Thursday, August 18, 2016

Time Well Spent

Three deeply felt learnings from this program:
·         I am very passionate about children and advocating that every child deserves a quality education. It should never be about who your parents know or how much money your family brings in every month for a child to receive a quality education. This course really reiterated to me the importance about being an agent of positive change. It is very easy to notice and speak about the problems you see going on around you but it is very difficult to actually step up and try to change them.
·         I learned the importance of communities of practice. They “are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger, 2006. p.1). Once you decide to step up a make a change it is vital to compose your community of practice. Find other people who share your passion and support your cause. I learned to think outside the box when compiling your community of practice. Try to incorporate people of every level. Parents and families, other colleagues, well know organizations, people at the state and federal levels, even celebrities. Amassing your community of practice is important; they will help you succeed in accomplishing your common goal.
·         I learned the importance of learning about the history of your cause. Researching what has been tried and failed or tried and succeeded will help you plan your “angle of attack”. Learning what research has been completed or not completed is vital too.

One long term goal:
My long term goal is to not stop learning. I plan to utilize my master’s degree and work in the early childhood field for at least the next 5 years. After which I will go back to school to receive my Ph.D. in Education. I do not have a lot of hands on experience working in the early childhood field and would like to obtain that before moving on in my educational journey.
Farewell message to my instructor and colleagues:
I cannot believe this part of my journey is over; it seems like it just begun! I want to thank everyone for being on this journey with me. We worked hard and had many of early mornings or late nights trying to work school work into our very busy lives but we did it! We accomplished the goal we set forth, congratulations. Thank you for all your blog and discussion posts, I learned so much from them.
Thank you,
Brande
Reference

Wenger, E. (2006). Communities of practice: A brief introduction. Retrieved from http://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

·         At least three international organizations or communities of practice that appealed to you and why you chose them
1.       United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was the first international organization that appealed to me.  UNICEF appealed to me because it “is a leading humanitarian and development agency working globally for the rights of every child. Child rights begin with safe shelter, nutrition, protection from disaster and conflict and traverse the life cycle: pre-natal care for healthy births, clean water and sanitation, health care and education” (UNESCO, n.d., p. 1). They have been working and helping children and families for 70 years.
2.      Save the Children organization is the second international organization that appealed to me. Save the Children appealed to me because it “is the world's leading independent organization for children... [They] save children's lives…fight for their rights…help them fulfill their potential. [They] work together, with our partners, to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives” (Save the Children, 2016, p. 1). Save the Children have over 2 million supporters and last year raised more than 1.9 billion dollars to help children.
3.      Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is the third international organization that appealed to me. The OECD appealed to me because it “uses its wealth of information on a broad range of topics to help government’s foster prosperity and fight poverty through economic growth and financial stability. We help ensure the environmental implications of economic and social development are taken into account” (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2016, p. 1). This appealed to me because on my capstone project on ending childhood hunger in my community and a way to end hunger is to end poverty.

·         Job opportunities (currently available or not) that interest you
1.       UNICEF: LOCAL CONSULTANT to support the development of a framework for provision of quality alternative and flexible learning programs for the Ministry of Education, Male’/Maldives
Location: Maldives
Work Type: Consultancy
Job description is to support the development of a framework for provision of quality alternative and flexible learning programs for the Ministry of Education, Male'/Maldives. The basic objective of this project is to introduce alternative, flexible and inclusive learning programs equivalent to conventional primary and secondary schooling and accredited and certified by the Government, for children who are out of school to acquire functional literacy and numeracy skills as well as competencies and life skills required to have improved life choices and live safe and dignified lives, thus fulfilling their right to access quality education.
2.      Save the Children: Education Project Manager - South Sudan
Role Purpose:
Enhancing Quality Education and Building Peace in South Sudan program is an inter-state program to increase awareness of peace building and enhance the quality of education provided to primary and ALP students in Rumbek and Bor.
The Project Manager will oversee the implementation of the inter-state Program. The main objective of this project is to support children to learn by ensuring the provision of safe, quality education that equips them with essential skills. The project will support 26 schools and will integrate elements of peace-building to promote peaceful co-existence and build resilience of communities to cope with conflict.
The project will focus of delivering improved infrastructure, increased quality of education, enhanced community support for education and increased awareness of protection issues in schools to promote peace building.
3.      Job opportunities at OECD: Junior Economist – Shipbuilding
Main Responsibilities

