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

These are some of the National or Federal organizations that are valuable resources for the ECE field.  They offer a wealth of information and could make a great addition to my community of practice.

NAEYC – The National Association for the Education of Young Children serves and acts on behalf of the needs, rights, and well-being of all young children with their primary focus on the provision of educational development services and resources (NAEYC Bylaws, Article 1, section 1.1).  A current job opening with this organization is that of Executive Assistant to the Executive Director.  This position is located at their headquarters in Washington, D.C. Qualifications include strong organizational skills, strong interpersonal skills, and must be highly resourceful.  Also, candidate should have 5-10 years of experience supporting executives.

http://www.naeyc.org/content/about-naeyc

NIEER- The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) conducts and communicates research to support high-quality, effective early childhood education for all young children. It is currently seeking Data Collectors.  This position requires a minimum of a BA with a focus on child development, early childhood, or related field.  Candidate must also be knowledgeable about developmentally appropriate practice and have an excellent academic record.

http://nieer.org/

NPDCI – The National Professional Development Center for Inclusion works to ensure that our teachers are prepared to educate and care for young children with disabilities in inclusive classrooms.  They have a Community of Practice forum where people can share their challenges and contribute ideas. They are funded by the Office of Special Education.

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts. OSEP administers the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Available jobs with these organizations include educational program specialist and educational research analyst.  Both require a doctorate degree which may be an incentive for ongoing continuing education. 

http://npdci.fpg.unc.edu/

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/mission.html

 

 

A message to everyone about kids with special needs

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

There are many local and state organizations or communities or practice in Pennsylvania that have similar missions to the early childhood field. I explored a few that I feel closely relate to my experience and educational background.

The local community college, Butler Community College, known as BC3, is located right across the street from where I live. 

Mission Statement

BC3 is dedicated to providing affordable and accessible education, training and enrichment opportunities responsive to the needs of the communities we serve. The College is committed to fostering a supportive, student-centered environment that values integrity, diversity and excellence.

Although there are currently no employement opportunities as an adjunct in the ECE department, this is something I was looking into in addition to my current job as a director of an EC center.  Once my Master’s in Early Childhood Studies is complete, I would have the education and experience to apply for this position should it become available. More information can be found at:  http://www.bc3.edu/

 

WESLEY SPECTRUM

   SERVICES

Wesley Spectrum Services offers therapeutic support staff to work with children on the autism spectrum in their homes and schools.  You need only have a Bachelor Degree; however, this can be a rewarding job opportunity.  Working one-on-one with a child and watching them grow is a benefit.  Here, you will surely see the difference you can make!

Mission Statement:

 Our mission is to provide transformational support for children and families as they strive to become more independent, responsible and caring members of the community - See more at: http://www.wesleyspectrum.org/why-choose-us/what-guides-us/our-mission/#sthash.blHlPRjM.dpuf

More information on this organization can be found at: http://www.wesleyspectrum.org/

 

Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL)

The office of Child Development and Early Learning offers professional development trainings for early childhood professionals and promotes early childhood education and the importance of lifelong learning.  OCDEL is part of the system that provides services to children and families, and contributes to continuous quality improvement opportunities for early learning programs.

MISSION:

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is focused on creating opportunities for the Commonwealth's youngest children to develop and learn to their fullest potential

More information can be found at:

http://www.pakeys.org/pages/get.aspx?page=EarlyLearning

THANK YOU!

I just wanted to thank all of my colleagues and professors for their valuable and thoughtful insights that have encouraged me and helped me to learn and grow.  I can only hope that I may have contributed a little something to each of your learning experiences as well.  It has been such an incredible journey through these classes with all of you.  I wish you all the best in your endeavors!

                                      . . .       Until we meet again . . .

                    Thank you and good luck!

Goodbye doesn't have to mean forever

Team development has a beginning, a middle, and an end.  We begin by getting to know each other, we work together to achieve our goals, and then we say goodbye when it is finished.  But goodbye doesn't have to be forever.  We can stay in touch in other projects or just continue to converse as friends.  The adjourning phase in team development gives us closure; however, it creates the opportunity for us to begin again with something new. 

The hardest goodbyes are the relationships that were formed over a long period of time where trust and respect have been formed. Saying goodbye to a college roommate after 4 years or a childhood friend moving away or a close friend being transferred to another location are tough because we are used to seeing these people every day.  Fortunately there are so many means of communication in today's world that it is easy to stay in touch with people, so there is no need for goodbye but rather "until we meet again". 

