Time Well Spent

Being in the Master’s program at Walden University has truly been a wonderful learning experience for me! I am so grateful to all of the supportive instructors I have had and the plethora of helpful and creative classmates whom I have had the pleasure of collaborating with. The writing center, library, and other online resources have been awesome and in these past 18 months I had no issues with technical difficulties and my course materials were delivered to me in a very timely manner. That being said, I would like to reflect on three learnings that were the most heartfelt and though it was difficult to condense because all were of great value to me, I chose Early Childhood Development, Issues and Trends, and Perspective, Diversity, and Equity.

With our ever changing and diverse nation with regards to culture, ethnicity, gender orientation, religion, etc., it is vital for EC professionals to be knowledgeable and possess the skills necessary to support the needs of all children and families. We must begin by recognizing our own biases and schemas and begin to eliminate them in order to provide the empathy, compassion, and encouragement children and families need. I was enlightened by the impact toxic environments has on prenatal fetuses and brain development for infants and young children and the detrimental long term health problems associated with can cause. Learning about the depth of equity in this country and how to recognize issues and research possible remedies is another area that influenced my perspective as well learning to recognize microaggressions and how to combat and educate the offenders. As I said earlier, it was very difficult for me to narrow down my most influential courses because I have learned valuable information from each one that I can utilize in my future endeavors.

My long term goal is within the next 10 years is for my organization to my national with expansion plans for global saturation. I also plan to write a book, and possess a reputation for my advocacy efforts that speaks for itself.

I would also like to take this time to say a sincere farewell t all of Dr E as well as all of my classmates and I wish each one of you the very best life has to offer and much

success in your new or enhanced careers as EC professionals. It is my hope that one day our paths will cross again on some powerful advocacy effort and we can become part of each other’s CoP. If anyone would like to stay in touch with me, please feel free to email me at diannansykes@aol.com or you may call or text me at (407) 247-2631.

God bless you all.

Dianna Sykes

Profile of a Volunteer

Pauline Nobles

Profile of a Volunteer

My mother has been an at home mom all of my life and has been an avid volunteer of so many efforts over the years from volunteering in our schools and classrooms to various church activities. She has shown me what true commitment to what one believes in is all about. Over the past few years since my father passed, she has concentrated her services to visiting people who are sick and praying for them either at home, in the hospitals, senior homes, etc. She has the gift of discernment and intercession which to me means that she can tell what is really going on with someone and can stand in the gap for them as they reach out to God. The comfort she provides to so many people has made such a positive impact on them and when I return home, I love reading the cards and letters she receives in thanksgiving for brightening days, eliciting smiles, and giving hope.

The message here is that we don’t know the lives we impact, seen and unseen, in what we do daily and I believe we have an obligation as fellow human beings to give back in some form or another. My goal is to give back to the children and families struggling with the hardships of disabilities with the hope of making a positive difference in their lives and motivating them to one day do the same for someone else.  My father’s saying was “each one, reach one, teach one.”

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

As I perused numerous international organizations, I had difficulty locating employment opportunities but found a few that were interesting to me. I chose these organizations because of their proven track record with making a positive difference in the lives of children and families.

UNICEF

Early Childhood Development Specialist

Key Expected Results

·        Support to ECD programs/projects development and planning

·        Program management, monitoring and delivery of results on ECD programs

·        Technical and operational support to program implementation

·        Networking and partnership building

·        Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

Key Accountabilities and Duties & Tasks

·        Support to ECD program/project development and planning

·        Program management, monitoring and delivery of results on ECD programs

·        Networking and partnership building

·        Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

.

Qualifications of Successful Candidate 

·        An Advanced University Degree in education, public administration/health, nutrition, economics, psychology, sociology, human development, child development, family studies or other social science field is required

·        A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in social development planning and management in early childhood development related areas at the international level some of which preferably were served in a developing country is required.

·        Relevant experience in early childhood development related areas, program/project development and management in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.

·         Fluency of the local language of the duty station as well as proficiency in English.