Research, analysis and drafting
  • Draft analytical papers and information documents on current shipbuilding issues, for consideration by the Council Working Party on Shipbuilding, in order to inform policy development for the projects undertaken by the WP6 in its 2015-16 and 2017-18 Programs of Work, including :
    • WP6 Inventories of support measures.
    • reports on support taken by countries not participating in the Inventory,
    • other monitoring reports on policy developments in the shipbuilding industry, including Peer Review reports of WP6 and non-WP6 members, notably the Philippines in 2017.
    • analytical reports on excess supply and excess capacity, focusing notably on the situation of the largest shipbuilding economies including WP6 and non-WP6 members.
  • Undertake statistical analysis, including hypothesis formulation, model specification and interpretation of the results; and provide analytical and statistical support to staff working on issues related to shipbuilding.
  • Research and assess developments in the shipbuilding sector.
Meetings, representation and liaison
  • Establish and maintain professional contacts with key external organizations and delegates.
  • Present the outcomes of the work at WP6 meetings and workshops.
  • Contribute to the organization of WP6 workshops and meetings.
  • Keep abreast of relevant policy discussions in member countries, and participate in missions as required.
  • Carry out other related duties as assigned.





·         What skills and experience you would need to competently fulfill each of these roles
1.       For job opportunity at UNICF: Local consultant
Qualifications or specialized knowledge and/or experience required
· A first degree in Education/ Social Sciences, or other related field.
· Experience either in designing or implementing Second Chance education or non-formal education will be an asset.
· Experience in conducting desk reviews and broad stakeholder consultations will be preferred.
· Must have sensitivity to diverse opinions and difficulties arising from differing social and cultural perceptions.
· Effective facilitation skills and communication skills in English and Dhivehi.
· Good writing skills in English.
· Ability to work in teams.

2.      For job opportunity at Save the Children: Education Project Manager
Qualifications and Experience
  • Proven international experience in managing education project of similar size and complexity.
  • Experience and knowledge on implementing Accelerated Learning Programs, overseeing education construction and teacher training
  • Experience in working with partners, strengthening capacity of district level education authorities and improving the gender balance of education services
  • Experience in donor reporting (preferably with DFID, CHF and NORAD)
  • Understanding and experience of monitoring & evaluation techniques
  • At least three years' management experience, including staff management, fund raising and budget management
  • Experience of teacher-training and training of trainers
  • Experience of working in an insecure or hardship environment
  • Experience of working through systems of community participation
  • Clear communication, presentation style as well as good interpersonal skills are essential.
  • Excellent written English skills and familiarity with budgeting using MS Word and
Excel;
  • Excellent computer skills and competency in Word, Excel and PowerPoint;
  • Willingness to be based in a remote field location
    1. For job opportunities at OECD: Junior Economist
Ideal Candidate Profile

Academic Background
  • An advanced university degree in economics, with a specialisation in industrial organization, management, finance or related fields.
Professional Background
  • A minimum of two years’ experience in the field of economics and/or structural policy related issues.
  • Solid experience in the preparation and use of quantitative and qualitative information and in the use of databases. Experience with microeconomic analysis would be an advantage.
  • Experience working on issues related to industry and/or industrial organization would be an asset.
Tools
  • Familiarity with Excel and more advanced statistical software notably Stata.
 Languages
  • This position requires fluency in one of the two OECD official languages (English and French) and knowledge of the other, with a commitment to reach a good working level.


