Time Well Spent

    

As I come to the close of this chapter of my educational journey there are several things that I have learned that I will take with me. One of things that this program has taught me is to always know what your passions are. I recognize that passion is the foundation for our motivation. The second important thing I learned is advocacy. Through this course I have learned that advocacy does not have to be an extraordinary action. Being an advocate can begin in little ways and end up meeting larger goals. Last but not least, the key aspect of this course I will take away is that each of us are individually different and bring different strengths. It is vital to always keep in mind that the families that we work with are unique in their own way and this should be viewed as an asset and not a short coming. 

    

 My long term goal is to open my own day care and become a larger part of my immediate community by being an advocate for the families I work with. I want to make a difference in the lives of both children and their families. 

   

I truly enjoyed this course. Each of you has brought your own uniqueness and story and I can honestly say I truly enjoyed the differences we contribute. Additionally, it was a pleasure to have an instructor that was supportive and encouraging. I wish all of you the best in the future and hope that you reach all your goals. 

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

       One of the things I have learned throughout my early childhood education journey is to become more aware of international organizations. For example, the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) is a great organization for the community and advocates who come together for the best interest of children’s education.  The main focus of ACEI is to promote and advocate that all children should have access to high quality education. I didn’t notice any job vacancies on their website, however, there are grant opportunities for educational related opportunities that can promote and improve the classroom. Secondly, the Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development (CGECCD) is an organization that focuses on childhood policy and practice particularly for children who are disadvantage.  CGECCD has only one job posting at this time which is Consultancy, Sustainable Scale up of Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes and the Role of Social Enterprise. Applicants should be able to provide a detailed report, examine social enterprise approaches to sustainability of ECD programs within the SD Agenda. Lastly, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is an organization that advocate for children to have high quality learning. One of the major functions I love about NAEYC is that it is a place for both families as well as educators to learn. There are many job opportunities at NAEYC. For example, there is a current position for an executive director. The qualifications  for this position includes fund raising ability, and a track record of working with government, large urban school districts, quasi-public agencies and other non- profit entities.

http://acei.org/

http://www.ecdgroup.com/

http://www.naeyc.org/

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

As professionals it is very important to get acquainted with different organizations that support and advocate for early childhood programs. There are so many organizations that support children and their families; however, there were three that caught my attention.

            The United States Education organization is a remarkable association for all professionals, parents, and the community as whole should take part in (http://www.ed.gov/). The organization is filled with updated information that informs the public on laws that may affect early childhood community. It is a great place to gain information on new funding as well as keeping informed of budget cuts. Current jobs available at United States Education are supervisory general attorney. Job duties include providing expert legal and policy advice to case resolution teams and giving advice on all aspects of program operations within the regional office. One of the main qualification is a five years of professional legal experience.

            Furthermore, organizations such as the National Head Start Organization appealed to me because it is a place where advocates who share the same desire to make a difference in the life of young children come together to advocate as a united front(http://www.nhsa.org/ ).  Lastly, the Food Research and Action Center is an institution that come together to lobby for children living in poverty to have more resources (http://frac.org/initiatives/). One of the things that appealed to me is, the organization not only provides information on legislation and resources that can benefit families, it is making efforts to implement strategies for eliminating childhood poverty. Job vacancies include anti-hunger VISTA members in Maryland and Virginia. The position is for a one year employment opportunity. You must have a bachelor degree to apply for this position. Duties consist of detail-oriented planning and implementing skills and the ability to travel around the state for meetings and events.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

          

This week’s course assignments have affirmed to me how important it is to establish ongoing community practices in the early childhood field. Through my research I encountered many different organizations that I would want to collaborate with.  The first organization I would want to collaborate with is the Maryland Schools Division of Education (MSDE). Moreover, MSDE plays a major role in the early childhood education field. MSDE is responsible for all childcare licensing in the state of Maryland and they set the tone for the state requirements all childcare centers should uphold to. MSDE is also responsible for many grants and programs that both parents and administrators can utilize. It is a great way for professionals to stay inform with current information. The second organization that I found that would be useful is the Maryland Excel organization. The Maryland Excel is a voluntary organization set in place to improve and encourage quality improvement for both providers and families. It is important for me to create partnerships with organizations that encourage higher quality learning for children and provides information to parents on choosing the best care for their children. Lastly, the Maryland Rural Development Corporation is an organization that assists families in low income areas with resources to promote independence and a better quality of life. The knowledge of resources in the community that can benefit families is essential for professionals to be aware of.

