Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The three local or state organizations that I have chosen are:

1.  Early Learning Indiana

https://www.earlylearnin.org

2.  United Way of Central Indiana

https://www.uwci.org

3.  Head Start and Early Head Start

https://www.in.gov/fssa/carefinder/2679.htm  

The reason that I chose these three specific organizations because they are well-known in the state of Indiana.  They all contribute a lot to the early childhood programs.  The one that appeal to me is United Way of Central Indiana.  Wenger (2006) stated that "communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly" (p. 1).  United Way of Central Indiana is a community impact organization supported by a wide network of people like myself.  Together with local partners, they set and reach community-wide goals that make Central Indiana and the world a better place  They also give early childhood programs grants to help with making their centers high-quality for children.  

I believe that Early Learning had more job opportunities that were interesting to me.  There was one job titled Family Engagement Specialist that caught my attention.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Customer Service/Communication – Provide prompt, attentive, and friendly customer service in-person and by phone; represents the organization well; maintains personal accountability and ownership for providing excellent customer service. Communicates verbal and written ideas and thoughts clearly, accurately, and respectfully; seeks and responds to feedback from customers to improve service; seeks to understand the perspectives of others.
Collaboration – Cooperates and works together with all co-workers; plan and complete job duties with minimal supervisory direction, including appropriate judgment; collaborates with and supports coworkers by helping out where needed; creates and maintains positive relationships with coworkers; asks for and listens to coworker feedback and incorporates feedback into revised processes; completes work on time and with proper quality; supports cross-training and shares learning with others.
Professionalism/Respect – Demonstrates professionalism in appearance and actions; handles difficult or stressful situation in a calm and respectful manner; demonstrates fair treatment of others and supports a positive work environment.
Problem Solving/Decision Making – Logically resolves most problem situations and develops alternative solutions when faced with obstacles; uses innovative ideas to resolve problems and develop effective solutions, takes responsibility for actions.

Reference

Wenger, E. (2006). Communities of practice: A brief introduction. Retrieved from

     https://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/