TIME WELL SPENT

I cannot believe that I have made it to the end of this journey, I thank God He saw me through all the ups and downs. My experience here in Walden has taught me how to reflect on the issues and trends at hand. I use my reflection to access deeply seated and intuitive passionate knowledge to become actionable and help the needy.

Three deeply felt lessons from this program center on finding out what I can do with people in my community of practice to bring the change we expect to see. I learned how to form a successful community of practice with a mind of collaboration, leadership, and relating with people so that everyone understands that everyone’s decision counts. I learned that we ought to know the importance of researching on the contextual history of an issue before advocating. The history of an issue will help us understand it better and find out ways of improving, solving and adding on to the work that people have done in the past.

My favorite quote is to “be the change you want to see in the world” by Ghandi. My long term goal is to bring awareness to issues affecting children and their families both here in the U.S. and globally.

Something I would like Dr. Davis to know is that she has made my experience at Walden wonderful with the knowledge I gained in this course. I would also like to appreciate her efforts in guiding us all through this course. I know that with the experiences we had in the past weeks, we are all advocates that will strengthen our communities with knowledge from this class. Let us not stop but become visible in our pursuit of bringing social change to our communities. I will like to end this blog to appreciate my colleagues with a good thank you for sharing their comments, and opinions for the past weeks. It only takes one spark to ignite our passion.  I wish you all the best in your endeavors.  

JOBS/ROLES IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD COMMUNITY: INTERNATIONALLY

This week’s blog assignment on exploring the role of early childhood education in the international community, inspired my thinking of the opportunities, or roles I would like to take and places I will like to work presently and in the future.

UNESCO’s 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. The Organization focuses on quality of education for all, fostering cultural diversity and other objectives (unesco.org, n. d.). The job opportunity that I found in this organization that appeals to me is the education program coordinator. The educational qualification for this job is a master’s degree and the skills are to have excellent organization and planning skills, ability to participate effectively in high-level negotiations with internal and external stakeholders, good fund raising and resources mobilization skills, proven ability to lead, manage and motivate staff and teams and to maintain effective working relationships in a multicultural environment, good communication and drafting skills, good knowledge of standard office software (word processing, spreadsheets, etc.).

            The International Step by Step Association is an organization that promotes the equal access to quality education and care for all children, especially in the early years of their lives. I admire this organization because of its belief in the equality of education for all children regardless of their race, cultural background, and economic status. I did not see any job posting on this site but would like to join the organization because of the vision and mission of promoting the well being of children.

            UNICEF focuses on nurturing and caring for children in the area of intervening in the early developmental milestone. The main areas of emphasis are quality health, education and protective services. The unicef job opportunity that I am interested in social protection consultant by ensuring the effective policy and practice. UNICEF works with government agencies and other partner to help disadvantaged children. The job opportunity I found is Regional Director, D-2, West and Central Africa Region, Dakar Regional Office, Senegal. This job is for passionate and committed professional who want to make a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. The skills required for the job are highly developed diplomatic and negotiation skills, highly developed communication and public relations skills, highly developed strategic analyses skills, and highly developed management skills (unicef.org, n.d.).

                                                                References

                                                       United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/

                                                       International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html

                                                       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/

Jobs and Roles in the ECE Community

The three organizations that I choose my appealing jobs from are Administration of Children’s Services, National Association for the Education of Young Children, and New York State Office of Children and Family Services.

Administration of Children’s Services: Is a federal agency that protects and promotes the economic and social well being of families as well as their values in the community. The job that is titled Deputy Director for Community Based Services appeals to me because it will provide opportunities for people from low income families to be involved in considering what they can use in their community to empower their lives. The experiences and skills for this job are the following: The ideal candidate will possess an MSW (Masters in Social Works) or related degree from an accredited college or university and four years of progressively responsible experience, including one year at the administrative or managerial level in a large governmental agency, business firm, civic or community organization operating in the area of social services; or the candidate must demonstrate commitment to the agency’s mission, values, and core beliefs; a record of proven leadership and middle management accomplishment; excellent group, facilitation, and communication skills; strong clinical skills; experience with managing a multicultural professional staff and expertise in culturally competent social work practice; bilingual a plus. The candidate should have a working knowledge of guidelines, policies, and regulations related to child welfare, safety, permanency, and well-being. The successful candidate will also possess excellent written and verbal communication skill; as well as excellent analytical, organizational and interpersonal skills; proficient knowledge in the use of NYS connections Database, Microsoft Word for Windows, Excel, and Access 2003 (“NYC Careers,” 2013).

