The first organization I thought of, mainly because I have been thinking of it and wanting to try and get a job there, is the Department of Education. I chose this because this is where the big decisions are made. They have several several Education Program Specialist positions. As of now, I do not qualify, even after I finish this degree program, because for that specific grade, I would need a year of experience.
Another organization I came across was the Finance Project. I actually came across several interesting organizations thanks to the NAEYC. It was difficult picking just a few to look at. The Finance Project's mission statement: "is a specialized non-profit research, consulting, technical assistance and training firm for public and private sector leaders nationwide. We help leaders make smart investment decisions, develop sound financing strategies, and build solid partnerships that benefit children, families and communities" is what caught my attention (The Finance Project, n.d.). Financing, funding, budget...whatever it is called, we are all having problems. This organization works with individuals who are interested in helping our youth. They have 4 different groups that focus on different aspects of education and the family. As far as jobs, they have a senior program associate position available. For qualifications, I will have the education and finance background, but not the experience with working with politicians and policy makers. But this may be something I can try and work later on.
Another organization is the BUILD initiative. This program works on improving early childhood systems that are geared towards the whole child, not just academics. They utilize private and public funds to help not only the schools, but the families as well. There are only a few states involved with this project, and unfortunately, SC is not one of them. I was not able to find any kind of job opportunities on their website.
One final organization that caught my eye was Parents as Teachers. I used this program while I was in WA, it was offered for free through the Army. Unfortunately, because of funding, the program was cut. However, I feel that this was a great program that could do a lot of good for families. They would come to me and just observe, as well as talk to me about what was going on with Matthew, if I had any questions or concerns. They also had packets, information, games, and other activities for each stage/milestone of his early years. This was a great program, and one I think would be a good addition to my CoP. :)
www.financeproject.org
www.buildinitiative.org
www.parentsasteachers.org
3 comments:
Hi Shannon,
I enjoyed reading your blog this week. I had never heard of the BUILD initiative and I am glad that I now have that in my resources. Thank you for sharing that with us all. I had heard of Parents as Teachers before and I love their work. I had hearing that because of funding it was cut in your area. I am so glad that they were there for you as a trustworthy support. I agree they would be a good member of your Community of Practice. Thank you for remiding me of them because they would be perfect for me also.
Thank you
Rhonda
Shannon, It never seems to amaze me that we constantly can learn something new from each other. I have to make sure that I do some research on one of the the websites you named; for it seem to be informative. I believe every colleague can benefit from NAEYC organization while servicing children and families in the ECE field. Thank you for the information that you presented in your blog!
Dear Shannon,
Reading your blog made me see myself a few years ago about not being able to qualify for any job or work because of years of experience in the chosen field. I still went and apply and see how far I can go. I also equipped myself with the tools I needed for the job, which is educating myself in the field of early childhood education, and accepted the job which I think will lead me to the job I aspire for and the rest became history. I took my time and now everything seems to be possible. Your choices of federal and national organization was really good and you know what job you wanted to have in the future. Your hard work and dedication to your profession and your commitment to your families and children will bring you to where you want to go. I hope you will be inspired instead of being discourage on the qualifications being required for the work you are interested in. Just take your time and learn from your experience and I know you will get there. Good luck to you. Thank you for your post.
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