Time Well Spent

“As long as you’re green, you’re growing. As soon as you’re ripe, you start to rot.” -Ray Kroc

NEVER STOP GROWING!

I cannot believe that we have finally come to the end of this fantastic journey. What a ride! I have learned so much through my time at Walden University. Here’s just a small sample:

1. One individual can create the far reaching ripples of positive change.
2. To be a professional in the Early Childhood Education Field, one needs more than a fondness of small children. One needs understanding of the systems in which children grow and learn, and a drive to want to improve all of these systems.
3. There is an incredible wealth of knowledge and support throughout the early childhood education field that can and should be accessed on a regular basis. There are local, state, national, and internal agencies that all wish to support and improve the lives of young children.

One long term goal of mine is to become a leader in my state, recognized by other agencies as an expert in the field within the next 5 years.

Dr. Teri and Colleagues:

Thank you so much for the time and energy you invested in my personal and professional growth. I am a better person today because of each of you who took time to provide me with feedback and encouragement. I will miss this community of scholars and I hope that we will be able to maintain contact after the closing of this program.

My personal email address is lrothwell929@gmail.com

International Organizations

1. The first organization I chose is World Vision.

According to their website, they are “a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. This Comprehensive approach is similar to that of Head Start’s, “Parent, Family, and Community Engagement” model. They understand that in order to make positive change in the life of the children they wish to serve, they need to address the family and community needs. I believe so deeply in this organization, that I actually sponsor a child in India. They approach each program with Christ-like love and excellence, which is why they have experienced the success for which they have grow renown.  Here is an example of a position and the job description that is currently available in the organization:

 

Design and Development Officer – Child Development and Protection

Job Description

As Design and Development Officer – Child Development and Protection you’ll contribute to Resource Development and Management’s (RDM) overall resource targets by leading a team of individuals and technical advisors in innovative proposal design and development of sector and mult-sector grants from US government agencies and selected foundations. Build the capacity of WV National and Regional offices to acquire public and private grants, by increasing local capacity to develop proposals, log frames and outcome measurement as to work effectively in consortia. Lead and participate in consortia to develop and deliver innovative and integrated programming to institutional donors that improve child well-being. Help carry out our Christian organization’s mission, vision, and strategies. Personify the ministry of World Vision by witnessing to Christ and ministering to others through life, deed, word and sign.

Keep Christ central in our individual and corporate lives. Attend and participate in the leadership of devotions, weekly Chapel services, and regular prayer.

Job Responsibilities include:

Pre-proposal:

1. Serve as primary point of contact for managing and securing large grants for the US Government, institutional donors and mega-individual donors. Facilitate the acquisition process for assigned proposals. Activities include but are not limited to the following:
2. Represent WVUS and present concepts to appropriate USG officials and foundation donors
3. Gather intelligence for individual sector opportunities; a) develop key understanding of sector strategies by donor, b) follow up on specific sectoral procurement opportunities.
4. Assess level of risks associated with opportunity and ensure sufficient alignment with all relevant WV strategies at the National Office, Regional Office and Global Centre levels and use information to make recommendations whether or not to pursue specific opportunities.
5. Engage and pre-position WV-US with NGOs and universities colleagues to develop consortia
6. Work with Country Program Manager (CPM) to ensure that National Office connect with decision-makers in local US Embassies and missions.
7. As requested, help build the capacity of National Offices to engage US Embassies and missions
8. Assess the sector capacity of National Offices/Regional Offices/partners/WVUS.

…

Required Experience

Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience (eight years). Work experience in international relief and development in various geographical areas, or extensive experience in one; 3-6 years. Direct work experience acquiring and/or managing grants from US Government agencies, institutional foundations or major individuals preferred. Proven work experience leading successful proposal development processes. Demonstrated strong writing and editing skills. Strong skills with Microsoft Office Suite. Knowledge of MS Access and Lotus Notes a plus. Knowledge of USAID rules and regulations. Knowledge and previous experience in child protection, child labor, gender, gender based violence, education or disability is highly preferred

Reference:

http://www.worldvision.org/

 

2. The second organization is actually the company I currently work for, ICF International. Although I work on a project in the United States, take a look at a program they are currently involved in India:

“ICF International works toward quality enhancement of early childhood programs in India.