            The second organization’s job is titled Executive Director 1 from National Association for the Education of Young Children. The organization’s mission is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources (“NAEYC,” 2013). The Executive Director job appeals to me because it will help me motivate people to appreciate themselves better so that they can pass the love and value they have for themselves to others. The skills and experiences required for this job are the following: The Executive Director will provide strategic vision and leadership to the organization; Board and staff support and development; management and oversight of all NAEYC operations; implementation of Board policy; and responsible stewardship and development of the organization’s financial resources. The Executive Director represents and promotes NAEYC, serving as the voice for young children, their families and educators and providing services to a diverse community of stakeholders. NAEYC believes high-performing organizations are inclusive and continually seeks to be enriched and strengthened by the wisdom of diversity. NAEYC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Candidates should have a minimum of six years of relevant executive- or senior-level experience in an organization or association, education-related entity or foundation and have interest or experience in and/or understanding of early childhood education. A Bachelor’s degree in education, business or a related field is recommended; an advanced degree is desirable, and designation as a Certified Association Executive is an asset. Candidates must have strong communication, analytical, financial, fundraising, consensus-building and entrepreneurial skills, and the ability to foster creative, inclusive, transparent and engaged relationships with members and staff (“NAEYC,” 2013).

            The third agency’s job is titled Education Director from New York State Office of Children and Family Services. The agency’s mission is to promote safety, permanency and well-being of children, families and communities (“OCFS,” 2013). The Education Director job appeals to me because the agency always finds ways to motivate and appreciate its staff by recognizing and giving them incentives that enable them to perform better and bring out the best in them by making them compete against each other. The skills and experiences required for this job are the following: The Education Director will plan, direct and coordinate the educational activities in an Office of Children and Family Services facility. Interviews, hire, supervise and evaluate the facility education staff. Supervise education curriculum development. Maintain an in-service training program. Additional duties will be discussed in detail during the interview (“OCFS,” 2013). As a leader, motivator, and advocate, I will like to lead with a purpose in mind, which is leading by example. When leaders are loving, caring, valuing, and appreciating others, they are equally creating an atmosphere where those around them start to believe in themselves. I will also help others to connect their love for what they do to the need of the organization and integrate young and old generation of leaders together to facilitate optimum development.

 

 

 

 

References

Adminstration for Children’s Services. (2013). Job Posting Notice. Retrieved from http://a127-jobs.nyc.gov

 

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2013). Job Opportunities. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/about/jobs

 

New York State Office of Children and Family Services. (2013). Employment Opportunities. Retrieved from http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us

 

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The three organizations with community of practice that I choose are Horizon for Homeless Children, Bright Horizons and Harlem Children’s Zone.

I chose Horizon for Homeless Children because they explained why it is important to care for homeless children. Homeless children often experience stress and trauma from loss of relationships, multiple moves, and exposure to domestic violence. Homeless children are more likely to have two times learning disabilities, three times emotional and behavioral problems, and eight times to be asked to repeat a grade. Early education can reduce the effects of stress and trauma and ensure future school success. Horizon provides early education, opportunities for play, family support services; they are improving the lives of young homeless children and their families. Our communities need to give the homeless a chance to learn, play, and thrive (www.horizonsforhomelesschildren.org).

The Harlem Children’s Zone( HCZ) inspired me because they provide a unique, holistic approach to rebuilding a community so that its children can stay on track through college and go on to the job market. The network comprises of early care, after school, social-services, health and community-building programs (dancing (kunfu), painting, cultural awareness of diversity, reading, farming, sports (running and cycling) and chess). HCZ  strengthens families as well as empowers them to impact their children’s development. For children to do well their families have to do well, for families to do well, their communities must do well. HCZ  provides its services and programs free of charge to children and their families (www.hcz.org).

I chose Bright Horizons’ focus on solutions that help employers and employees to live and work their best (www.brighthorizons.com). When an organization produces high level of well being for the members then they will deliver their performance and be sustained better. People whose lives are well managed at home are more successful at work.

The job opportunity that is available at Horizon for Homeless Children is Director of Policy and Advocacy and the qualification for the job are Bachelor’s degree (required), relevant Master’s preferred, minimum of 5 years of experience in public policy, legislative affairs or government relations, Knowledge of the state budget-making and legislative process in MA. Established relationships with MA legislators, government officials and staff (preferred), Demonstrated effectiveness at building consensus, collaborating, and convening multiple partners in efforts that produce specific  deliverables, the passion to advocate and speak-up for those who have no voice, willingness to register as an executive and legislative lobbyist in the State of Massachusetts, and comply with all reporting requirements and others  (www.horizonsforhomelesschildren.org).

The job opportunity at Harlem Children’s Zone is Community Organizer, Community Pride and the requirements for the job are A commitment to the mission and programs of HCZ, Bachelor’s degree with at least 1 year of experience in community organizing and/or advocacy; event planning and coordination, extensive experience performing community outreach and mobilization, experience advising and training community leaders, passionate about improving the lives of Harlem residents and their families, must be a team player and have the ability to take the initiative, great organization skills and have a keen sense of detail, excellent written and verbal communication skills, proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Outlook, and Must have a flexible schedule, including working evenings and occasional weekends (www.hcz.org).

