As we continue on with our capstone project and researching our challenge as well as the many organizations that coincide with our ideas I have found so many career paths that I was unaware of. Currently, I have been looking into The National SEED Project, which is an organization that is seeking educational equity and diversity in schools, workplaces, and communities. I would love to become a SEED Leader and peer-lead a residential workshop to share concepts and strategies to facilitate social change and a revision of our education programs. What I find to be extremely beneficial is that SEED encourages experienced leaders to mentor new ones on how to do this "deeply personal group work" in local seminars back in their own schools, workplaces, and communities. This process is designed to be supportive, respectful, challenging, interesting, growth-inducing, and often transformative (The National Seed Project). There are many steps that come with applying to become a New Leader and can take up to a year for completion. The candidate is required to design, coordinate and facilitate a year-long, monthly SEED seminar in their school with 15-25 colleagues during at least one school year. You are also expected to go to a retreat where you will also partner with many other New Leader candidates to share your own experiences and to learn more about the program. While this isn’t a typical job application, I would love to get involved with this organization as I believe a multicultural and anti-bias education is key to our future.
Teach For America also has many job openings in my surrounding area as well as areas that I would be willing to relocate to. Teach For America helps to ensure equity within the classroom and have access to many opportunities that young children can learn from. The job opportunity I found most appealing is a Vice President of Regional Support and Engagement, which allows me to work with national teams and, to collaborate effectively to set a vision for the TFA. I can build relationships and help grow Teach For America’s mission. While this job is a reach, it would be an amazing position to have. I must work for TFA full time prior to applying, 9+ years of management and leadership background, and well versed in Teach For America’s mission and foundations.
Administration for Children & Families offers The Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) that brings together the best of Early Head Start and child care through layering of funding to provide comprehensive and continuous services to low-income infants, toddlers, and their families (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2017). While I am unable to view any job openings within this sector, I have viewed their brochures and explored other webinars that are associated with this program. All students deserve the right to a high-quality early childhood education. Without government funding and successful partnerships with many other organizations, these programs will not succeed.
Each of these organizations fuels my passion for the early childhood field and I can only hope to make such strides in my career as these organizations have made in many families and students lives.
References:
The National Seed Project. (n.d.). New Leaders Week. Retrieved from https://nationalseedproject.org/be-a-part
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2017, July 6). Early Head Start - Child Care Partnerships. Retrieved from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ecd/early-learning/ehs-cc-partnerships
