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

I chose the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE) because it advocates for building collaboration between home, school, and community involvement in an effort to enhance children education.  This organization understands “it takes a village to raise a child” and is; thereby, using this philosophy to guide their direction.  This organization serves as a visible representative at the national level to support strong parent and family involvement initiative.  The NCPIE is also in collaboration with IDEA in advocating for better outcomes for children with disabilities. 

I did not find any vacancies or volunteer positions currently available, but I would be interested in becoming a Family Coordinator so that I could act as a liaison between families and schools and organize family activities.   I would have to be able to complete a background check, have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in either social work, human service, education, or something similar. I think that I would have to possess the skills and knowledge of the classroom and cultural backgrounds; respect ethnic, culture, and language diversity, be an effective communicator with the families, teachers, administrators, and students.  Have experience in collaborative leadership, and show organization skills. It is also important that I have patience, compassion, and a strong desire to work with families with disabilities, disadvantages and any other health or social problems the families may be dealing with. 

The second organization I chose was the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF), because its mission is to ensure every child meet their full potential in education, career, and life.  The organization advocates for the support of policymakers in creating and developing effective youth policy that helps to protect their rights.  The AYPF is a non-profit organization that provides learning opportunities to policymakers, practitioners, and researchers working on youth and education issues at the national, state, and local levels. Their goal is to develop and implement sound policies that will enhance communication, understanding and provide and trust amongst youth policy professionals (American Youth Policy Forum, 2012).

The only position available is an internship. An internship will help me gain great knowledge, experience and publicity.  I will be in a position to collaborate with various national leading researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. To be considered for an intern position, I must be organized, highly self-motivated, detailed-oriented, and self-confident.  I must be able to work effectively and independently. I must possess strong writing, research, and communication skills as well as experience with MS office and Access data base.  I must be either an undergraduate or graduate student intern with an interest in and commitment to improving lives of youth (American Youth Policy Forum, 2012).

The third foundation that I chose is The Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), because its goal is to build better futures for disadvantage children living in the United States.  The foundation fosters public policies, human-service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of disadvantage children and their families. They are able to accomplish this by creating grants to help states, cities, and neighborhoods meet the needs of disadvantage families. 

 

The AECF currently have three vacancies; Intern in Human Resources, Special Assistant in Office of the President, and Vice President for the Center for Effective Family Services and Systems.  Out of the three, I think that I would be most interested in pursuing the Special Assistant in Office of the President.  To be considered for this position, I will need to have a Master’s degree in human services, social work, business, education or related field.  In addition to the degree, I will need a minimum of three years experience working with community-based organizations and/or policy organizations that focused on health and human services, education, and/or economic and community development. I will also need to possess the following skills; strong analytical skills and abilities to prepare reports, ability to work discreetly and independently, exceptional written and oral communication skills, consensus builder, proficiency with database, internet, and presentation software, and committed to improving outcomes for disadvantage children and families.

References

American Youth Policy Forum. (2012). Retrieved March 19, 2012 from http://www.aypf.org/about/index.htm

National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education. (2012). Retrieved March 19, 2012 from http://ncpie.org/

The Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2012). Retrieved March 19, 2012 from http://www.aecf.org

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

1.      I chose Child Youth and Family Services because they work towards helping children become healthy, happy, and productive adults through early learning, counseling and shelter for youth, and education and support for families.  I like the fact that they have programs in place to meet the needs of the family as a whole.

In order to be considered for any position at Child Youth and Family Services, I would have to first satisfactory complete a Child Protective Service and Criminal History Check.   One job that I would be interested in learning is the Director of Corporate and Foundation giving.  This position requires me to research, write, and prepare proposals for submissions to potential funding sources to extend programs and add new ones.  I would need a four year college degree and experience in the nonprofit sector, including grant writing experience in order to qualify for this position.

2.      Neediest Kids helps at risk students obtain the basic essentials they need such as eyeglasses, clothes, personal hygiene items, school supplies and uniforms, food, and so much more to help them be successful in school.   There are corporations, foundations, associate members, and retailers such as American Airlines, Mobile Giving Foundation, Scott Brickman, Brickman, Staples, and so many more that gives generous contributions to support more than 21,000 low-income students annually.

There were no job opportunities available at this time, but I would love to volunteer in any way that I can in supporting such a wonderful cause.  I would like to separate and organize gift bags for the students and help deliver them to their homes or schools just to be able to see the look on their face.  I think that this position would require me to have passion to want to help others be successful in life.

3.      The Child and Family Network Centers provides high-quality, free education and related services to at risk-children and their families in an effort to prepare them for life successes.  I like this program because it focuses on at risk families, provides a full range of educational, family, and health services based on the needs of the family, and all the programs are offered within the neighborhoods where the families live.   Annie E. Casey Foundation partnered with Virginia Governor Mark Warner in providing services to over 172 children and their families.   Their services include free preschool education, developmental screenings, speech and occupational therapy, psychological assessments, and individual therapy. A nurse practitioner screens clients, refers them to medical resources, and advises them about insurance.  There are five full-time social workers provide counseling, case management, job training, and ESL to parents who need the services.

Currently, there are no job opportunities available.  I would be very interested in a position that advocated for additional funding so that more families could be helped annually.  I feel that I would need a strong foundation in grant writing and experience in the nonprofit sector to accomplish this.  Most importantly, I would need communtities of practice; therefore, I need you.