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

Three organizations that appeal to me are (1) Zero to Three , (2) P.A.C.E. and  the N.A.E.Y.C. The Zero to Three is an organization that provides a wealth of information on early childhood issues. ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development. Nutrition plays a very big role in in the health and development of children especially as it relates to brain development and early childhood. ‘Zero to Three’ provides interested persons in early childhood to help in advocacy. The organization did not provide direct information about the job opportunities and skills that are needed but much of their work is grounded on research and experience; multidisciplinary; collaboration; cultural responsiveness; clinically informed and accessible.

The second organization P.A.C.E is very close to me because I have experienced first- hand the work that this organization has been doing in many early childhood institutions in Jamaica. The organization supports early childhood through different ventures such as (1) providing school supplies; (2) training of early childhood practitioners; (3) other special initiatives. You can donate your resources or volunteer your professional skills such as helping with parenting and practitioners work- shops.

The third organization the N.A.E.Y.C. is a very resourceful organization that provides even smaller communities of practice with information to assist in early childhood practices. N.A.E.Y.C. promotes getting involved in early childhood through their websites. They carry out many seminars for training and provide the most up to date research on early childhood. Various professional positions are also available on their websites such as leadership.

Reference

National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (2015) Get Involved. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/getinvolved.

Project of the Advancement of Childhood Education (n.d) Adopt a School Program. Retrieved from http://pacecanada.org/our-programs/adopt-a-school/.

Zero to Three. Zero to Three’s Fact Sheet.(2014) Retrieved from http://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/zero-to-thees-fact-sheet.html

EXPLORING ROLES IN THE ECE COMMUNITY: LOCAL AND STATE LEVELS

The following are three organizations that appeal to me in the field of early childhood are (1) P.A.C.E (Canada)-Project for the Advancement of Childhood Education; (2) The Rural Family Support Organizations and (3) The Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation.

These three organizations have been very instrumental in helping to meet the developmental needs across Jamaica.

P.A.C.E.-This group adopts early childhood institutions in Jamaica and Canada, offers scholarships and bursaries to student teachers, facilitates teacher training and development, donates school supplies to children and schools, and sees to the overall development of the critical age group, 3-6 years. In carrying out its mandate, P.A.C.E. (Canada) has introduced several initiatives, namely: The Adopt-a-School Program - a minimum CDN$1 per day is required for the adoption of a school; The Family Health and Parenting Program; One Laptop per Child Initiative; A Music Program in Western Jamaica; The Workbooks for Schools Initiative; Tech de Bus - a mobile computer lab. To be part of PACE demands no special skills unless you want to participate in their training programs. The website gives a very comprehensive explanation of how you can become part of this organization and how monies are spent on early childhood programs. Because PACE supports early childhood schools through the donations of persons internationally, they also take the initiative to source resources in the field of early childhood to ensure that their programs are meeting the needs of the early childhood programs. A host of information can be accessed through the different newsletters ( Keeping Pace-http://pacecanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Spring_Newsletter_2011_03.pdf) sent to their members. PACE may call on your skills to help with sourcing of early childhood materials such as toys, outdoor play equipment and even volunteering your professional help in the early childhood field to assist with training programs that relate to early childhood development.

The Rural Support Family- This organization does an extensive work in reaching the lives of teenage mothers and making a positive impact on the lives of our children. Formerly the Teenage Mothers Project (TMP) funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation and operated by the Center for Early Childhood Education of the University of the West Indies.  Rural Family Support Organization targets three main family issues: Teenage Pregnancy, Male Adolescents, and Child Development. This organization gives young teenage parents a second chance of achieving a substantial goal whether to become a better parent or to gain a higher level of education. Through this organization, interested persons can become members by registering and of course it is expected to support the organizations mandate both financially through the use of your resources. Because the organization is based on volunteering your support, the organization may welcome persons who are professionals in areas of parenting, vocational skills such as sewing, carpentry and food preparation.

The Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation-The Women's Centre Program sfor Adolescent Mothers was established in 1978 with one Centre at 42 Trafalgar Road, Kingston 10, in response to the high level of teenage pregnancy experienced by the country. The Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF) objective is to motivate young mothers to choose education instead of continuous motherhood. WCJF’s Program for Adolescent Mothers encourages the continued education of pregnant or lactating girls under the age of 17 years. In Jamaica the culture towards pregnant teenagers can be aggressive but this organization has given young teenage pregnant mothers a second chance of gaining a high school education. The different centers also provide care for the children by ensuring that the all the early childhood needs are being met. The skills that are needed for these organizations are (1) trained practitioners/caregivers; (2) social workers trained to deal with the specific needs of infants, young mothers and their families. The Women Center also accepts donations and support from a myriad of independent persons and organizations.

