TIME WELL SPENT

Hello fellow Bloggers!


As I come to the end of this two year journey with Walden University, I feel not only a sense of accomplishment, but I feel like a different person.  I have grown more than I ever thought possible and I have developed career goals that I had not considered before.  I have realized that I am much stronger than I gave myself credit for and that I really CAN DO anything I set my mind to.  That being said, Walden University has taught me the importance of research in early childhood.  They have taught me about the many issues and trends that exist, and what true appropriate practice really looks like.  I view the entire field of early childhood from a different lens now.  One that wants to advocate and make change.  My capstone project inspired me to get a parent educator position and I intend to make a "Stop the Stress" campaign come to life in my district.  My goal is to implement this project the next school year and we have already begun the process.  It is going to be a dream come true to watch this parent education program implemented in a district that so desperately needs it.  I look forward to watching the results unfold as I advocate and make a difference in the lives of the children and families of my community.


I want to take this time to congratulate and thank all my fellow classmates and colleagues for all their insights, advice and collaboration because without you, I would never have learned all that I have.  I also want to thank all my instructors for sharing their knowledge and passion for education with me and being the inspiration for me to become more than I ever thought I could be.  This has been a wonderful learning experience and I will take all that I learned from each of you into my future work in education and advocacy. 


Good luck to everyone in their future endeavours, it's been a pleasure working with and learning from all of you!


I leave you with an image that reflects what this experience has meant to me, I am a teacher, but so much more!

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community Internationally

So, throughout this last course in my Master's, we have been asked to explore different job opportunities that may be available in the future should we have a desire to change it up.  This week, we went international and I must say that for a woman that's only been in the U.S.A., I certainly would love the chance to travel overseas and work for a different organization doing something to advocate for children, so after my research, here's what I found that was of interest to me and please feel free to click on the link which will bring you right to the Employment Opportunities Page of the websites:


1)  UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_vacancies.html
First, there's UNICEF, which everyone should be familiar with.  Their mission reads: UNICEF is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. We have the global authority to influence decision-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn the most innovative ideas into reality.  That makes us unique among world organizations, and unique among those working with the young.


The Job Opportunity I was most interested in was: Child Protection
You play a key role in the design, implementing and monitoring and evaluation of Child Protection programme(s). Key areas include Child Protection from violence, exploitation and abuse, Development and advocacy for Legal and Social Policy Reform, Strengthening National Protection Mechanisms.


In order to apply for a job with UNICEF, you must create an electronic profile, then search vacancies within your community or abroad if you choose to, then you will get a listing and can apply with a letter of interest, application and resume.




2)  SAVE THE CHILDREN: http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6226565/k.BFEA/Working_at_Save_the_Children.htm?_ga=1.91319450.1869933801.1402780004
Second is Save the Children  which people may be familiar with because you can sponsor a child for a monthly fee and help that child and their family.  Save the children's mission is to give children in the United States and around the world what every child deserves – a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm, especially when disaster strikes. They advocate and achieve lasting change for millions of children. They save children’s lives.
The Job Opportunity that I was most interested in was: Director of Child Protection based in Africa.  Job Description: The Child Protection Director who will be based in Kisangani (Orientele Province) in the DRC will be responsible for the provision of expert advice, analysis and technical support to the provincial and country offices on policies, operational strategies, with regard to the strengthening of national child protection systems. S/he will provide technical leadership and ensure effective coordination with strategic partners on Child Protection, including PEPFAR implementing partner.


In order to apply for a job with Save the Children, you must create a profile, fill out online application and provide numerous documentation including resume, background experience, reference letters, passport.




3)  INTERNATIONAL CHILD RESOURCE INSTITUTE:
http://www.icrichild.org/volunteer-opportunities/
Third is the International Child Resource Institute whose mission is to create a world in which all children and families are able to fulfill their greatest potential.  They work toward that goal by focusing on Early Childhood Care and Education, Maternal and Child Health, Children’s Rights, Grassroots Community Development, and Rights of Women and Girls.
Although I could not find a paid job opportunity on their site, there is a volunteer section that I have provided the link to where you can volunteer and work on fund development, research/writing, and office administration.  You must be available for three months at a time also and be flexible to travel.  This opportunity might be tough for someone like me, but not when I retire which is why I chose this organization. 


In order to apply for this volunteer opportunity, click on the link above, then follow the instructions on the volunteer page which will direct you to the office of human resources.


I LOOK FORWARD TO EMBARKING ON A JOURNEY OF THIS KIND IN MY FUTURE!!!

