Time Well Spent!

 

 

At least three deeply felt learnings from this program:

Being a voice for the voiceless.

Learning about many of the issues and trends within the ECE field.

Learning about anti-bias education, diversity, culture, and communication.

At least one long-term goal:

Use what I have learned from this program to effectively help support and interact with young children and their families. I want to be the best ECE professional I can be for the children and families I will work with in the future.

A farewell message to your Instructor and colleagues:

Dear Dr. Dartt and Colleagues,

I have enjoyed working with all of you. I appreciate all of the help, feedback, and encouraging words. There were times when I felt like I was not going to make it through, but you all helped me realize that I could do it! Thank you all for everything! I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Congratulations, colleagues! WE DID IT!!!  

Sincerely,

Ashley T.  

Jobs/Roles: International Level

Hello Colleagues,

Here are the 3 international organizations I chose to share:

http://acei.org/

Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI)

Job opportunity: ACEI Board of Directors

Skills/Experience Needed: demonstrate a clear commitment to furthering the education and well-being of children worldwide and are dedicated to promoting excellence in nonprofit governance. Board of Directors members play a critical role in making decisions regarding Association goals and the allocation of resources (ACEI, 2011).

I chose this organization because it is concerned with “Bright Futures for Every Child in Every Nation” (ACEI, 2011).  

http://www.iaswece.org/index.aspx

International Association for Steiner/Waldorf Early Childhood Education (IASWECE)

Job opportunity: Educator

Skills/Experience Needed: Must go through IASWECE training. Early childhood educators who carry responsibility for the care and education of the child from birth to school entrance in a Steiner/Waldorf setting are expected to have completed a full Steiner/Waldorf early childhood training program (IASWECE, n.d).

I chose this organization because educators respond to the young children in 2 ways:

1.       engages in domestic, practical, and artistic activities the children can readily imitate (for example, baking, painting, gardening, and handicrafts), adapting the work to the changing seasons and festivals of the year (IASWECE, n.d.)

2.       nurtures the children’s power of imagination by telling carefully selected stories and by encouraging free play.

http://www.unicef.org/

UNICEF

Job Opportunity: Educator

Skills/Experience Needed: International professionals are normally required to have an advanced university degree in a field relevant to the work of UNICEF. The work experience should be relevant to the position and to the work of UNICEF. Proficiency in English and in another Official UN working language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is required. Knowledge of the local language of the country where the position is located in is an asset. All UNICEF staff must be prepared to work in any region or country and to undertake extensive in-country travel. A large part of a typical career is spent in developing countries (UNICEF, n.d.).

I chose this organization because of all of the information available on different subjects concerning Early Childhood.

References

Association for Childhood Education International (2011). Retrieved from http://acei.org/

 International Association for Steiner/Waldorf Early Childhood Education (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.iaswece.org/index.aspx

 UNICEF (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/

 

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

The 3 National/Federal Organizations I chose to share:

1.       National Association for the Education of Young Children NAEYC - http://www.naeyc.org/

2.       Zero to Three -  http://zerotothree.org/

3.       National Head Start Association – NHSA - http://www.nhsa.org/

I chose these 3 national organizations because I have referenced them several times in classes throughout this program. I find that each one is committed and dedicated to serving young children and their families. All of them have great resources that are useful for educators and parents. I have even subscribed to receive monthly newsletters from one of them.

Job Opportunities That Interest Me From

NAEYC: Senior Director, NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation.

Requirements: Demonstrated leadership and management skills administering early childhood systems and quality improvement initiatives.  Demonstrated track record of staff supervision that motivates excellent performance and supports ongoing staff development. Excellent organizational, communication and interpersonal skills. Strong conceptual and analytic skills and talent for innovation. Advanced degree in nonprofit management, business administration and/or early childhood education/child development preferred. Some travel required.

Zero to Three: Senior Training Specialist

Requirements: Master’s degree in early childhood development or related field.

