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

Upon completing my Master’s Degree, I will be embarking on a new journey in life, not only in looking for a job but also living in a new state. I will be moving to New Jersey by the first of November this year to start fresh and adventure in a different position but still working with children and their families.

The first site that caught my interest was that of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  NAEYC’s mission is that the organization “promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting 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,” n.d.).  In looking under the professional development tab I located the link to career center which led to the job seekers link. Through this I was able to search and read several job opportunities that would allow me to work with children and their families. There were many jobs that I was interested in but I chose to look further into the Director’s role at Bright Horizons Childcare Center in Washington. The following information will present what I would need in order to fulfill this job opportunity from the NAEYC website:

At Bright Horizons, every day brings something new. As a child care director, you will have a chance to inspire the passion in your teachers, have a moment of pure connection with a child or parent, embrace an unexpected challenge that evolves into an opportunity to apply your intelligence, share your compassion and character in creating a solution – and every day, you’ll find your business focus balanced by a unique and very real sense of fulfillment. Apply now to join the Bright Horizons team as an on-site leader at one of our beautiful centers. You will play a key role in creating and refining the center’s culture by supporting teachers in the development of an innovative, hands-on, emergent curriculum designed for the children in your care and building an environment where the children, families and staff thrive.   As a center director at Bright Horizons, you will: ·         Grow your team by hiring, training, supervising and inspiring a team of passionate, committed teachers ·         Collaborate with families to support and share the educational needs of their children ·          Nurture your career aspirations and personal growth through ongoing training and support ·         Inspire each child’s potential through our innovative curriculum, inclusive environment and strong family partnerships ·         Play an integral role in continuing the Bright Horizons commitment to quality ·         Enjoy the support of a corporate team dedicated to help you manage the daily operations of the center At Bright Horizons, we support our employees in their lives both at home and at work. We ensure a work environment in which each employee’s chosen path is respected, rewarded, and celebrated.

·         Bachelor’s degree preferred; High School diploma/GED required ·         3-5 years of management/leadership experience ·         A combination of infant, toddler or preschool teaching experience ·          Well versed in NAEYC accreditation and licensing standards ·          Strong leadership, supervisory and customer service skills and ability to  create/maintain partnerships with families and staff ·         Ability to lead staff in implementing a developmentally appropriate curriculum ·         Strong organizational and communication skills and the ability to handle multiple tasks or crisis situations effectively ·         Capacity to understand and manage center financial duties ·         Computer literacy ·         Experience working in an inclusive work environment and managing across differences ·         Must meet state educational and licensing requirements for director; additional center/school requirements may apply

The second organization that I looked into is Zero to Three. The organization mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life (Zero to Three, 2011). Zero to Three launched in 1977 and since then it has grown to more than 160 employees working on a wide range of issues impacting infants, toddlers, young children and their families (Zero to Three, 2011). There were four job opportunities listed on the site but only one caught my attention. The job that resonated with me most is that of a Home Visitor through Edmonds Community College – Head Start & Early Head Start. The position is full time and is in Everett, Washington. The salary is 35,100.00 – 46,884.00 and the preferred education is a 2-year degree. Here are some of the responsibilities of the Home Visitor but not limited to:

• The Home Visitor is responsible for delivering Early Head Start (EHS) services to enrolled infants, toddlers, and their parents within the home setting, group socialization experiences, and providing a link between the family, Early Head Start and the community.
• The Home Visitor delivers EHS comprehensive services (child development and learning, parent education, health, and family support) in weekly 90-minute home visits. Twice a month the Home Visitor and all his/her assigned families meet for a parent-child playgroup (called group socialization).
• The Home Visitor must be able to respond to the unique needs and interests of the family while maintaining a focus on child development experiences. Home Visitors often encounter stressors such as families experiencing or living with trauma, struggling with homelessness, food insecurity, eviction, medical problems, violence, mental health issues, and addiction and substance abuse issues.

The last organization I chose is the Child Care Services Association (CCSA).  Child Care Services Association (CCSA) is a nationally recognized nonprofit working to ensure affordable, accessible, high quality child care for all families through research, services and advocacy. They are more than just an agency working to improve child care; they are also an association of groups, individuals and volunteers committed to supporting the right of young children and their families to have the best possible life (Child Care Services Association, 2015).  CCSA began in 1974 as two independent organizations: the Durham Day Care Council in Durham County and Day Care Services Association in Orange County. Each organization was created in affiliation with its local United Way as an ongoing vehicle to meet community child care needs. In 1999, after much success on parallel tracks, but recognizing the need for coordinated and consolidated efforts, the two organizations, the Durham Day Care Council and Day Care Services Association joined forces to become Child Care Services Association. The years since merger have shown unprecedented growth and improved service delivery (Childcare Services, 2015).

I chose this organization because they are dedicated to refining the child care system and making sure that children have access to high quality child care. There were several jobs available but I chose that of an Infant Toddler Specialist. This position is out of the Chapel Hill and Durham area. Some of the job requirement and skills are as follows:

• Work collaboratively with the region’s CCR&R Quality Improvement staff and all other individuals providing technical assistance and training to child care providers serving infants and toddlers in the region
• Work collaboratively with licensing consultants, abuse and neglect consultants, early intervention specialists, community college educators, child care health consultants, and health inspectors working with child care providers serving infants and toddlers in the region
• Provide IT-SIDS (Infant Toddler Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) prevention trainings, Infant/Toddler Core trainings and various other trainings as needed
• Recruit and maintain a caseload of programs serving infants and/or toddlers which includes developing program plans based on approved, research based models (i. e. ITERS, CSEFEL), implementing these plans through technical assistance visits, writing site visit summaries and assessing progress towards meeting goals with the overall project goal being to improve the quality and increase the availability of infant toddler child care services throughout the region

SPECIAL SKILLS:

• Effective oral and written communication skills with internal and external clients
• Computer experience; knowledge of or demonstrated ability to learn File Maker Pro, Microsoft Excel, Google Mail and Google Docs, and Microsoft Word
• Attention to detail with ability to handle large volume of administrative work
• Ability to independently manage a large caseload of technical assistance and trainings throughout region
• Ability to prioritize work and travel schedule to balance administrative duties, technical assistance and trainings
• Ability to work well with a diverse client population
• Professional appearance and demeanor

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or related field and three years’ experience in direct service and management working with infants and toddlers, their families or programs that serve them OR Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education or related field and two years’ experience in. direct service and management working with infants and toddlers, their families or programs that serve them
• At least two years’ experience providing technical assistance to child care programs to increase their quality of care
• Program for Infant Toddler Care (PITC) certified or willingness/ability to successfully complete modules I-IV upon hire
• Level 11 on the Early Educator Certification Scale through the NC Institute for Child Development Professionals
• Knowledge of environment rating scales (ITERS) and the Pyramid model preferred.

The rest of the job information can be located on the website through the link provided in the references.

 

References

Child Care Services Association. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.childcareservices.org/about-us/

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.naeyc.org/

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/