Roles and Jobs in the Early Childhood Community: Federal and National Level

The first federal organization that interests me is the US Department of Health and Human Services. The organization has a position open for a Supervisory Children and Families Program Specialist which entails leading and guiding programs such as Child Welfare, Foster Care and Adoption Assistance, and Child Abuse and Neglect as well as developing strategies and plans for units to carry out legislative goals for improved effectiveness of programs. The position requires only a Bachelor’s degree and additional experience in the human services field. I am interested in the position because it is an opportunity to bring voice for children and families at the federal level and to bring my knowledge and experience to other professionals that impact many federal policies.

Zero to Three (n.d.) offers great knowledge and research regarding child development from birth to three years. I have found this organization to be incredibly helpful in the information shared through the journals and newsletters as well as the online links to child development and maltreatment information. To work for this organization would be a wonderful opportunity in any capacity. Currently there is a position open for a Senior Writer/Training Specialist. One of the requirements for the position is to have a strong knowledge of Early Head Start programs and experience in training a variety of audiences. These skills are ones that I would need to improve further before applying for the position.

The final organization that I would like to discuss is Healthy Families of America. This organization is a national group which supports state home visiting programs to offer child development and parent education to families beginning prenatally through five years. Because I currently work for the Healthy Families New York program I have a strong passion for what this organization represents. While I work in a successful county-run program, I have thought about what opportunities I may be able to open up in other counties or states through the national guidance and leadership. One of my dreams has been to start a new program in a county of need where I may become the program manager where I can lead and guide the direction of the home visiting program. I have family in an area of Pennsylvania which currently does not have a Healthy Families program. I can’t help but wonder if I moved there what opportunities would I be able to open up for families and children?

References

Healthy Families America. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.healthyfamiliesamerica.org/about_us/index.shtml

USA Jobs. (n.d.). US Department of Health & Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/351906400

Zero to Three. (n.d.). Job Posting. Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/careers/jobs/senior-writer-training-specialist_ehs-nrc_8-13.pdf

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

One community of practice that I find interesting is the Prevent Child Abuse New York organization. This organization works to promote parent education and increase funding and public awareness of parenting education programs. I chose this community of practice because I believe the opportunities that can be created through parent education programs is tremendously powerful in preventing child abuse and increasing child health and development. As a current parent educator my current hopes for my career is to maintain and continue to improve my skills as a parent educator with the home visiting program I work for. To competently fulfill this role I need to continue to improve my communication skills and knowledge of parenting practices and child development.

Another community of practice that is appealing is the Family Enrichment Network (FEN). This group creates a partnership with parents and family members to achieve optimal child development and learning potentials. FEN coordinates children and family services using a comprehensive and collaborative approach to improve their quality of life.” I am interested in this group because of the devotion I have witnessed from the group within my community. The services offered extend beyond just working to build on children’s development and learning to the families and community connections that serve to advocate for empowering the family and child. I would be interested in working for this organization in the role of a Family Support Services Director or a coordinator in other areas as well. For this role I would need to improve on leadership skills.

              A third community of practice that I am interested in is the Let’s Read program through the United Way of Broome County. This group works to improve reading skills of children by encouraging parent and family involvement and creating lending libraries for children throughout the community. I like that the group has utilized many areas where children and families commonly go within the community in order to promote reading.

 References

Family Enrichment Network.  http://www.familyenrichment.cc/

Prevent Child Abuse New York. http://www.preventchildabuseny.org/

Let’s Read: United Way of Broome County. http://www.uwbroome.org/lets-read