The Journey is coming to an end

We have finally made it to the end of this journey. I thought it was going to be a long journey but it seems like just yesterday we started in our first course. I have learned many things well enrolled at Walden University.

1. There is a whole world out there that needs our help for Early Childhood Education. I need to step up and start helping to get the word out there that Early Childhood Education really does matter.

2. There are many Early Childhood Educators out there willing to help you out. With this program I have met so many wonderful people that I will be able to contact when advice is needed. 

3. Never give up on your dreams/goals. There were many times that I asked myself why did I go back to school. After finishing this class I am glad I never gave up. I encourage everyone to keep going on with their goals/dreams. When you reach the end you will feel awesome!

This program has encourage us all to create goals for our life. My long term goal is to keep helping other Early Childhood professionals. I have started this year by being a cooperative teacher for a student teacher. I look forward to train many other teachers and to help them through their journey.

Now I leave you with a video of me and some quotes that are inspirational to me. 

Please feel free to find me on Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/cheryl.d.52 or you can try to search me by Cheryl LaBonville. Please let me know that you are from Walden University. 

You can also email me at clabonville87@gmail.com

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

I have looked into organizations that are in the United States that have to do with Early Childhood Education. Now I am going to be looking in to organization that work internationally. 

The first organization that I have chosen to look into is Save the Children. The reason I have chosen to look at this organization is because they invest in all children. Their main focus is children who are in crisis. They work all around the world but mainly in third world countries. They give the children what they need to become a healthy adult. Such as health care and education. I think it would be an amazing experience to work for them. A job posting that I found would be interesting is a Specialist, Program, Early Childhood Development. In this position I would have to support staff to make sure they are achieving the standards. I would have to rain staff. I would have to observe, coach and mentor staff at certain sites. I would have to collect data. I would have to communicate with the professionals above me. Those are just some of the main duties. In order to be hired for this job I would need a Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education. Though they prefer a Masters. Three years of experience with infant/toddlers. Experience as a trainer, as a home visitor and working with professionals. 

The second organization that I have chosen to look into is Association for Childhood Education International. The reason I picked this organization is because they want to share new approaches to early childhood professionals. They have different campaigns, programs and events to do this. Their main goal is just to promote early childhood education. 

The third organization that I have chosen to look into is UNICEF. I really enjoyed looking into this organization. They do a wide variety of work in the early childhood field. They work on child protection, children who are disabled,  child survival, education, emergencies,and gender equality. I cannot think if one thing that they do not help with. I feel it is great that their is an organization out there that helps with everything.

The fourth organization that I have chosen to look into is UNESCO. The reason I like this organization is because they work with all age groups. They have all different things they work for such as life long learners, literacy, teachers and women and girl's education. They seem to update their website all the time to stay up to date. 

The last three organization that I looked into some had job postings out of the United States. The other ones just has how to get involved. 

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

I had a hard time at first looking for jobs in the early childhood education field for the national/federal level. I thought I had to find a job for the federal government. I then realized that I could find a job just on their website but it could be for other places since that was really all I saw posted. 

I did find what I believe is a national job for National Head Start Association. The job I thought sounded interesting was Operations Coordinator. The job duties are "to develop plans, monitor and coordinate operations of Head Start centers in accordance with all applicable guidelines, and to train mentor and support staff to achieve program goals"(NHSA,2015). Since I am not a member of the National Head Start Association I was unable to view more detail on this job. I have chosen this association because Head Start is a wonderful program. I feel they do great things for families that need the help. I would love to be part of that.  

The second organization that I found was National Association for the Education of Young Children. The position I thought sounded interesting was the Director of Quality Assessment and Assurance.  I have chosen this job because I think it would be interesting to look at the assessment scores of centers/classrooms. The qualifications and skills needed for this position are bachelor's degree, able to recruit, 3 years of experience with supervisory, able to motivate staff, and experience with early childhood evaluation.  The reason I have chosen NAEYC is because they are a very well known organization. I believe in everything they work for. "NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children"(NAEYC, 2015).

The third organization that I found was National Children's Advocacy Center. The position I thought was interesting was Family Advocate. This position is in charge of training and consultations to professionals. The education and experience needed is a Bachelor's degree in related field, license to provide mental health services, experience in related field, case management experience. The skills needed are confidentiality, knowledge of child development, able to work any hours, professional and able to speak English. I reason I have chosen this organization is because it has to do with my challenge. "The NCAC models, promotes, and delivers excellence in child abuse response and prevention through service, education, and leadership"(NCAC, 2015). 

The fourth organization that I found was Zero to Three. The position I thought was interesting was Policy Specialist. A Bachelor's degree is need for this position. The skills are strong writing, time management, dependable, able to travel, interpersonal skills, solve problems. Microsoft office, and 2 years of experience. I have chose this organization because I have research it many times and I  always find new facts about them. 

