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

The first national organization that appealed to me is one that I am already involved with through their state affiliate. As an African American woman with a background is sociology and African American studies, the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) was an organization that initially encouraged me to pursue a career in education. Throughout history, Black children in America have been dually oppressed through systemic traditions of racial discrimination and cyclical poverty. The mission of NCBDI is to “improve and advance the quality of life for Black children and their families through education and advocacy” (NCBDI, n.d.). They seek to be the voice for these children who are powerless to advocate for themselves for affordable access to early care and education, healthcare, literacy initiatives, and family education and engagement. One of their current initiatives is to support the implementation of T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher education and Compensation Helps) to encourage a more qualified early childhood workforce by addressing teacher education, compensation, and turnover issues.

Currently NCBDI has employment opportunities for Early Childhood Program Assistants to support the implementation and daily operations of T.E.A.C.H. According to their website, they require the following qualifications:

• ·         Excellent oral and written communication skills, database management experience; knowledge of or demonstrated ability to learn FileMaker Pro or other database
• ·         Ability to work effectively with nontraditional first-generation college students
• ·         Attention to detail with ability to perform assignments efficiently and accurately.
• ·         Must deliver high-quality customer service, demonstrate the ability to effectively problem-solve and support team productivity.
• ·         A high comfort level with managing multiple and changing priorities, while meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• ·         Demonstrated commitment to collaboration.
• ·         Bachelor’s Degree and at least 2 years of related experience. (NBCDI, n.d.)

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center is an organization that caught my eye while researching my current challenge for this capstone project. They created the organization nearly 20 years ago after the overwhelming growth and expansion of the T.E.A.C.H. Project. Through this project, the organization has “increased the availability of accessible, affordable college education and workforce supports for these women in low wage jobs working with vulnerable children in early education settings” (T.E.A.C.H., n.d.). In addition to housing the T.E.A.C.H. Project, this organization also created WAGE$, an initiative providing tiered salary supplements to early childhood professionals to encourage educators to pursue higher education and lengthen their tenure in the field. Currently, the organization is seeking advocates to raise awareness the issues concerning the early childhood workforce and pursue full adoption across all 50 states of both the T.E.A.C.H. and WAGE$ projects.

Another national organization that interests me is the Association for Early Learning Leaders. This organization seeks to improve quality care and education for young children by focusing on strengthening the leadership in the field. Through networking opportunities, training and education for directors, owners, and administrators, this organization helps to create a strong web of leadership that can guide the early childhood field towards excellence.

References:

Association for Early Learning Leaders. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2018, from https://www.earlylearningleaders.org/

NBCDI. (n.d.). National Black Child Development Institute. Retrieved May 31, 2018, from https://www.nbcdi.org/

T.E.A.C.H. (n.d.). T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center. Retrieved June 1, 2018, from http://teachecnationalcenter.org/