early childhood and you

Your Final Project for this course will be based on your learning from all five weeks of this course. As with each of your assignments these last 5 weeks, the Final Project serves a purpose. This project will help you have a better understanding of who you are as an early childhood professional, or who you want to become. It pulls together everything you have learned over the last five weeks and unites it with your personality and beliefs.

To prepare for this assignment, use the ECE 101 Final Project Checklist to guide you through the Final Project.

You will submit your Final Project as either a six- to eight-page Word document or as a 10- to 12-slide PowerPoint presentation. In your assignment,

• Summarize the interview(FOUND BELOW) you conducted in Week 4. Include an analysis of information you collected and how it impacted your understanding of the professional field of early childhood education.
  • Do not include your transcript from Week 4; rather, summarize the key points of the interview.
• Identify at least one key issue or trend in early childhood programs.
  • Explain how it impacts the education of young children.
• Analyze the instructional approach/model that best matches your personal educational belief.
  • Analyze how that approach contributes to quality programming for young children.
• Describe the instructional theory that best matches your personal educational belief.
  • Describe how that theory contributes to quality programming for young children.
• Discuss how your knowledge of the developmental domains of early childhood influences your ability to adhere to developmentally appropriate practices.
• Devise a plan for including families into their child’s education.
  • Defend how your plan will benefit children, families, and yourself as an educator.
• Explain your plans, at this point, for your future in early childhood education.
  • Include the additional qualifications and competencies you will need to acquire in order to qualify for a career in the field of early childhood education.

Your Early Childhood and You! Final Project

• Must be six to eight double-spaced pages or 10 to 12 slides in length if doing a PowerPoint presentation (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style.
• Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must use at least three scholarly resources in addition to the course text.
  • The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
• Must document any information used from sources in APA style .
• Must include a separate references page or slide that is formatted according to APA style .

INTERVIEW

My name is xxxx , I will be interviewing Emily whose current role is Director of a daycare center. I’m very excited to interview Emily, to gain insight of her background, daily activities and education.

Emily has worked in the early childhood education for ten years now, she started off as a elementary school teacher, teaching second grade and then she took the opportunity to become a Director when it opened up. Emily says that she made the career switch to help her with her own children as they were able to go to work with her and it helped her with her own childcare needs. Emily currently has a Bachelors degree and is almost finished with her Masters degree.

Some job-related skills that Emily says is necessary would be that you must be kind, warm and love children. It is beneficial to have a good personality to deal with parents as well as be open-minded.

A typical day would be greeting parents upon drop off, ask questions regarding the child’s night and if there is anything that we need to know for the day. She also speaks with staff to make sure they have everything they need to run a smooth day. Any paper work that may need to be done during the day she also works on. She manages the staff and children’s schedules, as well as financials.

As far as professional development staff are required to complete 15 hours of training within the first 6 months of employment and 30 hours within 2 years of employment.

Emily gets families involved by sending out curriculum calendars every month and they have special days of the week where parents are allowed to come in and be guest readers or volunteer to help with parties.

Emily said that she believes being caring and eager to help others is an important trait that someone seeking a professional career in early childhood education.

Being with children and helping them grow is what Emily likes most about her job.

Emily wishes she would have realized sooner that you cannot make everyone happy no matter what you do, it’s not you its them. Sometimes no matter what you do, its never good enough for others. If you know in your mind and heart that you have done everything to the best of your ability and give it your all, then your conscience will be clear.

As far as how Emily sees the early childhood education growing and changing, she feels that technology is going to be taking over more and more and personal interaction is going to diminish.

Emily advice she would give someone who is just getting started in the early childhood field would be to tell them to try and do some volunteer work with children and make sure that this is a field you want to get into. Be open minded and do not let all the “politics” of education get in the way.

By conducting this interview with Emily, I feel she has helped me get an insight of being a Director and working with staff, parents and children.It was very helpful and insightful.

Questions asked at interview below:

• What is your current role?
• How long have you worked in the field of early childhood education?
• What educational background do you need to be considered for your position?
• What competencies or job related skills are necessary in your job?
• Can you describe a typical day on the job?
• What kind of professional development are you required to complete?
• How do you get families involved?
• What do you believe are the most important traits or dispositions for someone who is seeking a professional career in early childhood education?
• What do you like most about your job?
• What do you know now that you wish you had known when you started your career in early childhood education?
• How do you see the field of early childhood education growing or changing?
• What advice would you give someone who is just getting started in this field?