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

At least three national/federal organizations or communities of practice that appealed to you and why you chose them. 1. Early Learning-White House http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/early-childhood I chose this site because it gives information on all the programs and initiatives that have been started/continued by President Obama. 2. Early Learning http://www.ed.gov/early-learning I chose this site because it gives a lot of good information on the budgeting for early child care and it also gives information for each state. It also gives you resources that we can use in this course. 3. The National Institute for Early Education Research http://nieer.org/ Conducts and communicates research to support high-quality, effective early childhood education for all young children. Such education enhances their physical, cognitive, and social development, and subsequent success in school and later life. Job opportunities (currently available or not) that interest you. 1. Professional Development Coordinator Professional development coordinators help teachers and programs assess, plan and achieve personal professional development goals. Professional development coordinators must possess good written and oral communication skills; be able to collaborate, plan and partner with other agencies and institutions providing professional development opportunities; be able to provide professional development opportunities on a wide variety of topics; know how to provide follow-up support; and document and evaluate services provided. Professional development coordinators also advocate for policies, standards, practices and efforts necessary for ensuring and retaining a well-educated, compensated, and skilled early childhood workforce. 2. Early Childhood Consultant Consultants provide information and assistance to child care programs, business and industry, communities, elected public policy officials, and state and federal agencies to help them develop programs, regulations and public policies that will enhance or improve the quality of child care. Early childhood systems consultants need a foundation in early childhood education/child development and child care administration as well an in-depth understanding of the funding bodies and agencies/systems supporting child care in the area being served. 3. Family Specialists/Counselors Family specialists/counselors include a wide variety of early childhood professionals who help families access the resources they need to care for their children. Family specialists/counselors need to have a basic understanding of child and family development, child care licensing regulations, knowledge of community resources (private and public) and the ability to communicate this information to parents. Family specialists/counselors may provide services in the child’s home, the child care setting or in an agency office.