The
three local/state organizations that contribute to the field of early childhood
that I found appealing are California Association for the Education of Young
Children (CAEYC), California Head Start Association (CHSA), and First 5
Sacramento. CAEYC is dedicated to
advancing excellence throughout the field of early childhood education in the
state of California. I choose CAEYC because of their objectives for the field
of early childhood education: (1) focus on providing members with a successful
annual conference and other professional development opportunities; (2) improve
our public policy and advocacy efforts to become more proactive in addressing
the issues affecting the profession; (3) raise the strength, effectiveness and
expertise of the leadership at the State and Affiliate levels ("California
Association for the Education of Young Children", n.d.). CAEYC’s objectives resonated with me because their objectives influenced
me to continue to become the best anti-bias early childhood professionals that advocate
for children and families on various issues that are affecting the development of
children because addressing the various issue in the field of early childhood education
can feel like a no win, but to know that
we have an organization like CAEYC in more corner fighting the same
battles influences me to keep fighting for the betterment of the field of early
childhood education and the children and their families that are being
served.
California
Head Start Association (CHSA) is the unified voice providing leadership and
advocacy for the Head Start community in California as well as provides the
field of early childhood education with up-to-date information from the Capitol
in Sacramento and our nation’s Capital in Washington DC. CHSA is an organization that is contributing to
the field of early childhood education by providing a framework for early
childhood programs that focus on children reaching their full potential, and the
success of every child including at-risk children and their families. I choose CHSA because of their organization’s
values coincide with the values of their partner National Head Start Association
(NHSA). NHSA values are (1) we are
determined to play a valued leadership role in this country's efforts to
educate and serve its most vulnerable children and families; (2) we are
actively committed to being a high-impact organization; (3) we value
partnerships and collaboration and are intent on transforming ourselves into a relationship-based
organization; (4) we are accountable to our members and funders, practicing the
highest standards of governance and financial stewardship, ensuring
transparency in our operations and living up to the highest standards of
quality ("National Head Start Association - Home", n.d.). CHSA shared values make me feel like I can do
my part as an early childhood professionals to build relationships with other
professionals as well as children and their families which will ultimately aid
in addressing issue of equity in the field of early childhood education.
First
5 Sacramento funds program services that give families the needed tools to
ensure their children reach their fullest potential due to the fact that
children’s first five years effect their brain devolvement dramatically. For instance, First 5 Sacramento funds like
Health Access and Utilization, Oral Health, Nutrition and Physical Activity, Quality
Early Care and Education, School Readiness, and Effective Parenting. I choose First 5Sacramento because the
programs they offer are great local resources that I share with the children
and their families I serve.
California
Association for the Education of Young Children (CAEYC), California Head Start Association
(CHSA), and First 5 Sacramento currently have various job opportunities, but I am
not interested in these opportunities because I am focused on operating a
family child care home that focuses on accommodating the individual needs of 12
children and their families on a smaller more personal level. However, I am
qualified for positions due to having my Bachelor’s of Art in Child Development
and 14 years of experience working in the field of early childhood education. Finally, knowing that I am qualified to work
for reputable organizations that impact the lives of children and their
families makes me feel compelled to continue to further my education as an
attempt to become a more valuable resource for children and their
families.
References
California
Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://caeyc.org/main/page/navhome
National Head
Start Association - Home. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nhsa.org/
National Head
Start Association - Home. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nhsa.org/
