Time Well Spent

This program has taught me so much about the administrative side of early childhood, about being a leader, and most importantly it has allowed me to realize some important truths about myself. The first deep knowledge that I have acquired throughout this program has been the process of budgeting and allocating resources, in a program. Not only is it a vital skill to know these concepts but the process in which we created a program to budget for and wrote grant proposal provided me with real life hands on experiences. Another, concept I will deeply take with me is from the building research competencies course, previously I had no type of experience with reading research papers or writing them. This course provided me with valuable skills towards understanding the basic conformity to which papers are written, and towards understanding them. I have even found some interesting jobs that requires its applicants to have of knowledge of teases rich competencies, so I'm excited and appreciative to have that knowledge added to my resume. Lastly, the knowledge I acquired in the perspectives in diversity and equity course have impacted the most out of all the courses on this journey. Learning about self-reflection, and it's affects on myself as a teacher has provided with a new view on just how different elements can affect the environment in which we teach. The impact that diversity has on the real world classroom, is a reality that many educators do not know how to incorporate within their methods of teaching. I truly believe that this course should be offered at the B.S level, and mandated to take in order to teach. 

My long term goal is to open my own daycare center. The knowledge and skills acquired over the course of this will help me take one step closer to achieving this goal.

I would like to say thank-you to Dr. E, and all the other professors that have helped me over the course of this program. A special thanks to all my colleagues, I have learned so much by reading your insightful work, and from your own critiques on my own work has made me a better student and educator forcing me to think critically, or out of the box.  

Good Luck to everyone in their futur eEndeavors!!

Jobs/roles in the ECE community: Internationally

The first organization I chose was UNICEF, my main reasoning for choosing them being their well known status for global humanitarian work for children. I remember carrying around a box every Halloween as a young child, collecting pennies for them. 

One job that was of interest to me was the Chief of child development in Education located in Turkey. A successful candidate in this position would have to have:

- Advanced university degree in one or more of the disciplines relevant to the following areas: Education; Primary Education, or Social Sciences fields relevant to international development assistance.*

- Some demonstrative capacity to identify and monitor gender and other inequalities, as well as develop and implement gender mainstreaming in programmes.
- Eight years of progressively responsible relevant work experience at national and international levels in fields relevant to Education programmes in Middle Income countries and emergency settings. Experience working in the UN or other international development organization an asset.
- Proven experience in Education in Emergencies.

The next organization I chose was the academy for educational development. I had never heard of this organization, but thought that it's mission to improving lives by creating a unique mix of capabilities to address today's interrelated development challenges, was really interesting. 

I found one position at this particular organization, that appealed to me. The nutrition behavior change specialist located in Kenya, is responsible for improving the nutritional status of women and children under two years of age by implementing a program that integrates water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and nutrition. A successful candidate would need to have:

• Knowledge and experience in designing and implementing evidence-based behavior change approaches, particularly approaches incorporating the role of products, social factors and environment in facilitating change.
• Understanding of key nutrition concepts, and the role of safe water, food hygiene, sanitation and hand washing in nutrition.
• Strategic thinker, strong team player, able to deliver results without close supervision.
• Experience managing public- private partnerships, social marketing and/or product development desirable.

The last organization I chose was the International step by step association, which I chose to explore because I had never heard of it. Their mission is to support professional communities and develop a strong civil society that influences and assists decision makers provide high quality care and educational services for all children from birth through primary school (birth through 10 years old), with a focus on the poorest and most disadvantaged.

The only position I found was for a communications officer, on their Linkdin page which had no 

other information on qualifications or skills needed. 

References

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

• Website: International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html
• Website: Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm