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

1.  The National Child Care Association

The members of NCCA are ECE professionals and advocates. They may be center based providers, providers of professional development to the ECE community, business owners who provide goods and services, or student and individuals that have an interest in early care and education.
I choose this organizations because the NCCA acts as the voice of the licensed, private early childhood care and education community. Their members include both individual owners and multi-state companies, all with the same goal- providing young children & their families with quality care and education.

There were no job opportunities posted to their site.

2.  National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood 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.

The association comprises nearly 70,000 individual members of the early childhood community and more than 300 regional Affiliate chapters, all committed to delivering on the promise of high-quality early learning. Together, we work to achieve a collective vision: that all young children thrive and learn in a society dedicated to ensuring they reach their full potential.

Reliability Manager

NAEYC is seeking a Reliability Manager to support the work of our Accreditation System which administers a national, voluntary, professionally sponsored system to help improve the quality of care and education provided for young children in group programs throughout the US.  The Reliability Manager works as a member of the national team overseeing the process of accreditation for early childhood programs.

The Reliability Manager supervises a team of 3-4 Reliability Specialists. Working under the supervision of the Director of Program Standards and Assessment, the Reliability Manager oversees activities supporting the NAEYC’s ability to conduct reliable, valid accreditation site visits. Major tasks include design, development and modification of reliable and valid accreditation tools and processes, and ongoing monitoring their reliable use by NAEYC’s nationwide team of site visit assessors. The Reliability Manager and team collect, compile and analyze data on system performance and use it to inform continuous system improvement.

A minimum of a BA in Early Childhood Education/Child Development is required; a MA degree is preferred. Three (3) years of experience in the field working with young children in an early childhood program and a sound understanding of its ECE practices is required. Three years supervisory experience leading staff, contractors, and/or volunteers is desirable. Experience with high quality programming and NAEYC accreditation and evaluation systems, or other program quality assessment systems used in educational or early care settings is required. Excellent oral and written communication, analytical, MS Office and database skills are also required. Must be able to meet deadlines, work in a team and in a fast-paced environment. Travel is required.

3.  National Association For The Education Of Homeless Children and Youth

NAEHCY is the only professional organization specifically dedicated to meeting the educational needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness. They provide professional development, resources, and training support for anyone and everyone interested in supporting the academic success of children and youth challenged by homelessness. They also engage in federal policy advocacy to strengthen policies and resources for homeless children, youth, and families.  They are a grassroots membership organization that continually strives to meet the dynamic needs of our members.  Members includes local homeless education liaisons, educators, school counselors, social workers, registrars, nurses, child advocates, shelter staff, state and federal policy specialists, and partners from community-based and national non-profit organizations.

NAEHCY did not have any jobs listed.

References

http://www.naehcy.org/educational-resources/early-childhood

http://www.naeyc.org/content/about-naeyc

http://www.nccanet.org/

The three local or state organizations that appealed to me are:

(1) Mississippi Building Blocks is a state-funded program designed to assist existing childcare centers in improving the school readiness of children. This is accomplished by improving teaching and learning in licensed child care centers and strengthening parenting skills.  I picked this organization because I would love to help other childcare owners and directors to improve the quality of their programs.



This organization does not currently have any open positions; however, I do know that there is a position of a business advisor this person helps the director get her office organized, understand budgets and financial statements, leadership skills, and payroll etc.  although the position only pays around $45,000 annually I would be interested in it since I hold a Bachelors degree in business management as well as my Masters in Early Childhood.

(2) The Early Years Network supports high quality early care and education
experiences for Mississippi’s children. As a one-stop shop, the network provides cohesive education, outreach, and services based on scientific research, established best practices, and practical, hands-on approaches across the state.


Instructor/Coordinator  - Coordinates, teaches, advises, coaches, and provides other services to The Learning Center, and in particular, works to promote retention and academic success for students involved in Learning Skills classes.
The job requirements are a master's degree in curriculum and instruction, elementary or secondary education, counselor education, educational psychology, or student development or closely related field. Excellent oral and written communication skills are required. Have a strong interest in retention, teaching and advising undergraduate students.

(3)  The Council for Professional Recognition.  Their mission is to promote
improved performance and recognition of professionals in the early childhood education of children aged birth to 5 years old.


The job I would like to hold with them is to be a CDA Professional Development Specialist.  The CDA Professional Development (PD) Specialist role brings the mentoring/coaching skills and ECE expertise needed to assess the Candidate's competencies and facilitate the Candidate's self-reflection during the Verification Visit. The role of the PD Specialist maximizes the skills, knowledge and experience of advanced early childhood professionals around the nation.


References:

http://www.cdacouncil.org/resource-center/early-childhood-organizations

http://earlyyearsnetwork.msucares.com/

http://msbuildingblocks.com/