It's always fun getting to know people people and form trusting relationships.  It's the adjourning that is a double edged sword.  Yes, we are glad we have completed our project or met our goal, but saying goodbye to the relationships we have built is not so fun.

As with each Walden class we take, we give thanks to  our colleagues on our last blog assignment for all they have contributed to our learning.  Yet, it is not the end.  We meet up with them again in other classes.  These are the easy goodbyes.  When we graduate, they will be a little harder.  Luckily, we can still email, facebook, or even write on each other's blogs!  And maybe we will meet in person at graduation.  Then there could  be alumni events and reunions and collaborations in the early childhood field.....see, it's not really goodbye!

Until next time....

Call me the Escape Artist

Conflicts are all around us.  They are everywhere that people are.  Knowing how to productively manage them can be the difference between a positive outcome or a negative one. 

Recently there was a situation at work where a parent was very upset because we had found a tick on her one year old son. She said she doesn’t want her child outside anymore! I asked her if she had a dog at home. She was very offended and said where she comes from they don’t have ticks!  She said her son HAD to have got the tick while in our care.  I tried to reassure her that ticks were common in Pennsylvania and that just because a tick was found on her son, that doesn’t mean he will get Lyme disease.  She said she called the pediatrician and they didn’t seem too concerned about it.  Again, I told her that it was very common and only about 20% of tick causes result in Lyme disease.  I also told her that the tick needed to be on the skin for 24 – 48 hours before it could cause Lyme disease which, by the way, is treated with antibiotics. She seemed satisfied and I thought that the matter was resolved.  A few weeks later, our Board of Directors received a letter from her saying that she believes we have an infestation of ticks and we are doing nothing about it. She contacted the Health Department to complain because she would feel really bad if children got Lyme disease because of our carelessness. Our Board, like myself, felt as though she were overreacting. I decided to contact the Health Department myself and see what advice they could offer. I told them we have 80 children and that only one child had a tick;  however, the parent was very upset.  He laughed and said he talked to that parent the day before!  He told me I could treat the area with pesticides.  I responded by saying that in doing that, I may have many unhappy parents.  I was told that everything has pesticides in it - - children’s vaccines, our clothing, our food…everything!  He proceeded to tell me that once the pesticide was applied and dried, it was no longer harmful.  My boss and I decided we would go ahead and treat the play area this weekend.  I put out an email to families that although there have been no further incidents of ticks, we decided to be proactive and spray our play area.  Hopefully this will satisfy the parent; however, it may be too early to tell.  I did hear a parent asking a teacher what all the fuss was about.  He said his boys play in the woods all the time and when they find a tick, they just take it off with tweezers. 

I believe I used the 3 R’s as I was respectful, responsive and reciprocal.  I also used NVC.  I would say I tried the “escapist strategy” because of the nature of this conflict. I just wanted to make this parent happy.  There was no compromise, as I just did everything as if there were a true “infestation” as she claimed.  Customer satisfaction is what is important and we did all we could to appease this parent.  This same parent caused a similar conflict when her child was in the infant room.  He had the little bumps on his cheeks as many babies get.  She insisted it was caused by perfumes that our staff was wearing.  Needless to say, the infant room staff had to quit wearing perfume until her child was out of their room! 

How Am I Communicating?

How Am I as a Communicator?

            I was surprised to learn that my colleague scored my communication anxiety as low.  She must perceive me as being comfortable and confident in most situations.  I take this as a compliment.  In reality, I do get nervous when doing public speaking.  I am comfortable talking with groups of people I know; however, groups of people new to me such as new parents make me a little nervous.

            I have gained insight into the fact that people can perceive you differently than you perceive yourself.  In my case, this was a good thing.  It must not show that I am nervous or anxious at times.  My son, I knew would think I was more verbally aggressive than my colleague.  I do treat my children much differently than I treat colleagues or anyone else.  This is due to that fact that I am raising them and responsible for their behavior.  Being that parents discipline their children, I am sure most children would say their parents yell or are mean! LOL!   We treat everyone differently based on context.  Our speech repertoires help us decide what language meets the demands of the given relationship, situation, or environment (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012). 

How my colleague perceives me

How I perceive myself

 

How my son perceives me

 

            Another insight was that my son and colleague identified me as people oriented.  I also identified myself in this category.  I am trusting of others until they prove otherwise.  I am empathetic and love building relationships. This is extremely helpful in the early childhood field as relationships with families and children are key components to successful outcomes. 

Reference

 

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York:

           Bedford/St. Martin's.