Resources

NAEYC. (2015). Our Mission and Strategic Direction. Retrieved from 

        NAEYC: http://www.naeyc.org/about/mission

NCAC. (2015). Mission Statement. Retrieved from National Children's Advocacy 

       Center: http://www.nationalcac.org/mission-statement/mission.html

NHSA. (2015). Professional Development. Retrieved from National Head Start 

       Association: https://www.nhsa.org/our-work/professional-development/careers

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Ever since I started my Master’s degree I have had a list of jobs in the back of my head that I would be interested in once I graduate with my degree. Below are a list of jobs that I would be interested in working with:

·         Child Protective Services

·         Department of Education

·         Education Specialist

·         Child Abuse Prevention

·         Child Care Licensing Consultant

The first organization that I looked at was Child Abuse Neglect Council also known as CAN Council. I have been interested in this organization for a very long time. The reason the CAN Council has appealed to me is because of the work they do. I would love to work for them and be apart in stopping child abuse. Their mission statement explains everything; “We are building communities where children are free from abuse and neglect” (CAN COUNCIL, 2015). As many of you know I am all about stopping child abuse so I feel this organization would be a perfect match for me. They do not have any job postings that I could find on their website. I did find many volunteer positions that are available at CAN Council. The one position that interested me was a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). The skills needed to become a CASA are commitment to children, common sense and persistence, objectivity, responsibility, communication skills, and the ability to talk to a variety of people. It did not state experience was needed to become a CASA. They do put you through an in depth training to become a CASA. After you complete the training you have to do so many hours of training each year.

The second organization that I looked at was Department of Human Services for the State of Michigan. Though this is not an organization it is a Community of Practice. Department of Human Services have appealed to me because they are able to help make decisions. I feel they are higher up and have more control on what goes on in a child’s life. The position I have chosen to do with Department of Human Services is Service Specialist 9-P11 Bay County. The common name for this position is a CPS worker. The education requirements for this position is a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a major human service area such as child development. You do not need experience for this job.

The third organization that I looked at was the one I am currently employed with Mid-Michigan Community Action Agency. I have chosen this organization because I love what they do for the community. Not only do they provide early childhood services they offer assistance in many other forms such as housing and utilities. They are also great to their employees. I am currently a lead preschool teacher for the agency but the job that I would also be interested in is early childhood education coordinator. They qualifications for this job is at least four years’ experience working with children.  You will also need a Master’s degree in child development or another similar degree field. I have chosen this job because I would love to work with other professionals making them a better teacher and training them.

The fourth organization I found was Starfish Family Services. The reason I have chosen this organization is because they want to invest in the lives of children. They want to help solve problems before the problem escalates. Besides working with children they also work with parents to help create a positive parent-child relationship. The job that I have chosen from this agency is a Curriculum Specialist. The skills needed for this position is PQA reliable certification. I would also need to have a Bachelor’s degree in the field of early childhood education. I would like this position because I would love to observe the teachers and classrooms. Where ever I can teach adults and children I would love. 

Profile of a Volunteer

I have elected to do a friend of my who volunteers not only in early childhood but also for other  organizations. Her current efforts are for Alzheimer. Her father passed away from Alzheimer which had a big affect on her life. She now participates in many events and is an awesome advocate. She has a team for the Walk to End Alzheimer event. She is always advocating on Facebook on other local events. When ever there is a big holiday or event she is always asking for pop bottle returns. She even offers to go pick them up. She then donates that money for their team which goes to the Walk to End Alzheimer event. She is a great advocate and is not afraid to get the word out their about the horrible disease. 

I feel her efforts have impacted many people. Since she has it on Facebook she is reaching many people. I see many people donating pop bottles to her. The team that she organizes is a big team. She has definitely made people aware of Alzheimer. 

A vital message that I have taken away from her efforts is to just keep advocating. She is not afraid to keep posting things on her Facebook. The more you advocate, even if it repeating your self, the more you will get the word out there. 

Using Social Media to Get Connected

I have been using social media for a long time now. I have been using social media since MySpace. It then went to Facebook and now I am using blogs. I feel that if using social media the correct way it can be very helpful. If using social media the wrong way it can lead to be very damaging.  

I feel that all social media tools can lead to effective advocacy. Sometimes social media is the best way to get the word out there. I feel if advocates use social media the correct way they can reach most of the nation. Most people have a Facebook account, with using Facebook to advocated, the message can be continued to circulate all around the web. 

There are different ways that you can use social media to advocate. If you are using a blog I would write how my advocacy project is going. I would write the data and how it has changed since I started working on the advocacy project. I then would also encourage people to join my efforts. If I was using Facebook I would just post a little picture with a saying on it. Just posting that, people would like and share the message making it so all their friends could see it. For example if I shared a picture over 500 people would see the picture. Looking at one of my friends that is always on Facebook she has over 1000 friends that would see the picture. That is 1,500 people that would see the post and that is just with two people liking the status. 

What would you do if you were using social media to promote your efforts?

Advocacy Messages

One message that is inspiring advocacy message "It can wait". This message was created for those who text and drive. There are many accidents, some are fatal, all because someone is texting and not paying attention to the road. I feel this works to some point. I feel it needs to be out in public more. There are still many accidents that happen because everyone thinks it they are fine texting and driving. I think a big thing that helps is putting a picture of a car with "It can wait". 

A second message that is inspiring is "Take a Stand, Lend a Hand". This message is to stop teen bullying. Though it is inspiring in am not sure if it helps. You always hear about stories of teens being bullied. As a teen it is hard to stand up and lend a hand because you may become bullied. Though if you step up you could save a life. 

A third message is "It shouldn't hurt to be a child". This message if for people to help stop child abuse. I feel this message works for the right crowd.