Each of these organizations gives hope to young children, therefore, ensuring that our society is a better place to live. Communities of Practice is the heart of these organizations and although each of these organizations may attract persons from different walks of life, professional services such as trained counselors, practitioners and health providers are needed to support these organizations.

References

P.A.C.E (Canada). Retrieved from http://pacecanada.org/

Rural Family Support Organization. Retrieved from http://www.dogoodjamaica.org/organizations/rural_family_support_organization

The Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.dogoodjamaica.org/organizations/women_s_centre_of_jamaica_foundation

PROFILE OF A VOLUNTEER

My life has been surrounded by volunteerism but the volunteer that really appeals to me is an international music artiste: Orville Richard Burrell otherwise known as “Shaggy”. 10 years ago, Shaggy was introduced to the Bustamante Hospital for Children whilst visiting a friend’s son who had been admitted there. He was so moved by what he saw, that he vowed to do whatever he could to make things better there for Jamaica’s children. This visit opened Shaggy’s eyes to the obstacles children faced with receiving medical care in Jamaica and the region, it being the only full service children’s hospital in the English speaking Caribbean, he resolved that something had to be done in order to improve the conditions there. For eight years he quietly made personal donations of medical equipment, which the hospital desperately needed, such as:

2001- two (2) Ventilators

2002- Electroencephalogram (EEG) Machine

2003- Table Top Sterilizing Machine

2005- Funded the Upgrade of the Medical Oxygen System

2006- Funded the Beautification of the Administrative Block

2008- Collaborated with Scotia bank to create a park & recreation area

Shaaggy’s donations gave birth to the organization “Shaggy Save A Life Foundation” where he encouraged other artistes to give of their services free of cost in raising funds for the Bustamate Children’s Hospital”. Every year artistes from the Caribbean and other parts of the world come together in the form of concert to raise millions of dollars at their expense. This effort has also raised an awareness on the health issues that children face on a daily basis.

I feel very proud of Shaggy and his friends because they have not only saved many children’s lives through their voluntary efforts but they have made me realized that anything is possible when you put your heart in it and truly believe that you can make a world of a difference. The Shaggy Foundation is not just a one-time affair but it has transpired into a life commitment to very ill children.

Here is a link to the “Shaggy Foundation”: http://shaggyonline.com/charity

Using Social Media to Get Connected

Provide a brief overview of your past and present experience with social media.

The only social media I have involved in are blogsopt.com and wordpress.com and it is only because of Walden. I have always been very wary about social medias because I believe they tend to attract too much negatives. Every other person I know is on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and to me persons just don’t seem to can keep their private lives out of the limelight. My brother asked me to add him to LinkedIn and I before I knew it I was automatically connected to a host of other persons. I am a very private with my life and because social medias can be so dangerous I always choose to avoid them completely.

Describe what social media tools you feel lend themselves to effective advocacy.

Facebook seems to be a very powerful tool for advocacy. Where I am from it has generated some great positives in education. It is through this social media persons are in the loop about what is actually happening. Persons can actually post their opinions about the good and the bad. This will catch the attention of many persons, therefore giving persons an opportunity to share and to become actually part of an organization that practices advocacy.

Identify how you might use these social media tools to educate and inspire others in your advocacy work

Social media networks such as Facebook can provide an excellent avenue to share stories that relates to advocacy. It is through this medium you can attract and identify persons who are interested in the same advocacy issues. Social media also does not limit you to a specific audience or country but get the attraction from persons on a global level.

Ask your colleagues for their suggestions and/ or their help with using social media as a tool to promoting advocacy efforts

Because I am not a social media fan I would definitely need help in using social media as a tool to promote my advocacy efforts. I know creating a web page or signing up to be part of Facebook is not enough to get my message out. I believe we have to use other methods to help to promote my advocacy efforts such as participating in council and town meetings, using local television and radio stations. It is through the local mediums you can strengthen the use of other social mediums. Each medium is dependent on each other and also promote each other.

