Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels
One organization that appeals to me is a local group from Butler Community College. They have started a student organization called Butler Community College Association for Early Childhood Education (BCCECE). This organization is also for other early childhood professionals. I am an alumni of this college and still keep in touch with many instructors. The group meets at different centers every month with guest speakers that talk about new trends and other issues in the early childhood field. It is a great organization to network and find teachers for the center and this is one reason I chose to be a part of BCCECE.
Another organization is our local Early Childhood Directors Organization. This organization is for directors, assistant directors, and retired directors. It is also a great organization to network and learn about current trends. We also meet monthly, have guest speakers, and have a licensing liaison to the health department. This organization is beneficial to both my professional and personal life as I have made some great friends, and mentors, and have learned strategies for different issues.
A third local organization that appeals to me is Child Care Aware of Kansas. I network with this organization with it's many programs. I have had a Community of Practice develop from my contacts at Child Care Aware and am thankful for the knowledge and extra resources I have received from this. In turn, I can share with the other organizations that I am a member of.
One job opportunity that interests me is teaching at a university. With early childhood education becoming more important to the community, area universities are now developing programs that teach and support early childhood education. I would love to be able to share my passion so others can get excited and want to join this filed. Another job opportunity I would love to explore is to consult with other centers in setting up their own centers.
Skills and experience that I would need would be actually working in a center as a teacher and director. I feel that everyone needs to experience all parts of the daycare. The education that I would need, I am doing now. Because of the changing trends and issues, I will always be reading, researching, and being a part of CoP's. I feel that I have the skills needed to fulfill either one of these jobs; communication skills, social and cognitive skills, and my passion for early childhood education.
