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



The first organization that interests me is Zero to Three. I first read about this in a previous class. Zero to Three's mission is to promote the health and development of infants and toddlers. I chose this organization because of how much support they offer. They not only offer support to parents, but also professionals and policymakers. They have many organizations and individuals in their community of practice.

Careers that are currently available are higher level careers. One of interest is a Senior Director of Programs. This person would be responsible for the oversight of Zero to Three programs. Some of the skills that are needed are the understanding of broad early childhood issues, strong skills in building coalitions among diverse stakeholders, and strong oral and written skills. The website is http://www.zerotothree.org/.

The next organization that is of interest to me is Head Start. Head Start is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to 5 from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development. I am passionate about early intervention and how early intervention helps children to succeed.

Careers are available in all states. Some of the careers that I thought were interesting were family outreach worker, home visitor, and family child educator. All of the positions require excellent communication skills. They also require you to monitor the families and being knowledgeable of various local agencies to help the family. The website is: http://www.nhsa.org/

Another organization I found that may not necessarily have careers, but offers a community of practice is called The National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS-SDE). I chose this organization because when you become a member of this association you become part of a community of practice that shares ideas and solves problems. The association promotes high-quality services to young children and their families through improvement of instruction, curriculum, and administration of programs.

There are three categories of membership.

Full membership in the Association shall be open to those persons with major responsibility for programs in early childhood education, serving in state departments of education or other state early childhood education agencies in the United States and its territories.

Associate membership shall be open to retired or former full members. Any early childhood specialist holding full membership in the Association is eligible for Associate Membership after leaving state agency employment .

Affiliate membership shall be open to related professionals who hold a current state-focused position in—or providing services for—a national not-for-profit organization related to the purpose of the Association

The website is http://www.naecs-sde.org/membership

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Children and Youth Services is a local agency that offers many supports for children. They offer many services for children and their families. A few of the services they offer are placement into foster care, family and individual counseling, intake services from mandated reporters, support services for children from abusive households, and help for truant students. I chose this organization because they offer a huge variety of services and they are strong advocates of children. Advocacy for children is a passion for me.

Some of the job opportunities are: Family Group Decision Making Coordinator. Some of the skills needed are ability to understand and form relationships with families, youth, and external stakeholders; excellent communication skills (written and verbal). Another job opportunity is a youth counselor. Some of the skills that are needed are excellent interpersonal skills, pass a training of safe crisis management, and facilitate group activities.
http://yorkcountypa.gov/health-human-services/children-youth-and-families/services.html

Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare is a state agency. They offer early intervention services, which is called The Pennsylvania Early Intervention program. This program is for children with developmental delays and disabilities. This program involves a community of practices including a state supported network of parents, service practitioners, and others which builds upon the natural learning opportunities that occur within the daily routines of a child and their family. I chose this agency because I currently work in early intervention and I believe strongly in the benefits of early intervention. I feel the earlier we can intervene, the better chance the child's outcome will be.

Some of the job opportunities are: Case workers and Social Services workers. The skills that are needed are communication skills, able to work unconventional hours, such as evenings and weekend, able to create good relationships with families and children.
http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/forchildren/earlyinterventionservices/index.htm

Family Child Resources is an agency in my local area, but also has agencies in other areas. They are recognized locally, statewide, and nationally.  They offer services such as intervention, education, and counseling services to children, adults, and their families. This agency interested me because of the work they do with early intervention.

Some of the job opportunities are: Counselor, Behavioral Specialist, and Social Worker. Some of the skills that are required are: must be knowledgeable in Positive Behavior Supports, Childhood Behavioral Health issues, Autism Spectrum, have strong parenting skills, knowledge of sensory integration issues and skilled in working collaboratively on grants with other agencies. http://www.f-cr.com/index.htm