Looking at
national and federal positions that are available in my field was an exciting
endeavor. I have never bothered to look far beyond my own community with
regards to employment and I am pleasantly surprised with what I have found. The
organizations that appeal to me are the National Association for the Education
of Young Children (NAEYC), National
Head Start Association, and National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC).
National
Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is an organization that
speaks to my heart. I agree with their mission statement and use their code of
ethical conduct in the course I teach as a way to inform students about what I
expect from them. NAEYC had opportunities that education wise I would be
qualified for but looking at the other qualifications it would not fall within
my abilities. One was for ‘Editor-in-Chief for its books program’; I would not be gifted
with the ability to edit work when it comes to spelling or grammar. This
position would be best left to another person. However, one position did catch
my eye. It is a listing for a ‘Senior Meeting Planner’. This position asks for
an individual to manage and coordinate logistics for the annual national
conference. It requires a B.A. and 5-7 years experience in coordinating
logistics for association conferences and multi-site meetings, which I have. Salary
starts at $60-$65,000.
The National Head Start
Association was next on my list. I have not worked for Head Start much
professional but believe in the work they do. I feel like this federal
organization fill an important hole within the field of early childhood. The
job board can be found at http://www.nhsa.org/professional_development/job_board
and was a bit over whelming. There were positions for every state. In the
community college where I teach we have a lot of spouses of enlisted military
sense out campus is just on the other side of the freeway from the base. Having
this tool to show students that if they obtain a job here and then are moved
from the area to another base they could use this site to locate another
position with in the field. There was one position in my state that looked interesting
for an Early Childhood Service Coordinator in Jefferson and Clallam County. Some
of the qualification required are a bachelor’s degree in early childhood,
communication skills and a team player, leadership ability, budget management
and staff supervision, 5 years experience, CLASS certification, and knowledge
of Head Start. As for my interests, I found a position that would be
interesting. It was a listing for an executive director in New York. To gain
more details on the position I needed to be a member.
The last organization I
chose was National
Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC). NAFCC
has been an important organization to me over the years. I was a family child
care provider for 18 years and this organization was instrumental in supporting
me. I even went through their accreditation process. This stated, it never
occurred to me to look for a job within the organization. The position that I
found to be not only interesting but something I could apply for was a volunteer
position for region 10. NAFCC is looking for people who are highly committed to
the mission and goals of the organization. Some of the duties that the position
would ask the volunteer to do is to support local and state associations,
promote NAFCC accreditation, and advocate for providers in the field at the
regional and national level. If others would like to apply to volunteer they
can find the information at http://www.nafcc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=592:become-involved-board-application&catid=38:about-us&Itemid=314.
Overall this
has been a wonderful assignment for me. I needed to see the possibilities available
to me and too the individuals who are just starting out in this field.
