As I consider national and federal organizations that appeal to me, I compiled a list of possible employment opportunities that would spark my interest.

·      NAEYC sparked my interest because they are such a large organization which impacts so many young learners as well as many professionals. The job I found is an affiliate relation coordinator. Within this job title I would help establish realistic goals for young learners, lead projects, supervise other employees and collaborate with other departments in NAEYC. In order to hold this job, one is required to have a bachelor’s degree, three years of experience in a related field, and management experience.

·      A teaching position at the Ron Clark Academy. The Ron Clark Academy focuses on innovative strategies to help engage students to build relationships with other students. Teachers at the Ron Clark Academy have high expectations for their students and create a very engaging learning environment with a dedication to teaching. The Academy also serves as a major professional development opportunity for educators to attend and learn new strategies to take to their school. In order to obtain this job, I would need to have a teaching certification for the state I live in and have three years of teaching experience.

·      Director of Jump Start.  Within this career I would work with young children to help prepare them for kindergarten. This organization provides high-quality education to preschool children to help all children have equal opportunities when entering kindergarten. In order to obtain this job, I would need to hold a degree in education and leadership and experience in the education field.

References

Jump Start. (2019). Children first. Careers. Retrieved from https://www.jstart.org/about/careers/

NAEYC. (2019). Affiliate Relations Coordinator. Retrieved from https://naeyc.applicantpro.com/jobs/1033847.html

The Ron Clark Academy. (2019). Ron Clark Academy Careers. Retrieved from http://www.ronclarkacademy.com/apply

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

As I was researching different organizations I found three possible positions I may be interested in: 

The Infants and Toddlers program within Baltimore County Public schools is a job that I would like to possible pursue in the future. The role of an individual working in the infants and toddlers’ field is to work with children who have developmental delays that could put these children at risk (Baltimore County Government, 2019). I chose this program because I have a passion for working with young children and this program would give me the opportunity to work with families and children more closely. I feel I would enjoy having a smaller case load of children that I work closely with in order to help prepare these children for elementary school. In order to obtain this job, I would need to possibly gain more experience in special education, but having a bachelors degree in early childhood education is beneficial for me.

A child life specialist is another career that I have considered pursuing in the future. A child life specialist works with children have been developmentally impacted due to illness or injury. These individuals provide support and help children cope with stress and their illness. This is accomplished through “therapeutic play, preparation for procedures, and education to reduce fear, anxiety, and pain” (Association of Child Life Professionals). In order to fulfill this role, I would need a certification in the field of child life specialist. My Bachelor’s degree in education may be accepted by some programs, and I would possibly need to take psychology classes.  I am drawn to this profession because I love working with children and this profession presents the opportunity to work with children in a different setting. In addition to this, I am intrigued by the idea of working with children who may be sick and need someone to brighten their day.

A Reading specialist in a public school would be a leadership role I may be interesting in pursuing. A reading specialist works in small groups or one on one with students who have difficulty reading on grade level. A reading specialist uses a variety of assessments to understand the abilities of a child and creates intervention plans if needed. In order to become a reading specialist, I would need to get a master’s degree or post master certification as a reading specialist. I am interested in becoming a reading specialist because I have found a passion for teaching reading instruction and I find it very interesting to learn about how children learn to read. I believe I would enjoy working with a small group of children on their reading skills and this would be a great opportunity to take on a leadership role within my school.

References

Association of Child Life Professionals (2018). The child life profession. Retrieved from https://www.childlife.org/the-child-life-profession

  Baltimore County Government (2019). Infants and Toddlers Program. Retrieved from https://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/health/healthservices/children/infantstoddlers.html 

Teacher Certification Degrees (2019). A Reading Specialist Career Guide. Retrieved from https://www.teachercertificationdegrees.com/careers/reading-specialist/

Hopes For The Future

As I consider my future as an early childhood professional, my most passionate hope is for the children and families to feel welcome and understood in my classroom. Castillo has helped me to understand the importance of children and their families feeling welcome within the classroom of a daycare center. She shared several ways that she has helped families feel welcome. For example, providing a space where families can display photographs and information about their families.  In addition to this, Castillo provides a location within the center where families can sit with their children to say goodbye each day in order to feel comfortable leaving their children (Laureate Education, 2011). Aside from the information Castillo shared, I have also learned that when working with children who have varying abilities and children and families who are diverse, they must feel understood. Wardle (2011) explains that having children and their parents explain about themselves will help educators to better understand their families and their children. These conversations will also provide insight into how families handle issues related to race and ethnicity (Wardle, 2011). I think this is my most passionate hope for my classroom because without establishing these relationships with your students and their families, it will be challenging to effectively educate children about issues related not only to bias but also to establish a positive relationship with these individuals. In addition to this, if children do not feel welcome and understood, their development and learning could be impacted because they may not feel safe within in the classroom and may not work to their full potential. 

            Learning with each and every one of you over the last eight weeks has helped me to grow tremendously as an educator. Not only have we been able to share ideas with one another, but hearing each of your personal stories has deepened my understanding of the topics discussed throughout this course. I would like to say thank you to my colleagues in this course for the honesty that has been shared over the last eight weeks and the commitment that you have shown to this course in order to help us all learn. I look forward to finishing this program with all of you!! 

References 

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Welcome to an anti-bias learning community. Baltimore, MD: Author 

Wardle, F. (2011). Responding to racial and ethnic diversity in early childhood programs. Exchange, 198, 68-71.