Time Well Spent - Farewell

As I complete my journey I reflect on three things that I learned from this masters program:  

1.       Equity, Inclusion and Anti-bias education

2.       Effective communication and collaboration skills

3.       Techniques to manage and lead teams.

These topics will help me to reach my long term goal of obtaining my PhD in Early Childhood studies in order to provide education and training to early childhood professionals and college students. I want to thank all of my colleagues and instructors for all of your collaboration and support. I wish all of you the best as we all continue to advocate for all children. We did it!!!

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

Save the Children – “Save the Children is the leading independent organization for children in need, with a staff of more than 14,000 people working in over 120 countries, including the United States. They aim to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives by improving their health, education and economic opportunities” (savethechildren.net/jobs).

A job posting that interested me was for an Education Manager. According to the Save the Children website (savethechildren.net/jobs) the education manger is responsible for leading education-related assessments, program design and implementation at proposal and strategy level, as well as support on fundraising, recruitment and procurement, liaising and linking with other sectors in general and child protection in particular.

• Qualifications needed included:
• Minimum FIVE years of relevant experience of working in humanitarian programs or in fragile states
• Masters education in relevant discipline
• Skills and experience in the education sector specially Education in Emergencies
• Previous experience of managing a team of national staff in emergencies
• Previous experience of program management across multiple locations

Desirable qualifications included:

• Experience of urban programming
• Language skills in Arabic or Kurdish
• Experience or knowledge of working and living in Iraq or Middle East.
• Child protection experience/knowledge will be an asset

2.      UNICEF’s mission is to promote the equal rights of children, and to support their full participation in the political, social and economic development of their communities (http://www.unicef.org/about/employ)

 A job posting that interested me was the Education Specialist (Early Learning). The position is listed in New York. The job responsibilities included: providing support to the development of evidence based policy guidance and standard setting in national approaches to Early Childhood Development (ECD) and support program excellence in early childhood programming.

 Qualifications needed included:

-Advanced university degree in Education, International Development, Child Development, Social Sciences or a related technical field.

- Eight years of relevant work experience at the national or international levels in education program planning, management, monitoring, and evaluation, with a specific focus on early learning.

- Knowledge and experience of (I) The global development context; (ii) Global developments in education; (iii) Policy dialogue in education; (iv) Education systems and sector planning; (v) Education and policy sector analysis; (vi) Rigorous program management in education; (vii)  Engagement with partnerships; (viii) Strong understanding of gender in relation to education.

- Fluency in English required. Proficiency in another UN language (i.e. Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) would be an asset. 

(http://www.unicef.org/about/employ)

3.      UNESCO’s (United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) mission is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. The Organization focuses, in particular, on two global priorities: Africa and Gender equality (www.unesco.org).

I did not find any job vacancies but I am interested in going to Africa.

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

The three national/federal organizations job opportunities that I was able to locate that appealed to me were from the US Department of Health and Human Services, NAEYC and the Children’s Defense Fund. I chose these three jobs because they would allow me to still work in the area of early childhood but would not require me to work inside of a classroom. These opportunities would allow me to work with and educate adults, ensure quality standards are being met and assist children with funding their educations.

US Department of Health and Human Services- Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

Job Title:Program Specialist

Department:Department Of Health And Human Services

Agency:Administration for Children and Families

The Program Specialist in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS), provides advice and technical assistance to ACF discretionary Head Start grantee agencies that includes programmatic and fiscal oversight responsibilities for discretionary grant programs administered by grantee agencies.

·         Leads and/or participates in on-site reviews for the purpose of assessing grantees performance and compliance with Federal regulations.

·         Provides advice and assistance to grantee in program planning.

·         Monitors grant activities for conventional or pre-established grantee/contractor programs.

·         Collects and analyzes data, provides information and advice, and prepares, updates, monitors and reports on designated program operations and grantee activities, issues and accomplishments.

·         Qualifications:

1.  Knowledge of and experience with Head Start, early childhood and/or child care laws, regulations and other policies.

2.  Ability to apply analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to compile, analyze, and evaluate data and identify problems.

3.  Knowledge of the principle, methods, and techniques of the behavioral and social sciences field.

4.  Skill in oral communication.

5.  Skill in written communication.

**I posses all qualifications with the exception of experience with the Head Start organization.

(US Jobs - https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/398026400)

NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation- Reliability Specialist

NAEYC is seeking a Reliability Specialist to support the work of our Accreditation System which administers a national, voluntary, professionally sponsored system to help improve the quality of care and education provided for young children in group programs throughout the US.  The Reliability Specialist works as a member of the national team overseeing the process of accreditation for early childhood programs.

