I have learned so much over the last 8 weeks that has made me more capable of having a successful career as an early childhood education professional. I have learned how to form a confident and capable community of practice. I also was able to pinpoint a challenge that I want to take on in this field, and through this course I was able to really understand this issue. I also learned the steps that it would take to take action against my challenge. This really put things into perspective for me, because I was able to explain exactly how I would accomplish my goals. 

My long term goal is to do my best to be advocate for the early childhood community. I have a passion to help people, and I want to help children who are not getting the support they need. I also want to either open my own center or run a childcare center. I am finally ready to start my career in this field, and I am confident that I can accomplish these goals. 

To my fellow Colleagues,

I wish you all the best of luck in whatever you do. One of my favorite books is by Dr. Seuss and it is a great book to read when you are ending one journey in your life and looking into the future. 

I hope you all find your niche in your career, and do great things. We know that we are capable of making a difference in the early childhood community, we proved this through our dedication to completing our Masters.  Lets take a moment to recognize what we accomplished and give a sigh of relief because WE DID IT! Congrats everyone!

Anna Castiglia

Albany NY

email:acastiglia33@gmail.com, find me on facebook, twitter and linked in. reach out to me if you ever need anything :)

Blog Assignment: Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

1. At least three international organizations or communities of practice that appealed to you and why you chose them
2. Job opportunities (currently available or not) that interest you
3. What skills and experience you would need to competently fulfill each of these roles

The three international organizations that are most appealing to me are:

Save the Children

International Step by Step Association

United Nations Children s Fund

I chose these three organizations because I agreed with with the beliefs and values that they stood for, and their efforts in helping children throughout the world.  They are also a great organization that steps in during natural disasters and crisis' helping families and children throughout the world. 

A career opportunity that I would want to pursue is Coordinator  of  Early Step. For this position i would be working with pregnant women and young children 0-5. I would assist them with educational needs, services and also become an advocate for them. This position would require me to have good collaboration skills with other early childhood professionals, keep records accurately and attend home visits.  This position appeals to me because I enjoy working with children who are under five, helping them as much as possible because those are the years where so much learning takes place. I also have a passion for helping new parents/single mothers. I want to be a resource for them to help and guide them through the difficulties of parenting in an urban environment. 

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6146405/k.C7E9/About_Us.htm

International Step by Step Association is an international organization that connects professionals an organizations working in the early childhood education community. They have a passion to have equal access to Quality ECE for all children. I can  relate to this organization because I believe in the same values that they have for early childhood education. I also want to see all children gain a good quality education throughout the world. 

They do not currently have any job opportunities that I could see, but I did see you can become a member of this organization. They have two types of memberships a full member ship or an affiliate membership. I think it would be a great opportunity to look into becoming a member of this community and making them a part of my Community of Practice since we share similar beliefs. They would be a great resource to have in this field, and they are doing great things for the ECE community all over the world.  

What I like about the United Nations Children's Fund is that they are an international organization that helps in a variety of different areas. They are not only helping in the realm of early childhood education but also many areas including gender equality and health issues. One area that particularly stuck out to me was child survival and development.  What I love about this organization is there effort to get children the protection they need for survival  So many children all over the world are not getting the vaccinations and health care that they need to live, and the world is seeing many deaths in young children because of this. UNCF is working hard at getting this problem fixed and getting children the help they need. 

I would be intereded in their Junior Professional Programme. This is a program that they have designed for young professionals who are interested in getting experience with the UNCF.  I think it would be a great opportunity to start working with this organization, getting the skills and experience needed to pursue a potential job with the UNCF after completion. 

 

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

 

The National Association for the Education of Young Children is an organization that provides a system of standards for early childhood education programs.   They are an integral part of the ECE community and help people distinguish high quality programs from poor quality programs.  They provide centers with NAEYC accreditation after all of their standards are met to the fullest.

Employment Opportunity

Accreditation Coordinator-  Skills: Understanding and interpreting standards

 

Boys & Girls Club of America

The Boys & Girls Club of American provides children with the opportunity to reach their full potential.  They want to provide children with a safe place to grow and learn, to have an caring relationship with an adult professional and to provide hope and opportunity. 

 

Employment Opportunities:

Youth Development Professional: Skills: develop and implement programs and activities, Instruct members in an appropriate behavior while encouraging fun and empower members through positive leadership.

 

United Way (of the Greater Capital Region)

The United Way is an organization that focuses on helping others, especially children and families. They believe in coming together as a community and focusing on the issues that matter the most.

Employment Opportunities

Vice President of Community Impact: Communicate and Operationalize United Way of the Greater Capital Region’s vision for common good. Work with stakeholders, assist with policy development and implementation related to community impact.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

I live in upstate NY the Albany area. There are a lot of good organizations that are focused on advocating for the rights of children.  Ideally I would like to work in advocacy and public policy since that is my field of study, but I am aware that those jobs are scarce in my area.  One organization that I am very interested in is the Capital District Child Coordinating Council (CDCCC).  They are constantly improving the lives of children, and working towards enhancing the field.  Jobs with this organization do not come about that often so I am constantly looking to see what they have to offer. I would personally take any job that I could qualify for with the CDCCC because they do so much for our community.  Right now they are looking for someone to run their Farm to Preschool Program.  This is a pilot program that is working towards increasing access to affordable and fresh produce. This is something that appeals to me because when I was a preschool teacher one of the things I implemented in our daycare was planting a garden in our play yard. This was a great learning experience for our class and they were able to see from spring till almost fall how fruits and vegetables grew, and how to prepare them into healthy meals.  I think this is a great program that the CDCCC is starting, and I hope to see it last beyond the 6 month pilot. Childhood obesity is a major issue, and they are trying to fight it by introducing healthy food to children who are not getting the proper nutrition.

