Time Well Spent

As the end of this journey to a Master's Degree ends a new adventure begins.  I have learned a lot though my time at Walden University, but the top three deeply felt learnings I have are the understanding of what anti-bias education is, the role of diversity in education, and the ability to advocate through a lense that is unbias.  These three learnings have helped to drive me to discover what my goals are for the future, and how what I have learned can drive my passion.  

My one long-term goals is to become a lever of change in early childhood, specifically in the area of children and families in poverty.  I examined poverty and the acheivement gap for my capstone project, and would like to use what I studied to affect real change in my community.

It has been a journey of transformation through my course work with Walden and my classmates and I appreciate the encouragement and constructive critism that has lead me to where I am today.  I wish all of you well, and look forward to the adventrues we all face in the road ahead.

International Opportunities

The international organizations that appealed to me were Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), International Step By Step Association (ISSA), and the Academy for Educational Development. I chose the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) because their vision is to improve the well-being of people through policies (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, n.d.). I found their website to be informative and well-organized. It provided a lot of information on social and economic research and policies. I found one quote that particularly spoke to me, "Drawing on facts and real-life experience, we recommend policies designed to improve the quality of people's lives" (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, n.d., para 3). I appreciate the mention of basing their policies on real-life experience and research. I chose ISSA because of their pillars and beliefs. They directly correlate with my own values and beliefs. Their pillars are, "Pillar 1 - Access and equity of care and education for each young child, Pillar 2 - Promote high quality and professionalism in providing care and education for young children, and Pillar 3 - Empower parents and communities to participate in and support children's well-being, development and learning" (ISSA, n.d., para 3).  I chose the Academy for Educational Development because of their 360 perspective.  “Improving lives in sustainable, measurable ways is possible only when we connect ideas, resources and people who have a stake in the issues affecting their communities. Through customized responses that address multiple aspects of people's lives, we can exponentially increase the impact of our work” (Academy for Educational Development, n.d., para 1).  This perspective encompasses my philosophy.  I believe that we need to approach change as a whole child, family, community way.  There are so many needs that must be met in order for progress to be made.  All three of these organizations offer exciting possibilities for employment.

One position that I believe would be interesting would be a trainer at the ISSA campus.  To be in an environment with so many like-minded people that are passionate and affecting change would be an incredible opportunities.  Another position at OECD that would be interesting is the Young Professionals Program.  This position, “under the supervision of experienced professionals, carries out research and analysis of issues of current policy relevance” (OECD, n.d., para 6).  This would offer a lot of experience in the field of research and public policy.  In looking at the position requirements I will meet them at the completion of this degree.  It also asks that candidates be willing to learn French as part of their job requirements.  These two positions are vastly different, but are positions that I could take on with a bit of learning and experience. 

References

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2014, from http://www.oecd.org/home/0,2987,en_2649_201185_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2014, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html

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

National Organizations and Career Opportunities

The three national organizations that appeal to me are the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the National Head Start Association (NHSA), and the Council for Professional Recognition.  I chose NAEYC because it is the biggest national organization for the education of young children.  They are well researched, organized, and advocates for early childhood.  I have been a member since college, and would like to get more involved.  I chose NHSA because I have worked for head start for several years and believe in the philosophy.  I would like to get more involved in the national efforts to improve program quality and availability.  The Council for Professional Recognition is the council that is in charge of the CDA trainings and certification.  I am currently a professional development specialist for the council, but would like to become more involved. 

The job opportunities that I found to be of interest to me are difficult to find.  I haven’t ever looked nationally, so I was not sure where to look at first.  However, I searched on the NHSA website and it linked me to some Office of Head Start positions that are available.  There are several program specialist positions open across the United States.  This position’s responsibilities include local grantee program oversight, advice and assistance to local grantees, and collection of data and reporting.  This would be a very interesting job as it would cover several different programs.  I do currently hold all the necessary job requirements at this time.  NAEYC also had an internship available that is unpaid, but seemed like an interesting position.  The position is for digital content assistants.  The position is responsible for website content, social media, e-newsletters, as well as other digitally delivered information.  This would be a great opportunity to learn more about early childhood, NAEYC, and how an organization that size advocates for children and families.  I currently possess all of the skills and experience that I would need to competently fulfill this role.  It just requires knowledge of early childhood, digital media, and ability to write in proper English.  

Organizations and Opportunities

Local Organizations

The first organization I am interested in is the Great Start organization of Northwest Michigan.  This organization is the early childhood initiative for the state of Michigan, and it is the local chapter.  This organization provides a quality rating system for all childcare programs, provides training and professional development for early childhood professionals, and many other resources related to early childhood.  They also have a community of practice of which I am a member.  This is the Great Start Kids Strengthening Families Workgroup.  This is a group of community members and professionals that come together to support families in the community.  The third organization that appeals to me is the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children.  I have been a NAEYC member for several years, and find it provides abundant resources, support, and current information.  It supports early childhood professionals and gives them opportunities to come together to discuss early childhood topics. 

Job Opportunities

There is a position open for the Great Start Organization for Assistant Director.  The requirements for this position are a Masters Degree and 3-5 years experience in the early childhood profession.  After this class I will possess all of these requirements. 

Another position is the for the state reform officer.  This position oversees school reform and helps to plan for schools that do not meet the required yearly progress.  This position only requires a bachelors degree in any field.  This I find interesting and discouraging, because I would think a job this important would require some kind of education background. 

At this time of the year there are very few education job opportunities, and I struggled to find a third that was something I was interested in.  At my agency there is a site supervisor position that is available at this time.  It requires a bachelors degree in an early childhood discipline.  I am qualified for this position and submitted my resume last week in hopes that this fall I could begin a new journey as a site supervisor. 

Resources

 

www.greatstartforkids.org

 http://www.michigan.gov/mdcs/0,1607,7-147-6876---,00.html

www.nmcaa.net