Time Well Spent

WOW! What an experience it has been to participate in the courses that Walden University offers to students. I have grown in so many ways. As I reflect back on beginning my course of study I never imagined that I would discover so much about myself professionally and personally. At Walden I have had the opportunity to let my passion for children and families become my voice for advocacy. As I took courses through Walden University I was able to utilize the concepts every day and apply it right away.

As I continue to develop as a lifelong learner I one of my long term goals is to become active within my community advocating for children who have been subject to abuse and neglect.

A note of Thanks:

Dr, Dartt

I appreciate the time you took to comment on my papers and answer my questions. I have taken other courses with you and appreciate your timely response. The feedback and questions you asked in response to my discussion post helped direct me into what I was truly passionate about. Thank you for all your help.

 

Colleagues

It has been exciting and educational time learning from all of your experiences. Thank you all for sharing what you have been through or are going through in the field of early childhood. I have been in discussion groups many times with some of you (Elizabeth, Deanna, Thesha, Antowah, Cindy) thank you for your insight. I wish all of my colleagues nothing but the best as they move forward to accomplishing their goals and passions. Hope our professional paths cross again as we continue growing in the early childhood field.

International Jobs in the ECE Community

I. International organization: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

Job opportunity: Chief Child Protection

Education and experiences needed:

• Advanced university degree, preferably in the social sciences, law or other relevant field.
  
  Ten years of relevant professional work experience at national and international levels in leading and managing child protection, with a focus on systems building.

• Experience in decentralized governance systems an asset.
  
  
• Background/familiarity with Emergency.
  
  Fluency in English and another UN language. Knowledge of the local working language of the duty station would be an asset.

 Skills needed

High-level communication skills, including engaging and informative formal public speaking

Ability to create and encourage a climate of team-working and collaboration in a multi-cultural environment

 Leadership and supervisory skills; provides others with a clear direction; motivates and empowers others; recruits staff of a high caliber; provides staff with development opportunities and coaching

Ability to set, develop and revise organizational strategy and develop clear vision of the organizations future potential

Ability to analyze and integrate diverse and complex quantitative and qualitative data from a wide range of sources

 Ability to quickly build rapport with individuals and groups. Actively nurtures good relationships with people across all organizational levels and boundaries, and with government leaders and stakeholders

 Identifies urgent and potentially risky decisions and acts on them promptly; initiates and generates organization-wide activities

Ability to negotiate effectively by exploring a range of possibilities

What makes this organization appealing

This international organization has a strong stand on improving the lives of children during the early years as they understand that nurturing and protecting children at a young age supports their development and helps the child to grow to their fullest potential.

II. International organization: International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse

and Neglect (ISPCAN)

Job opportunity: Program Coordinator

Education and experiences needed:

Minimum 5 years relevant experience in all aspects of project management, including proposal  development, planning, budgeting, implementation and reporting.

Experience in development of training materials and curricula strongly preferred.

Bachelor’s degree in related field required; Master’s degree in related field a plus.

Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, attention to detail, ability to effectively multi-task, strong organizational skills, initiative, flexibility, professional demeanor, cultural sensitivity, and a collaborative and team player attitude are all essential.

Excellent computer skills with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook required.

Prior international or nonprofit experience, particularly with child abuse and neglect prevention organizations, preferred.

What makes this organization appealing

This organization works to bring professionals around the world together to prevent child abuse, it provides training that can be accessed online for professionals and volunteers who want to engage in the efforts to prevent child abuse.

  

III.  International organization: Save the Children

Job opportunity: Program Specialist School Based Programs

Education and experiences needed:

College degree in education, child development, or related discipline, and a minimum of five years of relevant work experience.  Master’s degree preferred.

• Knowledge of and experience with literacy /reading programs
• Strong skills in developing and delivering training and technical assistance in-person and remotely
• Experience working with limited resources
• Strong organizational and management skills

What makes this organization appealing

This organization strives to help children in emergency situations as well as in non emergencies. This organization provides hands on direct care to children in the areas of health, education and hunger. This organization also does something that the other organizations involved in preventing abuse and neglect has not mentioned and it is that they hold child protection program activities that involve educating children on how to protect themselves and empower them to call for action in their community.

References

International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. (n.d.). Retrieved from 

 http://www.ispcan.org/

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org 

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www..unicef.org

National/Federal Level Jobs in the ECE Community

I. Federal Organization: United States Department of Defense

Job Title: Teacher, Emotionally Impaired

Agency: Department of Defense Education Activity

Skills and experience needed: 

Major in Special Education or 30 semester hours in Special Education
Knowledge of instruction, assessment, referral methods, and program planning for special education students with emotional impairments and or challenging behaviors
 Experience working with screening, and assessments (formal and informal) for students suspected of having a disability.
Knowledge of interpreting assessment results for team members and parents;
Experienced in developing Individual Education Program (IEP) goals and objectives for eligible students
Experience in developing, implementing, monitoring and revising of behavioral intervention plans for students

