Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels
There are many organizations and communities of practice in the early childhood field that appeals to me. In Florida, three of these organizations include the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County, the Children’s Forum and The National Black Child Development Institute. The Early Learning Coalition of Broward County appealed to me as their visions mirror my own with the provision of high-quality education to all children to assure their preparation to enter kindergarten and then elementary ready to learn.
The Children’s Forum appealed to me because of the myriads of services they provide through collaboration with other supporting organizations. I liked that their focus is on children, families, and early childhood professionals. They offer professional development and workforce initiatives for professionals in the field, quality improvement for early childhood programs, through the promotion and management of the Gold Seal Quality Care program, and the Help Me Grow system that provides families with early identification of developmental delays and links to community-based services and supports.
Finally, I was impressed by the focus on the strengths and unique needs of the black community. Their theme on the prudence of developing strong children rather than trying to rehabilitate damaged men based on a quote by Frederick Douglass caught my attention. As I have been blessed to succeed, it is my duty and privilege to give back to my community.
An available position in the field that interests me is Child Development Specialist. This job requires an individual who will contribute to the evaluation and assessment of children’s functioning in areas such as cognitive, social-emotional, and motor development et cetera. Leadership skills would be needed as the preferred applicant will be required to coordinate the planning and provision of early intervention services as needed and the interpretation of the results of the evaluation to the families. Requirements for the position include a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in early childhood with three years experience and possessing the knowledge of developmentally appropriate practices and techniques.
I have been to Broward county before when I lived with my boyfriend Alex about 8 years ago. Florida was a very nice place to live, however it was too crowded for me. I don't think I would like working in a place with so many people either. However, these organizations all sound very interesting and helpful toward the early childhood field. I am sure that since there are so many people in Florida, there must be so many more opportunities for collaboration among the early childhood community and organizations and there must be a much larger choice of who you would want to work with.
ReplyDeleteHi Dellarece:
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this wonderful information. I too am very interested in the specialist role. I did not know that position existed in early childhood. I am so grateful for research that we do in our program at Walden.
I have really enjoyed reading your blog this week!!! I have visited Florida often due to having a best friend that lives there. She has been sending me alot of jobs in the start of Florida. There are plenty of jobs in other states. I live in MS and jobs here are very limited. I see we have something in common. We both have an interest in a Specialist position. I have already had my interview for the Educational Specialist job for the center I work for.I have faith that I have the position. I also wish you the best of luck, and just remember whats for you is for you!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Dellarece,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing these different job positions. I would be interested in the Children's Forum. I like when a company offers professional development. I also like the fact that they provide early detection of delays and wrap around services for the families. I am presently as a service coordinator for Early Intervention. The job description sounds very similar to the Child Development Specialist you mentioned. I will be able to become a level 2 coordinator with my Master's degree, and will be able to complete evaluations on the child's skill levels. It is a great program to work for.