The British
Association for Early Childhood Education (2011), is similar to NAEYC here in
the United States. They believe every child deserves the best possible start in life
and support to fulfill their potential. Areas covered within the site
include: News and events, membership, publications and resources, policy,
projects and campaigns, and training opportunities. I was drawn to this
organization knowing the value of NAEYC and hoping to compare and contrast what
Great Britain has to offer. There is one position opening listed for Chief Executive
in the London office. I am not certain I would have the appropriate knowledge
base to jump into a position of this level as it would require extensive
knowledge of the British early childhood system and organizational structure. A
responsibility is also to generate income for the organization and I’m not
certain I would enjoy this aspect.
The Division for
Early Childhood (DEC) (2013), is one of seventeen divisions of the Council for
Exceptional Children (CEC). CEC is the largest international professional organization
dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with disabilities. DEC works on behalf of children birth to age
eight. Their mission is to promote policies and evidence-based practices that
support families and the development of young children at risk for delay or
disability. I chose this organization because my undergraduate training has
been in the area of special education and three of my five children have had learning
disabilities. There are several positions posted. One is for a Middle School
Learning Support Teacher/Department Head in Brussels Belgium. It would be
fascinating to help struggling learners in another part of the world. This
position would require someone with special education training and experience
as well as effective leadership skills.
The International
Step by Step Association (ISSA) (2013) is a member organization connecting
professionals and organizations working in the early childhood field. ISSA
began in the Netherlands in 1999 and stretches across the globe providing
educational services and advocacy tools on behalf of families and young
children. I could not find any open
positions with this organization but found Competent
Educators of the 21st Century: Principles of Quality Pedagogy. to
be intriguing. I would be interested in being one to provide training,
mentoring and support for reaching a common understanding about quality
pedagogy in early childhood development. With my training background and
experience within Michigan’s Quality initiative, I feel I have what this type
of position would require.
The British
Association for Early Childhood Education (2011). Retrieved from http://www.early-education.org.uk/
The Division for Early Childhood (2013). Retrieved from http://www.dec-sped.org/
The International
Step by Step Association (ISSA) (2013). Retrieved from http://www.issa.nl/index.html
Tammra,
ReplyDeleteI love that you found the British counterpart to NAEYC! That's awesome! It is nice to know that there are other countries out there that also value early childhood. I also think it's neat that you found the DEC that helps promote the successful development of children at risk or developmentally delayed. I think it would be very challenging to teach in a foreign country, particularly a language, such as the one you found!
Nice job!
Stacy :)
Hello Tammra,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about what happens on the other side of the planet. Especially, The Division of Early Childhood. It is nice to know that internationally children with special needs and challenges are being acknowledged. My family and I have been debating if I should mention that I have an adult with special needs at home while at job interviews. At one point it can be an advantage and at another view it could bias me in the interview. Your search for international organization was very unique and well desired by me.
Hi Tammra,
ReplyDeleteOf course, once I hear or see NAEYC, I readily move forward. It was interesting reading about the British Association for Early Childhood Education. I am going to look through their web page as soon as I finish posting. While I might not be prepared to move to London, I wonder if they have magazines or articles, similar to the journals from NAEYC. That would interest me a lot. In addition, it would either demonstrate similarities or differences from early childhood in the United States; either way would prove interesting reading.
In addition, I found the Division of Early Childhood to be quite a stimulating choice, and I will check their web page out further, too. I have recently started teaching a class at the college on Special Needs Appropriate Practices. I believe this web page will offer beneficial information.
Thank you for sharing some international organizations that really fired me up to seek additional information. Your blog postings are always well written and so informative. Your passion comes through in each post, Tammra.
Tammra, It is great to know that London has the same values in education as the NAEYC. That means that they understand the importance of educating our children as early as possible; that also means that understand that quality teachers need ongoing training. There are so many parents that are not aware of their children’s learning disabilities. Sharing this resource could provide parents with knowledge that could help them and their children when it is not clear what the issue maybe. I believe that you would be a great advocate that can support the awareness of being aware of possible disabilities. Parents respond better to parents that have children with disabilities. Thanks for sharing.
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