II. Federal Organization: United States Department Of The Interior

Job Title:  Educational Technician Department Of The Interior

Agency: Bureau of Land Management

Skills and/or experiences needed:

• Planning, developing, and presenting outdoor science and environmental education programs to a variety of audiences
• Planning, publicizing, and coordinating teacher education workshops and volunteer training programs on the use of outdoor science and environmental education in the community
• Coordinating major special events for the public on educational or recreational themes
• Designing educational curriculum, displays, packets, brochures, newsletters, and websites on topics related to environmental education, outdoor science, and/or natural resources
• Coordinating speaker programs on topics of interest to the public, resource specialists, educators, and students

III. National Organization: Children’s Defense Fund

Job Title: Executive Director

Skills and or Experience needed:

A deep and profound commitment to the mission of the Children’s Defense Fund and to issues impacting children and families as well as, loyalty to the integrity of the institution.

Experience in fundraising 

    

Ability to inspire trust, organize people into effective teams and motivate them to work well together.

Exceptional leadership skills

Ability to devise and implement projects and programs; experience developing organizational budgets and providing fiscal oversight.

 BA degree or higher.

Significant experience with child advocacy

3 – 5 years of senior management experience.

Ability to work with diverse groups of people

Experience developing and managing budgets

I choose these three jobs to post because each one involved something that stirs my passion. The first position involves helping children with emotional disorders. The second position involved providing educational teaching for the community in regards to different topics related to children and families. The last job position involved making sure that children receive a good start in life by advocating for their needs.

Exploring roles in the ECE Community

I choose to state and local agencies that focuses on providing services to strengthen families such as one-on-one mentoring, parent education, support groups. These three job opportunities also assist families in evaluating and finding other community resources needed to provide for the physical and emotional needs of themselves and their families.

Three state or local organizations

1. Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
2. The Children's Shelter
3. Family Service Associates

Job opportunities of interest 

I. Child Protective Services Family Based Safety Service Worker

                 Skills needed:
Knowledge of Texas Law relating to child abuse/neglect
Knowledge of early childhood learning
Must be or have been a Child Protective Specialist
Bachelor  degree

II. Parent Educator
                 Skills needed:

Ability to engage and effectively communicate with persons from diverse cultures and communities.

Strong positive communicative skills to engage and work with clients and their families effectively.

Bachelor or four-year degree in early childhood or a related field.

Previous supervised work experience with young children and/or parents.

Must have 3 to 5 years experience in the field of social work with case management experience.

 III. Service Coordinator 

                   Skills needed:

Performance Coaching:

Defines responsibilities and expectations. Sets goals and objectives. Gives performance

feedback. Motivates for increased results.Recognizes contributions. Encourages training and development.

Team Leadership:

Fosters team cooperation. Defines team roles and responsibilities. Supports group

problem solving. Ensures progress toward goals. Acknowledges team accomplishments.

Qualifications & Experience Required:

Eight (8) years experience in education, health, social work, or other related human service field

Previous direct services leadership experience

Well wishes and best of luck

I wish all the best of luck as you continue on in your professional journeys. It has been wonderful learning from everyone's experiences.

Adjourning phase

In considering, some of the groups that I have been involved in the ones that seemed like it was difficult to separate from were those groups that had lasted a very long time. During a group project that last for a long time, relationships and friendships are formed with other individuals. It is also hard to leave a group that is high functioning because you know that within that group, an immense amount of work can be accomplished; but for me the friendships that emerge out of groups sometimes can be hard to leave. Some of the sort of closing rituals that I have participated in with groups involve wishing others future success, reflecting on what went well, having a small celebration over lunch, and exchanging e-mail addresses or telephone numbers to keep in touch. Within this master’s program I imagine adjourning from the group by congratulating all on their success and it would be nice to meet a few of my fellow colleagues during convocation. This adjourning part is an essential stage of teamwork because it allows the team to reflect on what made them successful or not, it gives the team the opportunity to celebrate a completed job, and allows each individual the opportunity to increase its network of resources by developing relationships and friendships with individuals who are different and can bring different ideas and perspectives.

Adjourning phase

In considering, some of the groups that I have been involved in the ones that seemed like it was difficult to separate from were those groups that had lasted a very long time. During a group project that last for a long time, relationships and friendships are formed with other individuals. It is also hard to leave a group that is high functioning because you know that within that group, an immense amount of work can be accomplished; but for me the friendships that emerge out of groups sometimes can be hard to leave. Some of the sort of closing rituals that I have participated in with groups involve wishing others future success, reflecting on what went well, having a small celebration over lunch, and exchanging e-mail addresses or telephone numbers to keep in touch. Within this master’s program I imagine adjourning from the group by congratulating all on their success and it would be nice to meet a few of my fellow colleagues during convocation. This adjourning part is an essential stage of teamwork because it allows the team to reflect on what made them successful or not, it gives the team the opportunity to celebrate a completed job, and allows each individual the opportunity to increase its network of resources by developing relationships and friendships with individuals who are different and can bring different ideas and perspectives.