Week 8 Blog Assignment

Time Well Spent

Saturday 23^rd August, 2014

                As I become more professional in my outlook, early childhood training has changed into an ongoing part of my career life. I am well grounded in best practices in direct care and education program of young children. A commitment to professionalism has been maintained by continually assessing my performance, learning about preschool children, and applying a professional code of ethics at all times.

Three deeply felt learnings from this program

               (1). I have learned and hone leadership and organizational skills as I worked through my capstone project. It has prepared me to successfully complete the project and has made me professionalize myself in terms of my career in the field of early childhood.

               (2). The program has encouraged me to think critically, solve challenging problems, and develop skills such as oral communication, research skills, team-work, planning, self-sufficiency, and setting long-term goals – which is skills that will assist me in my career.

               (3). It is pivotal that the early childhood centers and programs provide clear guidelines and a climate of flexibility and understanding, in which independent thinking can thrive, and in which children can develop values that they themselves consider relevant for the life they envisage.

One Long-Term Goal

There should be continuous two-way communication between parents and teachers. Teacher must turn parent-involvement effort into reciprocal process in which they are not the only ones speaking and telling their story. Parents also need to communicate with teachers about how their children are doing and what is happening in the family that may affect their children. This does not mean that teachers should pry into family matters.

Farewell Message to My Instructor

               My instructor Dr. Ernst, I have come to the end of my program, but the knowledge you have imparted to me has been engraved in my mind forever, and I just want to thank you as I bid you farewell.

Farewell to My Colleagues

               It is always difficult to say goodbye. Over the long eight weeks of studies we spent together, we became more than just colleagues – but friends. We were helpful colleagues who assisted each other, by imparting our knowledge and information to one another. George Eliot has posited that – only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love.

 

Images That Reflect My Experience and Learning in the Program

A Wordle That Illustrate My Experience/Learning in the MS ECS Program

Favorite Quotes

(1)    Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world (Nelson Mandela).

(2)    He who opens a school door, closes a person (Victor Hugo).

(3)    We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today (Stacia Tauscher).

I can be contacted at: erinakk@yahoo.com.

              

Week 6 Blog Assignment

Jobs/Roles in the ECC Community: Internationally

Saturday 9^th August, 2014.

               There are many international organizations or Communities of Practice that are appealing to me. However, after conducting extensive research on few of them, I have decided to select the three that are of great interest to me. They are: (1).The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), formerly The United Nations Children’s International Children Emergency Fund; (2). The United Nation Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); and Save the Children.

               Most definitely, UNICEF is the driving force that helps to build the world where the rights of every child are realized. Certainly, it has the global authority to influence decisions-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn the most innovative ideas into reality. Surely, that makes them unique among world organizations, as well as, among those working with the young. Actually, UNICEF has over sixty years experience working for children, and is the only organization specifically named in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as a source of expert assistance and advice. Likewise, it was created with this purpose in mind – to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path.

               More importantly, UNICEF’s mission is to create a better world by advocating for the protection of the children’s rights, and for this to be done, the organization brings people together – governments, donors, humanitarian agencies, businesses, and the children themselves, since child survival is the cornerstone of their mission. Ideally, the reason for choosing UNICEF is, because it is the unifying force that assists in building the world where children’s rights are realized, by fighting for every child’s rights to survive and thrive into adulthood. Also, they believe that caring and nurturing for children is the cornerstone of human progress.

               At this point, UNICEF has various job opportunities for regular vacancies worldwide, which include senior staff vacancies for senior management positions advertised outside of the e-Recruitment system; short term opportunities advertised outside of the e-Recruitment system, and comprise temporary appointments for a variety of staff roles and functions across the organization, with duration up to three hundred and sixty-four days; and consultancy assignments, that is seeking individuals for short-term consultancies in specialized technical areas for fixed duration or specific projects which are considered non-staff functions. As a passionate and committed early childhood professional, I want to make a lasting difference for children, therefore, I will like to be employed under the Temporary Appointments: Health Officer, P-2, Yaoundé, Cameroon. Although I have the competencies, I do lack the qualification for such position, and this can hinder employment.

 

                UNESCO is the second organization of interest, and it was created in 1945 with the intention that peace must be established on the basis of humanity’s moral and intellectual solidarity. Its mission is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. Moreover, the organization is committed to a holistic and humanistic vision of quality education worldwide, the realization of everyone’s right to education, and the belief that education plays a fundamental role in human social and economic development.

               Nonetheless, I have chosen UNESCO, because it is the only United Nation agency with a mandate to cover all aspects of education, and work encompasses educational development from preschool through to higher education, including technical and vocational education and training, non-formal education and literacy. Additionally, UNESCO works with governments and a wide range of partners to make education systems more effective through policy change. Also, it coordinates the education for all movement, tracks trends, and raises the profile of educational needs and global development agendas.

               UNESCO offers a wide range of job opportunities, but post in the organization are mainly filled by people in occupations linked to the organization’s main activities – culture, education, science, and communication. Also, there are opportunities for employment in other occupational fields such as administration, finance, human resources, and informational technology. However, I will like to be employed as a middle-ranking professional by being a project leader in charge of a small team, launching and developing particular facets of the UNESCO program, and gain further professional experience.

          

               Save the children is the leading independent organization for children in need, with a staff of more than fourteen thousand people working in over one hundred and twenty countries, including the United States. The organization aims to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives by improving their health, education, and economic opportunities. In time of acute crisis, they mobilize rapid assistance to help children recover from the effects of war, conflict, and natural disaster.

