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

My first federal organization is the Early Intervention Program. This program is geared towards early (birth-3) detection and assistance with potential special needs. The earlier children are given treatment or therapy, the more successful  they are likely to  be with that treatment. I would like to work as a speech therapist with the Early Intervention Program. I would need a BS in ECE with a Special Needs specialization, and a sincere desire to help children get the best possible results with their treatments. http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/early.intervention.html

Next is the National School Lunch Program. The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in over 101,000 public and non‐profit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low‐cost or free lunches to more than 31 million children each school day. If I were to work for this program, I would need to travel a lot, as they do site visits all across the country. http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/lunch/aboutlunch/NSLPFactSheet.pdf

Last is the Federal Weatherization Program. The Federal Weatherization Program is designed to help low-income families reduce their fuel bills by making their homes more energy-efficient. If I worked for this program, I would need good ‘people’ skills, as much of the job would require home visits. I would need to travel quite a bit, as well. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/wap.html

None of these programs is hiring right now, but one can submit an application online for each of them.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

                                                                                        

My first organization is Pathways For Children. They are located in my city -  Gloucester, Ma.. The goal of Pathways is to offer a quality early childhood experience to children whose families would otherwise not be able to afford it. They really make a difference in the lives of many children. Pathways For Children gets a lot of grants. They get the rest of their money through fund-raising. LOTS of fund-raising.. I would be interested in employment with Pathways For Children as a program director. If I were to work for Pathways, I would need to be very well versed in grant-writing, and willing to fund raise pretty much year-round. http://www.pathwaysforchildren.org/

My second is a state organization – the Dept. of Early Education and Care. This organization is responsible for setting and enforcing the rules and regulations for child care in MA. In order to open a child care center, preschool, after school program, or summer camp, a licensor from the EEC must make a visit to determine if you meet state standards for space, staff, and policies. I feel they do a good job of ensuring a safe environment for the children in Massachusetts. I would like to be hired as a Licensor. In order to gain employment with the EEC, I would need a BA in early childhood education (or elementary education) be willing to drive a LOT, and would need to be a good reader of people. There is a 3 month intensive training period, as well. I would have to have a good memory - there are lots of regs to learn!
http://www.mass.gov/edu/government/departments-and-boards/department-of-early-education-and-care/

 My third is a a state (and national) organization – Head Start. The goals of this organization are to provide a healthy start for children whose families meet the income guidelines. In addition to child care and preschool, Head Start helps families receive health, dental, food, and shelter services. This organization is probably the most well-known in the early education field. I would like to be a director for Head Start. If I were to seek employment with Head Start, I would need a sincere desire to teach others to help themselves. Head Start tends to hire parents from their programs, giving them training and a potential career in the ECE field.  http://www.massheadstart.org/

Unfortunately, there are no openings in any of the positions I mentioned :  (