Saturday, March 26, 2016

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

I have chosen to jobs that I would love to have as future employment. CYSS would be because of the programs that it provides for military and civilian families and also because the years of service that I already have with them. Then the second place I would love to be employed with would be Southwest Human Development out of Phoenix, AZ. This company appears to be a one-stop environment for children and early childhood professionals, which sounds like a plethora of information and resources for children and their families.

Region CYS Services Program Specialist
ARMY INSTALLATION MANAGEMENT COMMAND

            Salary Range
$67,500 to $105,000 / Per Year
            Series & Grade
NF-1701-05/05
            Promotion Potential
05
            Supervisory Status
No
            Who May Apply
Current and former DoD NAF employees; eligible DoD APF employees.
            Control Number
432817200
            Job Announcement Number
NENAFCC161654143
Job Overview
Summary

There when you need us! Child, Youth & School Services recognizes the challenges of our Soldiers and their Families. By offering quality programs for children, youth and students, CYS supports the Army Family Covenant by reducing the conflict between mission readiness and parental responsibility.

Duties
Serves as U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Region Child, Youth, and School (CYS) Services Program Specialist and subject matter expert on child and youth development, national accreditation, community partnerships, parent education, curriculum planning, and facility design. Also serves as a member of the IMCOM G9, Region Functional Integrator's Direct Support Team (DST).
Responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, managing, reviewing, and evaluating Region CYS programs in accordance with the Military Child Care Act, Federal Law, and Army/DoD regulatory requirements.
Develops and revises plans and operational materials for Army-wide implementation of child and youth programs. Executes Division effort to provide technical assistance through training, process action teams, on-site visits, and compliance inspections. Ensures installation CYS programs achieve and maintain DoD Certification and national accreditation.
Analyzes and evaluates data to ensure compliance with higher headquarters policies and standards. Recommends program changes based on trend analysis, research findings, and assessed program and staff needs. Ensures timely support, integration, and synchronization of new or changing CYS Services programs and initiatives. Develops methods and techniques required for program execution, and defines manpower/resource requirements to establish priorities and operational relationships. Works with IMCOM G9 CYS Services staff, Regions, and installations to re-engineer processes, correct imbalances, and develop regional efficiencies. Develops long and short-range plans to meet current and projected CYS funding, facility construction and renovation, program expansion, and personnel needs.
Provides oversight of CYS program information systems managed and fielded within the Region. Executes Key Management Controls and Risk Management Program. Determines the adequacy and effectiveness of the CYS Services programs and customer satisfaction. Tracks and analyzes installation and Region program performance relative to established CYS Services baseline standards.
Determines Region allocation of child spaces to meet Army share of DoD demand for child care. Reviews and approves installation CYS APF and NAF budgets. Reviews budget submissions to ensure installation requirements are accurate and to promote equitable distribution of resources.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS MUST BE CLEARLY VERIFIABLE IN YOUR RESUME.  GOVERNMENT POSITIONS MUST INCLUDE PAY PLAN, SERIES, GRADE,TO AND FROM DATES, AND GOVERNMENT AGENCY/DEPARTMENT.  ALL APPLICANTS MUST UPLOAD COPIES OF COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS.
Education must have been directly related to the position to be filled (general psychology/sociology courses are not qualifying). 
Basic Requirement:
1. A bachelor's degree or higher that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in special education, early childhood education, child/adolescent development, elementary or secondary education, youth development, or other closely related field such as psychology/sociology or social work (must include 24 semester hours in child/adolescent psychology, sociology of the family, developmental psychology, social work with child/family emphasis); OR
2. Completion of 24 semester hours in coursework as indicated above, plus additional related coursework or experience that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a 4-year course of study.
Candidates must also possess progressive experience in child and youth fields including at least one year performing duties at the next lower grade level as follows:
1. Experience managing child care operations within a large facility-based program. This experience must include budget development and implementation, facility and supply management, program development and implementation, and curriculum oversight.
2. Experience selecting, training, developing, and supervising child care providers.
3. Experience meeting national accreditation requirements.
4. Experience working with individuals and groups to solve complex problems related to the care and education of children.
IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE, HIGHLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES WILL ALSO MEET AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:
1. Comprehensive experience in child and youth programs which included assignments in two or more of the following areas: Program Operations Specialist, Child Development Director, Family Child Care Director, School Age Programs Director, or Training and Curriculum Specialist.
2. Experience as a CYS Coordinator or Program Administrator for multiple programs.
3. Experience working in CYS programs at the Region or Headquarters level.
Only the most highly-qualified candidates will be referred.  If management does not wish to select a highly-qualified candidate, they may request a referral including all qualified applicants. 
Referred applicants will be evaluated by a rating panel to determine the quality and extent of your total accomplishments, experience, and education. The top candidates will be referred to the hiring official for consideration and may undergo an interview and reference checks. 


