Saturday, July 27, 2013

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level


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.

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