Roles in ECE- National Level

The Council for Professional Recognition

The Council for Professional Recognition administers the Child Development Associate® (CDA) National Credentialing Program.  This program promotes the professional development and improved performance by recognizing and credentialing professionals who work in all types of early care and education programs - Head Start, pre-k, infant-toddler, family child care, and home visitor programs.  The Council has set policies and procedure for the assessment and credentialing and administers this nationally recognized assessment.   Job Opportunities include a Professional Development Specialist.  The role of a PD Specialist is to connect with candidates who are searching for a specialist in preparation for applying for the credential.  The job requirements include the following: Must be able to relate to people of various racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds;  Must be knowledgeable about local, state, and national requirements and standards for child care programs serving children aged birth through 5 years; Must be able to schedule and conduct Verification Visits during normal operating hours of early childhood programs; MUST hold a minimum of a Baccalaureate or Associate degree from an accredited college or university in one of the following disciplines that includes at minimum, 18 semester or 24 quarter hours of coursework in Early Childhood Education/Child Development, studying children birth through 5 years.
- Early Childhood Education/Child Development
- Elementary Education/Early Childhood Education
- Home Economics/Child Development

Zero to Three
ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development with the mission to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life.
The Senior Training Specialist provides a limited number of research-based training through face-to-face venues as well as distance venues (audioconferences, webinars and/or webcasts).  Reviews EHS NRC PowerPoint slides and provide recommendations for consistency and enhanced quality (e.g. limited number of words per slide; descriptive trainers notes; formatting; photo citations, etc.); Organize training filing system to ensure accessibility for all EHS NRC staff ;  Develop training templates utilizing existing materials; and Contribute to development and implementation of the annual national Birth To Three Institute. Education and skills include: Master’s degree in early childhood development or related field.  Strong knowledge of early childhood development and early childhood systems; with a specific focus on infant and toddler development; Strong knowledge of Early Head Start program development, the Head Start Program Performance Standards, and EHS technical assistance resources; Excellent training skills and experience providing training to a variety of audiences; Strong skills in the use of Microsoft Office products including Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher:  Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks;  Strong oral, and computer skills; Experience working in various databases; Ability to work collaboratively with individuals representing a range of backgrounds and skill levels; Ability to be flexible and adaptable to dynamic changes in the work environment; Ability to work with a team as well as independently; Strong interpersonal skills; and  ability to travel.


The Office of Head Start (OHS) promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through local programs. Head Start and Early Head Start programs support the mental, social, and emotional development of children from birth to age 5.  DANYA International Inc. is the prime contractor for the Head Start Monitoring Project, responsible for all facets of monitoring Head Start and Early Head Start programs, including recruiting reviewers, scheduling Head Start monitoring reviews and building review teams, coordinating reviews, and analyzing and producing monitoring review reports.   A Head Start Reviewer Consultant is responsible for collecting data from programs across the country. Teams of reviewers travel usually from Sunday to Friday. Activities include conducting classroom observations, reviewing documents, and interviewing staff and gathering other data using the Office of Head Start Monitoring Protocol. The Protocol measures seven areas of grantee performance and contains key indicators that are used to assess each grantee. Reviewers are required to provide their own laptop to conduct the data collection and a cell phone to communicate during reviews. Reviewers should be well versed in the Head Start performance standards and have excellent verbal and written communication skills; Excellent data gathering and analysis skills; Computer literate and proficient in Microsoft Office; Ability to work independently as well as with a team; Ability to complete work in timely manner, as determined by the Review Team Leader; Earned bachelors or advanced degree in early childhood education or child development.  Candidates must have a minimum of 3 years of experience in a Head Start, public, or private early child development program for children birth to age 5 at the local, regional or national level, State or Federal oversight of child development programs, technical assistance provider and/or other type of early child development consultant.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

Berks County IU is the grant holder for the PA Key in Pennsylvania's statewide QRIS system, Keystone STARS, Pre K Counts initiative, and the Head Start State Supplemental office.  One of the open positions currently at the PA Key that looked interesting is a PA Key Preschool Specialist which requires a Master’s degree in early education, child development or administration and a PQAS certificate preferred with a minimum of 5 years of high level work in the field of early learning and experience in partnership work and administration.  This person would provide monitoring and technical assistance to Head Start State Supplemental programs and Pre K Counts preschool programs.  A good candidate would have strong computer skills, an ability to work with an online reporting system, strong leadership, communication, and collaboration skills.

 

PennAEYC is the State Affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  PennAEYC offers professional development, advocacy support, networking, leadership, and other opportunities for early childhood professionals.  One of the most outstanding resources is the SharedSource Pennsylvania, is new initiative that provides Pennsylvania’s  early childhood professionals with cost-saving and time-saving tools, best practice resources and a shared commitment to quality improvement. Shared Source gives practitioners access to policies, forms, regulations, handbooks, guidance, savings and more.  The Executive Director of PennAEYC is a position that requires administrative and leadership skills as well as very developed communication, advocacy, and collaboration skills.

 

DANYA International Inc. is the prime contractor for the Head Start Monitoring Project, responsible for all facets of monitoring Head Start and Early Head Start programs, including recruiting reviewers, scheduling Head Start monitoring reviews and building review teams, coordinating reviews, and analyzing and producing monitoring review reports.  The Office of Head Start (OHS) promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through local programs. Head Start and Early Head Start programs support the mental, social, and emotional development of children from birth to age 5.   A Head Start Reviewer Consultant is responsible for collecting data from programs across the country. Teams of reviewers travel usually from Sunday to Friday. Activities include conducting classroom observations, reviewing documents, and interviewing staff and gathering other data using the Office of Head Start Monitoring Protocol. The Protocol measures seven areas of grantee performance and contains key indicators that are used to assess each grantee. Reviewers are required to provide their own laptop to conduct the data collection and a cell phone to communicate during reviews. Reviewers should be well versed in the Head Start performance standards and have excellent verbal and written communication skills; Excellent data gathering and analysis skills; Computer literate and proficient in Microsoft Office; Ability to work independently as well as with a team; Ability to complete work in timely manner, as determined by the Review Team Leader; Earned bachelors or advanced degree in early childhood education or child development.  Candidates must have a minimum of 3 years of experience in a Head Start, public, or private early child development program for children birth to age 5 at the local, regional or national level, State or Federal oversight of child development programs, technical assistance provider and/or other type of early child development consultant.