Week 4- National/Federal CoP

This week I am exploring national organizations and federal agencies that help foster the well-being of children, families, and the early childhood field. I am using these communities or practice to inspire my thinking and contributions that I can make in the early childhood field. I have found three that have appealed to me.

The first one is The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge, or shortened to Connect Modules. This CoP (community of practice) is made to share knowledge through the internet to all early childhood professionals that looks at different sources to come up with a solution to questions in the field.  This organization is mostly run thorough the Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina. At the University of North Carolina a job that interested me was a child development specialist. This called to me because I know how important child development is and how a healthy development can alter a child’s life. For this job they are looking for at least 5 years in the early childhood field and at least one of those years as a development specialist titled job. I would need both of these requirements before applying.

The second CoP I found is named the Early Intervention and Early Childhood. This program is dedicated to quality early care for all young children and is focused on universal design for learning, recognition and response, professional development, and inclusive practices for serving a diverse society. There were no jobs currently at this time, but I would like to get involved in this CoP because I agree and support for what they stand for.

The last CoP I investigated was the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. The Multi-Tiered Systems of Support works for the intersection of general and special education.  The work that they do is mostly aligned with the emerging practice of response-to=intervention or the RTI process. This interested me because I am involved in this process at the school where I teach as well as knowing this information for all educators is important. There were no current jobs listed but I feel that as this organization grows local chapters will emerge and need a leader and I would be willing to help fulfill this obligation.

Overall the CoP that I found were very great, They all help the development of the early childhood field with a focus on the children and their families.

References

Connect modules. (2013). Retrieved from http://community.fpg.unc.edu/ 

Early intervention and early childhood. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.sharedwork.org/web/early-childhood/home 

Multi-tiered systems of support. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.sharedwork.org/web/multi-tiered-systems-rti/home

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Local, state, nation, and international early childhood organizations are important to foster the well-being of children, their families, and the field as a whole. This week I am exploring different organizations, agencies, and communities that encompass the early childhood field. First I looked at three local and state organizations that appealed to me.

1.     I choose Knowledge Works. Knowledge Works is an organization who current emphasis is on the construction and renovation of schools. This could be facilities or technology. I was interested in this organization because I feel strongly that technology needs to be updated throughout the schools. As a society we use technology every day. Without educating our children about technology and giving them access to it, we are doing an injustice to them.

2.     Secondly I choose The Coalition for Greater Cleveland’s Children. This is a not-for-profit organization that works to promote and improve education, health, safety, and economic well-beings of children from the Cleveland, Ohio area. I found this organization great because not many places incorporate all factors of a child into how it affects their education. The whole child concept is what I enjoyed most about this organization.

3.     Third I choose the Community Advocates for Public Education (CAPE). This organization of community members promotes public and political support to public schools. This can be through education, legislative, and political campaigns. I choose this organization because I think it is really great to build a strong relationship with the community, and by giving information on so many different levels more individuals would by apt to support the schools.

I did not see any job opportunities listed for these organizations but many volunteer positions that I think would be great to be involved with. I am particularly looking at The Coalition for Greater Cleveland’s Children. I also think being part of this organization would be neat because I would get a different understanding of the early childhood field from a different perspectives that is not mainly focused on academics. I feel I have the skills, experience, and education needed to competently fulfill a volunteer spot for this organization. 

References

Barnes, M. (n.d.). Community advocates for public education. Retrieved from http://chuh.net/cape/

Knowledgeworks foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://knowledgeworks.org/

Swanson, A. N. (n.d.). Coalition for greater cleveland's children. Retrieved from http://www.coalition4kids.org/about/default.asp