Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

The UNICEF organization appealed to me as I learned about their work with children with disabilities. As an integral part of their work, they sought to protect the rights of children with disabilities through a focus on equity. One of their mission is to recognize and eliminate the causes of inequality so that children especially those who are deprived for reasons such as disability (UNICEF, n.d.).

Save the Children

This organization focuses on caring for the children of the world. They impact the lives of many children by teaching their families and communities to be self-sufficient. Another focus of this organization is to provide relief for children after significant disasters and severe crises have occurred in their country realizing that children have unique concerns in such situations. Save the children is equipped to provide rapid assistance in an effort to help children to recover from the damaging effects they receive during times of war, and conflict or due to natural disasters that occur (Save the Children, 2011).   The organization also commits to work with communities in order to help children access quality healthcare and education as well as to keep them safe from harm (Save the Children, 2011).

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

UNESCO promotes the provision of education as a right for all humans. The organization supports the belief that a high-quality education should be accessible to children everywhere. As a result, UNESCO undertakes global leadership in education and seeks to strengthen the education systems around the world with a focus on education for all children regardless of gender (UNESCO, 2011). This focus encompasses all levels of education from early learning to tertiary.

Job Opportunities:

Education Officer

Country: Sri Lanka

Job Description: provide technical operational and administrative assistance for education projects and facilitating the development, execution, monitoring, assessment, and reporting of programs (United Nations Children’s Fund, n.d.).

Education: A University Degree in education, psychology, sociology or other social science field is required.

Technical Knowledge: A minimum of 2 years of professional experience in management in Early Childhood Education and social development planning.  

Language Skills: Fluency in English as well as the knowledge of other official UN language is an asset.

Senior Education Adviser

Country: Sierra Leone

Job Description: Maintain technical operations and oversee the implementation of the save the children educational program in Sierra-Leone’s four districts. Act as liaison between Sierra Leone’s education program and that of Save the Children. The advisor will also develop an Ebola Education Strategy in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, donors, and other partners to ensure that the education strategy of Save the Children is ready to support the and meet the goal of supporting and building the education system after such a crisis (Save the Children, 2011).

Education: Minimum of a BSc/BA/BEng in Social Work, Human rights Law, International Relations, Developmental Studies or equivalent field experience (Save the Children, 2011).

Technical Knowledge: Excellent management and communication skills.

Language Skills: Fluency in written and spoken English and experience in proposal writing

References

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6146355/k.24E9/Who_We_Are.htm

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2011). Retrieved from http://en.unesco.org/themes/education-21st-century

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/

There are numerous organizations that deal with early childhood education. The first that appealed to me was the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI). This organization envisions a society that focuses on the success of all children. The mission of NBCDI is to “improve and advance the quality of life for Black children and their families through education and advocacy” (National Black Child Development Institute, 2017). NBCDI is driven by educating and enabling parents, improving childcare, and ensuring that funding and resources are equally available for all children as they seek to implement their policies, programs, and activities (National Black Child Development Institute, 2017). A job opportunity that is available within NBCDI is that of policy director. The successful individual applying for this position must be knowledgeable on policies that affect young Black children and their families. Applicant must also have great research skills along with written or oral communications skills as well as have the necessary skills to analysis policies and understand legal and regulatory provisions found in policies. The applicant must be able to lead teams and should have a graduate degree and minimal of three years of experience (National Black Child Development Institute, 2017). 

Qualified educators who love children are a critical component in ensuring high-quality early children programs. An organization that has a focus on supporting professionals in the early childhood field was the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This organization seeks to support high-quality early learning by establishing a strong connection with early childhood procedures, the policies that guide the profession and research (NAEYC, n.d.).  NAEYC is advertising for a Global Engagement Project Manager to manage their international projects and ensure completion. Duties include the management of the designs and development of ongoing projects and providing information, guidance and technical assistance for global programs (NAEYC, n.d.). The successful applicant will also be required to implement strategies that will support the mission of the association. The ability to supervise and liaison with other team members is critical to this position. In order to meet the requirements of the job, the applicant will need to have an understanding of database systems as well as early childhood education and best practices (NAEYC, n.d.).

With the goal of opening up my own private early childhood program, the Professional Association of Childhood Educators (PACE) which is committed to providing tools and support to early childhood caregivers and professionals through education and the provision of networking is the third organization that resonated with me. With PACE my program personnel will have a specific location to network with other professionals by sharing ideas and techniques and keeping up-to-date with current policies and licensing regulations. PACE also brings programs that help their members can grow professionally by improving their teaching strategies and management skills (PACE, n.d.). With memberships in the PACE organization, the personnel at my program will be able to contribute to the advancement of early childhood education.

References

National Association for the Education of Young Children (n.d.).  Retrieved from: http://www.naeyc.org/

National Black Child Development Institute (2017). Retrieved from: https://www.nbcdi.org/who-we-are

Professional Association of Childhood Educators (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://www.paceca.org/who-we-are.html