In thinking about communities of practice this week, my mind jumps to communities within the early childhood field. I am a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (2014). This is a great organization, and if you don't already know about it click here. This is definitely an organization I would like to work for someday if the opportunity ever presented itself.
In Hawaii, we have an affiliate organization of NAEYC, the Hawaii Education for Association of Young Children (2014), or HAEYC. I was privileged to attend an HAEYC conference back in October and it was really nice such a large gathering of early childhood professionals. I have not yet become a member, but I am considering it. I would also consider working for this organization.
In my search for local organizations, I came across the Hawaii Early Childhood Action Strategy. The Hawaii Early Childhood Action Strategy is a research based strategic plan, informed from the fields of neurobiology, developmental psychology, and human capital economics in early childhood systems development (Hawaii Early Childhood Action Strategy, 2014). It is definitely something I want to learn more about.
References:
Hawaii Action Strategy. (2014). Home. Retrieved from http://hawaiiactionstrategy.org
Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children. (2015). Home. Retrieved from http://www.hawaiikeiki.org
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2014). Home. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org.
Thanks for the links BethAnn. What type of work do you envision yourself doing after the Masters? Would you go more towards research work or work in the field in schools? Would you see yourself as leader of the Hawaii antenna of NAEYC one day?
ReplyDeleteJulie,
DeleteI am actually working in my chosen field now, but hope to move on to more responsibility within the organization once I have my master's. I would like to work for a national organization such as NAEYC someday. Thanks!
Hi BethAnn,
ReplyDeleteYou also provided some great organizations. I love that you are a member of the NAEYC. I have often considered joining. Have you even attended any of their conferences? What benefits have you seen since joining the NAEYC? They really are a great organization. I found that they had a Michigan chapter as well. That is also somewhere I would like to end up in the future. You mentioned that you went to the HAEYC conference. What topics were discussed there? I have never had the opportunity to attend a conference such as this so I would be interested to learn what occurs at them!
Hi Beth Ann,I like your blog. I am amazed at how many programs there are out there to support children and their families. I think your Neurobiology program would be something to check into. Anything that will help the children if they have nerve issues is a plus, And I am an active member of our NAEYC program for over 27 years. It is well worth it.
ReplyDeleteDear BethAnn,
ReplyDeleteI too am a member of NAEYC as well as my state affiliate. I find that both of these are exceptional resources for those of us in the field, and oftentimes I find myself referring to those just to support my own work. These are definitely those "go to" resources for anything in the field of ECE.
Hi Beth
ReplyDeleteGood post, you provide some very interest organizations. It's nice that you are a member of the NAEYC. I'm working on my master's. In the near future I would love to work for one of the organization.
I really do like the NAEYC, it has been my best friend go to site every sine I was a Head Start teacher, and I still use the site now although I am no longer with the Head Start program. Great post, and great sources. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete