Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The Florida Office of Early Learning is an organization that appealed to me as an early childhood professional because it seems to support my passion for quality early learning in order to prepare children for academic success and contributing to their community in their future. Part of a statement from the Executive Director of the FOEL reads: 

"Our office focuses on access to high-quality early education, accountability and transparency, and assisting and maintaining the vital network of early learning providers who nurture the developing mind".  

This motivations resonates with me. 

The local Early Learning Coalition is also an organization that has my respect. I have witnessed agents working collaboratively with Directors in order to maintain quality curriculum for early learners. I have attended training conducted by my county's ELC. The strategies and detailed efforts that the ELC engages in are exactly what I think are appropriate ways to support and train early learning staff members. 

FamiliesFirst Network is an organization that serves abused, neglected or abandoned children in my city. It offers foster care services ,social worker and guardian ad litem representation for the children. I, as a staff member have worked collaboratively at times with guardian ad litems ,social workers and foster parents as the children they are caring for or representing attend the center. FamiliesFirst Network does the difficult work of managing and supporting families during times of trauma. 

Early Learning Florida states on it's about us page "our professional learning courses, resources, and supports are created with early learning practitioners in mind". The organization also describes itself as champions of early leaning professionals. This organization appeals to me because it aims to develop the skills of the teachers in order to improve the quality of the children learning experience. 

Roles that I would consider filling in the Early Childhood field, are of course Director of an Early Childhood program. I would need organization and management skills in order to be an effective leader. I would also need collaborative skills and understand how to allocate and manage funding. I would also need to be culturally responsive. I would need child care experience which of course I do have. 

The Early Learning coalition in my city is seeking to hire a program integrity unit specialist. The job description is " A member of a three person team that shares the duties of oversight, direction, and documentation of the Coalition’s Program Integrity efforts, to include monitoring of provider contracts, reimbursements and other payments, eligibility determinations and clients for program compliance. For this position I must have knowledge of child care operations and regulations. I must have at least an associates degree or at least 2 years experience in related field in order to qualify for this position. Also, it is a requirement to complete a Department of Children and Families course on Child Care rules and regulations.