Farewell to My Master's Community

As I say farewell to my Master's community of learners I want to mention some of the things I am taking away from this community as I venture out into the world- yet again- armed with new knowledge.

Three deeply felt learnings that have changed my thinking:
-that I can be an agent of social change just by cultivating awareness and influencing my immediate community
-the realization that I am a part of many communities of practice in my daily life. Starting one with a group of individuals who believe strongly with me on a topic challenges me to work on my collaboration skills
-the importance of knowing what I'm talking about- meaning knowing the historical and current context of my topic- to validate my professionalism

Long-term goals:
-To begin teaching EC courses at the community college level
-Open up a Preschool Village outside of the military post in my community

I want to say thank you to my instructor for creating a classroom atmosphere that fostered open communication and was a safe place to express thoughts and ideas. I wish you the best in all of your future endeavors and hope to meet up with you again in the future.
To my classmates, I thank you for being driven to make change in the EC field and in the lives of children all over the world. You have inspired me to dream bigger than I have before. I believe that each of you will be successful in everything you do because of your love for children and your determination to make a better world for them. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future. Many blessings to you all!

EC possibilities on the International Level

1. ACEI- Association for Childhood Education International    http://acei.org
-global community of practice of "educators and advocates who unite knowledge, experience, and perspectives in order to exchange information, explore innovation and advocate for children"
-Mission: "To promote and support in the global community the optimal education, development, and well-being of children, from birth through early adolescence, and to influence the professional growth of educators and the efforts of others who are committed to the needs of children in a changing society".
-They envision that every child in every nation will have access to quality education.
-Jobs: serving on the ACEI Board of Directors
This person must demonstrate a commitment to furthering the education and well-being of children worldwide, be dedicated to promoting excellence in non-profit governance, and make critical decisions about goals and the allocation of resources.
This person must possess commitment to the mission and vision of the organization, commitment to education and well-being of children worldwide, a broad knowledge of EC field with understanding of global movements that impact the lives of children, strong leadership skills, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

2. Child Trends  http://www.childtrends.org
-a "non-profit, nonpartisan research center that provides valuable information and insights on the well-being of children and youth". They provide information for policymakers, funders, educators, and service providers around the world. This community of practice provides cutting-edge research on issues affecting children from birth to early adulthood.
-Mission: "improve the lives and prospects of children and youth by conducting high-quality research and sharing the resulting knowledge with practitioners and policymakers"
-Jobs: research experts needed in the following areas
Management & administration-strategic leadership and operational management skills
Child Welfare- conduct, analyze data, evaluate programs in Child Welfare field
Child Well Being
EC Development- knowledge of development work with federal government, states, and foundation partners to evaluate state policy initiatives, kindergarten readiness assessments, professional development initiatives for EC workforce, strategies to promote access and affordability of high quality early care and education

3. buildOn  http://www.buildon.org
-Mission: "to break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and low expectations through service and education"
-Provides afterschool service programs in some of the nations toughest high schools and building schools in some of the worlds poorest countries through their Global School Construction Program
-Jobs: Development Director
Create and implement an ambitious fundraising program strategy for a new market, be an excellent communicator with listening skills, ability to create pitches verbal and written
Possess a Bachelor's degree, Master's preferred, 3-5 yrs fundraising experience, ability to multi-task, extensive knowledge of and relationships within the prospective community

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/ Federal Level

Three organizations I chose to highlight all involve or are related to my challenge of parent involvement in children's education.

Family Involvement Network of Educators (FINE): A research area of the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP)
-founded in 2000
-a national network of people who are interested in promoting strong partnerships between children's educators, their families, and their communities. They are dedicated to strengthening family-school-community partnerships by researching information on effective ways to encourage and support the involvement of the family in a child's learning and development.
-As a subgroup of the organization they have Parent University which is a nationwide group of universities that help families develop knowledge and skills that allow them to be active in their child's learning.
-There are opportunities to join the network, participate in discussions on web chat and in web conferences, and submit articles for the newsletter publication.
-Possible jobs: Family Involvement staff member consists of consultants, research analysts and research specialists, director, and assistant director. Skills needed to fulfill any of these roles would include knowledge of child development and policy, research skills, leadership and management skills, customer service skills, and an overall enjoyment of working with families and other education professionals.