                The job opportunity available from Bright Horizons is Provider Network Account manager and the requirements to do the job are bachelor’s degree, or equivalent work experience, is preferred, provider relations or network management experience is required, a background in healthcare, research & referral, or another network management industry is strongly preferred, the ability to manage a small team and lead by example, willingness to travel (10-25%) is required as well, excellent written and verbal communication skills as well as excellent phone manner, experience with problem resolution and vendor negotiations preferred, proficient in basic Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, Outlook), general knowledge of the Internet (used to source recruitment leads), effective interpersonal and management skills, ability to work individually and in a team environment, ability to multi-task and prioritize in a fast-paced environment, and strong organizational, and time management skills as well as attention to detail (www.brighthorizons.com).

  

References

Horizon for Homeless Children www.horizonforhomelesschildren.org

Harlem Children’s Zone www.hcz.org

Bright Horizons www.brighthorizons.com

From Passion to Action

Profile of a volunteer

 When individuals work as volunteers, they are donating their time and efforts to a cause without any promise or thought of financial gain (Kieff, 2009). I selected Geoffrey Canada because he has impacted so many lives and people look up to him as an advocate. He is a friendly and caring individual. He has the passion to give and does not expect anything in return. 

He keeps on fighting fearlessly for children and their families. He has positively impacted people’s lives by combining educational, social and medical services to help children and their families. He believes that education is the only path to success, and recognizes the importance of community involvement.

I have a passion to give children and their families’ quality education that comes with identifying the needs of the whole child and with the passion of Mr Geoffrey Canada that focuses on school-community partnership. I believe that the work is already accomplished. When kindness is in action it gives us an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. Kindness is acceptance. We need to accept our call to service and use our knowledge and resources that we have to reach others.  

My take away message from the reading of this week is that advocacy can occur as a result of challenges one is going or has gone through. What I have experienced is that in volunteering we show an act of kindness to someone else. I would work to strengthen the education, social and mental health of families and helping them change their lives positively. 

Using Social Media

In reflecting on my connection to social media this week, I found out that my life already revolves around computer. Most of my daily interactions with parents and friends are always with computer either through e-mail, face-book or texting. My present and past experiences with the face-book are usually to interact with friends and locate the where about of other friends to find out what they are doing with their lives. Face-book is my source of sharing information, networking with other businesses, maintaining the relationships I have outside the United States and helps to reconnect me to lost friends in order to build more lasting relationships.

In my opinion I think that face-book, blog, and youtube are effective ways advocates can use to have successful and productive feedbacks. The social media will enable me reach out to other professionals in order to establish my audience and make them aware of the support I need for the cause I am advocating for.

I would use the social media to mobilize volunteers, contact people that have a lot of followers on their face-book pages to inform them about fundraising or newsletter to increase attendance to a conference or workshop.

If anyone has suggestions or other ways to use social media to connect to my audience, please feel free to comment.

References

Chun, K. (2010). Why Facebook matters for nonprofits. The Evaluation Exchange, 15(1), 20. Retrieved fromhttp://www.hfrp.org/evaluation/the-evaluation-exchange/current-issue-scaling-impact/why-facebook-matters-for-nonprofits

E-Advocate. (2011). Social media advocacy: Five influential steps. Retrieved fromhttp://eadvocate.wordpress.com/social-media-advocacy-six-influential-steps/

Advocacy Message

The two advertising campaign messages that  inspire me are: http://bcove.me/fegc2shf and www.everybeatmatters.org

The Every Beat Matters site is used in raising awareness about saving children. Every year most children die before their 5^th birthday from a preventable and treatable cause. When mothers and children that are sick in a community are taken care of this will increase the health of people. In some countries pregnant women do not have access to proper medical care or obstetric intervention when they need the service as a result the child and mother die due to poverty and inequality in the society.

        Childhood obesity: I like how superhero was used for the advertisement because children like to fantasize and imagine themselves as winners and champions. They realize that if they eat their fruits and vegetables they will have the courage to overcome the robot monster.

Reference 

The Ad Council. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.adcouncil.org

MY OWN CAPACITY

The area of early childhood I am passionate about is child abuse and neglect. I would like to bring solution to the lives of families and children that have been abused physically, sexually, and emotionally. The children who are most likely abused are those living in poverty, and present stubborn, demanding, inquisitive behavioral patterns.

