I have the advantage of living within a fifteen minute
drive of the state capitol of Pennsylvania.
Therefore, many state positions are in the local area. The following are positions available in the capitol
city of Harrisburg, PA, with the exception of the position with NAEYC. This opening is in Washington, D.C., which is
within commuting distance.
The
Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL, 2012) is an
agency which is overseen by the Department of Education and by the Department
of Public Welfare. This agency partners
with many other agencies in a collaborative effort to create an early education
system for children in early childhood and young school-age children. The agency is dedicated to providing young
children with the educational building blocks they will need for lifelong
learning. As an employee of OCDEL, I would
have a voice in determining educational practices and setting educational requirements
in the state of Pennsylvania. OCDEL is
now hiring master degree graduates in a Pennsylvania Management Associate
Program. This program provides extensive
training on the job. The work
assignments are rotated through many different agencies in order to allow the
participant to learn information from each agency. In this way, OCDEL is creating the leaders
for tomorrow. They are creating persons
knowledgeable in a variety of areas, and trained to enter into collaborative
decision making.
The
Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA, 2012) is a non-profit organization
specializing in early childhood care and education programs. PACCA advocates for young children and their
families, and promotes inclusive education.
PACCA has an Early Care and Education committee that meets four times a
year. This community of practice would
offer an excellent opportunity to have a voice in educational practices, and
would be an excellent committee to join.
As a voluntary member, you would not enjoy employment benefits, but you
would be making a difference. A master’s
degree is required to join this group.
The
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC, 2012) is
looking for a person to accept the job of Accreditation Coordinator. This position requires a Bachelor’s Degree,
experience in the early childhood field, and experience with NAEYC
accreditation. The candidate will work
with early childhood programs in all fields of the accreditation process. This position would give a qualified person
the opportunity to interface with quality early childhood programs on an
individual basis. NAEYC is an agency
which is dedicated to the quality of the educational program and developmental
services in the early and young childhood environments.
The
Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW, 2012) is an agency that
regulates early childhood licensing. As
an Early Childhood Education Advisor you would have the opportunity to assist
various charter schools and school districts as well as intermediate units in
the implementation of effective, quality programs for young children up to age
eight. You would also promote
collaboration between local community programs in the preschool sector. Goals and objectives, statewide committee
leadership and academic standards would also be addresses. The requirements for the job are the
completion of the Civil Service Test and one year experience in curriculum and
training and four years of experience in the early childhood field. Eighteen credits in early childhood are
required.
References:
Pennsylvania
Department of Public Welfare (DPW).
(2012). Pennsylvania State Civil Service Commission. Retrieved from http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/jobseekers/11372/open_state_and_local_government_career_opportunities/590498#education
National
Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2102). Employment
Opportunities. Retrieved from http://oldweb.naeyc.org/about/employment.asp
Office of
Child Development and Learning (OCDEL). (2012). Employment Opportunities.
Retrieved from http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/employment/index.htm
I see that the position with the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare has, in a sense, mandated collaboration within the job of Early Childhood Advisor. Collaboration among agencies can often be driven by legal or funding mandates (California Department of Education, 2007). It can provide continued and comprehensive services for families and ensure cost effective service delivery. Despite this, collaboration can also help us to create more innovative solutions for challenges if we all work together.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing these resources.
LouAnn Rhodes
California Department of Education. (2007). Handbook on developing and evaluating interagency collaboration in early childhood field programs. Sacramento, CA: Author. Retrieved from http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/fp/documents/eciacolbrtn.pdf
Dear Mary
ReplyDeleteYou did an excellent job locating early childhood jobs. The realization that we are being equipped to work with affluent agencies such as NAEYC is very exciting. Are you in the market for change or are you happy with where you are? Thank you for sharing this information.
Dear Mary,
ReplyDeleteI am also interested in my local (North Carolina's) Child Care Resource and Referral Association. They are a non-profit organization specializing in early childhood care and education programs. It would be so rewarding to be a part of an agency that advocates for young children and their families and promotes inclusive education for all children.
Thank you for your well thought out blog post, great career opportunities were presented!
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC, 2012) is a very supporting orginazation for educators in the early childhood profession. I refer to their website for information; in addition, to reading related articles and magazines. I do not feel qualified for such a position now in my career, but it's interesting to know there are positions open. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete