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

At the national level I found the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).  The AFT was founded in 1916 and represents 1.5 million members.  They are divided into five divisions: Pre-K through twelve teachers; paraprofessionals and other school related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state, and local government employees; and nurses and other healthcare professionals.  The mission of AFT is to improve the lives of their members and their families; to give them a voice; to strengthen the institutions, in which they work; to improve the quality of service; and to promote democracy.  Within this organization I found an open position that peaked my interest, the Assistant Director of Public Affairs.  In this position I would promote the AFT and its priorities to the news media and the public, AFT members and leaders.  Qualifications for this position include five years experience in media relations, excellent verbal and written communication skills, respond quickly to important developments, experience writing speeches, op-eds, and articles, good organizational skills, dependable and have a background in education, labor and/or politics.

The second national level organization I found is the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  It is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children.  Their mission is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources.  Within this organization I found the position of Conference Program Coordinator.  Responsibilities include coordinate the proposal review process, updating/ maintaining the proposal/presenter/scheduling databases; preparing presenter, session, and scheduling reports and correspondence; updating the Conference websites; and managing the Conference meeting room inventory.  The qualifications are a BA/BS required, be detailed and accurate, able collaborate as well as work independently, work under pressure and meet tight deadlines, and be proficient with MS office.

The third organization I found is the US Department of Education.  The position I found is under the Institute of Education Sciences and is an Education Research Analyst.  In this position I would be responsible for designing and implementing experimental and quasi-experimental studies of after-school programs and programs for improving student academic achievement and interpreting and critiquing empirical findings from experimental and quasi-experimental studies.  The qualifications are a degree in a related field and experience reviewing and critiquing experimental and quasi-experimental studies.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State

I am interested in working with both children and adults.  While doing this assignment it made me realize I am drawn to more administrative positions rather than in a classroom, which is where I am now.  One organization that appealed to me is the Louisiana Department of Education.  This agency appealed to me because It offers many different opportunities within the education field.  I found many types of positions from.  But the one that peaked my interest was the Comprehensive Public Training Program Administrator.      If in this position I would administer all training activities provided by the Comprehensive Public Training Program and other special training initiatives, ensuring that training needs of all state agencies are addressed.  The minimum qualifications for this position is a Master's degree or equivalent, plus eight years of experience planning, administering, evaluating, or instructing in a formalized training program.

The next agency I was interested in is the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.  This agency peaked my interest because it has a program called Early Steps which provides services to families with infants and toddlers age birth to three years who have a medical condition likely to result in developmental delay, or who have developmental delays.  This program offers many services to the families but I was interested in the Early Childhood Interventionist services.  To qualify I need to be certified in early child intervention: birth to five.  I found that most universities in Louisiana offer the program as a bachelor degree but since I am already a certified teacher I would only need to pass a test and take a few courses.  As a certified Early Childhood Interventionists I would be prepared to work with children ages birth to five years old and meet any and all educational needs of the child.

The last agency that caught my eye was Delgado Community College because I was qualified for most positions there.  I like the idea of teaching at the college level one day but the job opportunity that is available at this time is the Assistant Director of the campus based childcare facility.  As the Assistant Director, I would spend most of my time aiding the director in making sure the center is running smoothly.  I would also fill in for teachers when needed.  To qualify for this position a bachelor's degree a 3 years experience in early childhood is desired.

This assignment helped me to open my mind to new opportunities.  It has always been hard for me to imagine myself doing anything but teach children but I have a new outlook on my career in the Early Childhood field.