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!
