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.