Responsibilities include working with child care program staff, NAEYC’s nationwide network of accreditation field assessors, and other NAEYC staff involved in the accreditation process. The Reliability Specialist helps develop, revise and maintain instruments, forms and protocols used in accreditation site visit assessments; support, train and monitor the performance of field assessors; support field assessors in their roles; travel to conduct field assessments or present training workshops; help develop training workshops and materials; and perform analysis of the data collected and instruments used during assessment site visits.

Minimum BA in Early Childhood Education/Child Development, experience in the field working with young children in an early childhood program and a sound understanding of its ECE practices is required. Experience with high quality programming and NAEYC accreditation and evaluation systems, or other program quality assessment systems used in educational or early care settings is required. Excellent oral and written communication, analytical, MS Office and database skills are also required. Must be able to meet deadlines, work in a team and in a fast-paced environment. Travel is required.

***I possess the qualifications with the exception of experience with NAEYC accreditation and evaluation system.

 (NAEYC Job Opportunities - https://www.naeyc.org/about/jobs)

Children’s Defense Fund - Beat the Odds Program Manager
Job Responsibilities: Specific job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following: Coordinate all aspects of BTO scholarship application and selection processes, as well as school/student engagement and cultivation Coordinate outreach to high schools, churches and community-based organizations for the purpose of securing breadth and depth in the scholarship applicant pool Monitor the student application process, including vetting applicants as necessary Oversee the student selection process, serving as primary staff contact of BTO Selection Committee, a committee comprised of prominent volunteers, providing them with a high level of support Shepard winners through the awards process, working not only with the students, but also their parents or guardians and mentors in order to ensure a positive experience before, during and after the awards ceremony Provide intensive support to scholarship recipients and alumni as related to the BTO program Maintain and grow organizational and individual relationships as related to the BTO program, including those with current and past scholarship recipients, schools, associations, CDF youth leadership programs (i.e., Beat the Odds, Freedom Schools, Internship programs) and key volunteers Develop networking and other support mechanisms for current and former BTO recipients as part of CDF’s youth leadership ladder Collaborate with CDF state/regional offices to attain consistency and uniformity in the BTO program practice and share effective strategies and tactics Coordinate the event video, including securing a videographer, working closely with him/her on the student interviews, and reviewing/editing the final product Support and assist in event planning and fundraising efforts for the annual awards dinner Monitor any CDF-approved, third-party BTO events Qualifications: Understanding of and commitment to the vision of the Children's Defense Fund and Beat the Odds Program At least three year experience in the field of teaching or youth development Knowledge of the college application process and financial aid is preferred Strong interpersonal skills, especially with students and youth of all backgrounds Excellent written and verbal communications Strong organizational and time-management skills Attentive to details and ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously Ability to work both independently and collaboratively Demonstrated ability to build and maintain inter-organizational and individual relationships to grow a program Proficiency in Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint Knowledge of web-based tools and social networking applications

**I possess the all of the qualifications for this job posting.

(Children’s Defense Fund Jobs - http://www.childrensdefense.org/about/careers/)

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

This week’s blog post consists of three local, state organizations or communities of practice that appeal to me. I have also included the Job opportunities that interest me along with the skills and experience needed to competently fulfill each of the roles.

           Texas Association of Education of Young Children (TAEYC) mission is to provide opportunities for professional growth and to broaden public awareness on early care and education issues affecting the lives of children and families.Texas AEYC is a bridge of collaboration and communication and between early care and education and the communities we serve.(http://www.texasaeyc.org/?page_id=506#more-506)

              Houston Area Association for the Education of Young Children (HAAEYC) is one of the largest chapter affiliates of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a national organization comprised of early care and education professionals.  Their mission is to promote and support high quality care and education for young children through improved professional practice and broadened public awareness (http://www.haaeyc.org/about).

These two organizations (TAEYC and HAAEYC) would allow me to join a community of practice that I could learn from and share information with in my local area. I could meet with this group regularly and contribute to their efforts to bring community and public awareness to issues regarding the early education of young children.

