I selected the Maryland Head Start Association (MHSA) because of its commitment to remain a strong source of support to all Head Start programs in Maryland. MHSA also provides ongoing policy advocacy, as well. I currently serve on the MHSA Board, as well as, the MHSA Public Policy Committee. At the present, there are no job opportunities. All positions are voluntary. As a member of the MHSA Board and Public Policy Committee, the skills that I need are strong communication skills, organization, time management and working background of Head Start.
I selected Maryland Family Network (MFN) because of its strong public policy and advocacy efforts. This organization currently meets monthly on the 3rd Thursday. Another service that I particular like about MFN, is that they provide help parents find high-quality child care.There are no job opportunities. However, I do plan to become a volunteer with this organization.
The reason I selected this local community of practice is because of their mission to promote the well-being of children and families. This is achieved through their promotion of healthy homes and its connection to the children/families who reside inside of them. I recently joined this community of practice. As a Head Start Director, I attend their monthly community partnership meetings. There are no job opportunities; however, as a Program Director, I am playing an active role in ensuring that Head Start families are connected to these resources on an ongoing basis. As a community partner, the skills needed would be strong communication, resource sharing, ability to connect families and necessary resources and program design and management.
Kensha,
ReplyDeleteI love the connection with the Maryland Head Start. This is an important connection for all early childhood educators and this is the main source of early childhood for many families. I also think a state or local organization that helps families find quality care is a vital need in many families, particularly if they help low income families find placement for their children. Nice job finding some CoP's!
Stacy
Roikensha,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the response. Your agencies are similar to what we have in California. I love that you sort out to study policy and advocacy, which is something new to me from Walden. We have very similar interest and professional talents. Most of my teaching has been with Early Headstart and Headstart. I was in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia in January 2013. Because we are a large city, we have a lot of programs for foster children who have been abused and neglected. Green and Healthy Homes sparked my interest. I want to advocate for healthy diets for children. Also, the University of Maryland has a program for early childhood development with an emphasis in special needs children that sounds like it is really effective for the community of Prince George County. Thanks for the post and I hope we met again.
Hi Kensha! I enjoyed reading your post. Congrats to you as well for joining a community of practice. I am looking forward to developing my own. I am impressed with the amount of volunteer opportunities available in Maryland as well. That says a lot about the state itself. Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work!!!
ReplyDeleteHello Kensha,
ReplyDeleteI chose some of the same organizations. I have the opportunity to serve on various councils in representing the Special Education department. As I was researching different organizations, it was nice to see there are some opportunities on the Eastern Shore of Maryland too. Unfortunately, the Eastern Shore does not have as many resources as Western Maryland. It is nice to know another person from the same state. Thanks for sharing.