ICF International’s Early Education Services (EES) was launched in India in 2007 to tackle some of the major challenges facing early childhood education in India, including a lack of:

• § Updated national early childhood education standards
• § A national licensing and accreditation system
• § Child care resource and referral system
• § Professional development system

 

In addition, there is an urgent need for culturally relevant research, data collection tools, and child assessments in India.

ICF provides early childhood education training and technical assistance, conducts research and evaluation, and supports corporate child care in India by guiding clients through projects and planning processes that are grounded in research. We understand the existing early childhood education programs and the local culture and constraints. This understanding helps us design effective solutions for our clients. We collaborate with government, non-government, academic, corporate, international, and multilateral organizations to help early education programs achieve the highest-possible quality, performance, and maximum impact.”

I chose this organization because I am very proud of the good work ICF International is accomplishing.

Reference:

http://www.icfi.com/markets/education/campaigns/international-early-childhood-education

 

3. The final organization I chose is the World Organization for Early Childhood Education: OMEP-World.

OMEP’s Aims, Then and Now: OMEP was established to advance the interests and overall wellbeing of children in all parts of the world, regardless of race, sex, religion, national or social origin. These aims guide the organization even today.

OMEP and the CRC: Today, OMEP’s work is further empowered by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC, November 1989). Among its specific aims is to advance early childhood education and care in accordance with articles 28-30 of the CRC. To learn more about the CRC and read the full text, go to http://www.unicef.org/crc/

I chose this organization because it is sanctioned by the United Nations and has several projects that all seek to enhance the wellbeing of children.

 

 

 

National Organizations and Job Opportunities

 

Zero to Three

Zero to Three is a leader in best practice for things infants and toddlers. They provide resources to professionals and families. They are advocates for policy improvements and provide trainings and ongoing professional development. I would love to be able to work with this organization, especially conducting trainings and providing other technical assistance. There is a job opening in the mid west if you are interested, but the travel would be too far for me.

http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/careers/jobs/ta-specialist-hv-tacc-01-13-rev_external.pdf

Job requirements include (but not limited to):

A Master’s degree

EXPERIENCE (8+ years!)

Strong knowledge base

NAEYC

National Association for the Education of Young Children states their goals are:

1. Improving professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education.
2. Supporting early childhood programs by working to achieve a high-quality system of early childhood education.
3. Building a high-performing, inclusive organization of groups and individuals who are committed to promoting excellence in early childhood education for all young children.

When programs choose to obtain NAEYC, it becomes proof to others that their program’s practices go above minimum standards, and implement best practices through staff credentialing and professional development, enriching environments, and engaging interactions. I chose this organization because I continue to learn so much from visiting their website and reading their publications.

http://www.naeyc.org/

Head Start

The Office of Head Start is often considered a leader in the field of early childhood education. They maintain high standards in program management, teaching and learning, parent engagement, cultural responsiveness, infant and toddler care, and comprehensive service health services provided to young children and their families. As an Early Childhood Education Specialist for Head Start, it is my job to understand these performance standards and to make sure the programs in my state have the support they need implement them in daily practice. I chose this organization to share with you because most of their resources are free and open to the public. Whether you work for Head Start or not, you will be able to learn something new from visiting their site:

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc

Exploring Roles

Three state organizations that appeal to me are:

1  VAECE- Virginia Association for Early Childhood Education

VAECE is the Virginia local chapter of NAEYC. It appeals to me because with membership, professionals can attend statewide meetings and trainings, and take advantage of other networking opportunities.

More information can be found at

http://www.vaece.org/index.html

2.  Smart Beginnings (local chapter Historic Triangle)

Smart Beginnings is the organization that runs the Virginia Star Quality Initiative. My former employer, Child Development Resources, holds the grant for the local chapter in the community. I chose this organization because they work with programs all over my community and state to mentor and improve the quality of services for young children.

More information can be found at

http://www.smartbeginnings.org/home.aspx

3.  Virginia’s Office of Early Childhood Development

The Virginia Department of Education and Social Services’ one stop shop for training and professional development, as well as policy and program planning. I chose this organization because it contains a wealth of information about quality initiatives and all things early childhood going on in the state.

More information can be found at

http://www.earlychildhood.virginia.gov/index.shtml

 

Job opportunities that interest me include ones that are similar to the job I currently hold. I do training and technical assistance for Head Start programs in my state. I would like to find a job that was more locally based doing similar work. Currently, there are no openings at these organizations.

