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

The first national organization I chose is, the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE).  The members of this organization come from the United States and many other countries.  They come together to promote teacher education and preparation.  They had several job opportunities listed in their employment section.  There was one job that caught my interest and that would be a Mentor Teacher at Tufts University in Massachusetts.  I meet the basic requirements and many of the preferred qualifications.  Having more experience in a supervisory role would be helpful in this position and having greater experience with Reggio Emilia and the Project Approach would also be helpful. 

The second organization is, the National Head Start Association (NHSA).  Since returning to work when my baby entered kindergarten I have worked for Head Start in a variety of capacities.  I believe in this program and what it stands for.  Their vision is to lead.  “To be the untiring voice that will not be quiet until every vulnerable child is served with the Head Start model of support for the whole child, the family and the community”.  To advocate, “To work diligently for policy and institutional changes that ensure all vulnerable children and families have what they need to succeed” (National Head Start Association [NHSA], n.d.).  They have a wide range of positions available across the United States.  Unfortunately they have no open positions with NHSA.  I am not up for relocating, so I believe I will stick close to home and look for a position at a local Head Start agency.  I would love to be an education coordinator or perhaps a site supervisor.  I have the qualifications that are needed for either of these positions and when an opening becomes available, I will be applying.

The third organization I chose is, the Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health (TA).  This is a partnership collaboration between the American Institutes for Research and the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health.  This organization has several CoP, including an early childhood CoP.  There were no job opportunities with this organization, but many ways to be involved and many resources to read and use. 

 References  

National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (n.d.).  Retrieved June 1, 2013 from http://www.naecte.org/

National Head Start Association (n.d.).  Retrieved June 1, 2013 from http://www.nhsa.org/

Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health (n.d.).  Retrieved June 1, 2013 from http://www.tapartnership.org/