References

UNESCF. (n.d.). Mission. Retrieved, from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/strategy/

Saturday, July 23, 2016

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

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

·         At least three national/federal organizations or communities of practice that appealed to you and why you chose them
1.       National Association for the Education of Young Children (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. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children” (National Association of the Education of Young Children [NAEYC], n.d., p. 1). I really like the plethora of information you can find at the NAEYC website. They continue to advocate for quality care for all children.
2.      Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is “The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk” (United Stated Department of Agriculture [USDA], 2016, p. 1). WIC is a federal program that provides nutritional support for pregnant women and children up to age 5. This is a wonderful program for low income mothers to have well rounded nutritional support while pregnant and offers children from birth to age five the nutritional support for those vital early years.
3.      Office of Head Start OHS” manages grant funding and oversees local agencies providing Head Start services. Head Start promotes school readiness of children under 5 from low-income families through education, health, social and other services” (Office of Head Start [OSH], n.d., p. 1). This programs helps young children from low income families become ready for school.

Job opportunities (currently available or not) that interest you. Skills and experience you would need to competently fulfill each of these roles

  1. Program Manager
     Child and Family Service - Kaua‘i, HI
JOB SUMMARY: Under the Supervision of the Head Start Director, the Program Manager is responsible for the implementation of the Education and Early Childhood Development components of the Kauai Head Start Program, oversees the day-to-day functions of all classroom sites, manages the data collection of child development program outcomes and performance measures, and assist with setting-up new sites. Supervises the teaching staff.
EDUCATION: A Bachelor's degree is preferred with Early Childhood Education knowledge and/or experience.
EXPERIENCE: One year plus. Must have experience in preschool classroom teaching. Must have experience working with program target population (families who are experiencing poverty and who are isolated from community resources preferred). Experience in supervising program operations and direct service staff. Experience in supervising program operations and direct service staff. Experience with and knowledge of community resources for children and families. Ability to work with others and reach agreement. CPR and First Aid certification required upon hire. Good written and verbal communication skills. Good organizational and administrative skills.
  1. Head Start Teacher
    Ross County Community Action Commission, Inc. - Chillicothe, OH
The position requires that the applicant have a baccalaureate or advanced degree in
Early Childhood Education; or a baccalaureate or advanced degree and coursework equivalent to a major in Early Childhood Education, with experience teaching preschool-age children
A teacher must establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment; support the social and emotional development of children; and encourage the involvement of the families of the children in the program and support the development of relationships between children and their families
Must be insurable under the Agency’s insurance policy; able to lift up to 40 lbs.; dependable; and at least 18 years of age

3. Family Advocate
CATEGORY  Social Services
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Primary responsibilities: To enroll eligible children and families in the Head Start/Early Head Start program and maintain center enrollment. To build professional helping relationships with families in order to develop family support plans that help families towards increased self-reliance and healthy interdependence. To ensure that Families’ strengths and needs are assessed and that appropriate referral and follow-up services are provided.
MAJOR RESPONSIBITIES:

Work with Childcare Resource & Referral to obtain referrals of prospective eligible children and families.
Recruit children/families, interview applicants, complete applications and enter applications into ChildPlus.
Maintain an accurate prioritized listing of eligible children waiting to enter the program.
Enroll and re-enroll eligible children who have the highest priority according to the selection criteria.
Maintain qualifying roster and child participation forms for USDA food program.
Maintain on-going maximum center enrollment.
Monitor children’s attendance for excessive absences or irregular attendance.
Maintain current health records on all children enrolled.
Assist with screenings as needed.
Work with the Head Start support staff to ensure children receive the health, mental health, and/or special needs services they may be eligible for.
Gather and maintain accurate non-federal share records and other documentation of parent involvement activities.
Meet with families to gather information regarding family strengths and needs and develop a family support plan that includes goals, tasks, timelines and follow-up.
Provide referral to families to appropriate service providers that will help meet the families’ interests and needs.
Provide timely follow up to referrals and family support plans.
Maintain accurate documentation of family files and family services provided.
Plan and attend monthly parent meetings, workshops, trainings, and other parent engagement and literacy activities.
Develop and distribute center newsletters, calendars, and flyers.
Attend community inter-agency meetings to inform and update the community of services offered by Head Start and encourage collaboration.
Ensure policy council representation is met for each scheduled meeting.
Participate in school readiness transition committee.
Advocate on behalf of ECS Head Start and the children and families enrolled in the program.
Submit accurate reports as requested.
Continue to pursue education and/or professional development goals.
Perform other job related functions as required.


