Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels. EDUC 6990-6

I am an early educator, who has worked with young children for over 16 years. Through my journey in Walden University’s Master’s program, I have gained so much insight in working children from diverse backgrounds, to building strong partnerships with families, and community organizations. For this particular blog assignment, I was asked to seek out 3 community organizations, and jobs of interest, that foster the well-being of children, families, and the early childhood field as a whole.

The first organization that caught my interest is called; A Caring Alternative, LLC. Caring Alternative, LLC, uses solid evidence based, trauma focused models, and interventions, with children that have experienced displacement from homes due to abuse/neglect, behavior challenges, and other severe mental health issues. This organization also runs foster care programs within 7 counties in North Carolina, as well as Day Treatment classroom programs, within the county I currently live.

 I am interested in a position with this organization, because I am ready to explore a career, with working with children in a mental health environment. I am willing to gain the training, and experience needed, to successfully facilitate the proper treatment and therapeutic experiences, which will ensure these young children will find placement in a stable adoptive family, as well as return back to their biological families in a safe and healthy manner. In order to qualify for employment with A Caring Alternative, LLC, I would need:

·         Provisional and Licensed Clinicians.

·         Must be deeply committed to high quality of care for the client.

·         Some available positions require travel on a daily basis in the local community in order to provide skill building and supportive counseling and to assist the consumer to develop critical daily living and coping skills.

In addition to these qualifications, I am required to have a valid driver’s license, and clean driver’s record.  And I must poses a clean criminal background record.

The next organization, I looked into was through the United Way, Dallas Texas, as an Education Impact Specialists. Although I am hundreds of miles from Texas, this job caught my interest because the program consists of basically four different positions in 1. The four parts of the position focuses on home visits services with youth in high risk/high targeted communities, providing online resources, and referral services, implementing training for assessments Instruments, and assisting in the development of plans for early childhood comprehensive systems throughout Dallas Texas.

Qualifications of this particular position require:

·         Strong communication/documentation skills.

·         Solid understanding of child development, education and social service programs and systems for children and families

·         Excellent written and verbal communication skills

·         Experience in roles where relationship management is key to success

·         Experience in project and contract management

·         Motivated, driven and an independent worker

·         Solid understanding of basic research practices

·         Detail-oriented

In addition to these qualifications, I will need an; Undergraduate degree, preferably in child development, early childhood education or a related field. And a Minimum 1-3 years in social services or non-profit project management, development and implementation .I chose to look into this job because, of the flexibility, in working within the community. I am a face-paced thinker, and mover. I enjoy working as a mentor, and helping fellow colleagues, in developing curriculums, and conducting assessments, that are used appropriately, in measuring the growth and development, of young children.

My last career selection was through and agency by the name of; Right to Play, located in New York City. This program encompasses all of the values, and beliefs that I hold, and has been imbedded in my soul throughout the years of receiving higher education, “Children learn best through play, and real-life experiences”.  The Right to Play organization believes, children should have high-quality early learning opportunities, supporting school readiness and lifelong achievement by harnessing the power of play as a tool for learning, exploration, and development. The education level for this position is; an Associate’s degree in Program managing, or Early childhood education.

Duties for this position include:

·         CONDUCT NEEDS ASSESSMENTS AND SUPPORT PARTICIPANTS TO DESIGN AND DELIVER INTENTIONAL PROGRAMS THAT MEET CBO NEEDS (15%):

·         SUPPORT DESIGN AND DELIVERY OF HANDS-ON, DYNAMIC WORKSHOPS FOR EDUCATORS, CHILDCARE PROVIDERS, PARENTS/CAREGIVERS, FAMILY WORKERS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS (25%):

·         PROVIDE ON-GOING COACHING, GUIDANCE AND SUPERVISION TO PARTICIPANTS (35%)

·         MONITORING AND EVALUATION (15%

·         MONITORING AND EVALUATION (15%):