Final Post for MS ECS - I can't believe it!

Lessons Learned: 

Whether it is deciding to pursue a degree or change a child’s world, the road will contain obstacles. It is how we choose to deal with those obstacles that will determine the extent of our success.

The difference we make may be small at the time, but the shadows that we cast can reach much farther than we ever dreamed possible and change lives in a ways that are unexpected.

Even though we search for evidence of great growth and change – each step along a meaningful journey has accomplishments, especially in the lives of children. As early childhood professionals, it is our job to not only aid in that development, but also look for those milestones and celebrate each child’s successes!

Long Term Goal: 

While this is certainly 

the kind of scale that 

my current project

is focused on, 

my eventual goal is that one day these scales will tilt in favor of children and families and that they will receive the support, services, and respect for what they are –  the foundation of our future!

For My Classmates: 

Beyond Borders: Reaching Children Everywhere

One of the greatest consequences of this degree program has been the opportunity to expand significantly beyond my comfort zone and look at early childhood from a global perspective. Many resources have stretched my perspectives to include educational practices from countries like Australia. At one point I successfully established communications with Mohamed from Mali, Africa on the subject of education. Most recently, the reality of prospective employment now that this goal has been realized and I have attained this degree. (OK, so I don’t have diploma in hand, but I’m optimistic!)

This week I step beyond the borders of the US, looking for ways to impact children’s education around the world. My first stop is UNESCO’s Education for All (EFA) program. UNESCO’s commitment to provide a quality education for children around the world resonates with my desire to see this dream become a reality even in my own back yard. As corny as their goal of “world peace” may sound, what grander endeavor is there for future generations? After all, each great accomplishment begins with a small step and an eager faction. Unfortunately, my inability to speak French and my lack of extensive managerial experience precludes the possibility for employment with this organization at this time, but it does not impede my continued efforts on other fronts.

My next stop is the Children’s Rights International Network (CRIN) who, among other things, advocate heavily for equity in education for millions of children around the world. CRIN recognizes that “a quality education encourages children’s participation and critical thinking and is infused with the values of peace and human dignity - has the power to transform societies in a single generation” (CRIN, 2013, para 2). What better weapon is there against the war on poverty and oppression? Unfortunately, since this is a small organization of dedicated individuals, job postings are rare which speaks to the dedication of the individuals as well as the cohesion of the group as a whole.

Finally, Save the Children’s education program caught my attention. Through programs like Literacy Boost, Save the Children is working to alleviate illiteracy throughout many parts of the world. Already significant successes have been achieved, thus expanding their efforts. In part, this success is attributed to the concept of community education and the dedication to teach entire communities to read and write with the ultimate goal of escaping poverty and fulfilling their potential.

Within this organization I did find an opening for an Education Program Manager whose primary tasks would include the organization, presentation, and evaluation of extensive educational efforts in Somaliland. This challenging position would not only require a post-graduate degree, but experience in project planning, mentoring, and management in addition to highly developed cultural awareness and willingness to travel.

Although I honestly don’t see myself pursuing a position overseas, I am intrigued by the concept. Perhaps an opportunity to volunteer for a time with any of these organizations would spur a deeper desire to engage at that level, but for now – there is a lot of work to be done here are home.

Children’s Rights International Network [CRIN]. (2013). Education. Retrieved from http://www.crin.org/themes/ViewTheme.asp?id=7

Save the Children. (2013). Education. Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.net/what-we-do/education

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization [UNESCO]. (2011). Education for All. Retrieved from http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=15730&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Branching Out

Because of the extensive work that they do to improve early experiences for children, as well as professional support for adults, I chose to search the NAEYC (n.d.) site for possible employment opportunities. Surprisingly, the first position that I found, was a Regional Training Associate whose primary responsibility would be to travel extensively throughout the west and southwest conducting seminars and workshops for early childhood educators. Among many other requirements is the ability to teach adults, taking into consideration the diversity and population of each specific group.

