The three National and/or Federal ECE that have appeal to me or I would like to work for are: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the second agency is The United States Department of Education, and the third is the National Head Start Association.
The National Association of Young Children (NAEYC) is an organization that is committed to constantly working hard to promote ” high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8″ (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2019). I feel that working with this organization either as an employee or with the organization as a community of practice can provide guidance and support to become an advocate for play based learning within my community. Some of the jobs that have captured my attention through the NAEYC organization are; Dean of Early Childhood Education; Assistant Professor-Tenure Track, Elementary/Early Childhood Education; and Executive Director, Child Care Connections. Some of the skills, experience, and education needed for these jobs are; Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, NAEYC recognized Director credentials, knowledge of NAEYC accreditation guidelines and standards, understanding of Reggio Emilia Philosophy, minimum 4 years of experience leading an early childhood center, develop, train, and manage teaching staff, coach and guide curriculum development and implementation utilizing Teaching Strategies, Doctorate in Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education, andTeaching experience.
The Department of Education is the second agency that has captured my attention because my challenge is on play-based learning in early childhood education. The U.S. Department of education to promote the educational and emotional outcomes for young children to third grad (U.S. Department of Education, 2019). The U.S. Department of Education also oversees early childhood programs and promotes programs that supports developmentally appropriate development for young children. Some of the jobs that captured my attention through the U.S. Department of Education are; Education Research Analyst and Special Agent Education Teaching Background. Some of the skills, experience, and education needed for these jobs are: Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, ability to objectively evaluate information and make sound judgments, demonstrated ability to understand key concepts in a wide range of subject areas and to develop lesson plans and instructional procedures to teach and explain material to individuals from many backgrounds and educational levels, exceptional problem-solving and analytical skills, and knowledge of education research and evaluation methodologies, principles and practices, and the role of governments sufficient to plan, evaluate, and advise on funded. education research projects
The National Head Start Association is the third agency that has captured my attention because it is a National organization that promotes provided all children with an opportunity to to succeed in school by providing an opportunity to an education (National Head Start Association, 2019). The National Head Start Association can provide me with the opportunity to have educators work as part of my community of practice for my challenge as they can provide first hand evidence as to why play based learning is important for child growth and development. Some of the jobs that captured my attention through the National Head Start Association are Family Support Advocate, Family Engagement Advocate, Family and Community Partnership Manager, Family Educator, and Head Start Program Specialist. Some of the skills, education, and experience needed for some or these jobs are Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, must be bilingual (Spanish/English), Knowledge of resources available for children and families, good organizational skills, good communication skills, record keeping skills, ability to interact effectively with people from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, ability to maintain records, prepare reports and correspondence and related work, ability to communicate both orally and in writing, and determines the level of services needed by using the appropriate guidelines and manuals.
Through this research, I have learned that there are so many opportunities to provide services and become and advocate within the field of early childhood education with agencies I had no idea existed, but provide services for young children and families. I know that I still need experience, skills, and education for some of these job opportunities, but at this point I have hope that one day I can hold one of these jobs and make a difference not only within my community and state, but also at a national and/or federal level.
References
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved July 23, 2019, from https://www.naeyc.org/
National Head Start Association. (n.d.). Retrieved July 24, 2019 from https://www.nhsa.org/
U. S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved July 24, 2019, from https://www.ed.gov/
Love To Help People Overcome Barriers 
Anna-
Thank you for exploring the Department of Education. It is not an organization that gets discussed frequently in this class but has a great influence on the early childhood field. I also chose a Capstone project closely related to play. I wish you the best on your challenge!
Bri Wolfe
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Bri,
Thank you for your feedback and comments. What is your topic? If you don’t mind me asking. I may have resources you can use if you would like.
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Hey Anna,
Thank you for sharing your post this week! I loved all your associations that you have chosen especially the Head Start Association. I used to work for head start and it was a very rewarding program being able to help low income families and children who are going through rough times. I loved being there for them and seeing the positive changes in their lives. Working in head start in general is ALOT of paperwork, but its worth it! I am excited for you in making the changes you wish to make in your learning through play challenge. I think being a Head Start Specialist or a family educator even in head start, will help you achieve your goal of raising awareness of the importance of play in the lives of children. Being in a role of authority will make things easier for you to reach families and educators and I wish you the best of luck in achieving this! People will see your heart and passion and that alone will make a difference.
Mellissa
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I am very familiar with all of the organizations that you researched. Was there one in particular that really stood out to you as an organization that you would want to work for, and if so what would you like to do in the organization?
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Hey Ann
Great research on the jobs that you would be interested in, I am too always happy to see people mention Department of Education because they are one of the few agency out here that are not talked about a lot. I would love to work for NAEYC as well myself, I saw a job while I was doing my research that I think you would be interested in as well Executive Director position and all you need to have is a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. Thank you for sharing your post this week.
Reference
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). https://www.naeyc.org/
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