Not goodbye but see you later

In the past two years I have started a new career, had a baby and finished my Masters’ degree. My life has changed significantly but I am thankful for the colleagues, peers and professors I gave grown to know and learn from.

One lesson I have learned is to appreciate the families I work with and to meet them where they are.  The expectations and goals I have for a family might not be same. I need to be sensitive to the needs and goals of the families I work with.

Secondly, I have learned to trust my instinct and grow and learn from my colleagues.  I have a lot of education and experience, however, learning and growing from those around me is an experience I need to be thankful for.

Finally, I have learned to challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone. Working with challenging families and peers can be opportunity for growth. It is important to put myself in situations I may not be comfortable with in an effort to grow myself as a professional.

To my colleagues, I wish you luck on the next chapter of your career. Thank you for challenging me and encouraging me through this process. To Dr. Teri, thank you for challenging me as a professional and supporting me through the process. I appreciate your feedback and encouragement.

International organizations

Over the course of this class I have researched early childhood organizations working at a local and national level to promote social change. This week I focused on international organizations.

This first organization I researched was the United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF).  This organization was born out of the desire to work with others to tackle challenges including poverty, violence, disease and discrimination that may impact a child’s education.  Focus areas for UNICEF include survival and development, basic education and gender equality, HIV/AIDS, Child projection and policy advocacy and partnership (UNICEF, n.d.).

The second organization I researched is Save the Children.  Save the Children is dedicated to providing relief to countries that have been hit with disasters.  In the area of education their focus is to train teachers in effective teaching practices, coach parents and caregivers on strategies to help their child begin learning at an early age. In addition, they offer reading and math programs outside of school hours and introduce children to the arts including painting, math and drama. The overall goal is to provide resources to help children continue learning during a crisis (Save the Children, 2013).

Finally, I researched the Academy for Educational Development. This organization takes a 360-degree perspective. They believe everything in linked. Their goal is to build the skills of individuals, communities and countries to address their needs in order to attain sustainability.  They want to generate, share and apply knowledge to improve lives. In addition, they partner with various organizations to achieve success (Academy for Educational Development, 2011).

These organizations are working to promote social change in a variety of ways. Their work has a significant impact on the early childhood field on an international level.

References:

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org

Save the Children (2013). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org

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

National Organizations in ECE

My challenge/problem for my capstone project focuses on supporting and teaching families and home providers strategies related to social emotional development.

The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning is working on strengthening Head Start and other childcare programs in the area of social emotional development. They create training and materials that use evidence based strategies proven to help strengthen social emotional development and challenging behaviors. In addition, they work with early childhood programs and providers to ensure these strategies are being implemented appropriately (The Center on the Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning, 2013). I searched the website, however, I could not find any job opportunities available at this time.

The Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children does several things in the area of social emotional development. They provide a summary of research-based findings on evidence-based models. In addition, they partner with national parent and professional organizations. They coordinate training and consultation to various programs on a national level and provide products to early childhood professionals (The Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children, 2013).  I could not find any job opportunities available at this time.

The Office of Head Start founded the Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation in 2008 as an Innovation and Improvement Project.  The focus is to develop strategies to help Head Start programs in the area of mental health.  The vision surrounds the idea that mental health is linked to the well being of caregivers, to promote positive mental health and well being for all children, staff and caregivers including those with challenging and social emotional concerns. In addition, they believe culture is a key component to the development of social emotional development and that building the skills and knowledge of mental health providers in Head Start programs will cause better outcomes for children and families. Finally, administrative support is necessary to allow for effective practices in the area of mental health (Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation, 2013).  No job opportunities were found at this time. 

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

I live in a community where there are some amazing early childhood organizations and centers. The first organization I researched is Alliance for Kids. Alliance for Kids addresses several areas of early learning including family support, parent education, health and mental health. The organization brings together various agencies and work collaboratively to provide quality care for children and families (Alliance for Kids, 2013).

 Alliance for Kids allows various organizations, in our community, to post jobs within the early childhood field. Currently, there are two positions posted. The job opportunities posted on their website are for early childhood educators. The requirements include meeting state requirements for teacher, a high school diploma and some college; however, a bachelor’s degree is preferred. 

The second organization I researched is the Early Childhood Education Association of Colorado. This organization is a non-profit focused on providing support and guidance to child-care centers. Their goal is to promote growth, sustainability and quality within licensed private early childhood programs (Early Childhood Education Association of Colorado, 2013). They partner with jobing.com to provide a list of employment opportunities throughout the state of Colorado. Job seekers are able to post their resume and search jobs for free.

Finally, the Community Partnership for Child Development provides 1900 children living poverty or difficult circumstances with early childhood education with the help of Head Start, Early Heat Start and the Colorado Preschool Program. Not only do they provide educational services but dental, health and family support services as well (Community Partnership for Child Development, 2013). Currently, they have several openings including outreach coordinator, child-care provider and education assistant. The position I would be most interested in would be child-care provider.  The requirements include past child-care experience and at least 16 years of age.

I am interested in these organizations because of their commitment to the early childhood field. They provide families with resources as well as provide quality care. As I begin my capstone project I will use these resources to help me.

Reference

www.allianceforkids.org

www.coloradoecea.org/About

www.cpcdheadstart.org

See ya later, not goodbye

Dear Colleagues,

As we say goodbye to another course, I want to take a minute to say thank you for sharing your personal and professional stories and experiences. I have enjoyed learning from your perspectives and growing as a communicator and professional. I wish you all the luck in your future studies and careers.  Online learning can be difficult to built personal connections with classmates; however, I have felt drawn to many of your stories and would love to keep in touch with any who would like. 

My contact information:

Amber Brown

School: Amber.avink@waldenu.edu

Personal: peache3117@yahoo.com

Or facebook friend me!

I wish you all the best in your future studies and hope to stay in contact with you all!