Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

                                                               

                                             Arco Iris
                                          Here We Go!

Clearly, teaching young children is my main source of inspiration and the fuel to my passion. Those children are craving for success, working hard with joy, and their respectful behavior shows how grateful they are for their teachers and for being in school. Additionally, there are two Head Start classes in the building which is another source of information.

          Collaborating with teachers and staff gives me confidence that there is a real need for strengthening children’s home language as strongly suggested in the NAEYC’s position statement on cultural and linguistic diversity (1997).  It also helps me to remain within the two sides of the compass, maintain realistic goals, and tame my thoughts.

  

As important as the elementary school and the foundation CoPs, the Canal Alliance provides amazing resources and:  

“Understands the needs of Marin’s low-income immigrant populations, and are highly networked with public agencies and community providers to ensure immigrants are connected to appropriate services. Serving the community for 30 years, we have earned the trust of immigrants as a cornerstone organization in the Canal neighborhood (2011).

Thanks to the Canal Alliance, I closely work with the community whose children are impacted by an underfunded educational system more particularly in the domain of early childhood. Together with the Alliance, I will better understand and serve the children and their families whom I believe would benefit from a deeper foundation in the language they speak at home.  

What would the early childhood field do without the NAEYC and its state chapters?  The California chapter in my neighborhood is an invaluable resource. Belonging to the local CAEYC community of practice brings direct access and understanding to the national association latest information to research-based advances in the field.  

The following is the Marin Community Foundation’s mission statement:

“The Marin Community Foundation was founded with one simple aspiration: to make a difference in the lives of others through thoughtful, effective philanthropy.

Our mission is to encourage and apply philanthropic contributions to help improve the human condition, embrace diversity, promote a humane and democratic society, and enhance the community's quality of life, now and for future generations” (2011).

I am particularly interested in the foundation’s Pre K-3 initiative with the goal of closing the achievement gap. Don Jen, program director, is my primary contact.

With regard to job opportunities that interest me, I am looking at ads in Craigslist offering child care center program director and program director preschool teacher positions. There is a potential position at the local college that was supposed to open in January but was postponed to this spring. It would be terrific if my application was retained since I would be working in a high-quality early childhood care center which:

“serves as demonstration classrooms that annually provide child observation, research and practicum opportunities, student teacher training, and Work Study jobs for more than 400 College of Marin students who are taking courses in Early Childhood Education, Pediatric Nursing, Child Psychology/Human Development, Behavioral Science, and related fields” (College of Marin,2014).

Although I cannot wait to fulfill a program director’s complex duties, I have to admit that the prospect is intimidating. I feel confident that my ethics and teaching skills are firmly anchored and that daily introspection helps me correct the next day what may have gone wrong that day. Having a hybrid position would help me work into a managerial position and learn the ropes as I start building relationships with colleagues. Surely, I will heavily rely on my communities of practice for advice, encouragements, and keep my head above water. In return, I will bring my ideas and unwavering commitment to and advocacy for young children and their families.   

References

Canal Alliance. (2011). About. Mission & Vision. Retrieved from: http://www.canalalliance.org/about-us/mission-vision

College of Marin. (2014). Child Development Program. Retrieved from: http://www.marin.edu/student_services/child_care.htm

Marin Community Foundation. (2011). Grants & Loans. Closing the Education Achievement Gap. Retrieved from: http://www.marincf.org/grants-and-loans/grants/strategic-initiatives/education

NAEYC. (1995). Responding to Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Recommendations for Effective Early Childhood Education. A Position Statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.