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

It's always fun exploring the early childhood educational field to see all of the national opportunities there are to be involved. I think that the best thing an educator can do is educate themselves on all of the potential support that is available to them. I chose to explore the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the Association for Early Learning Leaders, and the National Education Association (NEA).

As a member of NAEYC and an employee of an accredited center I see so many benefits to this organization. "NAEYC is a professional membership organization that works to promote high quality early learning for all young children birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research" (NAEYC, n.d.). The free resources on their website make their support of the early childhood community known. An educator does not have to be a member to access these resources, although there are even more if you are a member, and their support of our community helps parents and other educators to understand the importance of early childhood education. Being involved in the NAEYC organization would be a dream job for me. I would enjoy being a person who helps programs get reaccredited, or serve as a member of their administrative staff that researches the newest trends in early childhood. 

Get more information about NAEYC at http://www.naeyc.org

Next up is the National Education Association, and specifically their interest in early childhood education. They are quite clear in their support, "Early childhood education: one of the best investments our country can make" (NEA, n.d.). Within the NEA they have "Organizational Specialists" that help other programs at a state and national level develop strategic plans of improvement, including developing state and local policy. While I have never delved into policy creation, I think that it would be very interesting to work in a position like this, especially in the state of Kansas, however at a national level, helping early childhood educators all over the country would be an ideal position for me. This position would take many years of experience in early childhood as well as a dedication to our field. 

Want to know more about the NEA? Check out http://www.nea.org

Finally, the Association for Early Learning Leaders seeks to "strengthen the knowledge, skills and abilities of early care directors, owners, emerging leaders, and other early learning professionals to ensure quality child care programs for young children" (AELL, n.d.) With a  mission to specifically help directors like myself I was immediately drawn to their goals and purpose. As a director it is easy to feel alone, and in a silo; the Association for Early Learning Leaders helps directors feel like a part of community. Each year the AELL puts together a large conference for those involved with early education, as a dream job, I would love to be a part of putting this together. While this position is not currently open, I can see being involved in finding speakers, entertainers, and exhibitors to bring excitement to the early childhood community that is participating. In order to be successful in this position I would need to have my finger on the pulse of early childhood and know what kind of information early childhood professionals are seeking. 

More information about the AELL can be found at http://www.earlylearningleaders.org

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

There are many organizations in the state of Kansas that have a valued effect on the Early Childhood Community. First there is the KAEYC, the Kansas Association of the Education of Young Children, this is the local branch of the NAEYC. KAEYC "works to improve services and facilities in Kansas for all young children by bringing together all persons interested in young children, by encouraging professional development of all persons employed in the care and education of young children, by providing continuing professional development opportunities, by making the public aware of the needs of young children, and by collaborating with other agencies" (KAEYC, 2013). Because of the KAEYC's association with NAEYC I am connected with a  group of centers and directors that are all seeking accreditation and are experiencing the trials associated with that quest.

The next Kansas organization that appeals to me is the Douglas County Child Development Association (DCCDA). The DCCDA is "committed to developing programs to support early childhood care and education in Douglas County, Kansas" (DCCDA, 2014). I'm drawn to the DCCDA because of my previous position in Douglas County. The support workers there were able to do continued professional development trainings, one on one support for teachers, and created a Community of Practice of early childhood directors. Their support in the formative years of my career has helped me grow as a director. 

My final local CoP is the Jewish community that I am a part of. Myself as well as three other Jewish preschool directors meet monthly to talk about what's happening in the world of early childhood, and in our specific centers. As the only non-Jewish member I can bounce ideas off of them and gather information about the culture and practice of Judaism. 

I am currently the Executive Director at a large, NAEYC accredited preschool, and to be quite honest I'm pretty happy with where my career has taken me. Overall I don't know that there are other positions in our field that I would be interested in. If I were to add anything to my current position it would be to increase the amount of consultation that I can do for other smaller programs. I've always thought it would be interesting to travel to other learning environments and help them to become accredited, or just improve their quality of care. 

In order to be a successful director and/or consultant I would need to hone my skills in the early childhood field. As each state has different requirements for state licensing I would need to be aware of differences and similarities between my home state and those I could potentially travel to. 

References

About KAEYC. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.kaeyc.net/about-us.html.

DCCDA. (2014). Retrieved from http://dccda.org.