Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The local or state organizations or communities of practice that appealed to me are:

First Five California- http://www.first5california.com

I chose First Five California for its reputation and recognition.  They do a great promoting and advocating for early childhood.  I hear it on the radio, see it on television, and even on the side of buses.  The commission funds local communities, and provides resources for parents.  It stresses the importance of a child’s first five years of development and aims to educate parents, caregivers, and programs of the services available statewide.

I saw that it employs an “Evaluation Division” as a part of its work.  This job opportunity interests me as I think it would be exciting to see what kind of work is happening.  I also like the idea of providing constructive feedback in order to keep the standards high and services at their most effective.  Skills and experience that I would need to completely fulfill this role would be to be work in different neighborhoods to see the range of the services that are available to have a more knowledgeable background. 

Lincoln Child Center- http://lincolnchildcenter.org

The reason I chose the Lincoln Child Center is because it started in Oakland which is the area that I have been working in for the past 7 years.  It is close to my heart and after learning about the work the center has done I realize that they have a lot of history and experience working with many children and families. 

They provide programs and services for children and families in the Bay Area.

The job opportunity that interests me here is the intervention specialist- school based program position.  I truly enjoy working with children one on one or in small groups.  The individualized support is life changing.  You build on the child’s strengths and teach them the skills necessary for them to succeed in school.  Skills and experience that I would need to completely fulfill this role would be to gain some experience in behavioral intervention and working with special education students as well.

Understanding Language-Stanford Research Center- http://ell.stanford.edu

I chose this research center because it focuses on language and learning.  I feel that it is centers like this that pave the way for larger organizations because it actively practices and studies what is going on today.  The children, families, programs, and school that they are working with represent the possibilities for the future.  It is from this information that we can provide better services to children and families.  The center partners with Oakland Unified School District and I have seen some of the work that they have done at my school site.

The job opportunity that interests me here is conducting research that focuses on language and specifically English Language Learners (ELLs).  I saw that the center employs a language consultant that teaches a language and culture course.  Skills and experience that I would need to be able to contribute to the center would be conducting more research and learning more about linguistics.