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

The national and federal organizations I chose to review are:  Council for Professional Recognition, Association for Early Learning Leaders and National Black Child Development Institute.

The Council for Professional Recognition is a resource for educators to acquire the credentials needed to provide quality care for children. The Council promotes performance and recognition of professionals in the early childhood education of children aged birth to 5. The Council sets policies and procedures for assessment and credentialing, publishes the Competency Standards and other materials used for CDA, (Child Development Associate) credentialing, and administers the assessment. The reason I chose to highlight this organization is because they recognize the importance of development of early childhood professionals. The Council recognizes and credentials professionals who work in all types of early care and education programs-Head Start, pre-k, infant-toddler, family child care, and home visitor programs. There are currently no employment positions available in this program.

The Association for Early Learning Leaders, formerly known as the National Association of Child Care Professionals (NACCP), is an organization committed to strengthening the skills of owners, directors, administrators, emerging leaders and other professionals who are dedicated to early care and education. This organization is considered one of the top associations serving professionals in the early care and education field. It has created professional development opportunities since 1984. This organization will be important as a networking and collaboration source for members, other professionals, and national early childhood organizations. The organizations had several positions for teacher assistants, resident supervisors and a Mother’s Day out Director.

The National Black Child Development Institute is one of the only national organizations dedicated exclusively to the success and well-being of Black children, the National Black Child Development Institute and their network of Affiliates have been outspoken on issues related to the education, care, and health of Black children and their families. They serve as a national resource agency providing programs, publications, advocacy, and trainings related to early childhood care and education; K-12 education; health and wellness; literacy; family engagement; and child welfare. I chose to highlight this organization because of the important work they are undertaking to respond to the unique strengths and needs of Black children in the education field. There are no employment positions available in this organization.

References

Association for Early Learning Leaders, www.earlylearningleaders.org

Council for Professional Recognition, www.cdacouncil.org

National Black Child Development Institute, www.nbcdi.org   

  

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

In exploring roles in the early childhood education community on the local and state level, there were many that I found interesting. Those I chose to explore further are:  Orange County Head Start, First 5 California and California Department of Education, specifically the Early Education and Support Division.

Orange County Head Start (OCHS)

Nationally, Head Start began providing services in 1965 and is now available to children throughout counties in the United States. Head Start in Orange County, California began in 1979 and currently serves over 4,000 children. These services are available for preschool children from low-income families at no cost. I chose this local agency because of the many opportunities to make an impact in children’s lives. This agency provides services education for parents, home visits, and center care and education for children to name a few.  The community of practice is extensive in this agency.

 

A current employment opportunity is Childcare Center Director. Some responsibilities include:  supervise, organize, and plan staff, child and parent activities; observe and monitor classrooms for compliance and prepare related paperwork and reports; implement programs that will maintain compliance with federal and state regulations and Agency policies; and train staff on developmentally appropriate practices and agency policies and procedures. These are a few of the responsibilities included in the job description.

First 5 California

Since 1998, this agency has designed comprehensive programs that address the needs of children ages 0-5 and their families. Their goal is to improve early childhood outcomes in the areas of health, nutrition, early literacy and language development, quality childcare, and smoking cessation. This is an interesting agency because of their commitment to research and designing of programs. An important reason why research is necessary to the field of early childhood education because of how it is evolving with our changing communities.

An available employment opportunity with this agency is a research program specialist. In this position, you are responsible for developing and documenting evaluation policies, procedures and protocols. And most importantly, independently contributing to research, evaluation and or technology projects that collect data for evaluation efforts related to professional development of teachers in the early childhood education field.  

California Department of Education (CDE)

In this large state agency, I am specifically interested in the Early Education and Support Division (EESD). This division provides leadership and support to contractors and the child development community, ensuring high quality early education programs are provided to children ages birth to 13 years.

A current employment opportunity is that of Child Development Consultant. This position is a great example of community of practices. Duties include:  Collaboration with local childcare agency representatives, other governmental agencies and other units with the California Department of Education (CDE), including directors, curriculum specialists, teachers, parents, and representatives from the child development community, to develop activities which promote the vision, mission and goals of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, the CDE, and the EESD.

References

Orange County Head Start. Retrieved from http://www.ochsinc.org

First 5 California.  Retrieved from http://www.first5california.com

California Department of Education.  Early Education and Support Division. Retrieved from http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/di/or/cdd.asp