               More importantly, Save the Children’s vision is: A world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation, while its mission is: To inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. They depend on donations, and those who help by sponsoring children, provide Save the Children with the necessities for a healthy and successful start in life. The main reason for choosing this organization is because I can be an advocate for children, by being the voice for them in times of need, and take action on the critical issues, and tell the government leaders to prioritize the children and their future. For Save the Children, advocacy is the work they do to influence the policies and actions of governments, international institutions, and the private sector, in order to achieve positive changes in children’s lives.

               Indeed, this organization advertise their job vacancies nationally, so I became interested in being a Campaign and Advocacy Strategy Director, which is a high profile role, where I will be responsible for leading the strategic planning, capacity building, and monitoring, evaluating and learning for our global campaign and their  wider country-level advocacy.

               Obviously, for me to fulfill each of these roles as an aspiring employee, I have to acquire strong interpersonal skills, and have experience with working in teams, where I will be able to communicate effectively with customers, colleagues and clients. Actually, people with good interpersonal skills are usually perceived as optimistic, calm, confident, and charismatic. However, effective communication improves relationships at work and in social situations, by deepening the worker’s connections to others and improving teamwork, decision making, and problem solving.

References

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from

               http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6/Official_Site.htm

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from

               http://www.unicef.org/

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2011). Retrieved from

               http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/

Week 4 Blog Assignment

Date: Saturday 26^th July, 2014.

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

                The three national/federal organizations that have been appealing to me are:  (1) The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), (2) Administration for Children and Families (ACF), and, (3) National Association of Early Childhood Specialist in State Departments of Education (NAECS – SDE).

               1). The NAEYC helps to give promotion to excellence in the field of early childhood education, and is of the  point of view that there must be a combined system of early childhood care and education that incorporates extensive techniques that in a direct way, encompasses families and communities in program outline, execution, and assessment. However, my interest as an employer in this organization is to be included at the national level in forming the future of the early childhood profession (www.naeyc.org/policy/excellence).

               2). Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is in charge of the federal stewardship of a set of programs that make enough preparation for vital services, and support for millions of Americans, and its main objective is to be a pillar for undeserved and underrepresented populations. Actually, if I were to be a part of the ACF’s staff, I would work in the area of encouraging the safety and well-being of young children and families, as well as, the economic, health, and social well-being for individuals, families, and communities (www.acf.hhs.gov/acf-strategic-plan-introduction).

               3). National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS – SDE) is a national organization for state education agency staff members with major role in the field of early childhood education. In reality, it gives promotion to high-quality services to young children and their families through enhancement of instruction, curriculum, and administration programs. As part of the workforce, my interest lies in giving assistance and leadership in researching, examining, and recommending standards for high-quality early childhood and teacher preparation programs (www.naecs-sde-org/aboutus).

               Certainly, for me to competently fulfill each of these roles, I will have to acquire the following skills and experiences, such as, strong interpersonal skills, in order to be in contact and interact with people, individually and in group, since these are the measures employers use during the operation of recruiting to evaluate candidates; team skills, which enables me to work together successfully with members, by exhibiting a sense of cohesion; organizational skills that can aid me in managing my tasks through wise preparation, time optimization, detail orientation, and prioritization; and finally, problem solving skills, which are fundamental skills that will make a vast difference to my career, for in any organization, problems are at the center of what many people do every day.

References

A Call for Excellence in Early Childhood Education. Retrieved from

                www.naeyc.org/policy/excellence

Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Retrieved from

                www.acf.hhs.gov/acf-strategic-plan-introduction

NAECS-SDE- Supporting Successful Child Development and Continuous Learning from Birth through Age    

               Eight. Retrieved from

                www.naecs-sde-org/aboutus

Week 2 Blog Assignment

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Walden University

Saturday 12^th   July, 2014.

           Communities of practice are groups of people who share responsibility or enthusiasm for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact habitually. Undoubtedly, the following are three communities of practice that are appealing to me: 1). Early Childhood Australia, which is a non-profit organization that boosts and works towards what is best for children and the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Sector. However, my interest in the job opportunities of the organization lies in becoming a leading early childhood publisher, so that I can recognize and upgrade the best practice in early childhood. Certainly, I will have to acquire more skills and experiences in developing and advocating policies and procedures on early childhood education and care (http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/).

           2). I will like to be part of the Foundation Early Childhood Reading Grants, because it funds programs to foster a love of reading, and motivate young children to read together with their parents. Annually, the store grants assists K-12 schools and non-profit organizations while group members offer their services and expertise and collaborate with like-minded organizations to build stronger, safer, and healthier communities. Moreover, Target Foundation Early Childhood Reading Grants has a long history of sustaining the communities where it functions, by giving five percent of its income. Likewise, the job opportunities are interested to me, since I will be able to ensure that the children and schools have the encouragement they need to produce results. This means that, I will have to gain good active communicative and professional skills, as well as, the capability to be sociable, versatile, and adjustable (https://corporate.target.com/corporate-responsibility/grants/early-childhood-reading-grants)

                3). The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) is the third communities of practice that is attractive to me. For instance, it maintains quality, manageable, and attainable early childhood education that benefits adults in taking steps in the direction of economic independence, and supplies children with culturally responsive developmentally relevant actions that empower them to achieve success in school and life. Nonetheless, in this organization, the job opportunities that are fascinating to me are in the areas of providing for children and their families in conquering the hurdles, and, expressing their regards about the availability of standard early education. After all, for this to be realized, successful supervisory and problem-solving skills, as well as, skills of vigorous listening and responding, hence, initiating collaborative partnership in the regards of children and families.

 

                                                            YWCA Child Care Centres