Strong knowledge of early childhood development and early childhood systems; with a specific focus on infant and toddler development; Strong knowledge of Early Head Start program development, the Head Start Program Performance Standards, and EHS technical assistance resources;

Excellent training skills and experience providing training to a variety of audiences; Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks; Strong oral, and computer skills; Experience working in various databases; Ability to work collaboratively with individuals representing a range of backgrounds and skill levels; Ability to be flexible and adaptable to dynamic changes in the work environment; Ability to work with a team as well as independently; Strong interpersonal skills; and Ability to travel.

 

NHSA: Director of Early Learning and Head Start Services

Requirements: 3-5 years experience supervising and coaching teachers and education leaders; Experience with Head Start, Early Head Start and special education strongly preferred. Demonstrated success in program management, including operational and financial management, evaluation and assessment, and continuous improvement for educational programs. Experience leading and inspiring a highly effective team, with a strong commitment to staff development. Demonstrated success implementing new programs to engage broad, diverse audiences. Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education or related field; master's degree preferred. Ability to communicate effectively in written or verbal format to groups of all sizes and individuals. Experience executing strategies to engage families to support their children's healthy development and school readiness (NHSA, 2014).

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

National Association for the Education of Young Children (2014) Retrieved from  http://www.naeyc.org/

National Head Start Association (2014) Retrieved from http://www.nhsa.org/

Zero to Three (2014). Retrieved from   http://zerotothree.org/

 

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

Hello Colleagues!

This is what I found:

http://gayconline.org/ : Georgia Association on Young Children (GAYC)

I chose GAYC because:

 I can network with others interested in early childhood development and education.

I can receive journals from both NAEYC and SECA.

I can join together with others to make a difference in the education of young children in Georgia.

Job Opportunity:

 Director of a child care center

Skills & Experience Needed:

 Directors of all licensed childcare centers are required to take an approved 40-hour Director   Training course.

H.S. Diploma, Credential, or Certificate- Education / Training Requirements: Child Development Associate (CDA)   - issued by the Council for Professional Recognition Technical Certificate of Credit Technical College Diploma Montessori Diploma  Paraprofessional Certificate   - issued by the Professional Standards Commission International Nanny Association Certificate Military School-Age Credential (MSA)  - issued by the Council for Professional Recognition

 

http://decal.ga.gov/BftS/About.aspx:  DECAL (Dept. of Early Care And Learning) Bright from the Start

I chose DECAL Bright from the Start because:

Bright from the Start oversees a wide range of programs focused primarily on children ages birth to school age and their families.

Job Opportunity:

None from DECAL, but there are 100 lead pre-k teacher/assistant teacher positions available at http://decal.ga.gov/BftS/ProviderJobsList.aspx

Skills and Experience Needed:

ECE/ ELEM. Certificate, CDA

 

http://www.georgiaheadstart.org/ : Georgia Head Start Association (GHSA)

I chose GHSA because:

It provides comprehensive early childhood and family development services to children from birth to five-years-old, pregnant women and families.

It is a statewide non-profit organization with the mission to provide education, leadership and advocacy that supports Head Start programs’ efforts in delivering high quality comprehensive services to Georgia’ to enhance the capability of local Head Start programs to deliver quality comprehensive services to children and their families.

It represents the 31 Head Start and Early Head Start agencies in the state of Georgia that provide these services to over 25,000 low-income preschool children birth through five-years-old and their families.

Job Opportunity:

Lead Teacher

Skills and Experience Needed:


AA in Early Childhood
BA or BS in Early Childhood or closely related field
Early Childhood certification

Reflecting on Learning

Dear colleagues,

Once again, we have reached the end of another course. I am very appreciative for all of the kind words and feedback from you all. I would like to wish everyone the best as we all move on to our next course. I have enjoyed working with all of you and sharing ideas and insights with each other. I can truly say I have learned a lot from everyone.

My most passionate hope for my future as an EC professional and for the children and families with whom I will work is that we ALL establish a working and respectful relationship with each other. I hope that I reach those who may not believe in anti-bias education.

Best Wishes!!!
Ashley T.