National/Federal Organizations and Communities of Practice

In researching national and federal organizations that could be good additions to our Community of Practice and that I could see myself working for, I found the following:


Children's Defense Fund - whose mission is to "ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities".  They have a position available as an Executive Director responsible for developing efforts to build teams for advocacy and manage operations that require a minimum of 7-10 years experience working in the early childhood field and a Bachelor's Degree. http://www.childrensdefense.org


Zero to Three Organization - whose mission is to "provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development and ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life".  They have a position available as a Program Associate who is responsible for supporting the Head Start Program Directors all over the country to ensure that proper development is taking place in early childcare settings.  This position requires a B.A. and a lot of knowledge in computer applications, aside from experience in the early childhood field. http://www.zerotothree.org/


Association for Early Learning Leaders - whose mission is to provide excellence in the field of early childhood care and education by promoting leadership development and enhancing program quality.  This association has a training program for anyone interested in becoming a presenter, all you have to do is submit a letter of interest with your resume and workshop topics of interest and you could gain a position presenting workshops to early childhood educators.  http://www.earlylearningleaders.org


All of these are jobs within this field that is of interest to me.  Check out their websites for more information!


                                                                     Ms. Janet

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

Some of the jobs that foster the well-being of children, families and the early childhood field as a whole can be found in the following agencies:


State of New Jersey Department of Children & Families
The DCF Office of Advocacy assists the Department in its mission to ensure the safety, permanency and well-being of children and to support families by providing information, referral and advocacy services. -  There are many employment opportunities here such as Teachers, Directors of Programs, and Managers.  B.A. & Preferred M.A in social work or related field is required plus experience is preferred.  The website can be accessed at: http://www.state.nj.us/dcf/about/employment/dcf/ 


State of New Jersey Division of Youth & Family Services. 
This is the office for child advocacy and protection.  They provide: Child protection, case management, foster care, adoption services, family support, services through community providers and information and referrals for families.  One particular employment opportunity that is always available is that of a Family Service Specialist.  This is something that I was very interested in doing before I got into teaching and still think about doing in the future.  It requires a B.A. or M.A., preferably in Social Work, but a related field is acceptable.  They also require that you attend a 12 month service training course while working your first year.  More information can be obtained by visiting: http://www.state.nj.us/dcf/about/employment/dcpp/


State of New Jersey Department of Human Services.
This office is responsible for planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation social service programs serving families and children.  A job opportunity that is available now is that of a Program Specialist Trainee which works directly with families to help those of low economic status with employment and child care.  More information can be found by visiting: http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/involved/employment/


All of these State agencies share the common goal of helping families and children and I would be happy to join any one of them.

Capstone Project Time

Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog!  This is finally my last class of my Master's Degree in the area of Early Childhood Education and Teaching Adults.  I am overwhelmed with joy over all that I have learned and what the future holds.  I look forward to the next couple of weeks with all of you on our final venture together.....


Good Luck to Everyone and CONGRATULATIONS on making it this far!


                                                                                      Ms. Janet

GOOD- BYE Communications Course....

Just want to say THANK YOU to all my colleagues in this Communications Course.  It's been a great learning experience to share ideas and insights with you and from you.....feel free to keep in touch through this blog or email me at:  janetcoloma@verizon.net.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL.....

JANET

Week 6- Team Adjourning

When I consider the five stages of team development, and I focus on the dissolution of a team, I can recall leaving my last job and the wonderful group of people I worked with.  It was a private school, and although I loved the location, the people, the curriculum, EVERYTHING, it was financially possible for me to stay when compared to going to work for a public school district.  That was a really tough decision for me, but I had to do it for my family.

The biggest closing ritual I guess we did was a going away party for me with my co-workers, students and their families.  They had a big party for me at the end of the year and the children made me a book drawing pictures of their favorite day with Ms. Janet.  It brought tears to my eyes.  I couldn't have asked for a better good-bye.  Seriously.  I will never forget it.

I'm sure that when I complete my Master's and say goodbye to this group of colleagues, it will be difficult too.  I feel that we have collaborated and learned a lot from each other.  We are in all parts of the world, and so we've brought many different sides to discussions, but I know that many of us will stay in touch and use each other as references in our future endevours.  I think adjourning is an essential part of team development and dissolution mainly because we can reflect on our successes, thank one another for the great ideas that we brought to the table and feel the accomplishment of having reached a goal and reached it together, as a team! 

I'm sure going to miss everyone when this comes to an end, but it's a joyous ending for sure!