SAVE THE CHILDREN

Head Start Education & Disability Specialist
Description
The Education and Disabilities Specialist reports directly to the Early Childhood Education Manager and is responsible for provision of comprehensive support and monitoring of child development education services and practices; ensure monitoring of child educational outcomes and status of school readiness goals.  The position holder works in collaboration with the Health and Nutrition specialist, Center Director, Classroom and operational support staff to ensure quality program delivery to children and families and achieve highest program standards. As a front line representative of Save the Children the position holder is required to ensure the safety and security of children and families that he/she come in contact with and represent the agency values of Accountability, Ambition, Collaboration, Creativity and Integrity. Essential Duties, Responsibilities and Impact ·        Work with classroom staff to ensure quality teaching and learning environments. ·        Ensure planning, coordination, tracking and monitoring of special needs services; ensure integration of IEPs into individualized planning for children. ·        Support staff in ensuring that required screenings, assessments, and overall individualization are occurring in                                                                                                    classrooms. ·        Support teaching staff in the tracking, monitoring and reporting of child outcomes. ·        Support teaching staff in the development of Individual Professional Development plans. ·        Conduct regular classroom observations and evaluations. ·        Attend case coordination meetings with other staff in order to fully integrate services. ·        Participate in regular staff meetings to ensure integrated planning and implementation of services. ·        Oversee transition to kindergarten planning. ·        Supervision of  Head Start Lead Teachers. ·        Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor and Directors. Classroom monitoring and observations (30%); Staff Supervision (10%); Reporting (30%); Disabilities (30%) Required Background and Experience, Skills and Behaviors ·        Associate’s degree in early childhood development and education; Bachelor’s degree preferred ·        Two years work experience in a position that directly relates to the provision and monitoring of educational services and supporting teaching staff; supervision experience. ·        Strong interpersonal, communication and organizational skills.  Ability to work collaboratively with other staff and community partners in the provision of high quality services and resources to families. ·        Acceptable tuberculosis screening results, a clear criminal records check (including child abuse registry check and sex offender registry check if required by state regulations), MSDH Certificate of Immunization Compliance (MSDH Form #121)  and an initial health exam are required post job offer and prior to employment.    ·        To drive agency vehicles (if applicable), must have a valid driver’s license and be insurable by the Save the Children Head Start insurance carrier and have a Motor Vehicle Record acceptable to Save the Children Head Start.  Current and former Head Start/Early Head Start parents will receive preference for employment vacancies for which they are qualified.

NAEYC

Early Childhood Special Educator

Sterling Medical

Job Description and Qualifications

Sterling Medical seeks an Early Childhood Special Educator to work with children of American military families in a home-based early intervention program. The program works with infants and toddlers of American military families living on US military bases overseas. The position currently available is located at Bahrain. Rewarding opportunity!

Position requires either a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Special Education, a minimum of two years experience within the last five years working with developmentally delayed children in the 0, 1 & 2-year age population in a home-based early intervention capacity, and a current state teaching license/certification to teach in this capacity

International Organizations I searched and found no job openings or descriptions of jobs unavailable or not.

• World’s Childrenhttp://worldschildren.org/who-we-are/job/
• National Association for Child Development Internatinalhttp://www.nacd.org/
• Global Child Development http://www.globalchilddevelopment.org/
• Association for Childhood development https://acei.org/
• Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm

References

NAEYC (n.d.). Retrieved April 5, 2016, from http://www.naeyc.org/

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

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

Using Social Media to get Connected

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Social media has gotten many mixed reviews regarding the benefits and disadvantages from civil cases such as Peoples Court where evidence is presented from Facebook posts that help or hinder the case to exposure for all types of activities such as marathon races, to politics, and even to advocacy. Social media, used wisely can be very beneficial especially for advocacy efforts, and I have, thus far, only had positive experiences from it. 
Because I am technologically and time challenged, I limit myself to Facebook only although, some of my reads are circumvented to various sources such as YouTube. 

I feel I can use these sources to educate and inspire others because things have a tendency to go viral very quickly and without warning because people are able to, from the comfort and privacy of their phones, computers, etc., and with the push of a button, use their voice without fear of repercussions outside of a derogatory comment or being unfriended. 
My plan is to use all of the social media resources at my disposal when I open my business to gain as much exposure as I can. I will even begin a blog focusing on the hardships of autism.
Colleagues, what would you suggest as effective tool to promote advocacy efforts?