Carpooling: Combining Our Talents & Efforts in ECE Through Communities of Practice

 "No one can go it alone"  --Grace Gil Olibvarez, Mexican American social activist attorney.  

     Not one child, one parent, one family, one teacher, one program, or one agency can successfully function alone, in isolation from others, and achieve optimal results in the early childhood field.  In ECE, we recognize the strength in numbers, the importance of sharing, and the need for collaboration within communities of practice.  The following is a list of communities of practice within my own city and state that appeal to me and my future goals in becoming a successful early childhood consultant.

1. Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TAEYC)
     The TAEYC in connection with the NAEYC is the leading, most influential agency in the ECE field.    From licensing standards, public policy making and T.E.A.C.H. programs, they are "committed to promoting professional development and evidence-based best practices in early childhood education" (TAEYC, (2015)).  Each year, the TAEYC holds a statewide conference to provide professional development, networking and empowerment to ECE professionals.  One possible job opportunity for me would be to become a presenter at one of these conferences or (if I'm dreaming big) a keynote speaker.  I would likely present a presentation on increasing social/emotional intelligence for infants and toddlers or a presentation on incorporating anti-bias work into your classroom.  To be successful, I must possess an aptitude for public speaking, a specialized knowledge base in these areas, and confidently display an attitude of appreciation, encouragement and empowerment for other preschool teachers.

2.  Texas Head Start State Collaboration Office
     According to their website (CLI, (2015),  "Texas is the first state in the nation to formally house and pair up nationally recognized experts in early childhood education with the Head Start program".  The Children's Learning Institute and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have combined efforts to house this entity.  "The Head Start State and National Collaboration Offices (HSSNCOs) exist 'to facilitate collaboration among Head agencies...and entities that carry out activities designed to benefit low income children from birth to school entry, and their families'" (CLI, 2015).  Their areas of emphasis include early childhood development, Pre-K -school entry, language and literacy, neurological development, public policy, parent education and special needs among others.  Several programs that appeal to me within this organization are professional development opportunities and teacher training opportunities through CIRCLE CDA Training, Developing Talkers/Hablemos Juntos and Training, and Texas School Ready (TSR).  This appeals to me because I want to help provide affordable, accessible, quality teacher training and professional development workshops to empower and improve the teaching practices of those working with the most disadvantages groups in society.  Through the Texas Head Start Collaboration Office, I can learn about opportunities to become a presenter at different state and local conferences.  The special skills I would need include a more complete understanding of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs and the challenges their teachers face.

3.  The South Austin Rotary Club
    After reading the recommendation of the Rotary Club as a community of practice from another colleague's blog, I began to research this entity locally.  I was delighted to find that next week a lecture will be given on Project Schoolhouse.  Project Schoolhouse focuses on community partnerships to  school and water systems in rural Nicaragua.  According to their website, "Many children have neither school nor water, but one without the other is an incomplete solution.  A quality learning environment can make the difference between learning and not learning.  443 million school days are lost each year due to water-related illness" (Project Schoolhouse, 2015).  There are opportunities to volunteer, donate, and advocate for the program.  This appeals to me because of my experience traveling in under-developed countries and because I also have a friend in Nicaragua seeking to improve financial opportunities for tribal women through women's art co-ops.  Currently, Project Schoolhouse is looking for volunteers to assist in a PR/social media campaign, and I feel that with my current contacts,  could assist them in disseminating information and recruiting other donors and volunteers.

     According to Goble and Horm (2010), "The quality of an early childhood program is directly related to an individual teacher’s professional development".  Not all teachers have the opportunity or interest to seek graduate levels of education in early childhood education.   However, all teachers must seek to improve their teaching knowledge, practice, skills, awareness, and relations to their students, families, and coworkers.  It is my goal to assist and empower these teachers to be their best and to serve young children and families in the best possible ways.  By combining my interests, experience and efforts with other communities of practice such as the entities listed above, I hope to be able to reach my own professional goals in early childhood consulting while at the same time helping others to achieve theirs.  We're in this together--let's coordinate and share the ride!

References:

Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TAEYC)
     http://www.texasaeyc.org/index.htm/
Texas Head Start State Collaboration Office
     https://www.childrenslearninginstitute.org/programs/texas-head-start-state-collaboration-office/
Project Schoolhouse
     http://www.projectschoolhouse.org/
Goble, C.B., & Horm, D.M., (2010), "Take Charge of Your Personal and Professional        Development, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)