Southwest Human Development

Mission statement: Creating a Positive Future for Young Children

Southwest Human Development strengthens the foundation Arizona’s children need for a great start in life.
Our early childhood professionals invest their time in research-driven programs to benefit young children and their families.

We understand that a child’s earliest experiences and relationships establish the foundation for all future development – intellectual, social, emotional, physical and behavioral. That’s why we work to prepare the whole child through more than 40 programs in the following areas:


Early Care and Education Inclusion Coach
All times are in Eastern Daylight Time.
this job:
Overview:
Celebrating our 35th anniversary, Southwest Human Development, a non-profit organization, has been reaching out to children and families in Arizona with comprehensive and innovative early childhood services. From small beginnings – a staff of six serving 175 children and families – Southwest has grown into the state’s largest early childhood provider with a staff of 800 serving 135,000 children and families each year. Throughout this growth we have remained true to our mission.

Mission:
At Southwest Human Development we strive to give all children an optimal start in life with opportunities for a bright and positive future. Several decades of research clearly demonstrate that each child’s earliest experiences and relationships establish the foundation for all future development – intellectual, social, emotional, physical and behavioral. A child who starts life and school with a healthy foundation is at a distinct advantage. We at Southwest Human Development are committed to creating a positive future for all young children.

“Best Places To Work” & “Healthiest Employers” Awards:
For the eighth consecutive year, Southwest Human Development was voted one of the Valley’s 2015 “Best Places to Work” among large-sized companies. The survey, independently administered by the Phoenix Business Journal and Quantum Workplace, looks at employee life, workplace environment, leadership, culture of the organization and management practices.

Southwest Human Development has also been awarded the Phoenix Business Journal’s 2015 “Healthiest Employers” award for the fourth year in a row among mid-sized companies. This survey ranks applying organizations based on responses to questions in a number of categories, as well as scoring and benchmarking developed by academic, medical, wellness and business communities.
These surveys let everyone in on something our staff already knows – Southwest Human Development is a great place to work!

Responsibilities:
Our Services for Children with Disabilities department is seeking a Coach for our Early Care and Education Inclusion Program.  Funding for this position is provided through First Things First.

The Coach will work to perform assessment, training, and mentoring to promote successful inclusion of children with disabilities into childcare and education settings. 

Position is offered full-time with an excellent benefits package as noted below.  Southwest Human Development is an equal opportunity employer.

Benefits:

Southwest Human Development offers an excellent benefits package for full-time employment to include:
Health insurance (provided at no cost to the employee)
Dental insurance
Life insurance
Vision insurance
Employee Assistance Program
Flexible spending account
401(k) retirement plan
Paid vacation
Paid sick time
Paid holiday
Ongoing training and professional development
Supportive, relationship-based supervision model

Qualifications:
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or related field and minimum two years experience in Early Intervention or Early Childhood Special Education required.

Experience working with young children with disabilities in inclusive settings required.

Experience in providing teaching/coaching to other providers.


Valid Arizona Fingerprint Clearance Card OR must qualify for a valid Arizona Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Professional organizations for the advancement and support of early childhood education

It has taken me a long time to have gotten this far with my educational journey. I have worked for the federal government for many years and I would like to continue working within the federal government.

I wasn’t sure if I was making an impact or a difference in what I do as an Assistant Director for the school age center I work at. I was recently told that I do make a difference for my staff, my colleagues and most of all the children and their families. I enjoy coming to work; it is fun, entertaining, challenging, and difficult at times, but my job keeps me humble and young at heart.

There are not very many places of employment that it is okay to be silly but nurturing as well.
The job that I would like to pursue in the future would be a CYS Training Specialist. The individual would serve as a trainer and professional child/youth development education consultant for CDS, SAS, CLEOS and YS programs with responsibility for ensuring the quality and consistency of programming to include: environment, equipment, materials, program structure, special needs inclusion, curriculum, risk management practices to minimize risk of abuse; supportive interactions and positive social development and oversight and coordination of activity/program schedules.

Qualification for this position is successful completion of an undergraduate Degree that included at least 24 semester hours in child development or early childhood education, or other fields appropriate to the position to be filled consistent with: Early Childhood Education/Child Development or Elementary Education is required.

My Connections to Play

  • "Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning." By Fred Rogers
  • “The activities that are the easiest, cheapest, and most fun to do – such as singing, playing games, reading, storytelling, and just talking and listening – are also the best for child development.” ~ Jerome Singer (professor, Yale University)
  • “As astronauts and space travelers children puzzle over the future; as dinosaurs and princesses they unearth the past. As weather reporters and restaurant workers they make sense of reality; as monsters and gremlins they make sense of the unreal.” ~ Gretchen Owocki (childhood educator)