References

Saturday, July 9, 2016

EDUC: 6990 Blog Wk.2: Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

·         At least three local or state organizations or communities of practice that appealed to you, and explain why you chose them

    1. Backpack 4 Kids: is a local organization that helps provide supplemental nutritional food for families for over the weekends. I live in a rural area that many of the schools have very high number of students on free and/or reduced lunch. My son’s elementary school for example has over 50% of its students on this program. Many of these children the only food they receive is the food from the school. So when the weekend comes and there is no school many times for these children it also means no food. The backpack 4 kids program provides backpacks of food for over the weekend with enough food in them to feed a family of 4. This program appeals to me because no child’s learning should suffer because they are hungry.
    2. The Washington State PTA: I have been very involved within my son’s school since he started kindergarten, his is currently going to begin 4th grade. I have been PTA president for the last 2 years and this year will be PTA treasurer. The PTA (Patent Teacher Association) is a wonderful place to be able to advocate for children within your community. Our whole goal with the PTA is helping children to reach their true potential. We do this by providing support to the school and teachers, as well as our PTA programs aimed at supporting the children within the school. We support Reading Night, Math Night, we have 4 Family Fun Nights throughout the year that offer dinner and a fun family activity for all to enjoy free of cost, to name a few. Every penny raised by the PTA is used towards the children and what they may need.
    3. Department of Executive Services Children and Family Justice Center: “The Children and Family Justice Center will replace the outdated Youth Services Center with a flexible and therapeutic facility that provides modern youth and family court services as well as a trauma-informed juvenile detention center. The new facility will provide a respectful and supportive environment to link even more youth and families – court-involved or not – with services and non-profit organizations in their own communities” (King County, 2016, p. 1). This appeals to me because right now the waiting room for children and families is just a big open room with no place for privacy during these very stressful and private times. The Center will also provide much needed services to help children and families during the difficult times and transitions.
·         Job opportunities (currently available or not) that interest you

    1.  Head Start Educator II
      LOCATION:                        Kent/Des Moines, WA
      Regular Full Time Open Position: 37.5 hours per week
  • Provides comprehensive child development services to children. Encourages parents in supporting healthy development of their child. Conducts child development screenings & assessments, develops individualized learning plans, implements curriculum to meet ILP goals & developmental milestones, and works with children in childcare to promote their development.
2. Assistant Childcare Director
Vision House 2 reviews - Renton, WA
Children’s Village is a program of Vision House. Vision House is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit Christian housing support services program for homeless single mothers, homeless single men and their children and families. Children’s Village is located in the Renton Highlands.
3. Director of Early Childhood Education Center
Brotman Early Learning Center - Tacoma, WA
$45,000 - $50,000 a year
Brotman Early Learning Center
Start Date: August 1, 2016
The Brotman Early Learning Center is a licensed early learning program for a maximum of 39 children, ages infant to pre-school and operates year round, serving the whole Tacoma-area community and opened in September 2015.


Skills and experience that you would need to competently fulfill each of these roles. These careers had roughly the same requirements for skills and experiences needed they were:

  • Knowledge of DSHS
  • Must be at least 21 years of age
  • 3-5 years related experience, including child care supervision or management experience
  • Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood or a related field is preferred. Applicants must have a minimum of an Associate's degree in Early Childhood or a related field
  • At least 2 years of developing and implementing early childhood curricula
  • Valid Washington State driver's license and clean driving record
  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills
  • Experience in the classroom
  • Sensitivity to the needs of families and staff from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds necessary
  • Excellent planning and organizational skills
  • Experience with computers including Microsoft Word and Excel


Brandie


References

King County. (2016). Children and Family Justice Center. Retrieved from http://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/executive-services/children-family-justice-center.aspx

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Wk. 8 Reflecting on Learning

An explanation of your most passionate hope for your future as an early childhood professional and for the children and families with whom you work or will work.
      My most passionate hope for my future as an early childhood professional and for the children and families with whom I work with is to be able to create an environment and relationship that fosters the love of learning. I want to make a positive difference in their lives. The early years of a child's learning and development are the building blocks of which future learning is build upon. I want to give the child I work with strong foundations that will follow them through life. 