MSDE have many job opportunities that early childhood professionals can apply for. One of the current employment opportunities is child care licensing specialist. A license specialist is the person who decides if child care centers and providers meet the regulations and requirements of state mandates and safety of children. Other employment opportunities include administrative specialist. Both job opportunities require at least 60 college credits and experience in management or teaching. There are many positions that are available in the early childhood field, the area of practice depends upon what a person choose based on experience and their passion.

http://marylandexcels.org/4542

http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/child_care/

http://www.mrdc.net/

Communication Evolvement

I can truly look back and say that this course has truly enlightened me and brought new meaning to my communication with others. My journey throughout this course has raised my level of awareness and has motivated me to improve on my communication skills both personally and professionally. Furthermore, it was a pleasure working with such a supportive group and each of you has inspired me in someway. I thank you all for your opinions, suggestions, and perspectives. I wish everyone great success in the future and hope that you all can meet all your goals personally and professionally. Please remember that communication is an evolving cycle that continues throughout your lives and there is always room to improve on your interaction with others.

Team Development

When I sit back and reminisce about the groups that have participated in, in the past year I realized that somehow we have formed a bond and a mutual respect for one another. One particular group I was in was definitely hard to leave because the team was a supportive environment where everyone was able to demonstrate their strengths and was accepted for their weaknesses. Those who had weaknesses, was better informed and equipped once we said our good byes. I think when people are able to work cohesively and able to complete a task successfully, the goodbyes can be more emotional. Especially, since you have crossed obstacles and hurdles to complete a mission for a specific goal. One of the groups I was in had a luncheon for all the team members at a restaurant. This is a time to congratulate one another and thank each other for a job well done. Other groups I have been in, you complete the job and you move on to the next. In those instances the team did not work cohesively, it was more of get the job done and over with.

                 

I have met many people while taking my master degree. However, I have not formed a bond with any colleagues personally. At the end of my degree program I would definitely thank all my colleagues for the support and inspiration that they have provided me with through my journey. Although we may not know each other personally we all share a common bond through this journey and have been supportive as well as insightful. It’s important to have an adjournment because you are able to look back and recognize things you could have done better personally and as a team. It is a time to reflect and celebrate your accomplishments.

Conflict Resolution

 

Conflict is inevitable in our lives. No matter how well we get along with people, we are bound to have some sort of conflict in the relationship. One of things that my twelve year old daughter and I disagree with is chores. Basically, like a lot of children she doesn’t think she should have to do them. Therefore, we often go back and forth arguing about her doing them and why she needs to do them. Her argument to me is that I tell her too much to do at once, and it stresses her out and doesn’t motivate her to do chores. In order to eliminate my stress as a parent and her stress as a child, I decided to have a conversation with her on ways we could solve this issue.

 One of the things I learned about conflict resolution is that respect is always shown even to those who are younger than us. Meaning, just because I am the parent doesn’t mean I am always right. Dealing with issues in an objective way rather than pointing the finger is important in conflict resolution. Keeping this in mind, I decided to listen to my daughter express her needs to me. Having an open discussion allowed us both to see our perspectives and respect one another’s opinion. After listening to my daughter express how stress she gets when I tell her to do too much at once, we both agreed that if I wrote a list of things to do each day, she would be able to follow it and do her chores without feeling so stressed. As a result, of our compromise, I am happy to say my daughter has been doing her chores. She looks on the chore list everyday and checks off the chores when she is finished. In the end the conflict that frustrated both of us was able to get resolved because we both made efforts to respect each other and develop a solution that offered us both compromise.

What would you have done as a parent if you was face with this conflict with you own child?  What approach would you have taken?