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

 

State Liaison for the National PTA

This job opportunity within the national office of the PTA intrigued me.  It would be a way to use my background in early childhood in a more administrative capacity.  A State Liaison has to be knowledgeable about the different departments within the PTA organization as well as be knowledgeable about key programs and resources that the PTA offers.  In this job position, you would be responsible for being the main contact and customer support for all State PTAs with regard to programmatic and organizational issues (http://www.pta.org/careers).  A Bachelor’s degree, excellent communication and computer skills are required for this job opportunity.

NAEYC:  Project Manager, Education

This job opportunity involves travel abroad which excited me.  As a project manager, you oversee that the educational programs are being delivered effectively and in a cost effective manner.  As project manner, you assist the Director in developing and implementing programs that provide information, guidance and support to public and large scale entities aboard that implement quality enhancement initiatives that embrace NAEYC’s early learning standards (http://www.naeyc.org/about/jobs).  Currently, the NAEYC is looking for a Project Manager to provide training for early childhood professionals in the Middle East.  NAEYC prefers someone with a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education for this position as well as someone with excellent communication and writing skills.

Teach for America: Corp Member

This national organization promotes providing excellent educational experiences for children growing up in poverty (http://www.teachforamerica.org/join-our-staff).  With a two year commitment, you can become a corp member and be assigned to one of four regions in the United States that desperately needs teachers in high-poverty areas.  The website provides a wealth on information about the four regions and each region’s certification/licensing requirements.  When assigning a corp member to a position, they take into consideration the regional needs and opportunities, the state’s licensing and certification requirements, and your own preference of location(http://www.teachforamerica.org/join-our-staff) .  You will receive a beginning teacher’s salary for that state.  There are many scholarship opportunities for Teach for America employees.  What interests me most about this program is their commitments to help those living in poverty receive an excellent education.  In my opinion, it would be a wonderful way to use my educational background and serve those most in need.    

 

References

NAEYC. (n.d.). Job opportunities: Executive Office.  Retrieved from

          http://www.naeyc.org/about/jobs

 

National PTA. (n.d.) Careers at National PTA. Retrieved from

          http://www.pta.org/careers

 

Teach for America (n.d.). Join our staff.  Retrieved from

          http://www.teachforamerica.org/join-our-staff

 

 

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels 

The National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE) is an organization that appeals to me because it supports one of my passions in education.  I am constantly looking for ways to increase parent involvement.  Unfortunately, many people misunderstand parent involvement to mean only the required four programs/events that parents are invited to attend at their child’s Title I school.  Parent involvement is an ongoing process. It is finding engaging activities and learning experiences that the parent and child may participate in together in the home. The NCPIE website recommended a book, Beyond the Bake Sale by Anne Henderson, which my school used as a professional learning community resource last year. I recommend it, as well. 

Another organization that appeals to me is the North Carolina PTA.  As a parent and as a teacher, I support the purpose of this organization. The national and NC PTA bylaws core purpose states, “To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth” (NCPTA website).  As I was telling my principal yesterday, the safety and well-being of our children is fundamental and non-negotiable.

The third organization that appeals to me is the North Carolina State PIRC.  When our Title I school first became involved with PIRC, I was unsure what it meant.  However, I soon learned how the North Carolina Parent Involvement Resource Center is instrumental in “helping schools and families work together to improve academic performance” (National PIRC Coordination Center website).  Our school district has used many of their resources in our curriculum night events to help inform parents of ways to become more involved in their child’s education.

Current job opportunities that interest me are being an early childhood instructor at the local community college and being the director of a small, church-affiliated mothers’ morning out program.  During our last class when we conducted interviews with early childhood instructors, I visited the local community college and spoke with two early childhood instructors.  I was asked to put in my application and have done so.  Obtaining my Masters with a specialization in Teaching Adults EC was definitely appealing to them as well as having twelve years of teaching in the elementary grades.  There is not a position currently available; however, I hope to teach at that level in the future.  My other interest is to be a director of a small, church-affiliated mothers’ morning out program.  My background in early childhood as well as my background in accounting/business would be helpful in this career.  My children participated in this type of early childhood program, and I found it so beneficial to them.  I would love to give back to the community and serve my church by having a position such as this.

References

North Carolina PTA.  (n.d.). Retrieved from the North Carolina PTA website:

          http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/cms/lib/NC01001395/Centricity/Domain/7388/N

C%20PTA%20Advocacy%20Priorities.pdf

 

National PIRC Coordination Center. (n.d.).  North Carolina state PIRC. Retrieved

          from the National PIRC Coordination Center website:

http://www.nationalpirc.org/directory/NC.html

 

National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education. (n.d.). Building family-

          School partnerships that work. Retrieved from the National

          Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education website:

          http://www.ncpie.org/