Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The three local or state organizations or communities of practice I choose are Bright from the Start, Head Start, and Bright Horizons Family Solution.

 First, Bright from the Start is the name of Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. It is a state organization. The reason I chose this organization is because Bright from the Start work with thousands of child care providers, school systems, and state and national child advocacy organizations to ensure that hundreds of thousands of Georgia’s children receive high quality child care and early learning experiences in safe and healthy environments. There is an interest job opening. 

Job title: Quality Rated Assessor / Program Evaluation & Development Specialist (WL) 10301 - SW GA. Date Posted on 10/29/2014, Date Deadline 11/12/2014.

 Required Qualifications:

    Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university in Early Childhood Education or a related field from an accredited college/university and four years of related work experience in Early Childhood Education OR Master’s degree from an accredited college/university in Early Childhood Education or a related field and two years of related work experience in Early Childhood Education.

Preferred Qualifications:

    Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education or a related field from an accredited college/university and three years’ work experience in providing assessment of early care and education programs (center-based and family day care homes).

 Experience in using the Environment Rating Scales (ERS).

Proficiency in conversational as well as written and spoken Spanish. Proficient in the use of computers, tablets, and software.

Technical Competencies:

    Excellent oral and written communication skills.

 Second, Head Start is a community of practice in the field of childhood education, a national wide administration that promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through agencies in their local community. The reason I chose this community of practice because Head Start has the highest reputation in supporting young children from low-incoming families. There are hundreds of programs around the nation. There are some interesting job openings at its website link to employment opportunities. An interesting one is Early Childhood Education Program Specialist - San Marcos - California, Posting Date:  10/20/2014.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

Knowledge of:

    Early childhood education systems including curriculum, individualization and implementation and ongoing assessment (i.e. Creative Curriculum, the Second Step Curriculum, the Desired Results Developmental Profile, the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale and the Classroom Assessment Scoring System

    Computer skills, including Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Database management and the Internet

 Third, Bright Horizons FamilySolutions is a community of practice in the field of early childhood education, a leading provider of early education and preschools, employer-sponsored child care, back-up care, educational advisory services and other work/life solutions. I chose this community of practice because I current work for it. The position I am interesting in is Education Coordinator.   

Skills 

    Guide staff in the implementation of a developmentally appropriate curriculum

    Collaborate with a talented team of early childhood professionals like yourself

    Partner with parents to support and share the educational needs of their child

    Manage your time as you support multiple classrooms and staff

    Nurture your career aspirations and personal growth through ongoing training and support

    Impact the lives of children and families each and every day

Requirements   

    CDA or 9 credit hours/120 clock hours/12 CEUs required

    Associate’s degree or higher preferred

    Two to four years of professional early childhood education teaching experience required

    Expertise in child development and developmentally appropriate curriculum

    Ability to lead staff in implementation of developmentally appropriate curriculum

    Excellent customer service skills and the ability to create partnerships with families and staff

    Experience and skill in communication, leadership, organization and supervision

    Experience with the NAEYC Accreditation process strongly preferred

    Must meet state requirements for education and additional center/school requirements may apply

References

Bright Horizons Family Solutions, (n.d), Education Coordinator, Retrieved from https://www.brighthorizons.com/careers/open-positions/leadership/

Bright from the Start, (2014), Quality Rated Assessor / Program Evaluation & Development Specialist (WL) 10301 - SW GA, Retrieved from http://decal.ga.gov/BftS/DecalJobs.aspx

Head Start, (2014, Oct.), Early Childhood Education Program Specialist - San Marcos - California, Retrieved from http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs/careers/Region9/California/Early%20Childhood%20Education%20Program%20Specialist%20-%20San%20Marcos%20%20-%20%20California.html