National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE)
-founded in 1980
-Mission: "to advocate the involvement of parents and families in their children's education, and to foster relationships between home, school, and community to enhance the education of all our nation's young people." (www.ncpie.org)
-This organization has instituted in each state at least one Parent Training and Information Center or Community Parent Resource Center. These centers service families of children with and without disabilities from birth to age 22. They provide parents and schools with training, info, and technical assistance to know and understand how children develop and how to succeed in school.
-Possible Jobs: Look within your prospective states' Parent Training Center. Must posses the knowledge base of child development, policies (national and local) regarding education and families, local community resources

National Center for Fathering (http://fathers.com)
-non-profit educational organization that provides extensively-researched based training and resources to men who are fathers, grandfathers, and father figures so they are equipped to address the needs of their children.
-formed in response to the trend of fatherlessness in America
-provide annual seminars, small group trainings, daily radio programming, weekly newsletters, and a featured program called WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) which encourages and supports the active involvement in children's education
- Possible Jobs: no jobs except for those charged to the community to spread the word and advocate for dads everywhere to be proactive in their children's education
                                                                                                                                

Exploring Roles in The ECE Community: Local and State Levels

As I perused the web for local and state organizations, agencies, and communities of practice, I was pleasantly surprised to find that many of theme were right under my nose, well more like down the street from my house! The three I have listed below are wonderful organizations/ agencies/ communities of practice that I am excited to become a part of because they pertain to my favorite part of the EC field and that is child development and parent training. Thing is they have always been there, I just never looked....


-First Connections: Hardin County
This early childhood program offers enrichment lessons and activities for children and parents together. It is for infants and children to age 4 and is at no cost and without academic stipulations! The three main programs they offer are Cradle School, PAT (Parents as teachers), and TAP (Teens as Parents). They recognize the importance of brain development within the first 3 years of life and that having proper care and stimulation during those years is critical to the child's ability to succeed in life. They have a mission to empower parents to be their child's first and best teacher. The main job opportunity for this program is a Parent Educator. This person must have a working knowledge of child development and keep abreast of the newest and latest research. this person must also be personable and be able to establish a good rapport and relationship with each parent involved.

-United Way of Central Kentucky

This accredited charity funds communities of practice within the state. With a logo of "Live United", they encourage people to invest in their communities by giving, advocating, and volunteering to make a difference. When communities of practice get together for a cause United Way offers financial support to go towards the cause. Some of the current impact they are having include in after school programs for different county districts, family care centers, Feeding America program, Head Start, early childhood parent trainings. Their mission is to connect the community for the common good. The job opportunities here are all volunteer based. There is an extensive list on the website of volunteer opportunities from a teacher's assistant in a Head Start classroom to a van driver to transport disabled American Veterans. http://unitedwayck.org

-Lincoln Trail District Health Department
Provide early childhood services such as First Steps, Communicare, parenting classes, counseling services, and HANDS (Health Access Nurturing Development Service). This particular EC program promotes positive pregnancy outcome, optimal child growth and development, and family support. Their mission is to provide families with the assurance of the public's health and safety through assessment, intervention, education, and preparedness. Job opportunities include Family Support Workers. These individuals visit homes on a regular basis, build trusting relationships with families, assists first-time parents, and assists families with information on child development and parenting skills. They must also collaborate with other service providers and be knowledgeable about the program. http://ltdhd.ky.gov

My EC field Wordle

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It has been a long but wonderful journey through these graduate courses of early childhood education. I would have to say the best part, aside from the great things I learned, was the connections I made with my colleagues. I learned more from their experiences and insights than any book or article could teach me. I think it is because it is real. They speak from their hearts and they truly do care about the well-being of young children and families. I wish them all well and much success in their future endeavors as they impact the world, giving each child a chance…

The adjourning stage

This week I learned that there were five stages to developing a team: forming the team, storming through differences, norming with each other and accepting everyone for who they are and for what they can contribute, performing the actual task, and then adjourning. The adjourning stage is when the project concludes and everyone goes their separate ways. I find that the hardest groups to leave are the ones in which relationships were built between group members off of trust.

One group I participated in that was the hardest to end was when I worked as a summer camp counselor for the boys and girls club during college. The other counselors on this team were phenomenal people and we had gotten together and decided to make that summer one of the best the kids had ever had (because the majority of us would not be returning due to graduation), one they would talk about for a long while. There were tears and parties thrown at the end of the summer. We kept in touch for a few years beyond that and talked of getting back together.

One group that was easy to adjourn from was one in my former school. This team of teachers was combative and confrontational with each other, always trying to "one-up" the other, and never seemed to move beyond the storming stage.

Hopefully, at the adjourning of my Master's program, the colleagues I have connected with will be career long colleagues, no matter where we are in the world. It is nice and very beneficial to have colleagues as resources and sounding boards and partners throughout your career.

The adjourning stage is essential to teamwork for the simple fact that it makes members of the team feel successful. Chances are if one has a good experience working on a team, they will be more apt to work on a team again in the future- hoping and working toward a similar end as the previous experience they have had.