Advocacy Through Advertising

The first picture demonstrates how pleasant it is for children to brush their teeth. Many children dread brush their. Many children dread brush their teeth. Children need to be sensitized and not be fearful about why they should brush their teeth. Recently my 7 year old son was engaged at his school on the importance of oral health and he came home even telling us about the foods that are good for his teeth.
The advocacy message in the second also speaks to oral health. The video is very informative and helps to educate children and their parents on the importance of oral health. The video presents very clear techniques on how to care for your teeth. Much emphasis is placed on other areas of health such as pre-natal and immunization but many parents sometimes do not insist on visiting the dentist twice per year.
                                       

Considering My Capacity

There are so many issues about early childhood that fuel my passion for the field. Early childhood is such a dynamic field. It is about the entire individual and everything affects us whether it is health, the economy and the diverse cultures. We often say that children are our future; children are a promise, a promise to so many things. Children always remind me of a young plant that needs to be nurtured. Young plants need to watered, protected from animals, insects and weeds. That is what our children need plus emotional health. They are indeed of nurturing and protection so that they can become strong and innovative men and women of tomorrow. The issue that has ignited my passion is the general well -being of children. This topic covers health, nutrition, safety and parenting. Although I from a family of nine children I knew so little about babies and children because this was just not spoken about. I believe that there are so many more persons like me when they had their first child knew very little about babies and the role you must take on as a mother. I find that there needs to be more information sharing about children and their development. So many of us were unprepared for what awaited us as prospective parents. I remember when I was doing the second course: Early Childhood Development, I learned about the different birthings around the world. My eldest daughter (now 17 years) accidently placed a dvd in the player demonstrating how babies come into the world. She was devastated and shocked. She said she read about it ; saw movies with women giving birth but this dvd provided her a most realistic experience. I believe I could use effective skills in communication to help to spread the word about educating the general public on the well-being of children and their families. Sharing information is critical but it is also important to provide avenues where persons can come and get information and provide counseling to those who need it. These skills will include being assertive, being able to identify issues; develop solutions to the problems. As an early childhood inspector I am always sharing information and making connections. I can use this medium to develop links with other organizations that are also interesting in early childhood. Partnership is very important when you need resources. This is where tools in advocacy are very important because an advocate must be able to identify definite goals that will lead to a structure, that will help to bring people on board to support your cause for advocacy.

Motivations, Strategies, Resources, Leadership, and Advice

What motivated you to start advocating for very young children? Teaching is in my blood but I have always wanted to be lawyer and I am always looking out for the interests of others. After leaving college in 1995 my first two teaching jobs landed me with children who had either failed out of high school miserably or were placed in remedial classes because they could not read. I always wondered why these children can’t read is or even do simply arithmetic. Many of these children were from very poor backgrounds and were never given the opportunity to attend an early childhood institution and their primary and secondary educational experiences were also not good. Advocacy was born in be when I had to defend and justify why a prevocational student should also receive the opportunity to learn certain skill areas. Unfortunately many of the vocational instructors did not want students from the prevocational class because they were considered as a failure. This advocacy intensified when I started working as a Community Development Officer. I had the privilege to discuss issues with the community and early childhood always seem to top the list. I realized that many of these children were exposed to very substandard conditions and this motivated me to start advocating for early childhood. ◦Why is it essential to acknowledge and foster advocacy efforts at the micro as well as the macro level? It so important to acknowledge and foster advocacy efforts at the micro and macro levels. The micro often leads to greater things. Many times things are also done at the micro level that has a greater impact than at the macro level. The macro level however allows you ◦What does it take to be a community leader on early childhood issues? Your job could almost be described to that of a politician. It takes guts, perseverance, determination, optimism, knowledgeable, a great motivator. It takes passion. With passion you are not easily deterred. For the early childhood leader challenges are the fuel for motivation and disappointments are turned into opportunities. ◦What resources does it take to be a state leader on early childhood issues? A leader should possess the skill to identify resources that are needed. Networking is a very essential resource. Networking transcends beyond what you can actually see with the physical eyes. It can lead to financial resources and other sources that are needed. ◦What tactics or strategies do you use to mobilize others? Every early childhood leader must be knowledgeable about early childhood and the issues that affect the field. The next step would be to speak out about these issues in different forums, whether on a one on one basis or at large forums. What advice would you give to someone who was interested in taking a leadership role in advocating for young children and their families? Be yourself and remember why you are doing this. It is easy to become side tracked and discouraged but always remain focused