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/