Time Well Spent

To Dr. Darragh Ernst and colleagues, thank you so much for your support over the last 8 weeks. Thank you for your positive feedback and sharing your knowledge with me. To those of who you I have had the pleasure of working with since the beginning of our program, it has been amazing getting to know, learning together and encouraging each other. I wish you all the best in your next adventure and stay healthy and safe during this pandemic. WE DID IT!!!!! Congrats on completing your Masters Degree. Now lets continue to make a positive social change for young children, families and the field of early childhood!

I have created a Word It Out that illustrates some of my experience and deeply felt learnings from the MS ECS program:

"Let us put put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children" By Sitting Bull, Hunkpapa Lakota Siuox Chief

Contact Info: Jamie Havard (New last name is Eagney)

Email: jamie.eagney@gmail.com

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Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

 Three international organizations or communities of practice that appealed to me are:

• Save the Children -- I found drawn to this organization because they truly are focused on the best interest for children and everything they do is centered around children to make sure they are healthy, safe, and have access to high quality education (save the Children, 2020).

• UNICEF- Throughout my time at Walden, I have explored this organization. The organization  works in over 190 countries  to save children’s lives, protect their rights, and to help them reach their potential from birth through 19 years old.

• International Bureau for Children's Rights (IBCR)- This organization interested me because they work with social workers, defense and security forces, judicial system staff, civil society groups, government agencies, and other organizations to implement child-friendly practices (IBCR, 2021). They are focused promoting children's and that they are able to express their opinions, access education and live free from all forms of violence, exploitation, abuse and negligence (IBCR, 2021). 

Job opportunities  that interest me include:

• General Service with UNICEFF- This job will allow me to provide administrative and support services across all areas of the organization in both headquarters and field duty stations. I think being first hand in the field would be very rewarding. The skills and experience required include completion of a secondary education and one to four years of relevant professional work experience.

• Early Head Start Teacher in North Carolina with Save the Children Program- The job description includes: The Early Head Start Teacher develops and implements individual and group educational plans for infants and toddlers, designed to promote social-emotional, physical and cognitive growth in a manner appropriate to their stage of development. In each Early Head Start classroom, two Early Head Start Teachers work together to lead child development activities with support from Program Aides and Volunteers.

• Head Start Program Director-  I will be responsible for its overall leadership and management. The requirements include Bachelors or better in Early Childhood Education or related field or Bachelors  in Human Services or related field.

Reference

International Bureau for Children's Rights (IBCR)

Save the Children. (2020). https://www.savethechildren.org/us/where-we-work

United Nation's Children's Funds. (n.d.)  https://www.unicef.org/

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

 Three national/federal organizations  that appealed to me include:

• Head Start
• NAEYC- National Association for the Education of Young Children 
• Children's Defense Fund

I chose these organizations because they all are committed and focused on supporting young children and their families. Head Start strives to create communities that are  healthier, stronger and empowers children and their families to be successful. The Children's Defense fund provides a strong voice for all children in the United States who are not able to be their own voice. The organization is focused on several important topics including health, education, child welfare, mental health, child care, pregnancy, income and jobs for the youth. NAEYC is an organization that promotes high quality education for young children through practice, policy and research. 

I would be very interested in pursuing a job with these three organizations. Some job opportunities that interest me include e-learning specialist at NAEYC which would be a great opportunity during this pandemic. I did not find any current job positions at Children's defense fund. However, I think it would be very empowering to use my voice to advocate for young children and continue to support the program in making positive changes for our youth. Head start has jobs including early childhood specialist, educator, center director, and head start supervisor. 

The Skills and experience I would need to competently fulfill each of these roles include using my skills and knowledge that I have as an special educator and anti-bias education to be an advocate for young children and their families.  Some of the  job requirements for the early childhood specialist consists of: 

• Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education
•  ten years of professional experience
• 5 years of demonstrated experience in the field of early childhood education
• 5 years of experience offering training and technical assistance within early care and education
•  Experience working with Infants/Toddlers and their families 
•  Experience in parent, family, community engagement 
• Experience working with dual language learners 
•  Experience working with unique populations 
• Experience working in different learning environments (home based, center based, etc.)
•  Experience in working within early elementary school systems 
• Experience with mental health and/or social emotional development of children 
•  Experience working with American Indian/Alaska Native peoples
• Experience working remotely
•  Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) required.