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/)