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

The first Community of Practice that appealed to me was the Children’s Defense Fund. This organization was first brought to my attention earlier in this program. They provided assistance to children living poverty in the U.S. and this was one of the organization that seemed to be of the most interest to me as well as one in which I can see myself either working with or for.

The next community of practice that was of interest to me was the Bread for the World.  It also targets children living in poverty specifically children who are experience hunger as a result of their poverty. Advocating for these children is one of their main objectives.

The final organization I explored was UNICEF.   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. They believe that they can, together, advance the cause of humanity.

In considering job opportunities in the above organization I thought it might be a great opportunity to explore positions with the entities. However I feel that I would benefit far more by having a hands on approach working directly with the people who are affected by poverty.   I don’t want to work behind the scene.  To serve in this type of work atmosphere I would need sufficient communication skills which may be a challenge when encountering people who are different than me. It will quite essential that I am able to obtain resources that will assist me in support the families culturally and so forth.  

References:

Bread for the world (2012). Retrieved September 27, 2012 from http://www.bread.org/.

Children’s defense fund (2012) Retrieved September 27, 2012 from http://www.childrensdefense.org/.

UNICEF: United States Fund. (2012). Retrieved September 27, 2012  from http://www.unicef.org.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The local or state organizations or communities of practice I chose are the Mississippi Early Childhood Education Association, Mississippi State University Early Childhood Institute and The State Early Childhood Council. I choose each of the organization because they support the vision that I have for the early childhood. These groups recognized the importance of providing children with the best quality education early in life. In addition, each organization understands that there are many factors that create barriers that prevent families from taking advantage of early childhood service however the above organization are working to alleviate any reason that families will not take advantage of services provided  to children of early childhood ages.

The job opportunities (currently available or not) that I am interested in is Early childhood educator in the Head Start Setting and/or various daycare and learning center atmospheres.

 The skills and experience that is required to competently fulfill the position are as follow:

Early Childhood Educator

Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.   Bachelor’s Degree, and in some cases an Associate’s degree is accepted

Preschool/Head Start Teachers

Skills

Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Instructing — Teaching others how to do something.

Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.

 

References:

 Education Administrators, Preschool and Childcare Center/Program. (n.d.). O*NET OnLine. Retrieved September 15, 2012, from http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/11-9031.00

 Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education. (n.d.). O*NET OnLine. Retrieved September 15, 2012, from http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-2011.00