      I have the ability to recognize issues, situations that cause harm and prevent the optimal development of young children and their families (Kieff, 2009). Families and children from low income and disadvantaged status are always stressed out due to the condition of living they find themselves. Stress can affect the brain development of a child because a prolonged exposure to stress through abuse will impair child’s memory, emotions, and attention to regulations. Stress can be reduced if a child notices the presence of a trusted caregiver. Caregivers need to have access to available resources in order to help them take care of their immediate needs. Partnering with individuals and organizations would help prevent the abuse and neglect of children because with collaboration, families will have more resources to take care of their needs. When children undergo some levels of stress or trauma it affects the normal developmental process that a child needs to grow. Parents, caregivers and teachers have the responsibility of providing the support that children need to develop in the most delicate period of their life. This is an issue that parents need to be aware of in taking care of their children.

      My resources are the information and knowledge I have regarding stress and traumatic related family situations. Emphasis is placed on the need to reduce stress because if unchecked stress will produce negative results and the interpretation of these results constitute child abuse. I have also partnered or networked with other organizations to gain and exchange skills, and knowledge in helping others.

My Role as an Advocate

My community does not have information about resources that can help improve their lives. For instance, I know a child who has asthma and is struggling in elementary school, he always mentions that he hates school. Most children in my community are all struggling in school and do not have high quality support for children from elementary, middle and high school even college. In the summer most of these children lost ground with their peers. I think that teachers, educators and parents should be accountable in their dealings with children in order to give them the best that they deserve. Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future. Quote from John. F. Kennedy. In serving the best interest of children, we serve the best interests of all humanity. Quote from Carol Bellamy.

It is essential to advocate effort in the best interest of families by improving education, income and health of people in my community. I would like to advocate for children to have quality education, provide food, health, transportation, shelter for families and also give them opportunities to be employed and to earn good living. Other ways to foster the well being of children and their families are through socializing and collaborating with health and nutrition professionals, inviting “a mental health professional who can volunteer to speak to community children to learn conflict-resolution skills as well as ways to prevent bullying during after school programs (Kieff, 2009).

As a community leader on the early childhood issues I would focus my attention on children’s rights, supporting, training and educating parents on the needs to become effective parents. Communities, parents and teachers in the neighborhood need to be ware of how policies are developed for children. In a community where children are failing in schools, leaders, parents and advocates need to come together to solve the problem. Failure enables people to understand what they need to do differently. An advocate takes a stand to spread the word, and creates visibility for the issue. Advocates often testify before congressional bodies regarding legislation that is important for the well being of young children and their families (Kieff, 2009 p.80). In building communities there should be collaboration between parents and support for multiracial children and their families. "There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves" Author unknown. The legislative process in the state allows early childhood educators to come up with programs that need to be implemented and how it will impact the lives of people in the community.

            The strategies for mobilizing others in an early childhood field is by networking with other groups, hosting events and working with the media.

            My advice to someone who wants to advocate for the interest of young children and their families is being able to voice out children’s rights to community groups. The advocate should be familiar with and know the topic of her interest from many angles. She should network with other organizations and locate the people who can help her advance the cause she believes in. Adults need to get involved in the program or cause they are passionate about because when caring adults stand together and speak with one voice to politicians, students win (Geoffrey Canada). The way forward is for advocates to get involved and do not give up.  

Reference
Kieff, J. (2009). Informed advocacy in early childhood care and education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

PERSONAL ADVOCACY REFLECTION

Having gone through series of interactions in this course up to this level, I realized that my life has not been directly touched by advocate effort but hearing testimonials of my colleagues in addition to research finding, my eyes are now open to areas of diverse challenges and needs which should be met to help children reach their developmental milestone and develop normally.

Specific areas I would like to concentrate on, for children ages 0 – 12 years, include the following: language arts, physical development, mathematics, creative development, science and socio-emotional development.

Given that resources are mainly devoted to children 0 -5 years to meet their developmental milestones but sometimes some children are unfortunate by default of circumstances and miss the opportunity of getting the services meant for their developmental milestone at 5 years of age. In continuation of their schooling, their experienced loss in developmental gap would be having negative impacts in their performances. I wonder whether this gap should be left or bridged but my conscience and passion align me in the direction of bridging the gap, therefore, I am advocating on their behave. Meaning that children ages 6 – 12 years old who need help ought to receive help to argument or close the gap in their developmental pattern.  

To be effective in closing this gap I would like to become a service/program coordinator so as to liaise between the parents, students, and teachers at both levels 0 – 5 years and 6 – 12 years old.  

My interest is focused on the economically challenged population whose children feel the impact of poverty most. These children manifest a lot of socio-emotional behavioral problems and mental health challenges. These problems deprive them of normal developmental progress.

Advocacy Action

To be an advocate is about making a difference in the life of an individual. I am excited and would like to learn more from my colleagues about being an effective advocate. I have learned a lot over the years about children and their development but will like to know more on how to help them achieve a goal where they can compete with the world at large.