Autism

What is autism?

Autism disorder is a common term for a group of difficult disorders of brain development that is affecting many children today. The disorder can be characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, 

 verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors (Autism Speaks, 2013)

Over the years the number of children who have been diagnosed with autism has grown. Although there are some programs out there that are geared to children with autism, I have found that there are many children who families are not in the position to have their children in those programs and these children end up in childcare centers where the workers are not trained to work with children with autism. The lack of knowledge of autism in childcare centers in the urban areas is causing these children who are in these centers not to receive the quality care that they need. 

Time Well Spent....

I have learned that I really love the field of early childhood and the impact that I make on the lives of the children and families.

I have learned that there is so much in the field of early childhood that I can be a part of and I am excited to see where it leads me.

I have learned a lot about what kind of instructor that I want to be and how I can engage the students that I will teach to be important in the field of early childhood and to carry out their dreams.


Long-term goal
My long term goal is to teach early childhood education in a college setting
I want to wish all of my fellow colleagues the best in their future and I want to thank all of my instructors for all of their help feedback knowledge. Thank you…

Favorite quotes:
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

  Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
 Today I shall behave as if this is the day I will be remembered.
By DR. Suess


My contact information

Naquetta S.Davis
Kekedavis_00@yahoo.com

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

One of the international organizations that appeal to me is Save the Children, because they are trying to change the lives of children, not only in the US but all over the world. Save the Children layout on their website their strategic plan to create change in the children lies, which I think is important, because if you can show someone how to do thing differently, they will be able to make changes and hopefully live a better life (Save the Children, 2011).

Save the Children mission is to evoke change, and with an organization this size I think they are able to reach a lot of children.

The next organization that I think is great is Academy for Education Development. This the first time I have heard about them, and I was impressed with their mission and vision, which is to development a world in which everyone has the ability to reach their full potential. I liked their values which state:

·         Innovation to meet the evolving needs of our beneficiaries, funders and partners.

·         Mutual respect for diversity and cultural differences.

·         Passion driven by a personal commitment to make a positive difference.

·         Accountability for our work, measuring, reporting and continually improving all that we do.

·         Commitment to excellence assured by the highest ethical, quality, operational performance and scientific standards.

·         Teamwork across disciplines and geographies, within the organization and with our partners. (Academy for Educational Development, 2011).

The main thing that appealed to me about this organization is that they state they believe that the way to improve lives is to generate, share and then apply knowledge. I think this is important to community involved missions, especially when you are creating community of practices.

The third organization that is appealing is International Step by Step, this organization tries to connects professionals and organizations in the field of early childhood development and education. They also promote equal asses to quality care for all children, which hits right at home with me. I believe that all children should have the rights to quality care and education, no matter where they live or their nationality.

References

 Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm

International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, fromhttp://www.issa.nl/index.html

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

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

The three national/federal organizations or communities of practice that appealed to me are:

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) http://www.naeyc.org/

NAEYC's Goals

1.  Improving professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education.

2.  Supporting early childhood programs by working to achieve a high-quality system of early childhood education.

3.     Building a high-performing, inclusive organization of groups and individuals who are committed to promoting excellence in early childhood education for all young children.

Parents as Teachers

Parents as Teachers helps organizations and professionals work with parents during the critical early years of their children's lives, from conception to kindergarten. I like this because it is helping parents with their children. http://www.parentsasteachers.org/about/what-we-do

Association for Early Learning Leaders The Association for Early Learning Leaders is the nation's leader among associations serving child care owners, directors, and administrators. The organization's goal is to enhance the knowledge, skills and abilities of the people who lead the child care industry by providing membership services and benefits. http://www.naccp.org

As I was searching for jobs, I found this job, it’s not in the state where I would like to work, but it is interesting:

Senior Associate - Youth & Adult Education

Job Description:

 ICF is currently seeking a Senior Associate to work within our Education, Community & Social Programs Division.  Primary responsibilities for this position will involve performing assignments related to various evaluation research projects under the direction of senior-level staff and in partnership with other associates.  Assignment to ongoing policy, research and technical assistance projects may occur.  Candidates must be able to lead multiple tasks with competing deadlines, be versed in a wide variety of education issues and research strategies, maintain positive relationships with clients and colleagues, and play an integral role in proposal development.

Key Responsibilities:
Work collaboratively on youth and adult education projects, including a) a national evaluation project focused on community coalitions to reduce youth substance use; and b) a state evaluation project of a program designed to improve student success and college readiness.

Conduct literature reviews and synthesize findings.

 Assist with quantitative and qualitative data collection, data coding, and data analysis.

  Lead tasks as appropriate to skills.

Take and summarize meeting notes. Write and prepare annotated bibliographies, issue briefs, newsletters, summary reports, and promising practice/evidence in line with client expectations.  Support proposal development efforts.

Qualifications

·  Basic Qualifications: 

 Master’s degree in education, early childhood education, social science, political science, sociology, or related subject.

5+ years of experience in supporting or conducting research in education.

Experience with managing multiple timelines/multiple tasks.

 Demonstrated experience with effectively utilizing statistical software (e.g., SPSS, SAS).

 Proficiency with Microsoft Office software (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and/or Access) is essential in this fast-paced client oriented environment.

Preferred Skills/Experience:

  Experience with federal government programs, such as the GEAR UP program.

 Experience working in a consulting environment.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

  New York State Office of Children and Family Services

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services provides a range of resources to help parents with their child care needs, people who want to start or are currently running child care programs, and anyone with a concern about the health or safety of a child in a day care program. http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main

Childcare council of Rochester is a not for profit child care resource and referral corporation dedicated to the support of high quality early care and education. Child Care Council provides information, education, support and resources to childcare providers, parents, and the community. http://childcarecouncil.com/

Autism Up is an autism advocacy organization in Rochester and the surrounding areas. Founded in 2004, by

 a small group of parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, there mission is to support individuals 

with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and their families, by expanding and enhancing opportunities to improve

 quality of life.  Autism Up helps the parent with information on Autism. http://www.unyfeat.org/

I would be excited to work in any of these organization, teaching groups or training courses would very interesting to me.

 Adult education teachers, who work in settings such as community colleges and adult high schools, are typically required to hold a minimum of bachelor’s degree but most preferred a master degree. Adult education teachers instruct adults in areas such as reading, math and writing. I would someday like to teach adult students in the field of early childhood education

I think the information that I can learned from Walden has given me the skills that I need for the positions that may come from any of these organizations.

Communication

We have traveled a wonderful road together, I am thankful for everyone who I have had the pleasure of working with.  Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement. Good luck to everyone.

Groups

      I think high performing groups are the hardest to leave. In my adulthood I have not been part of any real groups where I was working towards something. I can remember how wonderful it felt in high school being a member of the track team. We had been together for four years and when it can to an end it was one of the hardest things for me to leave. Our team worked well together we did have our ups and down but we became a family. It was hard to say Good Bye.

       When I entered college the team was much large so things were very different than high school. People came from many different places and backgrounds it seemed harder for everyone to connect. You had your clicks, all of the distance runners were together and they didn't really interact with the sprinters and if you did a field event you were totally separate. When leaving that team it wasn't as hard as before.

      Working with these groups of people in these online courses is different, but you do get use to reading comments and post from familiar names, and I think it gives me some kind of comfort. I think that it will be more difficult not having the routine of doing work weekly.