In my last post, I took you down the rabbit hole to look at local and state early childhood organizations, agencies, and communities of practice. We focused on exploring the local and state roles in the early childhood education community. This week, however, we will explore national organizations and federal agencies. With these explorations, I believe it can help me imagine myself in a diversity of jobs that can help encourage and promote the well-being of children, families, early childhood programs, and the early intervention field.
- Policy Project Administrator – This position was posted by Georgia’s Department of Human Services. Qualifications for this position include having a Bachelor’s degree in business or related field from an accredited college AND four years of experience related to area of assignment.
- Special Instructor – Public Health, Georgia Department of – DPH – Georgia. Their purpose is to “provides the local health district with direct intervention services, support and education to children and families enrolled in the BCW program by using the Primary Service Provider (PSP) model” (DPH, n.d.). Qualifications for this position include attaining a bachelor’s degree; preferred majors include Early Childhood Education, Special Education, Child and Family Studies, and Early Intervention.
- Service Coordinator – Their purpose is to act as the clients advocate, to coordinate required services, or to resolve crisis. Additionally, they help identify environmental impediments to client of patient progress through interviews and review of patient records by monitoring, evaluating, and keeping record of the client’s progress according to the measurable goals described in their individualized family service plans (IFSP). Minimum requirements for this position include having a “Master’s degree in a related field from an accredited college or university AND eligibility to be licensed OR Bachelor’s degree in a related field from an accredited college or university AND Two years of experience in social service delivery” (Department of Public Health, 2021).
Although the positions mentioned aren’t entirely governmental jobs, they are positions that can be used to inspire my thinking; not only about places I’d like to work but also roles I might like to take on in the field, now and in the future. Interestingly, the mission and goals of each focal position named above is to help make positive change in the area of the early intervention field.
References
Clayton County Health District. (2021). Babies Can’t Wait Service Coordinator. Retrieved from https://www.claytoncountypublichealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/BCW-Service-Provider_2021.pdf
Team Georgia Careers. (2021). Policy Project Administrator. Retrieved from https://ga.taleo.net/careersection/ga_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=ADM0AUM&tz=GMT-05%3A00&tzname=America%2FChicago
Team Georgia Careers. (2020). Special Instructor (Contractor). Retrieved from https://ga.taleo.net/careersection/ga_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=HEA05FD&tz=GMT-05%3A00&tzname=America%2FChicago.
Bridging the Gap in Early Childhood Education 
Allison,
In Georgia, we have a program called Babies Can’t Wait; they provide services to children birth through three years of age. I have had the opportunity to work with some children and their family who were referred to our program. Based on the child’s referral and state and federal guidelines, we implemented our curriculum to reach the child’s IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan) goals and objectives. Becoming a Special Instructor for the Public Health Department will be a great opportunity for you to be able to provide early intervention and screening for children with developmental delays and chronic health disorders, improve developmental potential, and support families to develop their child’s learning and development through their experiences. I am sure you would have wonderful experiences and love this job position. Great choice!
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