Time Well Spent

What I have learned over the last 20 months that true dedication and hard work can in fact get you to that end goal of yours.  I wanted my MS in Early Childhood Studies because I wanted to help student’s transition from early childhood programs to school aged programs. I felt like there was a disconnect that left parents very confused.  I learned that there were so many more goals that I had, such as educating other people about inclusion and how it can be done appropriately and learning about how to integrate and be an anti-biased teacher.  The first deeply felt learning I had through out this program was that it is not just me that wants to make a difference in the lives of young children and their families.  Second, I learned that my capstone project could in fact be reality.  I often feel so overwhelmed about how you start to complete a project that I was unsure of what to do, but now I have learned (through the guidance of this course) how you go about starting an idea.  Lastly,  I learned how important it is to collaborate and support each other.  I do not think that it can be reiterated enough that we must work together; whether it be at work or online we have to support each other.

My long-term goal is to put my capstone project into action.  There are many aspects of my job that already apply to my project, but I have yet to create a formal community of practice.  Once that has been created then we will be able to work together to help general education teachers and paraprofessionals with inclusion. 

Farewell message:

It has certainly been a journey over the past months.  At times it felt stressful and overwhelming, but here we are, we made it!  I am so proud to be apart of a learning community that has such dedication to the field.  It is not everyday that people from all around the country and even the world get to come together for a purpose, a purpose to learn and grow.  Together we have pinpointed a variety of different projects that we all hope to complete, how amazing is that?  We are the difference in the lives of young children and their families. I cannot wait to hear about what people have accomplished. I wish you all the best and please keep in touch!

My favorite quote:

"Have courage enough to accept what you can 

not change, but yet courageous enough to stand 

up and fight for what you can." 

- Robert M. Hensel

Contact information:

abbyjliedtke@gmail.com

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

Gates Foundation

The first organization that I knew I wanted to research was the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation because of their philanthropic work all over the world and their particular interest in education.  Their four core values also resonate with me, they are optimism, rigor, innovation and collaboration.

They have so many job posted on their site. I chose to look at Policy and Advocacy in Education.  There are several Program Officer positions both in Seattle and Beijing. This job works with teachers and students to make sure they are working together to get all students to graduate high school.  Qualifications for this position is a Bachelor's degree and 5-10 years of professional leadership or classroom experiences directly supporting, managing and implementing education programs. You also need to be able to travel 30% of the time.

Another position that looked interesting was the Director of Family Planning and the Educational Effectiveness positions.  Both require extensive experience as an employee of an NGO and graduate level schooling. Also, it would like to see a progression of leadership responsibilities with prior work. 


UNICEF 

I then chose UNICEF (United Nations Children Fund) because I believe in the work that they do for our world.  I like that they not only focus on education but hunger, equal rights, basic human rights, protections and emergency help.  

I looked at their Junior Professional program, which is for young professional women and men who are seeking to gain skills in international development. 

I also looked that their New and Emerging Talent Initiative, this is an entry point for professionals looking to work with UNICEF. Some of the requirements for the program are a university masters degree, know another languages, have relevant work experience (another country or work with diversity) and preference is given to candidates under 35 years of age. 

UNESCO

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization I have always enjoyed their work to bring people and cultures together through shared values. 

Like the UNICEF they have a young professionals program which is for young professionals who have recently graduated.  You may be able to apply for a professional position with an advanced university degree, known either English or French and be knowledgeable of Chinese, Arabic, Russian and Spanish.  You also need anywhere from 2-15 years of experience depending on the positions.

What I found interesting is that both UNICEF and UNESCO have junior professional programs and that often you need to go through this to get higher level positions.  All three would be great organizations to work for.

.

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

http://www.aecf.org/MajorInitiatives/KIDSCOUNT.aspx

The first organization I looked up was Kids Count- The Annie E. Casey Foundation. This foundation is a private charitable organization that has a focus on public policies, and providing community supports for children and families who are vulnerable.  States, cities and neighborhoods can get grants from the Foundations to help respond to the needs of the community.

One Job that I found interesting was in Washington DC a Program Associate, Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.  The Program Associate works with the Grade-Level Reading staff and they track the work of the grantees and is a consultant.  They also coordinate communication and outreach activities. The minimum qualifications are to hold a BA in human services, social work or a related field, they also want you to be started in some kind of postgraduate work.  Also, candidates should have 3-5 years of community based experience.

http://www.dec-sped.org/index.aspx

Next, I looked that the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) to see what kinds of jobs you could find through their website.  I found one that looks really interesting, however a lot more schooling would be necessary.  It requires a doctorate degree in one of the following areas: child development, developmental psychology, clinical child psychology, family studies, or a related field. Also, you must have an interest in working in diverse early childhood settings.

The DEC is a division of the CEC-Council for Exceptional Children. The CEC is dedicated to providing the best educational outcomes for people with disabilities.  The division of the DEC focuses on the work with children from birth to age eight.

http://www.nccp.org/

As I was searching through organizations I kept coming across organizations that really focused on families and children living in poverty.  I came across The National Center for children in Poverty (NCCP) it is a public policy center wanting to provide positive outcomes for the following generations.  They focus on economic security, health and the well being of low-income children and their families.

