TIME WELL SPENT

To My Colleagues and Professor Darragh, I can't believe how time has passed. I remember getting my Bachelors in Health Sciences from Walden University in January 2013. It took approximately 3 months before I was bored and said to myself that I should go back to school for my Masters Degree. I was excited but as soon as those assignments started to roll in I wanted to strangle myself. Needless to say I persevered and completed my Masters. I am so proud of myself. I am a mother, grandmother, friend, aunt, sister, nurse, spouse, and a student. There were so many titles that I had to juggle that I was getting weary. But as time went by...the light at the end of the tunnel was getting brighter and brighter, which gave me the motivation to continue.

I have learned that there are so many organizations from which to choose to work with doing child advocacy work. Organizations such as NAEYC, Zero to Three and the Children's Defense Fund are just a few organizations I have researched. I have also learned that while the first early childhood program was initiated years ago to this day, education is evolving and ever changing sometimes for the benefit of children and sometimes not. I have also learned that even though disparities still exist in America, there are enough organizations on board to make the changes needed to close the education gap. Organizations such as the National Association for Child Development and The Center for Education Innovation are just two of those organizations. After researching for this course, the future for our children looks brighter just by knowing that so many people are making children a priority.

A long term goal of mine is to open my Karens Kidcare Learning Center, I want to expose children to the arts, music, etiquette, manners, cooking, math, reading and dance. I just have to focus on what next steps I have to take to get proper licensing. I have been motivated by all of my classmates who are already in the field and enjoy what they're doing.

To Professor Darragh and colleagues, I wish everyone well in all of their endeavors. I know we have had great experiences and educational insights while attending Walden University. Thanks for all your praise and encouragement. I hope at one time or another I have said a kind word to encourage you. As we embark in our new roles may we have honesty, integrity, empathy and passion in all we do. Take care and I hope to see some of you at graduation. I will probably do January and make a Disney trip of it also. Farewell to you.

Sincerely, Karen Mauney mochacinnamon@aol.com

JOBS/ROLES IN THE ECE COMMUNITY: INTERNATIONALLY

UNESCO- United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, the mission is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. One of UNESCO's priorities is to attain quality for all and lifelong learning. I am an advocate for quality education for all. I also believe that educators can instill the gift of lifetime learning in young children if given the adequate resources.One job I saw that interested me was an Administrator job which needed the qualifications of an advanced degree and fluency in English or French working with youth. www.en.unesco.org ISSA is the International Step by Step Association ISSA's goals are to ensure equal access to quality care and education for all children from birth until 10 years. One priority of ISSA is to advocate for inclusive early childhood systems and critical issues related to access, equity and quality. I am all for equitable education for all children. I feel all children are entitled to receive quality education regardless of race or economic status. Unfortunately, there were no job postings at this site that I saw. www.issa.nl FHI360- is the Science of Improving lives. It is a non-profit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven standards.The key to improving lives is in generating, sharing and applying knowledge. To improve a person's life, I believe you have to receive a quality education. There was one job in particular that piqued my interest: Student and Family Engagement (SAFE) Officer Department of School and Community Services dedicated to supporting pressing education needs and challenges of children from early childhood to adulthood. Programs foster partnerships, build capacity to improve teaching and learning and to increase family involvement. Qualifications for this job are Bachelors Degree, awareness of culturally competent practices, experience in a school or youth development environment, ability to work alone an with teams, you must be a self starter, fluency in English and highly effective written and oral skills. I actually applied to this job. www.fhi360.org

EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

There were many organizations that I discovered but unfortunately many of the sites had no career opportunities at this present time. Citizens Committee for Children is an organization that educates and mobilizes New Yorkers to make the city a better place for children. They identify and promote practical solutions to ensure that every New York City Child is healthy, housed, educated and safe. The career opportunities page said to check back for openings. www.cccnewyork.org New Visions- The mission is to ensure that all New York City public school students regardless of race or economic class have access to a high quality education. One job posted was for Director of Development. Duties included meeting annual funding needs, strategic planning by identifying needs across the organization and determine and develop efforts to secure support, the ability to manage a team to reach clearly defined goals, delegate responsibility and support a seasoned staff in their ongoing professional development and to problem solve by using effective approaches to new challenges. www.newvisions.org The Center for Educational Innovation-Public Education Association was formed when two non profit organizations merged to form one common mission: working together to ensure quality education is guaranteed to every child. Reform efforts include the establishment of new schools, staff development, school leadership, research and extensive information services for families. No career opportunities available at this time. The Department of Education is in charge of the public and charter schools in New York City. There are Education Administrator and Supervisor positions available. There are approximately 135,000 people who work full time in New York City's public school system. You need approximately 10 certificates in various fields just to teach. Numerous openings are available. www.schools.nyc.gov

EXPLORING ROLES IN THE ECE COMMUNITY: LOCAL AND STATE LEVELS The Children's Aid Society is an organization that helps children in poverty to succeed and thrive. The organization is 160 years old. The Children's Aid Society serves New York's neediest children and their families at more than 40 locations in the 5 boroughs. The caring starts with prenatal counseling and ends with college and job preparatory training programs. All of the child's life from health care to academics is addressed. Their mission is to help children in poverty to succeed and thrive. One job I saw was for Lead Teacher. Qualifications include having a Masters in ECE, having a valid teaching certificate issued by New York State of Education, and two years teaching experience. Another Job offering was Family Advocate. Duties included parent workshops, advocate, coordinator, supporter and recruiter. NYC Charter School Centers Charter schools are independent of the Department of Education. Each school is held accountable for advancing student achievement. One job was Elementary Teacher. Qualifications include, committment to working in under-served communities, NYS teaching certificate, 2 years of teaching experience, Masters Degree in education. Another job was Associate Learning Coach which had the qualifications of NYS Teaching certificate and experience achieving results withing high needs urban population. The last job that piqued my interest was Operations Manager. Duties including maintaining students information on a data base, managing immunizations, conducting bi-yearly inventory of student files, and assisting the Director. New York City Department of Education has 135,000 full time employees working in the New York City's public school system. For any job you need at least 10 different certificates. For teaching you need the teaching certificate plus certificates in child abuse, violence, etc. To be a School District Leader which is a supervisory position the school district, you must possess a SDA which is a school district administrator certificate. These organizations appealed to me because they all deal with children and the betterment of children. I will definitely have to figure out how to get some experience under my belt before changing careers. There are also numerous certificates that I will have to achieve before I even can start to use any other skills that I have obtained in my past or in my studies. References www.childrensaidsociety.org www.nyccharterschools.org schools.nyc.gov