                       The Neighborhood Centers Inc. Choices In Education division provides an integrated, holistic education system for families with children in pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade. The Choices in Education division oversees the Agency’s early childhood education programs and the Promise Community Schools, including 10 pre-Kindergarten centers, two community-based elementary schools, one middle school, and a “New Neighbor” school for refugee children, serving a total of 1,900 students and their families (http://iamforgood.org/choices-in-education)

I chose NCI because this would allow me to work with parents as well as their children by providing them access to community resources that will to prepare the parents and children for continuing educational achievement as well as a successful career.

                        Early Childhood Intervention Services (ECI) ECI is a statewide program in Texas through the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services for families with children, birth to three, with disabilities and developmental delays. ECI supports families to help their children reach their potential through developmental services (http://www.dars.state.tx.us/ecis).

ECI would allow me to help support parents and their children who have developmental delays.

Job Opportunities:

Early Intervention Specialist – Skills needed include ability to develop evaluations and conduct assessments, Ability to develop a plan of car and experience working with infants and children.

Family Development Worker- Skills needed include problem solving, ability to handle crisis, experience working with families of diverse ethnic, language and cultural backgrounds.

As We Continue on Our Professional Paths

As I prepare to move into my specialization I would like to thank all of my colleagues who have been on this journey with me. I have been able to share and learn with everyone in many different ways. It has been very helpful to be able to share with people who share the same visions and have experienced some of the same things that I have as we educate and prepare children to be successful in school and their lives. I would like to wish everyone much success in whatever specialization that you choose. I also look forward to those who will continue this journey with me as we specialize in administration, management and leadership. We are almost there!!!  

Andrea

Adjourning From a Group

The group that was the hardest to adjourn from would have to be the group of women that I worked with while I was working as a Licensing Inspector with Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. We had a great leader Lalah Ash and the women in my unit were and still are a great group of women. I loved working with them and they helped to make the job a lot easier. We all had each other’s backs and when someone was out sick or on extended leave we would all spit up the cases and work them as if they were our own without complaints. I could always go to my supervisor for support and assistance and knew that she would be able to help find a solution that would be in the best interest of the children in care. My unit celebrated my marriage with me and the birth of my first child. They also gave me a going away party when I left to begin my teaching career.

It was also hard for me to leave or depart from my Women’s Track and Field team that I trained and competed with for four years of my life. Track and Field was a part of my everyday life from the time I was 12 to 22 years old. I truly miss competing and the friendships and bonds that were created.  

I have enjoyed the discussions and insight that I have gained from my colleagues.  I feel that although we have not been able to bond with one another face to face we have been able to build relationships. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues and continue to share and learn from them.

I believe that adjourning is an essential state of teamwork because all relationships that end must have closure. You will either agree to keep in contact or go your separate ways if the relationship was not high performing or cohesive. 

Managing Conflict

A professional conflict that I experienced last school year involved myself and my department chair (DC). My DC was the previous nursery/child care director and decided that she no longer wanted to be in charge of the nursery in order to alleviate some of her workload. When I became the nursery director I arranged the director’s office in a manner that would make it more functional for me as well as provide a safe exit for the preschool children to use in case of emergency. (My office is in between two classrooms that connect). One day I walked into my office and saw a table was back in the office. I removed the table and placed it back. When the DC arrived she came into my office to make copies and then asked me about the table outside. I informed her that someone had placed the table in the office and I removed it because I did not need it. She then told me she placed the table in the office so she could have a place to work when her classroom was occupied in the morning. I informed her that I did not want the table in the office as it made the office cluttered and would make the exit route unsafe. The DC then began to verbally personally attack me and my decision to not have the table in the office. As a result of being verbally attacked I became defensive resulting in an argument.

Looking back on this event and after learning about managing conflict, nonviolent communication and the 3 R’s I would have handled the situation in the following manner instead:

1.       Focus on the issue (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012) – I should have made it clear that the reason for the office being rearranged and for me not wanting the table was to ensure the safety of the children. Not to keep her out of her old office or to “shut her out.”

2.       Considered Options and Alternatives (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012) -  I should have suggested that she could go work in the Teachers Longue on their computers and tables when she needed a place to work.

This school year I plan to not use the Escapist Strategy and make sure that I am communicating and not avoiding having conversations that need to be had. I will make sure that I am considering the other persons feelings and focuing on the issues and not who is “right or wrong.”

O'- Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.