Impacts on Early Emotional Development:

 

I chose to explore a region in Africa. The country I chose was Ghana. I chose this region because I always wonder how children in countries such as Ghana are affected differently than children in the U.S. Ghana is one of many third world countries and it is interesting to learn how things are handled and what challenges are faced in a country that is the complete opposite of my own.  

The caption on this picture from the website read: “I will go close to children who are physically challenged and invite them to play with me because I know they are just like me.”

This was very touching that this child notices children who are disabled and invites them to play with him. It is also touching that he recognizes that they are just like him (children), but can’t do things exactly like him because they are physically challenged.

Specific challenges in this area that would affect the emotional development of children who live here:

·         1.2 million children (under the age of 5) have no national identity in Ghana - This can make those children feel unimportant because they are without an identity. I think our identity is an important aspect in life. These children deserve to be acknowledged and identified. They might also feel as though they do not belong anywhere.  

·         Poverty -  Not being able to have access to food, water, clothing, and shelter can be damaging to children in this area (Physically, Mentally, and Emotionally). Not getting the proper nourishment may hinder a child’s development.

·         Weak child protection - Children’s emotional development suffers if they don’t even have support or protection from things such as physical and/or sexual abuse.

·         Child mortality – Things such as this can definitely cause children’s emotional development to suffer. Children see other children suffer from diseases and other things and can do nothing about it. They really have a lot to deal with.

I gained many insights from this assignment. It is hard to read about and see that children all over the world suffer from the same things, but in different ways and to different degrees. For instance, children in the U.S. may suffer from poverty, but not as bad as some children in other countries such as Ghana.

 

Reference

http://www.unicef.org/ghana/about_7587.html

Blog Assignment: The Sexualization of Early Childhood

To be totally honest, I was not at all surprised by the findings in the article. The media and the influence from those around children are to blame for this. “Children growing up today are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sex and sexiness in the media and popular culture” (Levin and Kilbourne, 2009, p. 2). I can see how children are practically forced into being this way. They simply observe and mimic what they see. I have witnessed this many times. Here are a few examples:

Just the other day when I was getting my eye brows waxed, the lady who was waxing my brows started telling me how much of a diva her 4 ½ year old is. She told me that her daughter asked her if she can wear make-up to school so she would look beautiful. She said she allowed her to do so. I was shocked that she would allow her very young daughter to wear make-up. Then, she went on to say that she arches her eye brows for her. She even told me that her daughter asked for her to wax her brows. She said she did, but her daughter said that it hurt too much to do again, so she will just make her pluck them.

While working as an afterschool teacher, there was a little girl who never liked to play when we went outside. She was always dressed nicely and even kept her nails done. Her nails always matched what she was wearing. She always applied lip gloss every few minutes, as she looked into her compact mirror. Many of the other children would say that the girl thought she was better than everyone else. When her mother picked her up, she seemed to be the same way as her child. Her nails always matched her outfits and she, too, applied lipstick and gloss while she waited for her daughter to gather all of her belongings.  

I once observed a group of boys rating girls as they passed by them. This was in a shopping mall in the food court. The boys looked like they were about 7-10 years old. While sitting at their table, I could hear them saying things like, “Yeah, I’ll date her,” “No, she is flat chested,” and “Dang, she looks good.” I assumed that they observed what was considered “beauty” and what was not based on what they media portrays.

During outside time, I once heard a group of girls talking about their weight and size. One girl offered another girl advice to “eat more rice and peanut butter sandwiches because she was too skinny.” Another girl was telling the other girls that she started doing squats with her older sister so she would have toned legs and a bigger bottom.

Children can face many implications regarding this issue. “In the most extreme cases, the media’s incessant sexualization of childhood can contribute to pathological sexual behavior, including sexual abuse, pedophilia, and prostitution” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p.4). This is really an issue that should be taken seriously. People may think it is harmless or “cute” but children are actually affected by this. I would take the time to research this and advocate for the well-being of children and their futures. I would even discuss this issue with children and their families, expressing how important it is to be yourself and be proud of who you are. Reading about this topic has allowed me to really see just how much children are focused on the wrong things at such a young age. They should be more concerned about enjoying their childhood and not what they look like.     

Reference

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf