National and Federal Early Childhood Organizations

This week I researched websites of national/federal organizations that advocate for children and families. I really enjoyed this assignment because it opened my eyes even more to the amazing options I have as I advocate and strive for social change. They also had amazing job opportunities that help me realize other avenues of how I and others can work/volunteer in the early childhood field. The top three that I want to share are the WESTED organization (www.wested.org), The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) (www.dec-sped.org), and the Center for Child Care Workforce (www.ccw.org).

The WESTED website was very interesting to me because it puts a lot of its effort into researching education practices and child development. Their mission is to work with education and other communities to promote excellence, achieve equity, and improve learning for children, youth, and adults. They have been around since 1966 and positively impacted millions of children and their families. They also work towards raising the wages of early childhood practitioners which is a passion of mine. They have one department dedicated to the infant and toddler field. I plan on using this website as a resource as I mentor and train infant and toddler teachers during their professional development. Some of the positions they have currently opened are research assistant and research associates. The positions requires applicants to have experience in one or more of the following work environments: educational research, assessment development or management, educational policy, program evaluation, K-12 teaching or administration, or a state education agency, demonstrate knowledge of research principles (qualitative and quantitative), have excellent communication and writing skills, experience writing proposals and research and technical reports, and excellent time management and organizational skills  . If I do get into the research area of early childhood, this organization is one that I would consider looking into. Another position that interested me is the Infant/Toddler Specialist. I currently am an infant/toddler specialist at my local community college. The requirements are a bachelors or masters (preferred) degree and experience working as an infant/toddler teacher.

The Division of Early Childhood website is a great resource for EC professionals. They promotes policies and advances evidence-based practices that support families and enhance the optimal development of young children (0-8) who have or are at risk for developmental delays and disabilities. They are currently hiring teaching assistants to help teach child development. The requirements are some experience in child development and a GED. It is a great position for people starting out or trying to build their resume. Another open position is for a Child Development Instructor. You must have a Master's degree in Child Development (CD); Early Childhood Education (ECE); Educational Psychology with a specialization in CD/ECE; Home Economics/Family and Consumer Studies with a specialization in CD/ECE; or Human Development; or a Bachelor's degree in any of the majors listed above and a Master's degree in Bilingual/Bicultural Education, Educational Supervision, Elementary Education, Family and Consumer Studies, Family Life Studies, Life Management/Home Economics, Psychology, Social Work, or Special Education. They are based in California so you also have to be certified to teach in that state.

The Center for Child Care Workforce (CCW) advocates to improve the quality of early care and education for all children by promoting policy, research and organizing that ensure the early care and education workforce is well-educated, receives better compensation and a voice in their workplace. One thing I really like with them, which I did, is that you can join their network by sending an email to ccw@aft.org  and ask to be added to their “listserve”. From here, you will receive information and analysis on relevant research, policy and organizing efforts that support or impede improvements in early care and education employment conditions. They have many avenues and strategies set up for higher wages that they work to include in every state. Some of these include the unionization of early childhood educators, wage incentives, scholarship programs, tiered wage options, and mentoring programs. I could not find a page listing any open positions. This is a resource I plan to use a lot as I mentor teachers. It offers a lot of motivation and hope for those who want to advocate and develop professionally.