National and Federal Organizations

National Association for the Education of Young Children their mission is “to serve and act on behalf of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources”(NAEYC, 2012).  This community of practice prides itself on “convening individuals and groups with diverse perspectives to generate new knowledge and understanding of issues” that are affecting education and the development of young children (NAEYC, 2012).  This organization is a wonderful asset to any professional community because of its diverse membership.  They also advocate for public policies and funding to support comprehensive systems of high quality early childhood learning for young children and families which is an area that interest me professionally.

The National Association of Child Care Professionals is an organization for child care owners, directors and administrators.  Although this organization seems exclusive, the goal of improving, enhancing and strengthening the credibility of the people who lead the child care industry seems like an important step to ensure that child care workers are seen as credible among other professionals.  This organization will be important as the early childhood field moves forward to ensure that qualified teachers and high quality programs are in place for all children.  Although I do not meet the criteria to join at the moment, the opportunity to join a community of professionals with these members would be beneficial in understanding the management perspective of early childcare programs.

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) is another national organization that appeals to me.  This organization conducts and communicates research which supports high quality, effective, early childhood education for all young children (NIEER, 2012).  The research that is completed here is important in the struggle to improve the conditions and wages for teachers as they become highly qualified to teach through earning degrees.  But also the research provides evidence that supports the need for high quality early childhood programs to enhance the development of young children and families.  All early childhood professionals, and students alike, benefit from the work that is done through this organization.  They are key players in the fight to develop legislation, regulations and policies to improve the quality and increase access for children nationwide.

Job opportunities that interest me are Early Childhood Education Director, Early Childhood Community Outreach Manager, and any job that would allow me to work with making policies for early childhood programs. For each of the jobs listed I found that at least a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood, business, public policy with at least 3-5 years of relevant experience were necessary.  All jobs required the ability to communicate effectively with the public, compassion and ability to work with a diverse population, and write reports, manage budgets and supervise staff.  Some coordination with the community and ability to problem solve were also characteristics that were needed.

National Association of Child Care Professionals. 2012. http://www.naccp.org/

National Association for the Education of Young Children. 2012. http://www.naeyc.org/about/mission

National Institute for Early Education Research. 2012. http://nieer.org/about/vision

Employment Opportunities in EC

My search for job openings in my community or county did not go well.  I did not find one job opening for a Early Childhood Educator of any types, much less one with a Master’s degree.  This was very discouraging.  However, as I was researching online I found several job opportunities in state and governmental jobs and even jobs overseas!

The first site that I visited in my county was the Partnership for children.  They offered no employment opportunities on their site.  I then searched the SmartStart organization. I know that we have a Pre-K program in our county and in the years when I worked for the program it was administered by the SmartStart program.  I did not find anything about the Pre-K program on their page, however there was a link for employment opportunities.  So I clicked the link and followed it.  On the next page there were several options for state positions.  Here I found two job opportunities that I felt I might be qualified for.  The first was a SmartStart Learning Community Director.  This job entailed developing classes for employees to take in an online environment and working with computer programmers to develop a chat room and discussion board where employees could respond.  Ultimately, the director would be developing classes and maintaining the assignments and grades for the employees.  They would also be responsible as a contact person for log in information, etc.  The requirement was a Master’s degree in Early Childhood, experience in online classroom management and development, organization and implementation of a curriculum and at least 3 years experience in leadership.  The second employment opportunity was a Project Manager for a Race to the Top grant.  The candidate would be responsible for administering the funding and meeting all of the qualifications of the grant.  They have to coordinate programs to meet the qualifications and ensure that all aspects are met.  A Master’s degree in a related field, experience in early childhood programs, and extensive knowledge of early childhood program history is required.  Both of these jobs were on the state level.

The Office of Health and Human Services website I found an employment opportunity for a Grant Reviewer.  I thought this was an awesome job opportunity.  Perhaps it is because I long for a quiet environment at the moment to hear myself think, but this is an opportunity to review grants to see if they meet the requirements for funding.  The requirements are that you have expertise in the area in which you select.  You must have a four year degree or further to apply, and you should have an area of expertise that you can demonstrate through references on a resume.  If selected you have 6 weeks to review grants that are at least 3,000 pages.  You work 6 days a week and must be available by phone for conferences if necessary.  Also, you have to have access to the internet and telephone during set hours each day.  The plus is that you work at home….however, you will be on call so to speak for 6 days a week during the 6 week period that you are reviewing the grant.

Finally, while I was on the Office of Health and Human Services website I searched jobs in education.  I found many jobs in the United States and abroad for childcare workers, youth program workers, teachers and various other jobs.  Most of the opportunities were on military bases.  However, I noticed very quickly that the early childhood opportunities were not paying very much money, even those that were in other countries!  It amazes me that we have not made any progress on this issue in the past few years.  If you are looking for jobs, there are a few out there. I fear it is going to be harder than I imagined to find a new job with our new degrees.

http://www.hhs.gov/careers/

https://www.governmentjobs.com/js_login.cfm?&TopHeader=northcarolina

http://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/3445