The three international websites that resonated with me
most are The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF, n.d.), Save the Children
(2011), and the International Step by Step Association (International Step by
Step Association, n.d.).
United
Nations Children Fund (UNICEF)
UNICEF’s overall goal is to take a stand for children’s
rights and to ensure children’s survival. To accomplish this, UNICEF has
several focus areas, child survival and development which includes evidence
based environmental and nutrition interventions, basic education and gender
equality including educating girls, the
treatment and prevention of HIV Aids for children, child protection from
exploitation and abuse, and policy advocacy and partnerships which involves
collecting data, leveraging resources and recruiting child participation(UNICEF,
n.d.).
What struck me most about the work that UNICEF does is
the advocacy work they are doing to end child marriages and gender
socialization. On Oct. 11, 2012, the United Nations held their first
International Day of the Young Girl Child. The issue of child marriages was
addressed. It was disturbing to learn that girls are married off as young as 5
years old! Secretary Ban Ki Moon stated that it is important to invest in girls
by seeing to it that they are educated. Evidence shows that in areas where
girls are educated, there is a decline in child marriages as girls are taught
to become critical thinkers and self sufficient.
Save
the Children
Save the Children’s mission is to “inspire breakthroughs in the way the
world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their
lives” (Save the Children, 2011). What attracted me to Save the Children’s
website is their involvement in United States which began in 1932 during the
Great Depression. In the United States, approximately 1 out of every four
children lives in poverty (Save the Children, 2011). Issues affecting children
living in poverty include developmental delays, high rates of illiteracy, and
obesity (Save the Children, 2011). Today, Save the Children provides assistance
to underserved rural areas by providing high quality early childhood
development programs for children birth through five years of age and literacy,
nutrition, and physical activity programs for children from kindergarten
through eighth grade.
FH1
360
The third international website that struck me was FH1 360 (2012), a
nonprofit human development organization committed to improving lives by
integrating all aspects within the local society including civil society,
environmental, gender, youth, research and technology. Their mission is to improve lives by solving
problems through integrating local solutions for human development (FH1 360,
2012). The work they do to improve lives is vast, however their stand for
gender equality resonates with me most. Not only is gender inequality alive in
non U.S. countries, it is very well alive in the United States as well. While
45% of the U.S. work force is women, only 12% have jobs in the Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. To bridge this gap, FH1 360
(2012) developed a nationwide afterschool initiative called “Great Science for
Girls”. Through this initiative girls are encouraged to participate in hands on
science experiences to break the stereotype that Science is only for boys.
International
job opportunities that interested me
Two positions that interested me were offered through
the Save the Children website, Head Start Manager and Early Steps to School
Success (ESSS) Coordinator.
Save
the Children Head Start Manager
As the Head Start Manager, my responsibility would be to
oversee three “Save the Children” head start programs, in the state of
Arkansas. My duties would include directing, administering, and coordinating
the activities of these sites while supporting the policies, goals, and
objectives established by the program, grantee, and governing bodies.
The skills and experience I would need for this position
include the following,
- ·
The ability to develop and implement financial
plans and budgets
- ·
Effective verbal and written communication
skills
- ·
Effective supervisory and leadership skills
- ·
Critical thinking skills, the ability to
evaluate and analyze data
- ·
Strong interpersonal skills, the ability to work
with others from diverse backgrounds
- ·
Advocacy skills
- ·
Confident Public Speaking Skills
Although one of the requirements for the Head Start manager is a minimum
of five years experience in a progressive managerial role in the head start
program, I am hopeful that the managerial and leadership experience I gained
from being a child care director and the experience I gained from managing a
caseload of 50 early childhood vendors along with my public speaking experience
n the job and education will qualify me to be considered for this position.
Coordinator/
Early Steps to School Success
The second job that interested me was the Coordinator position for the
Save the Children early Steps to Success program in several counties in the
state of Colorado. The goals of the Early Steps to School Success program are
as follows:
1) Ensuring that children enter school with the necessary skills they
need to be successful, 2) equipping parents with the knowledge and skills to
support their children’s education, 3) to promote congruence between home and
school, and 4) to increase early childhood knowledge and skills in the
communities. The experience and skills I will need to do this job include the
following,
- ·
Knowledgeable about child development and the
ability to screen for developmental delays
- ·
Strong interpersonal skills between children,
families, and co-workers
- ·
Strong collaborative skills to work with program
partners
- ·
The ability to organize, plan, and implement age
appropriate program activities that meet the social/ emotional needs of
children
- ·
The ability to promote language development and
preliteracy education for children and parents through regularly scheduled
home visits.
- ·
While speaking Spanish is not mandatory, it is a
plus.
Hopefully my past experience of living in El Paso, TX for 14 years will
be viewed as a positive as my exposure to the Hispanic culture will provide me
with the insight I need to connect with this population. Although I am not
fluent in speaking Spanish, perhaps the little I know will be enough, at least
until I can learn more. Other than that, my 26 years of being in the early
childhood field and the new knowledge I have gained through the Walden MSECE
program well qualifies me to do this job.
References
FHI 360. (2012). fhi360 The Science of Improving
Lives. Retrieved from FHI 360: www.fhi360.org
