children. I will definitely be more aware of what is going on and being discussed among the children in my classroom. I will also throw my “two cents” in on what these children see and play at home. I think that hearing concerns from someone other than the parent can be a good thing.

References

Hawkes, K. (n.d.). Media and clothing market influence on adolescent girls: Warnings for parents.

Retrieved from http://foreverfamilies.byu.edu

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and

what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved

from: http://dianelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf