Hello class, as most of
you already know there are a number of early childhood organizations that can
be beneficial to us all. As I further my career I hope to one day hold
positions in these organizations so that I can make beneficial contributions to
the early childhood education field. This week we talked about communities of
practice, which can be very beneficial to us in our professional careers. Since
I have been an early head start teacher I have seen how important it is to have
the support of other professionals have share the same interest and passions as
you. I like the concept of community practice because it allows us introduce collaborative
processes, identify human resources, generate new knowledge, and lastly
stimulate learning (Gent, Tanner ND, p.4). For this assignment we were
instructed to list at least three local or state
organizations or communities of practice that appealed to us, and explain why
we chose them. Below you will find the organizations that I choose and
my explanation as to why I choose them. Along with any job opportunities that
they may have available, and the skills and experience that I would need to
fulfill those jobs.
I choose smart start
because they are a wonderful organization that support the development of young
children, also their families. They provide trainings for small fees or either
free for parents, child care providers, head start, or even the school system.
They focus on school readiness and also help to improve the quality of are
childcare programs. Mostly all of the counties in North Carolina this is the
one that supports the county that I work in. They also give away new car seats
for expectant parents, clothes, books, and toys to low income families at no
cost. They offer a parents as teachers program, “which uses the Born to Learn Curriculum for parents with children birth
to age five in Hertford and Northampton Counties. Priority is given to
low-income families, teen parents, single parents, parents of children with
special needs, and those referred from the Department of Social Services,
Health Department, Public Schools and other community agencies (i.e. Public
Housing Authority Agency). Home visits are conducted a minimum of once a
month, and a minimum of six group meetings will be offered annually in
community based locations” (https://northamptonsmartstart.org/services/).
They also offer finical assistance to the NC-Pre K program along with the
lending library that is open to the public. This agency is a great resource to
early childhood educators.
Right Smart
Start has a job opening for a Lead Parent Educator. Whose job is to “provide
the information, support and encouragement that parents need to help their
child develop optimally during the crucial early years of life. Also to provide education in the form of
personal visits, group meetings, screening, and linkages to a network of
resources for parents and children” (http://www.smartstart.org/job/lead-parents-as-teachers-educator/
retrieved on July 12, 2017). The skills that I would need for this job would be
to have good oral and written and communication skills, and also the ability to
multitask and adapt to change quickly. Also the intuitive to work independently
and also be knowledgeable of Microsoft word.
Choanoke Area Development (CADA)- I choose this organization because
it does so much to help the community, especially parents and their young
children. The offer an array of programs whether it be weatherization, home
owner ship, and also Head Start/Early Head Start. They also partner with the
Hertford- Northampton counties for the Parents as Teachers program. They also
host our local branch of Head Start/Early Head Start. “The Early Head Start program has 3 program
options, Expectant Families Option, Center Based Toddler Option, and Home Based
Option. Children in Early Head Start will grow and develop in the following
areas: Cognitive, Language (Expressive and Receptive), Social-Emotional
Development, Physical Development (Fine and Gross Motor) In addition to high
quality classroom experiences, CADA Early Head Start children receive
physicals, dentals, nutrition assessments, and speech, vision, and hearing
screenings” (https://www.nc-cada.org/programs/early-head-start.html).
I like this organization because it goes above and beyond to help the better
the lives of parents of their students and people in the community in general. They
have an outstanding staff which is made up of seasoned early childhood
professionals, who work hard to ensure that their students receive high quality
services. All of their child development centers are rated five stars.
CADA is currently hiring for Head Start Teachers- The skills that I would
need to fulfil this job would be great oral and written communication skills,
ability to work under pressure. Also experience with working with young
children. North Carolina driver license and the ability to go out and recruit
students for the program. Also the ability to foster the development of young
children using individualized lessons plans, and also through play.
North Carolina Institute for Child Development
Professionals- I choose this
organization because it is dedicated to strengthening the child care work force
and also making sure children and their families receive high quality care. “Just
to name a few things that covers also it, certifies and provides work life benefits to early educators
who work directly with and on the behalf of, or intend to work with children
ages birth to twelve. Creates access to resources and the latest research on
workforce issues through its partner network and learning community and via its
website. Defines and educates others about early childhood
professional development system elements and strategies” (http://ncicdp.org/about-us/). I like how
it high lights how important higher education is, professional development, and
advancing the education of the workforce. Through them early childhood professionals
are aware of what level they are for the state of North Carolina as certifies
early educator. Also it gives early educators great discounts on a variety of
things.
One of the
jobs that they offer is Technical Assistance Practitioners. Which jobs is
mostly to serve early educator in effort to help better the quality of their
programs. They also serve as TA
specialists, early interventionists, quality improvement specialists,
preschool/Pre-K mentors, child care health consultant’s (http://ncicdp.org/technicalassistance/).
To do this job I would need to have valid NC driver’s license along. I would
also need to be computer literate and have strong communication skills. I would
also need to have knowledge of the North Carolina child laws and requirements.
References
Ghent, Liana,
Tanner, Erin (ND) Community of Practice:
Early Childhood Education Quality retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/ceecis/Erin_Tanner_Community_of_Practice_Athens12.pdf
on July 15, 2017
https://northamptonsmartstart.org/services/
Retrieved on July 15, 2017
https://www.nc-cada.org/cada-employment.html
Retrieved on July 15, 2017
http://ncicdp.org/technicalassistance/
Retrieved from on July 15, 2017
http://www.smartstart.org/job/lead-parents-as-teachers-educator/
Retrieved on July 15, 2017
Hello Leah,
ReplyDeleteVery informative post. The three jobs of your interest posted, all need good oral and written skills. I agree that with our qualifications, communications skills is one of the major requirement an employee is looking for. It is very important to communicate effectively which will help us meet our goals. Effective communication is very important to manage relationships with others. Communication is very complex because people and situations vary all the time but it is equally important in our lives. Thanks for sharing.
Purvi