Currently, they have one job posted.  But I would assume that with time they would have more. As of right now they are looking for Research Scientist. They are looking for someone with a Ph. D or equivalent in the following fields: sociology, economics, public health, public policy or a related discipline.  Also, they would like 5 years of experience. Another important qualification is being proficient statistical software. 

I am surprised when I research organization that are working with the wellbeing of children is how many other fields relate back to early childhood.  For example, a lot of these organizations want research scientist or even business people.  It is a great reminder that you need people with all different skill sets to create the most effective organizations.  

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

The first place I went to look is our local ESD office, which is located in the town I live in.  I often use this website for professional development opportunities and to find local organizations to help my families that I work with. For this assignment I looked at the ESD and specifically the Southwest Washington Child Care Consortium (SWCCC).  The consortium is the largest community-run childcare system in the United States; the consortium is made up of our local Educational Service District 112 and local businesses, educators and civic leaders.

http://web3.esd112.org/swccc

Job opportunities are a plenty with this consortium because they sever more than 1,600 children and employ 200 people. There is several teachers’ assistant position where you need to have at least twenty hours of early childhood credits.  There is one position to work for the local ESD as a childcare training specialist. Where the minimum qualification are to have an AA degree or 90 quarter hours and working towards your degree in ECE, elementary education or a related field.  You also need two years experiences working with children AND being the director of a childcare center.  They would prefer a bachelor’s degree, experience in adult training and knowledge of Early Achievers program.




The next organization is DEL (the Department of Early Learning for Washington State).  I often reference this website, especially for their early learning checklist.  The strive to focus on the earliest years in children's communities, which includes childcare, school and homes. They provide a wide range of information to teachers and parents to help create a safe, nurturing and healthy learning environment for all children.

http://www.del.wa.gov/ 

They have a few jobs that are posted; several jobs have to do with technology within the department.  However, there are two postings one for early learning and childcare licensing administrator and one for child care center licensor.

The childcare center licensor requires a bachelors degree, prior licensing or CPS experience, ability to manage a large amount of work, use web-based applications and to type.


The early learning and childcare licensing administrator requires a bachelor’s degree in sociology, education, early learning, or public administration. It requires experience in managerial work preferably in the state government. Experience and knowledge of several policies and project within the Washington state system and ability to manage conflict.


The third organization I found was SELF (Support for Early Learning & Families).  This is a new organization and it looks pretty wonderful.  It is a partnership organization and their mission is to help create a community where all children can thrive.  They have participation from educators, health and mental health, preschool and childhood programs and professionals.

http://www.selfwa.org/

Their career council section has information regarding job training and information to be an occupational therapist, SLP and physical therapist, which links to our local Innovated Service NW.  For any of those positions that are currently listed you would need your degree (Masters) in one of those fields. 


I think that it is important to constantly look up organizations and agencies that are available in your areas.  Often there might be merging of a variety of organizations.  Most importantly it gives you an idea of services that you may be able to hook your parents up with.  Often my parents want to know where they can locate services and sometimes I am at a loss, so doing this simple exercise has allowed me to explore what is out there.

From Passion to Action

Reflecting on Learning

My most passionate hope for early childhood is that pre-schools become more inclusive of those with varying abilities and that teachers are more open to the idea.  I know the idea is great to have this inclusive pre-school where all different types of children and families are represented, but the truth is is that is is hard.  Some students can be challenging, especially when you are trying to figure out all their uniqueness's.   My hope that is teachers use their resources, talk with the community/friends/families and remember to breath because you will figure out how you can best support the child in your classroom.

I am very impressed this semester how everyone has really jumped on board with anti-biased education.  I am proud to be apart of our learning community and I am excited that everyone will be out in our world teaching our most precious children. We are really in the home stretch now and I am sure some of you are getting ready to start up another great year hopefully with lots of new ideas and plans for your students. 

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I chose to look at China and South East Asia because I have taught and traveled in those areas.  Traveling to countries that were so outside of my comfort zone really opened up my world to life outside of my own. 

After exploring the website it was clear that a big challenge children face is physical abuse and even sexual abuse.  It was reported that 1 in 10 children experience abuse that resulted in a physical injury and sometimes up to 33% of children are suffering. Nearly 9% of children are suffering from severe phycial abuse, or 1 and 4 children, this might include, beatings with fists or implements.  There was also a report stating between 14-30% of girls and boys have been sexually abused, forced intercourse (UNICEF, 2012).

These experiences can have a negative impact on children's emotional well being.  The damage can last a lifetime, children who suffer abuse, neglect, and re exploited are more likely to be depressed.  They also may experience mental health problems, attempt suicide, and may engage in high risk behaviors (UNICEF, 2012).

My personal experience was while I was in Vietnam. I never witnessed physical abuse in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos or Cambodia but what I did witness was manual labor.  I saw people paying children to message their feet or carry wood for miles out in the villages.  It was interesting when people paid for services, because to me they should have known better.  In the villages it was their way of life, I understand helping out the family but it was a bit much to me.  Although, it is hard for me to understand because it is not a culture that I am apart of.  So I guess this goes to show how much we have to learn about others. I hope that I can continue to travel and be opened up to new insights.

Resource:

UNICEF, (2012). "Child Maltreatment: Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences: A Systematic Review of Research, ." Retrieved http://www.unicef.org/eapro/Child_Maltreatment.pdf>.