EDUC 6990 Week: 2 Communities of Practice

                    Exploring Roles in the ECE Community:

Local and State Levels

   3 State of Connecticut Organizations that Foster the Well-Being of Children and Families.

The Early Childhood Partners (ECP) process brought together eight State agencies and statewide institutions, with extensive input from numerous community interests over two years, to create an outcome-driven Strategic Plan to support all Connecticut families to ensure that their children arrive at school healthy and ready to succeed. The Early Childhood Partners have identified specific strategies based on the best thinking and latest research in the field to achieve what the National Governors Association refers to as “a ready State, ready communities, ready schools, ready families, and ready children.”  This Plan builds on the rich array of existing early childhood initiatives and services in Connecticut that will be drawn into a comprehensive early childhood service system. 

I chose this organization because it aims to create an integrated service system that incorporates comprehensive health services, early care and education, family support and parent education to ensure the sound health and full development of all children. This program acknowledges the fact that the social setting around a child and a family is a powerful influence on children’s development. It strives to create a family-centered system that will provide for easy entry, clear navigation, and appropriate supports for all families to have children that are healthy and ready to succeed in school at 5 years of age. 

Reference:

Retrieved from: http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/state_health_planning/dphplans/early_child_partners_strat_plan_2006-2008.pdf.

The Connecticut Early Childhood Workforce Core Knowledge and Competency Framework is a product of thoughtful collaboration between individuals that represent multiple agencies as well as sectors/settings in which children receive early care and education. The time dedicated to the brainstorming, review, and constant editing by groups of volunteers speaks volumes to the passion and commitment people have for improving the early childhood workforce. The Connecticut Early Childhood Work group and the Connecticut Early Childhood Workforce Core Knowledge and Competency Leadership Team extends endless gratitude to the work groups and reviewers for their time and expertise in developing this draft and for their continued interest in completing this work.

I selected The Connecticut Early Childhood Workforce Core Knowledge and Competency Framework  because it is intended for early childhood teachers across all settings (schools, community, child center classrooms and home-based care) who work with children, singularly or in groups, birth through age 5 and their families. The CT Core Knowledge and Competencies articulate the essential skills and knowledge that teachers who work with young children and their families need to know, understand, and be able to do to promote and assess young children’s healthy development and learning. Through the work of expert advisers, and with input from early childhood education professionals and stakeholders, the resulting competencies offer a road map for building meaningful relationships with children, families and colleagues, for creating nurturing, stimulating environments, and for developing oneself as a professional in this incredibly important field.

Reference:

Retrieved from: http://www.ctearlychildhood.org/uploads/6/3/3/7/6337139/ckcframeworkweb.pdf.

 The Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards (CT ELDS) serves as the foundation for supporting ALL young children in Connecticut, no matter where they live, play and learn. The CT ELDS are statements of what children from birth to age five should know and be able to do across the earliest years of development. The learning progressions within the Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards promote: Equity for all children, through the setting of high, but appropriate, expectations; High-quality early learning experiences, by providing clear goals and trajectories of learning;  Provision of individual support, based on each child’s growth and development;  Families’ understanding of what their children are learning and how they can support them; Teachers’ understanding of age-appropriate content and approaches to children’s learning; and, Communication across sectors, based upon these common goals for children. 

The CT ELDS were developed through the work of the Connecticut Early Childhood Education Cabinet and its Learning Standards Work group. In addition, over 100 state and national experts participated in some way during the development process, helping to ensure a strong and comprehensive set of learning standards.  I decided this association because Connecticut’s vision is that all young children will have high-quality learning experiences, across all types of settings, and that children’s growth and development will be supported across every year of their lives. The CT ELDS serve as a foundation for achieving this vision as they provide the basis for planning learning environments, supporting individual children and communicating around common goals.

Reference:

Retrieved from:  .gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/backtoschool/ctelds_whatchildren_birthtofive_should_know_and_be_able_to_do.pdf.

Job Opportunities and Roles that Interest me.

I am dedicated and committed to helping young children enjoy life to their fullest potential. I strive to support all parents and families in low income communities to help improve the well-being of their children's education.  Listed below are a few roles that I would be honored to take part in to help empowered and make a difference in my community.

Skills and Qualifications:  Many states require a Master of Social Work degree. You will need a Bachelor's degree in a Behavioral Science such as Psychology, Sociology or Social Work as a minimum requirement to become a Child Advocate. Many states require a Master of Social Work degree and this degree is always highly sought after by employers

Some of the qualifications that are relevant for the job Family Support Worker include:

• NVQ levels 2, 3 and 4 in Children's Care, Learning and Development.
• NVQ levels 2, 3 and 4 in Health and Social Care.
• CACHE Certificate or Diploma in Child Care and Education.
• BTEC National Certificate/Diploma in Children's Care, Learning and Development

 Program coordinators work with staff members, budgets, and procedures to ensure the implementation and success of programs. You'll monitor your staff members' workloads and hours, coordinate their schedules, and plan their time off.

A social service caseworker requires a bachelor's degree in social work. For some positions, a master's degree may be preferred. All social workers must meet their states' credentialing requirements. Social workers help clients cope with their problems.

The Program Director oversees the coordination and administration of all aspects of an ongoing program including planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling program activities. Note Some Program Directors also have responsibilities for program volunteers.