Local or state organizations or
communities of practice that I find appealing to my work and goals as an early
childhood professional are:
The Anchorage AEYC
This is a local affiliate of the
National Association for the Education of Young Children that is located about
40 miles from my home. Their goal is to
foster professional development and quality care and education for
children. They are active in sharing and
influencing public policy at the local, state, and national level. There is a large yearly conference held over
a 3-4 day period with guest speakers, workshops, and opportunities for
networking and sharing with other early childhood professionals from throughout
the state.
I feel there is much to be learned
from an established organization when in the beginning stages of forming one at
a more local level. I can learn valuable
information regarding advocacy and gain access to other professionals with many
of the same goals and interests.
Best Beginnings
This organization is both
public-private owned that was formed to find ways to improve Alaskan children’s
future and to connect resources and people together to form a more unified
effort. They have private, business, and
government funding and sponsoring. They
saw the great need that Alaska has and has made a concerted effort to meet the
many and varied challenges that the early childhood field is facing in this
State.
As I stated before I feel there is a
great opportunity to learn how to be successful from an established
organization. Also the potential for
reaching more families grows with this association.
The state of Alaska has a great deal
of work to do in this area. It is
important that each of us do what we can to further the growth of the field and
the professional development of its members to deliver high-quality care and
services to children and families.
Two employment opportunities that I
am interested in are the positions of adjunct instructor of early childhood
classes at the local community college and training and curriculum specialist
at one of the child development centers on the Air Force Base. I feel each offers the opportunity to have a
positive impact upon those who will be working directly with the children and
families.
The adjunct instructor position
requires at least a Bachelors and preferably a Masters degree. Experience with Blackboard and
Elive/Collaborate is required.
The training and curriculum position
requires a Bachelor degree or higher in Early Childhood, Elementary Education
or closely related field. 12 months
experience at the next lower grade requiring knowledge, skills, or abilities of
the position to be filled. A combination
of experience and education can meet the degree requirement with at least 24
semester hours in early childhood education or related field.
