Time Well Spent

Here it is....the final post...the final blog. I remember dreaming about this moment but it seemed so far away. To be honest I will miss these courses, faculty, and my fellow classmates because each of you has helped me to grow as a person and a professional. I have been able to think about how I want to continue in advocating for children and their families on a greater scale. I am no longer afraid to speak up about injustices I see because of the courses here at Walden University. First and foremost I want to thank my instructors because you have pushed me to my limits and challenged me so much as a person. You made me realize that just doing the work was not enough that I needed to do more. My father always made me do more than what was required and I am glad that I had instructors that think just like him.

To my classmates (there are so many) I want to say thank you for all of the wonderful feedback that you have given me. Thank you to those classmates who shared personal and private experiences with me to help me get a better understanding of the work that we do. Thank you for the words of encourgement and for not laughing when I would vent about my confusion when understanding assignments. The three things that I have learned in this program is that to do this work of advocacy we need compassion, understanding, and willing to fight for what is right. I have learned in this program that I need to realize my own limitations and not to be afraid to ask for help. Finally I have learned how to accept myself and all of my strengths and flaws because it makes me who I am as  person. I can help everyone realize this about themselves and learn to accept themselves.

My long term goal is to continue my work in educating young children. Many people get in this field and then leave once they advance in their degrees and/or career but my goal is to retire in early childhood education as well as being one of the authors of a famous publication. Another goal or dream I should say would be to be featured in one of Walden Universtiy's videos that are used to educate students who are pursuing their degree.

I wish everyone success in their future goals, dreams,and visions. Best of luck to the class of 2015....we did it.

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."- Maya Angelou

International Organizations for Positive Social Change

For this assignment the first international organization that I chose was World Health Organization. This organization provides leadership for health issues across the globe and is the authority for health within the United Nations. The main focus right now is the Ebola outbreak but they also focus on other healt matters such as nutrition in malnourished countries. The view health as a shared responsibility for everyone to get involved and its the main reason that I picked them. As far has jobs the position that caught my interest was the Development Coodinator Specialist. This position supports countries seeking to strengthen the governance of financing of their health systems to attain and maintain universal health coverage. It requires that you have an advanced secondary degree and experience in economcs and or public health or related field and you must be proficient in English.

The next organization that I chose was the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. Their whole focus is to increase awareness in regard to child neglect and to protect the rights of children. I believe this is a great organization because here in the United States we here stories about abused children but I am sure that other countries have the same horrible stories if not worse. This organization is collaborating to bring awareness across the globe. I did not find any career possibilities that I would be interested in but I would love to volunteer at some point because it's such a great cause.

The final organization that I chose was UNICEF and this organization also focuses on child rights as well as the overall care of children. They are concerned with the health of children especially when it comes to immunizations and child nutrition. They also focus on health issues of HIV and water sanitation in countries with severe poverty. One position I came across that sounds interesting is the Nutrition Cluster Coordinator who has the responsibility of networking emergency nutrition interventions. It requires that you have an advanced degree in Health or Human Nutrition and it also requires 5 year experience within the UN which I currently do not have.

www.who.int.
www.ispcan.org
www.unicef.org

Job/Roles in the ECE Community

The first organization that I chose for this assignment was Early Learning Leaders. This organization is committed to the enhancement of early child education programs. One position that I found interesting was Early Intervention Service Specialist. This position requires a Bachelor degree and knowledge of supervisory practices. It requires the person to have knowledge of intervention specialties regarding infants and toddlers. The next organization is NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) which happens to be the world's largest organization that focuses on young children. One position that I found interesting in this organization was the Senior Director, Higher Education Accreditation and Support. This position requires a Masters degree and to have a working knowledge of early childhood education as well as the current issues. This would be a field that I could definitely see myself working in. The final organization that I picked was American Academy of Pediatrics. The whole purpose of this organization is to provide education and support as well as a policy on advocacy. If I were to work in this field I would choose to be a Manager of Community-based Intiatives which aids in managing activities, securing funding, and other resources for the community. I picked these three organizations because of the connection that it has with my challenge and the amount of information i could obtain if they were to be a part of my COP.

www.aap.org
www.earlylearningleaders.org
www.naeyc.org

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

When scanning through Google I came across so many websites for organizations around my state and the country that peeked my interest but I knew I needed to tailor back and just pick a few for this assignment. The agencies I chose to focus on where the United Way of Acadiana, WIC (Women, Infants and Children) office, and  Easter Seals of Louisiana. I live in Lafayette, Louisiana and in this city we are known as the Acadiana Area and then it branches off to the Greater New Orleans area as well as the Greater Baton Rouge area. United Way is an organization that is known across the country as a system of volunteers and workers whose whole mission is to raise awareness on social movement and improvement in education and overall health. There are no requirements to be a volunteer but in order to work at my local branch they do require a degree from a 4 year college as well as outside experience in the field. There is a current position that is open for a Early Head Start teacher and they require at least 2 years experience working in early childhood education. This organization is exactly what my focus is for my capstone which is the education of young children and their health care.

The WIC office is a state as well as federal recognized program for low-income mothers and families that provides monthly vouchers to help purchase food for children from birth to age 5. It helps with the purchase of formula and baby food for children birth to age 1 and then provides monthly vouchers to purchase milk, cheese, cereal, eggs, bread, juice, beans, and fresh fruits and vegetables. It is a way to help supplement the expenses of having to pay for these items out of pocket. This program also aids to assist pregnant women with food as well up until 60 days after the birth of their child and even longer if they choose to breastfeed. This is a state job so a college degree is required but I did not find any real specifications if your degree had to be within the realm of early childhood or just social service itself.

Easter Seals of Louisiana is a program that is designed to work with children who have physical as well as developmental disabilities. It helps parents and families apply for Medicaid. Medicare, and Social Security Disability. They not only assist with applying for services but they also play a vital role in the corrdination of these services.


www.unitedwayofacadiana.org
www.easterseals.com/louisiana
www.dhh.louisiana.gov/WIC