Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Maryland Association for the Education of Children

 

The MDAEYC's mission ties into what I believe in by "empowering" early childhood professionals while educating young children.  It is also disappointing that society does take teaching young children as seriously as it needs to be since they are our future.  MDAEYC shares a similar vision to help early childcare programs recognize the importance of having high quality early childhood education standards.  MDAEYC would like to change the status of the early childhood profession with education and compensation.  As early childhood professionals, we have the responsibility of informing society about the importance of early childhood education.  The gift of teaching young children is a skill.  Highly skilled early childhood professionals deserve to be compensated for their hard work.

 

I would be interested in filling the position of Accreditation chair.  I feel in order to be competent in this position, you need to be organized and understand various policies and standards associated with what the state of Maryland expects from an early childhood program.

 

www.mdaeyc.org

 

 

Maryland Family Network



MARYLAND FAMILY NETWORK

 

Maryland Family Network supports my current position as Parent Coordinator for families which have children with disabilities from birth.  Individuals with various experiences and backgrounds can collaborate to improve early childhood education.  Maryland Family Network provides parents the resource of finding child care resource center in their area.  I have a passion to help parents with resources which will help their child reach their full potential while assisting the family.

 

A position I would be interested in wit the Maryland Family Network is a consultant to coordinate a summit to help meet the needs of young children with disabilities and their families as well as young children without disabilities including their families.  This is something I am interested in pursuing within the Maryland Family Network.  In order to be competent in this position, you would need the similar skills that the late Ms. Skolnik possessed as the first hired with the program.  She understood the demands placed on families with young children and had a passion to develop ways to help them within their community.  She was able to connect with the public, which is a huge attribute to have in this position. 

 

www.mdchildcare.org

 

Association for Childhood Education International

 

Association for Childhood Education International shares the same ideas I have to improve early childhood education not only in the United States but throughout the world.  They are committed to the well-being of all children whether the children are at home, school or in the community.  I believe the community is essential in part of teaching children how to be productive members of society no matter their ability.  The Association for Childhood Education also believes in the importance of keeping early childhood professionals about with new ideas and techniques.  Another concept I am passionate about is that he Association for Childhood Education International practices is helping the public understand the rights and needs of children including the programs necessary to meet these needs.

 

At the Association for Childhood Education International, I would be interested in being a Professional Development and Research Specialist.  The skills needed for this position is organization and a passion for research.  In order to get the desired results, it is necessary to repeat the idea in a different manner until the desired results appear.  Patience is another skill need for this position.  You need to be a listener and observer to identify areas where early childhood professionals need the most assistance in order for them to feel confident in their skills.

 

www.acei.org

 

 

National Early Childhood Teacher Training Association, Inc.

 

The National Early Childhood Teacher Training Association, Inc.(NECTTA) is designed to serve the professionals working with young children and their families in the state of Maryland including other states as well.  This site provides various workshops and classes which are mostly held in Maryland.  I love how their mission is to use technology to allow professional development to be more accessible.  They have presentations in more than one language for a bi-lingual opportunity.

 

I would like to be a presenter on the NECTTA staff.  In order to be competent in this position, you would need to very comfortable with technology and various ways to use technology for training opportunities.  It would be beneficial to have partake in a webinar or taken an on-line training in order to understand what your audience may feel like which will affect the way the presentation is organized.

 

www.nectta.org/moddle/





 

"It takes a village to raise a child." -African Proverb-

My Wordle

"It takes a village to raise a child." -African Proverb-

Profile of a Volunteer

The person I have elected to describe as a volunteer is a close relative, my Aunt.  She works as a Sunday School teacher and Girl Scouts leader.  She has a good spirit and good heart.  She works tirelessly to teach young children how to respect themselves and their community.  The African proverb, "it takes a village to raise a child", is what she practices.  The families in her church community needs assistance and resources to care for the members in their families.  The concerns families have in this community forces families have in this community forces families to work more than one job which do not allow them the opportunity to do activities with their children.  Many families need the Girl Scouts and Sunday School as a resource.  Sunday School and the Girl Scouts provides financial assistance for families and their children.  The Girl Scouts take trips and Sunday School has various activities where the volunteers celebrate with children including their families.  The volunteers like my Aunt make it possible for children to participate in a safe activities in their community which helps families know their child is safe in their absence.

 

The message I "take away" from volunteer's efforts is that their work is tireless and endless.  In a volunteer position, we need to support each other and celebrate each accomplishment.  Volunteers also have the potential to become burnt out since they work tirelessly to help families and young children. 

 

 

 

Celebrate!   Celebrate!    Celebrate!

 

 

Celebration will help the volunteers feel important and that their role is meaningful to the cause.



"It takes a village to raise a child." -African Proverb-

 

 

Using Social Media to Get Connected!

 

I use social media to keep my family abreast of what my children are doing.  I send pictures, videos and statements about their achievements including activities.  It give my family the opportunity to view them at their earliest convenience an respond.  They can save the pertinent information.

 

 

 

Facebook and MySpace are the social networks I have used.  Now, I can add blogs to my repertoire.  I could post pictures of family gathering where my family could tag a picture or comment which was posted.  I am able to keep up with the most current events posted. 

