EXPLORING ROLES IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD FIELD AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL

     ZerotoThree is an organization I actually follow on a consistent basis to look for job opportunities. Their mission is to provide parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development and to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life (Zero to Three, n.d.)
      I live in Northern Virginia, so their headquarters are easily accessible to me, and I have a huge respect for this organization. I frequently refer parents to their website for advice or to back up information I have told them. The wealth of current information on their website is impressive, and I would love to work for this organization.
     The current job opportunities listed as of today provide opportunities in different offices they have around the country, with varying requirements and job descriptions. If I could take any job to get my foot in the door, I would do that. A minimum requirement for all of them is early childhood experience, and strong communication skills.
This is an organization I came across while researching for my capstone project. Their mission is to improve the lives of children, youth, and older people through intergenerational collaboration, public policies, and programs for the enduring benefit of all (Generations United, n.d.), which aligns perfectly with my vision. They have been in existence for 30 years, and were awarded the Best Intergenerational Communities Award for 2016. Their website lists many projects and policies they have improved or are working on toward the accessing of untapped assets within these segments of the population.

I was excited to find there is an intern opportunity for the summer of 2016. My current job works with the county school schedule, so I will be off for the summer and can actually apply for this. The job skills listed as necessary are proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, effective communication skills, research and analytical skills(with oversight) and a passion and commitment to issues affecting children, youth and older adults.

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Intergenerational Center creates opportunities for all people to contribute through their stages of life in daily multi generational activities, which helps to build a society that values people of all ages and abilities (Easter Seals, n.d.). With all the searching and research I have been doing, I am so surprised this has never come up before.
     This organization, in addition to operating a care facility, provides training sessions for:

1. Adult and Senior Day Services
2. Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Child Development
3. Home and Community Services
4. Assistive Technology
5. Inter-generational Shared Site Programming
6. Family & Corporate Caregiver Issues

The organization has openings for lead teachers at this facility. I am highly qualified, as I have been a lead teacher for 7 years. I would be interested in working at this center to see how the daily operation of interactions among the attendees works and what doesn't work.

References:

Easter Seals. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.easterseals.com/DCMDVA/our-programs/intergenerational-programs/

Generations United. (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://www.gu.org/ABOUTUS/OurMission.aspx
http://www.zerotothree.org/

Zero to Three. (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://www.zerotothree.org/?referrer=https://www.google.com/

Exploring Roles in the Early Childhood Community at Local and State levels

An organization I have been following for years and have been recommending to parents is the Dr. Yum Project. The mission of this group is to transform the lives of families and communities by provide an understanding of the connection between foods and overall health, as well as empowering them with the tools to live a healthy life.

It all started with a pediatrician in our local office who was concerned with the obesity rates. She started a website with recipes that were created and tested by children, and has now grown into a physical kitchen where classes are taught to children, gardens are grown and cared for by children, and nutrition information is exchanged with families and each other. By involving the children in their own choices, there is a better rate of success trying and enjoying new healthy foods and an awareness of how to make proper choices to live a healthy life.

This organization's mission is to champion for public policies that will improve the lives of Virginia's children. They combine statistics and indicators of children's well being with current research to determine unmet needs and threats to children's health and safety, then recommend policy solutions to policy makers and educate community leaders and concerned citizens to support these solutions.
I find this organization to be well organized, factual, and strong advocates for young children and their families. Their accomplishments include reestablishing funding for home care visits, increased funding for early intervention of children with developmental delays, safety improvements to early child care system, and increasing attendance for pre-k in lower income families.
The Rappahannock Area Community Services Board is formed to improve the quality of life for people in the district that suffer from mental illness, intellectual disability, and substance abuse through responsive care to individual needs. I have been involved with this organization for the past 3 years, and would look to be an area of service for their attendees.

The first two organizations are strictly volunteer, but the last, the RACSB, offers job opportunities as care givers in the residences, and as house managers. I was interested in either of these positions as a second job, but my primary job did not allow the scheduling to work; I have been involved as a volunteer on and off for 3 years and find the interaction among different abilities to be helpful social skill builders.

My Wordle :)