Exploring Roles in ECE Community: Local and State Levels

I decided to look at the ECE community in state of Georgia because it is my hope in the next few months to relocate my family to this area. Georgia has a huge early childhood education community but the organizations that i decided to focus on are:

A. Georgia Association of Young Children
Website: http://www.gayconline.org
 Mission: To encourage and support healthy development in young children by working with others
(1) increase public awareness of the importance of early childhood education and (2) to improve the quality of programs for young children through learning opportunities for early childhood educators (Georgia Association of Young Children, 2012).

The reason that I chose this organization because it works to increase community awareness of the benefits of early childhood education programs while striving to improve the overall quality of early childhood programs.

Job Opportunities that interest me:
- Trainer Position for Georgia Association of Young Children is a job opportunity to interests me greatly because it allows me to use the skills learned while working towards this degree. The skills needed for this position include knowledge of the early childhood field, experience in the classroom setting, great communication skills, organizations skills and the ability to travel for various training settings.

B. Georgia Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agency
 Website: http://www.gaccrra.org 
  Mission: Support all Georgia families, caregivers and communities in a unified effort to provide,
  promote and receive high quality childcare for all children in Georgia to reach their full potential,
  being ready to succeed in school and life (Georgia Association of Child Care Resource & Referral
   Agency, 2012).

The reason that I chose this organization is because it works with numerous organizations that benefit children including the Department of Children and Family Services as well as monitor programs throughout the state of Georgia. It provides referral services to parents so that they can make the right decisions on early childhood education for their children. It also pushes the centers to stay in compliance and strive for higher quality service pushing success rates of the children.

Job Opportunities that interests me:
-Early Care and Education Specialist for Georgia Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agency is the job opportunity for this agency that really interests me. The skills needed for this position include a degree in Early Childhood Education, a license Training of Adults, knowledge of state regulations regarding early childhood programs and great communication skills.

C. Bright From The Start
  Website: http://decalga.gov
  Mission: Delivers exemplary early childcare education programs that improve the quality of early
   learning experiences, increase school readiness and improve overall school performance
   (Bright From The Start, 2012).

The reason that I chose this agency because it houses a few agencies under it such as Head Start and Even Start. It also provides opportunities for teachers working all age groups and lists employment opportunities for centers throughout the state.

Job Opportunities that interests me:
-Lead Teacher- listings for the following counties: Henry, Newton, McDuffie and Rockdale in Georgia. The major requirements to work in these positions include a degree in the ECE field with at least 6-12 months in the classroom setting.

Other opportunities listed on the agency website include: Teacher Assistant positions for DeKalb (3 positions), Cobb and Rockdale counties that require either a CDA or TCC certificate.

References

Bright from the Start (2012). Retrieved from http://www.decalga.gov

Georgia Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (2012). Retrieved from http://www.gaccrra.org

Georgia Association of Young Children (2012). Retrieved from http://www.gayconline.org