 

www.hfrp.org/evaluation/the-evaluation-exchange

 

There were several social media tools which were given that I could use.  I can subscribe to newsletters of non-profit organizations that can help my cause.  I can create a Twitter account to follow organizations and stay current.  YouTube is a great resource for me to discover additional organizations which believe in my cause.  I will continue to use blogs as an addition to find up-to-date results for my cause.

www.eadvocate.wordpress.com/

 

Social media can be used to see how the community feels about the issue I am advocating.  I can provide links informing the community about the issue.  Videos about how young children with disabilities have confidence and build friendships when they have the proper supports in the classroom.  My blog can be used to show the progress my son has made form starting with the infants and toddlers program to his current station in school, third grade.  My experience can help the issue become more real and I hope other parents will feel free to share their experiences also.

 

 

Are there any other resources with social media I can use to help the community and policymakers understand the need for additional training to meet the diverse needs of young children with disabilities?

 

"It takes a village to raise a child." -African Proverb-

Advocacy Messages

I found this advertisement very inspiring because families do not want to hear something is wrong with their young child.  From personal experience, I was in denial at first when the doctor discovered developmental issues with my son.  I believed that when he began to walk, he would be okay or no longer need special education.  The fact of the matter was that my son needed the accommodations special education had to offer in order to reach his full potential.  I was happy I did not wait.  A part of my responsibility is to let parents know that they do not need to worry, though the early they get the help they need for their young child to reach their full potential the better.

 

Bright Futures for Every Child, Every Nation

 

This advertisement was very inspiring because it reinforces reaching out to other countries and learning more about their culture including their educational system.  As early childhood educators, we have a mutual responsibility to educate our young children and their families.  Other countries would be interested in collaborating with one another to find solutions for the issues plaguing our countries.

 

This advertisement is inspiring to help parents and society understand the importance of all experiences children have starting from birth.  

 

 

"It takes a village to raise a child." -African Proverb-

My Own Capacity

 

My passion is to assist families which have young children with disabilities obtain he necessary resources for their child to reach their full potential within an early childhood setting.  My family experienced first hand finding the necessary resources for my son to reach his full potential in an early childhood setting by working with the Infants and Toddlers program.  I understand some of the concerns parents which have young children with disabilities.  I plan to use my experience and skills to help families understand the differences of an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in order to maximize the services they receive.  Family Support Services is a wonderful resource for families which have young children with disabilities.  They can link parents with additional ideas and techniques to help their children receive the necessary help to be successful and reach their full potential.  They have literature and various assistive technology.  They are unique due to the fact they have children with disabilities which have been through the public school system.  Since I have personally been in the position of the families that have young children with disabilities, it is knowledge I have obtained through my experience.  I have advocated for my son in order to make sure he had the foundational skills to build upon at the next grade level.  I hope to become a more confidence in order to take the necessary steps in the legislative process.

 

 



"It takes a village to raise a child." -African Proverb-

My Role as an Advocate

 

I began my professional journey as a chemist.  When I found out my youngest son had a developmental delay, I wanted to pursue education in order to help him reach his full potential.  I believe he needed the necessary fundamental skills to build upon through his educational career.  I decided that I should help other parents speak up for what is best for their child. 

 

By becoming an informed voter, citizens can advocate for issues which are important to them.  It is essential to understand the legislative process to know where to begin with the advocacy process.  In order to be an effective advocate, it is crucial to understand the rules and procedures of the state and local government.  There are different ways of advocating  to affect policies like lobbying.  It is essential to become as informed about the legislative process to determine the best option to advocate effectively (Kieff, 2009).

 

 

In order to be a state leader on early childhood issues, it is essential to understand and track legislation.  The bills, which are proposed, need to read and understood by state leaders on early childhood issues.  The state's legislator's office has copies of bills and committee reports that can be given to individuals upon request.  The Library of Congress is also an excellent resource to receive information about the status of bills and which bills have been through the process (Kieff, 2009).

 

I am currently a member of the Local Interagency Coordinating Council (LICC), Judy Center Steering Committee, Special Needs Advisory committee.  I work with the Health Department, educators form different schools, YMCA, Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) in order to reach families with children and advocate for quality early childhood programs.  Unfortunately, my community does not have many quality early childhood programs, especially programs for infants.  I have aligned myself with individuals which believe in the importance of quality early childhood programs fro all families that have young children of all abilities that have young children of all abilities and backgrounds.  I have the opportunity to immobilize others through the various committees and organizations where collaboration takes place.

 

 

The advice I would give to a person interested in taking a leadership role advocating for young children and their families is aligning themselves with organizations which have a connection to young children and their families.  It is essential to understand what the community has to offer families with young children.  The families with young children need to feel respected as the first teacher in their child's life, I would also suggest the person gets to know the culture of the community they are working in.

 

Most importantly, the person should stay current with the policies effecting young children as well as their families in the community.  The last piece of advice I would give to a person interested in a leadership role in early childhood is remember to smile.  Individuals tend to gravitate to someone with a smile on their face and a more willing to open up with them.



 

 

Kieff, J.  (2009).  Informed advocacy in early childhood care and education.  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Pearson.

 

"It takes a village to raise a child." -African Proverb-