Sunday, March 13, 2016

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

Family Ties of Westchester, Inc.
Family Ties is a not for profit organization. It offers a wide range of support groups, advocacy services, parent coaching, and connection to community resources, as well as respite and youth development opportunities. They act as the family voice in a variety of meetings to ensure that families' thoughts and concerns are heard. All Family Ties services are free, confidential and community-based.

The mission of Family Ties of Westchester, Inc. is to provide lasting and effective support services to families of children with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges in Westchester County.

They pursue this mission by:

·         strengthening and nurturing families through a wide variety of support groups.
·         providing information and training to parents so that they are equipped with appropriate parenting skills.
·         empowering parents to be full partners in the planning for their children's treatment and services.
·         encouraging parents to be resources for their own families, other families and their communities.
·         being a part of a larger social justice movement that urges policy makers, social service professionals and parents to take responsibility for improving the lives of children with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges and their families.
I see myself working with this organization because everything I’ve learned in my graduate studies is about strengthening families and providing education and support that address the social, emotional, and academic success of children. Family Ties provides early childhood services that include advocacy and support, and mental health and medical services. I could see myself working here as a child advocate. There were no job postings on this site.



Harlem Children’s Zone
I have been reviewing the Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ) (www.hcz.org) website and I am very impressed with all the good work the organization is doing for the children in the Harlem, NY community.  HCZ has several schools in the Harlem Area that begin with Baby College all the way through High School. The HCZ has helped bring much needed awareness to the importance of early childhood education.
Mission:
“Our goal is simple—to give our kids the individualized support they need to get to and through college and become productive, self-sustaining adults. Realizing this goal is difficult and complex, particularly since we are working with over 13,000 youth, many of them with tough challenges. In order to achieve long-term success, children need consistent, comprehensive support. Our pipeline begins at birth and helps kids every step of the way until college graduation through exceptional education, social services, family support, health, and community-building programs. By continuously assessing the progress of our youth, we can leverage the power of our pipeline to fine-tune our programs and ensure that we are fully addressing the needs of every child, at every age.”
In 2013, The Harlem Children's Zone trained more than 100 AmeriCorps workers, whom they called Peacemakers. The Peacemakers served nearly 2,500 children in traditional public elementary schools in Harlem. Through their daily leadership, the students were taught a peaceful path through conflict resolution and tutoring. Low-income families also received assistance in obtaining critical services. Each of the Peacemakers received tuition assistance for their education, making their dream of a college degree that much more attainable.
This organization resonated with me because it is so important to give back. I learned this at a young age and it has helped me became a more well rounded individual--sensitive to the needs of others. Children need to learn the importance of service, and why not start at a young age.
You can apply for several positions via the careers link. There are 83 available positions in total, I will be applying for a position as a Childcare Worker at the Baby College because early childhood is my passion and the seeds of long-term success are sown in early childhood.  The Baby College fosters an environment “that ensures, from the time they are born, our kids are immersed in healthy, supportive environments that will enable them to thrive and set them on the path to school and college readiness.”
 
UNICEF
UNICEF stands for the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, or United Nations Children's Fund. UNICEF is a non-profit international organization and one of the largest development agencies dedicated to working exclusively with children to eliminate hunger and disease.
Thousands of children under the age of five die every day due to the lack of proper nutrition, safe drinking water, affordable vaccines and other basic necessities that most people in the U.S. take for granted. “UNICEF's lifesaving interventions and programs around the world have helped reduce the number of child deaths by nearly 50% since 1990, and yet 18,000 children still die every day from preventable causes. UNICEF helped immunize 38% of the world's children in 2013.”
UNICEF has offices all over the world. In New York, the office is located at the United Nations. I would love to volunteer or work at UNICEF because this organization brings people together from all walks of life for the common goal of helping children.  The U.S. Fund for UNICEFs is seeking talented individuals to join their fight for child survival in various areas. They have online job application.





2 comments:

  1. Viticha,
    I absolutely love the mission of The Baby College it sounds like an intriguing program to engage with parents and children while educating,inspiring and empowering parents with the tools to ensure a successful future of their young one. I wish you the best of luck in gaining employment with the Harlem Children Zone.
    Ebony

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