In order to fulfill this job they are looking for someone with a background in education and nutrition. I have a background in education and I am hoping that my experience will help me in getting an interview for this job.

http://cdcccc.org/

 

Another organization that in my area that appeals to me is the Schuyler Center (SCAA). I like this organization because they are focused on public policy.  They focus on advocating for a healthy beginnings for all children, regardless of their income.   Having healthy children is important, and this organization is at the forefront of improving health and nutrition for children.  They are currently not hiring, but you can volunteer. I would love to get involved with this organization, and would be interesting in volunteering for the SCAA.

http://www.scaany.org/policy/agenda.php

The last organization in my area that I am really interested in is the Winning Beginnings.  The Winning Beginnings is very involved in public policy and advocacy in our community. One of their main interest right now is raising awareness about quality early childhood education. They have started up a new program which is a quality rating system for childcare centers NY. It is called Quality Stars NY. This is a really great program for childcare providers to be a part of.  When working with Quality Stars NY they will help you improve the standards  and quality of your center.  Currently they do not have any job openings, but they are always looking for individuals to get involved and join their advocacy campaign. 

http://www.winningbeginningny.org/

My Grandmother

Volunteering represents a way of life for so many members of our community and a wonderful way to extend support, skills, and knowledge to others. You may have your own personal experiences as a volunteer; still others may have been impacted by the work of a volunteer who has dedicated time to benefit the lives of others.

In this Blog Assignment, you will develop a profile of a volunteer, in which you describe the work of someone who has impacted the lives of other through volunteerism. This may be a very personal blog, where you share your own work or the efforts of someone close to you, or you may describe the volunteer efforts of someone whom you do not know personally but whom you greatly admire.

By Saturday, post a "Profile of a Volunteer" post in your blog using the following guidelines:

• Create a space on your blog entitled "Profile of a Volunteer."
• Describe the volunteer efforts of the person you have elected to profile.
• Identify how you feel this person's work has positively impacted others.
• Describe what you feel is a vital "take-away" message relative to this work in terms of your own volunteer efforts and advocacy work in fostering the well-being of children and families.

This post is about my grandmother. The most giving women I know. She is 83 years old and constantly puts herself before others. She has always been someone who gives and does not expect anything in return. All summer leading up to winter she knits hats and scarves. She has arthritis in her hands, and is in so much pain, but she still knits. Then when she is all done, she donates them to local churches and retirement homes. Through her own pain, she takes the time each year to do this. To some this may not be a big deal, she is not feeding hungry children or volunteering at the homeless shelter, but to me it shows an act of selflessness. While I am taking a hour or two before I go to bed to fiddle with my iPhone or watch TV, she is knitting for others.

What I take away from this is that my grandmother is a person who even at 83 is taking the time to think about the needs of others. Even if she can only make 20 hats and scarves, she still does it. I think she will do this till her hand literally make her stop. She is a great woman, and I am afraid that our future is going to see less and less of people like this.

Using Social Media to Get Connected

 

 

 

I am personally use social media every day. Mostly facebook, but I am just now starting to get into twitter. I keep facebook as a social means for me, to connect with distant family, and friends. Although I do use it for a little networking, I try to like and friend many of the childcare agency’s in my area. I am just starting to use twitter, I was unsure about it at first, but now I use it to network and advocate. I often “retweet” issues that I view important in child education. That is a nice feature of twitter, and a great way to advocate using social media.

On twitter I follow many different organizations and influential people in the early childhood field. Many of the organizations that I follow are actually really outspoken on twitter, and post constantly. They also post about some of the main issues right now in early childhood education and ask people for their own thoughts on these issues. I like that they do this, because it allows others to see the issue from a different perspective.

Advocacy Message

 

I went to the Ad Councils website watched a bunch of different ads. I connected the most with the ads that made me feel something, and honestly made me a little emotional. This ad on bully made me tear up. As a new mother I am terrified of my son starting school, I am most afraid of this happening to him. What I like about this ad is how it displays the message of teaching you children to help someone who is getting bullied. I want to instill this in my son.

http://www.adcouncil.org/Our-Work/Current-Work/Safety/Bullying-Prevention

I also liked this ad on childhood obesity, there is a bunch of different ads in this series.  They are actually really cute, and funny. I think that children would enjoy these ads as well as parents.  Childhood obesity it a major issue right now, and we need to encourage children to eat healthy and be active.

http://www.adcouncil.org/Our-Work/Current-Work/Health/Childhood-Obesity-Prevention#Asset3764

The last ad that I chose was one on early learning. I love this ad, because as an ECE teacher and mother I can relate to this.

http://www.adcouncil.org/Our-Work/Current-Work/Education/Early-Childhood-Development#Asset767

Some children do not have the opportunity to learn like this, so it is important to raise awareness.