Additionally, the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2012) strives to improve early experiences for young children through creating innovative programs that not only support children directly, but support educators, caregivers, and families as well. On this site, I found a position for a project director in the area of Education and Leadership Development. The responsibilities of this position range from fundraising and presentations to research and collaboration with others in the field. The overall goal of this program – and center – is to create meaningful initiative that will help to build strong leaders for the future. Unfortunately, I do not yet possess the extensive leadership qualifications that this job requires, but certainly sets  a standard by which to prepare myself in the next several years.

Finally, I diverted from early childhood slightly and explored the Association for Continuing Higher Education (2008) which is dedicated to the support and development of those continuing their education, also providing a platform for collaboration and supportive networking. While this organization did not have any directly associated postings, they do provide an extensive job bank of member organizations. One position on this list that I found interesting would be an Early Childhood Mentor at the University of Mississippi which consists of traveling the state helping early childhood educators improve their instructional strategies and overall interactions with children and families specifically associated with the Mississippi Building Blocks project.

This relatively young project “is a private-sector funded pilot program designed to assist existing childcare centers in making improvements to their programs by improving teaching and learning in licensed child care centers; strengthening parenting skills; and improving school-readiness among entering kindergartners” (2012).

Association for Continuing Higher Education (2008) Retrieved from http://www.acheinc.org/

Harvard Center on the Developing Child. (2012). Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/

Mississippi Building Blocks. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.msbuildingblocks.com/mx/hm.asp?id=Mission

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/

Exploring Roles in the ECE community: What possibilities lie ahead?

What a reality check – to look into the future and imagine myself in another career! It seems I only need determine a direction and the opportunities abound in this growing field.

At first, I was unsure where to even start looking for available employment opportunities but ended up finding an abundance of interesting prospects at www.azjobconnection.gov .

The first posting that caught my attention was for a Quality First! Coach with the Association for Supportive Child Care here in Tempe, Arizona. Quality First is Arizona’s response to the deep budget cuts to early education that provides support and training to centers who wish to improve the overall quality of their programs as well as support for families of small children in need of quality care. The job would entail visiting sites enrolled in the program and provide them with guidance and feedback regarding their progress in the Quality First Improvement rating system. It would also include mentoring and training opportunities. The only skills that I would have to brush up on are the specifications for the ITERS, ECERS, FCCERS, CLASS, and other assessment tools used in the industry. My passion for ensuring that all children have access to quality care and education is highly compatible to the mission of this organization – “creating a family-centered, comprehensive, collaborative and high-quality early childhood system that supports the development, health and early education of all Arizona's children birth through age five.” (www.azftf.gov, 2010)

The next position that I found intriguing was a Cohort Adjunct in Early Childhood Education for Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. Although there were two adjunct positions available, I find the cohort aspect interesting as I would be working with the same group of students as they progress through the program. Additionally, Grand Canyon is a private, Christian university that offers a wide variety of programs in a variety of modalities, but this assignment would be face-to-face and enable me to implement a great deal of the strategies learned throughout these last 9 courses! Although one of the preferred qualifications is an Early Childhood Endorsement (which I do not have yet) I do possess ample skills and experience to become a viable applicant.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find solid information on job opportunities with the Arizona Department of Health Services Empower Program which is where my heart truly lies at the moment. As you will see throughout the course of this term, my Capstone Project is based on improving my center’s implementation of the Empower standards towards the goal of helping the children and families that we serve adopt healthy habits that will last a lifetime. The aim is to undermine childhood obesity’s hold on the youngest generation while lessening its grip on the rest of the family as well.

Ideally, I would like to become part of the task force that helps organize and present trainings for early childhood educators around the state.

After exploring these and several more options, I am encouraged and challenged to continue growing professionally. I am feeling more confident every week that I can become an advocate for positive change and make a real difference in the lives of children – Thank You, Walden, and Everyone who I have met and worked with because of them!