The first
national organization that I have an interest in is the National Association
for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
I couple of years ago I had the opportunity to attend one of their
conferences and it was amazing to be around so many people with a passion for
early childhood education. I think it would be a great feeling to be able to go
to work everyday where the passion for early childhood education is so
prevalent. A job that is open right now
that interests me is Director of Quality Improvement and Program Support. In this position you are responsible for
leading the accreditation team responsible for
providing technical, motivational, and process support to programs progressing
through the accreditation process (National Association for the
Education of Young Children, 2015). The following are the skills and experience
needed for this position:
●Strong
knowledge of early childhood education content, current issues, and
professional development needs and strategies.
●
Extensive instructional experience and ability to deliver content through a
variety of channels including training, technical assistance, coaching, peer to
peer communities, and multimedia resources.
●
Ability to positively influence, motivate, and engage staff and other
stakeholders.
●
Strong experience in program implementation support.
●
Minimum 3 years supervisory experience leading staff, contractors, and/or
volunteers.
●
Demonstrated capacity to recruit, onboard, support, and evaluate staff.
●
Bachelor's degree required. Master's degree a plus. (NAEYC, 2015).
The
second national organization that I have an interest in is ZERO TO THREE. Their mission “is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong
start in life” (ZERO TO THREE, 2015). “ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit
organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the
knowledge and the know-how to nurture early development” (2015). This organization is appealing because they
focus on helping children right from the beginning and they reach out to
parents and other member of the early childhood field. ZERO TO THREE did not have any current job
openings that I was interested in but they do employee over 100 people.
The third
national organization that I have interest in is the National Head Start
Association (NHSA).
NHSA's
vision is to lead - to be the untiring voice that will not be quiet until every
vulnerable child is served with the Head Start model of support for the whole
child, the family and the community - and to advocate - to work diligently for
policy and institutional changes that ensure all vulnerable children and
families have what they need to succeed. (2015).
A
job that would interest me at this association is a professional development
coordinator. “The Professional Development Coordinator
is responsible for coordinating various activities and functions within the
professional development division of face to face events, on-line course
offerings, and networks” (NHSA, 2015).
The requirements
for this job are the following:
1.
2
years of professional experience required
2.
Bachelor’s
degree or equivalent work experience
3.
Medium
degree of computer knowledge
4.
High
level of attention to detail and ability to work well under deadlines
5.
Flexible
and adaptable to changing priorities
6.
Strong
verbal and written communication skills
7.
Excellent
data entry, analysis skills, and customer service skills
8.
Bilingual
skills preferred (Spanish)
9.
Knowledge
and experience with the use of social media tools, conference and Learning
Management Systems
10. Capable of traveling to
various cities within the United States and surrounding Territories
References
National
Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2015). Director,
quality improvement and program support.
Retrieved from https://naeyc.applicantpro.com/jobs/277560.html.
National Head
Start Association (NHSA). (2015).
Retrieved from https://www.nhsa.org
ZERO TO THREE.
(2015). http://www.zerotothree.org
Courtney,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. It is indeed an honor to work for such organizations as NAEYC, Zero to Three and NHSA as they are a reference worldwide. I believe as an Early Childhood Educator and professional it is like doing our dream work as in each organization we can live our passion and contribute in making a difference in the lives of many children. Early Childhood is such a fascinating field because we can help in changing the lives of many children especially the most vulnerable ones and aspire for more social justice and equity in the world, where everyone can have a chance to a decent life. The role of Professional Development Coordinator at NHSA looks very challenging as it requires a wide range of skills and knowledge, but it also looks very interesting, which requires one to co-ordinate its various activities across states. I believe I would also be interested in such a position. Thanks for sharing. Caroline.
Hi Courtney,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it would be an amazing opportunity to work for one of these well-known organizations in the early childhood field. NAEYC and ZERO TO THREE have been great resources to me throughout this program at Walden, and it would be an honor to say that I worked for one of them. They have influence over many early childhood professionals and they provide excellent resources for families as well. I would like to someday attend one of the NAEYC conferences like you have. It would be inspiring to be surrounded by so many people who share a passion for early childhood education. Thank you for sharing your findings. -Mary
Courtney,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post! I am familiar with some of the organizations that you posted. The job that caught my attention was the "Professional Development Coordinator." By being a teacher for over 5 years, our curriculum is constantly changing and teachers become frustrated because they are not being trained on new materials and new curriculum. Professional Development Coordinators are great with ensuring that teachers are getting the proper training they need to effectively do their job. That is something that I would definitely look into.
Hi Courtney,
ReplyDeleteI also chose NAEYC as one of the federal organizations that I would like to work for. I was first exposed to NAEYC during my undergraduate work. It was very intriguing to hear the passion of my professors as they talked about the program during my classes. When I received my first full time job I became a member of NAEYC and I received many useful resources. I agree that it would be a great organization to be an employee of.
Courtney,
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine what one of NAEYC conferences are like. I have been to a the state one and it was amazing. I am hoping I am able to go back one of these years. I would also love to go to the main NAEYC conference.
Cheryl
Courtney,
ReplyDeleteI chose the job from the NAEYC site as well. I think that NAEYC would be an amazing company to work for and the Quality Improvement job is something I'm passionate about. I also think the Professional Development Coordinator job would be challenging but also very fun! I enjoy teaching children, but I also like the idea of teacher new professional or seasoned teachers new ideas and ways to build off what they are already doing.