Exploring Roles in ECE at the State and Local Level

1. My search has led to Colorado Community College Online CCCOnline. This is an online community of all the Colorado community colleges, that offer online classes in every subject including ECE. When you live in a rural area you do not have much of a choice of face-to-face classes. I used this with the current changes to Director Qualification. They offer positions to Colorado residents unless there is no one qualified in a class needed. You submit an application, unofficial transcripts and a Curriculum Vita or resume and a brief statement of your Online Teaching Philosophy. If CCCOnline contacts you for a position, you must complete the Colorado Career and Technical Education (CTE) credential. It is something I would like to try, there are no guarantees of steady employment but I would like to gain the experience this way. The more classes you teach the more CCCOnline uses you.

http://www.ccconline.org/

2. Another search lead me to Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE). They are a nonprofit organization whose mission is to teach and empower teachers in formal and non-formal education, public agencies, employees and community members.  I am very familiar with this organization and have my Environmental Education Certification through them. They have recently been very focused on school aged children and meeting the EE standards. The last meeting I had with them, they said they do not have much representation from early childhood professionals, and they would like to reach more young children. This was an informal statement but I feel if I perused this area I could create some link to reaching early childhood teachers in the State. I may need to take more EE classes but I always find classes to be invigorating.

https://www.caee.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=136

3. Another local search lead me to The City of Aspen’s Childcare Resource Center, called Kids First. I have worked with the Director for several years, conducting workshops, and writing articles for the Providers Newsletter on a bimonthly basis for over 4 years. They provide funding for programs to higher a coach in specific areas of need, typically areas relating to low scores in the quality rating scale. This would be exciting to work with programs I am familiar with. The one draw back I see is Kids First continually wants programs to do new trainings, such as DECA, Pyramid, Mind Up, and many more. I don’t feel these programs are negative in any way, but each year they push for the latest and greatest training, which the coaches teach. Because of the turnover rate in childcares I feel it is appropriate to continue with 1 training that fits the program.  But this does give a coach great exposure to a variety of methods of teaching adults.

http://www.aspenpitkin.com/Departments/Kids-First