A brief note of thanks to your colleagues.
I want to thank my fellow colleagues of these past 8 weeks. It has been a pleasure reading your blogs and discussions. I have learned so much from your posts. I hope to see you in the next class and wish you luck on the continuation of you educational journey.

Brandie

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

The part of the world I have chosen to focus on is Ukraine. Parts of Ukraine for the last two years have been at war. “Two years of violence has left an indelible mark on thousands of children…more than 215,000 children are internally displaced form the conflicted areas. At least 1 in 5 schools have been destroyed”(UNICEF, n.d.).  Children face many challenges in war torn counties. Toxic stress can have lasting negative effects on children’s psychological health. Children will have a difficult time learning if they are constantly worried about their and their family’s safety.
Children in war zones also exposed to more health issues. Not only can war have negative effects on children psychologically but they are exposed to different disease and disease outbreaks.  In Ukraine they had their first polo outbreak after successfully eradicating the disease from the country many, many years before. Learning and teaching are not a priority because there are other vital risks to worry about. Like staying safe or having enough food and water to drink. In Ukraine the water supply is at risk for about 2 million people on the front lines. War causes many causalities. Not only in loss of life but also for children the loss of innocence and their childhood.
My personal and professional insights gained from this research into a different part of the world makes me feel thankful for where I live and that I have a safe place to raise my children. I believe every child has the right to a childhood and a quality education.
Brandie


References

UNICEF. (n.d.). Two years on, Ukraine conflict affects over half a million children. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/media_90268.html

Saturday, June 11, 2016

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

When we are talking about sexualization in early childhood we are not talking about sex, sexualization is not the same as sexuality or sex. “When people are sexualized, their value comes primarily from their sex appeal, which is equated with physical attractiveness. This is especially damaging and problematic to children and adolescents who are developing their sense of themselves as sexual beings” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 4). It is sad to see how sexualization effects children’s self-esteem and self-worth. It is vital to teach children that they are wonderfully beautiful unique individuals that have many different aspects of themselves and their worth should never be based solely on someone else’s opinions.
This is a very difficult task because everywhere children look on T.V, magazines, the movies, etc., they are bombarded with these ever changing images on what is “beautiful”, “sexy”, and “acceptable or in”. “Today’s cultural environment bombards children with inappropriate and harmful messages. As children struggle to understand what they see and hear, they learn lessons that can frighten and confuse them. These lessons can seriously harm their ability to grow up to have healthy attitudes about themselves and their bodies and to have caring relationships in which sex is an important part. In the most extreme cases, the media’s incessant sexualization of childhood can contribute to pathological sexual behavior, including sexual abuse, pedophilia, and prostitution” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 4). Sexualization of early childhood makes me angry, children should be able to just be children. It is essential to see the negative effects sexualization and educate children and adults about it.
I was surprised that my niece for one got a boyfriend in the sixth grade, age 12 and has had the same boyfriend for the last two years. My friend’s son got a note about how handsome he was and if he would be the note writers boyfriend, her son is in kindergarten. I went to see an end of year talent show with a friend and the songs and dances these little children were singing and dancing to were surprising. We may look as some of these things and think what is the big deal they are cute. But the problem is “Today’s cultural environment bombards children with inappropriate and harmful messages. As children struggle to understand what they see and hear, they learn lessons that can frighten and confuse them” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 4). They see and learn things that they may have no idea what they are but repeat it or do it because they think that is they was it is supposed to be
It is essential that “children have direct personal experience being in and witnessing caring and affectionate relationships with family and friends. Ideally, they are nurtured by supportive and trusted adults, who are able and willing to answer questions and clear up confusion about issues such as the physical differences between males and females and the basics of making babies” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 5). It is vital to educate children and show them how a relationship should be and to answer any questions truthfully.  
Brandie




References