However, Smart Beginnings has positions like that which I would be interested in (not currently open), that work with programs to increase quality. Typically, candidates must have a Master’s degree, about 5 years of experience in the field, and experience training others.

Welcome back!

I’m looking forward to sharing and reading blogs with my colleagues. For the first post, I am sharing my word cloud. Enjoy!

 

Good bye!

Thank you all for sharing your insights on the blog and in the course! Good luck to you all!

Adjourning

Adjourning is an important part of teamwork. It gives members a chance to reflect on successes and failures throughout the process. It helps give closure people can move on other groups and projects. I think the groups that are hardest to leave are those that had the best norms and relationships establish- the group that learned to work together like a well-oiled machine. In my experiences, the top performing groups did not always have the best chemistry, but it often times there is a correlation. The better the team has learned to communicate, the better the results. When adjourning, I would like for there to be some debriefing including a very specific conversation about what went well and what could go better next time.

When I complete my Masters program, I would love to be able to take time to personally let each person I’ve developed a relationship with know how valuable they are. I would also like to be able to establish contact (through email or social media) with individuals outside of the program.

 

Conflict

I recently engaged in a conflict with colleagues in regards to the way communication was occurring within the team, in the absence of staff meetings. The team leader insisted team meetings were a waste of time because all issues could be discussed in a timelier manner if individuals simply e-mailed the group and people responded within 24 hours. If the team waited until staff meetings to address issues, then by the time the team got together, we could miss deadlines or fall behind on timelines. Furthermore, the team leader claimed there were too many personal conversations the occurred among members in the group setting, cutting into the group’s productivity.

The rest of the management team and I, however, feel that colleagues needed the opportunity to meet face-to-face whenever possible, for regularly scheduled staff meetings. Whether it was once a week, or once a month. Talking with colleagues in a verbal, conversational format allows for more brainstorming and therefore, more productivity. Urgent issues can be discussed in between meetings, but staff meetings could be a time when updates occurred and new policies, procedures, or plans were put into place.

In order to bring this up to the leader we used cooperative strategies. If we had used an escapist strategy, then we might have just ignored the conflict. If we had used challenging strategies, we might have met regardless of the leader’s preference.

Our cooperative strategies included focusing on the issues. Although some of the team felt like the leader had many undesirable qualities, it was important for this discussion to only talk about staff meeting and communication.

Probing was another technique we used. We asked her more specifically about her concerns, her successes without meetings in the past, and her comfort with other styles of communication (i.e. paper, digital, one-on-one verbal).

We then considered alternatives. Perhaps if we used a combination of several techniques we could be most effective. We could set very strict time frames for meetings and make sure we begin and end on time.

Ultimately, this group compromised and on email as the most common form of communication, and staff meetings to be held monthly. If the issue that was to be discussed was complex, supervisors would further reinforce it during one on one meetings with team members.

How do you handle matters with directors or those in authority? What have you found works best?

My Communication Style

I had my husband and my coworker complete the assessments.

I was a little surprised about how the scores turned out. I think of myself in one perspective, but I think my husband knows me better than I know myself. He has seen me aggressive and anxious at home when I let my guard down. But he has not be able to see me “in action” at work coaching, mentoring, or training. My co-worker, on the other hand, only knows the fronts that I want others to see. While she has seen me conduct training sessions, she did not know how nervous I was. She knows that at work I am polite and a good listener, but fails to know that at home I may lose my cool every now and then.

Insights I have gained:

1. I have control over my communication styles and therefore communication styles will vary depending on the setting and audience.
2. All three listening skills profiles showed that I am a People-Oriented.

 

Culture and Communication

Even with individuals with whom we believe we have a similar culture, it is likely there are some differences. Culture can include race, religion and ethnicity. But it can also include political affiliation, sexual orientation, and abilities.

In order for my communication to be most effective with individuals from different cultures, I DO indeed change the way I communicate. For example, with people who value seriousness and few words, I will probably withhold joke telling that I might later share with a group who enjoys laughing and humor.

Another example might be the mode of communication. For those who prefer technology, I might e-mail or instant message. However, for those individuals who are not tech savvy, I usually try to use the phone to communicate a message.

I think for all groups of people, listening is one of the most important skills to effective communication. People will not care about what I have to say if they feel I do not care about them. Therefore, when I begin a conversation, I listen, making eye contact, nodding, and reflecting back what they have said. Then, if they are open to feedback, I will communicate my message.