Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

With my focus being on quality in Early Childhood programs, I found three diverse, yet similar jobs and or roles that interested me.

·        Grantee Specialist with the Office of Head Start (Linkedin)

I chose this job because it entails working with programs, throughout a Head Start region, with deficiencies, found through the monitoring process, which can hinder that program from having quality.  The Grantee Specialist is deployed by Head Start to help the program fix the problem.

Skills needed for this job are:  A minimum of a B.A. or B.S. Degree required, with a preference for a Master's degree, in a field related to Program Design and Management. Other related degrees in Business Management, Accounting, Public or Non-Profit Administration, and Project Management (with fiscal emphases) are acceptable (Linkedin).

At least 5 years of demonstrated experience in providing technical assistance required, specifically on issues pertaining to governance, management systems and administrative issues within Head Start. Knowledge of management and related issues are a must, and a demonstrated ability to apply such knowledge (Linkedin) .

Experience in a leadership position within a Head Start program (Executive Director, Assistant Director, Program Director, preferred  (Linkedin)

Experience working in management, PDM, Fiscal management preferred  (Linkedin)

Experience providing training at State, Regional or National Meetings and technical assistance to individual organizations preferred  (Linkedin)

In-depth knowledge of and experience with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) required   (Linkedin)

Excellent verbal and written communication skills required (Linkedin) .

Possess the ability to work independently as well as with a team (Linkedin) .

Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work with a variety of groups including governing bodies, staff, community leaders, and Head Start policy groups (policy councils and committees)  (Linkedin)

Ability to complete detailed paperwork in timely manner (Linkedin)

·        Compliance Manager with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

I chose this job because it entails ensuring that programs which have achieved accreditation, maintain their level of excellence and quality.

The skills required for this job are:  Minimum of a BA degree in Early Childhood, Human Development, Human Services, Business Administration or Non-profit Management (NAEYC).

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Master's degree in related field highly valued. A minimum of five years' experience with child care quality improvement programs, and/or accreditation systems, is required. The candidate must have excellent communications skills, both verbal and written, including the ability to create high-quality training documents and the ability to write clear and concise documents for internal and external audiences (NAEYC).

 Have excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to show discretion and judgment in communication of sensitive and/or confidential information. Be able to create and monitor procedures and organizational chain of communications. Demonstrate information technology skills and understand how to utilize technology to manage information. The candidate must be able to manage competing demands and shifting timelines and priorities in a team-based, collaborative

environment (NAEYC).

·        Franklin Fellow (Careers), in this role I would be serving as a member for a community of service.

I chose this role because I could garner attention and support for Early Childhood and the ramifications of poor quality and it’s corollary to school readiness.  This Fellowship is through the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Agency for International Development (Careers).

To qualify for this Fellowship:  If you are a U.S. citizen and have a minimum of five years of relevant, professional-level experience, you will have the opportunity to bring fresh thinking and best practices to the formulation and execution of U.S. foreign and development policy by working on global issues of vital importance to our

country (Careers).

These include the environment; counterterrorism; human rights; consular matters; HIV/AIDS and other trans-national diseases; trade, energy and financial policy; and many others. Also, you may interact with other government and international entities, such as the NSC, the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, other Executive Branch departments and the United Nations (Careers).

You will return from your fellowship year with a much-enhanced knowledge of foreign and development policy issues and government operations and culture  (Careers).

The United States spends more money on prisons and their occupants than on Early Childhood, schools and their occupants (CPBN).  We are building from the roof, down rather than from the foundation, up.  If we do the latter, then the former will have less prominence.

References:

Retrieved from http://careers.state.gov/ff


Education vs. Incarceration:  The Real Cost of Failing Our Kids retrieved from http://www.cpbn.org/pressrelease/education-vs-incarceration-real-cost-failing-our-kids

Retrieved from http://www.linkedin.com/jobs/jobs-Grantee-Specialist-Head-3340199

Retrieved from http://oldweb.naeyc.org/about/employment.asp

My url is http://stephaniehiggins.blogspot.com