WEEK 4- National Organizations and Job Opportunities

One of the national organizations that I am very interested in is WestEd.  The mission of WestEd is “Improving education through research, development, and service”(WestEd, 2014, para 1).  I have had the great fortune of being able to attend trainings done by WestEd.  I also had the chance to be part of a reflective curriculum pilot project, which was a partnership between WestEd and Carlina Rinaldi who was the Director of the Preschools of Reggio Emilia in Italy. I have found the work done by WestEd to be very innovative and cutting edge, and their advice to be very practical. They also offer many high quality resources for Infant/Toddler teachers. It can be very difficult to find good resources for infants and toddlers.  There are several jobs posted in the WestEd website that I am very interested in.  One is a Professional Development Specialist in Early Childhood Education. Another position I am interested in is a PITC PQ Infant/Toddler Specialist.  I meet most of the qualifications for these positions.  For the PITC position, I would need to become certified in PITC.  I have attended all of the PITC trainings, so am familiar with the certification process. 

A second organization that appealed to me is the National Institute for Early Education Research. The mission statement found on the NIEER (2014) website stated “National Institute for Early Education Research conducts and communicates research to support high-quality, effective early childhood education for all young children. Such education enhances their physical, cognitive, and social development, and subsequent success in school and later life” (para 1).  I have used this website on many occasions.  The publications and research found on this website are of a very high quality. This organization also has valuable information about English Language Learners. It is also a great site for keeping current about the latest news in the field or early childhood education.  There was only one job posting on this website for a data collector which seemed to be geared towards college students.

A third national organization that I value is Zero to Three.  “Zero to Three is a national, nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development” (Zero to Three, 2012, para 1). 
The mission of this organization is “to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life” (Zero to Three, 2012, para 1).   While I am currently working with preschoolers, most of my work has been with infants and toddlers.  I found it was challenging to find high quality information, trainings, and resources about infants and toddlers.  I was able to attend a Zero to Three training and found it to be very valuable. This website also has information for families. One job posted on this website was for a Senior Program Associate.  This position involves providing training and technical assistance to Early Head Starts and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs. I am able to meet the requirements for this position. 

Reference

National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). (2014). Vision.  Retrieved from http://nieer.org/about/vision

WestEd.  (2014).  About us. Retrieved from http://www.wested.org/about-us/

Zero to Three. (2012). Our mission. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/

Capstone Project-Week 2- Communities of Practice & Dream Jobs

1.  Technical Assistance Partnerships for Child and Family

Mental Health          http://www.tapartnership.org/

One of the communities of practice that I found interesting was Technical Assistance Partnerships for Child and Family Mental Health.  I was drawn to this Community of Practice because it includes a focus on Cultural and Linguistic Competence, which is an area that I am passionate about. The Communities of Practice are divided among 5 different areas

•     Child Welfare

•     Cultural and Linguistic Competence Community of Practice

•     Early Childhood Community of Practice

•     Family Involvement

•     Transition-Aged Youth Community of Practice

2.  Wyandotte County Early Childhood Interagency Coordinating Council

“The mission of Wyandotte County Early Childhood Interagency Coordinating Council is to promote a community wide network of comprehensive support services for families and children from prenatal care through age five” (University of Kansas, n.d., para 62)   This is a Community of Practice that I currently participate in. This group is comprised of very diverse agencies who are committed to working together it improve outcomes for children and families from birth through age 5.   I learn about new resources each time I attend one of these meetings.

3.  Mid America Association for the Education of Young Children   http://www.mid-americaaeyc.org/

A third organization that I chose is the Mid America AEYC.  This group is the local affiliate for NAEYC.  One of the reasons that I chose this group is that each year they offer a high quality curriculum conference.  They also offer scholarships for early childhood professionals pursuing a higher level of education. 

Reference

University of Kansas. (n.d.). KUCCP Projects. Retrieved from

http://www2.ku.edu/~kucdd/projects.html

Job Opportunities

One job that I would like to have is teaching a class at a local  community college in the Early Childhood Department.  Finishing this Master’s program would help meet the educational requirements but I lack any direct experience of working in a formal setting with adult learners that would likely be required.

While this job is in California, it would still be a dream job for me to work for WestEd.  I would also be interested in a position like that listed on the WestEd website for an Infant/Toddler Professional Development Specialist.  The one requirement that I do not meet for this position is that I am not PITC certified.  I have attended the PITC trainings in the past did not pursue certification.  The requirements have most likely changed and so in order to be qualified for this position, I would need to take the PITC trainings and then become certified.