Organizations I would like to join and a job I would like to apply to

First I would like to say that I joined http://marylandlearninglinks.org to broaden my COP. I would really like to expand my role in the community as an educator and a advocate for children. While on the site I found this site and spent a ton of time just going through blogs of other teachers, trainers, mentors. Under the Family and Community section it had a piece on the Special Education State Advisory Committee. “ The SESAC members represent family members of children with disabilities, advocates, teachers, administrators and other agency representatives. Members of the SESAC meets four times a year to advise and assist the Division of Special Education/ Early intervention services in planning and improving the delivery of special education and related services.”(SESAC)

The Maryland Credentialing Branch. “ The Maryland Child Care Credential Program is a voluntary program that recognizes child care providers who go beyond the requirements of State licensing and registration regulations.” ( Maryland State Department of Education,nd) I have belonged to this group for several years and enjoy the benefits every so often for going above and beyond.

I also happened to stumble across mdaeyc. I was impressed with this organization because of the newsletter that they provided to give early childhood educators updates on the government shutdown and how this effects early childhood. This is the site in case anyone is interested http://www.mdaeyc.org/. I actually wrote to them because of this class and asked if there was a local chapter in my area and how I could be part of this.

The job market is tough for me. I live in a small town and the big cities are each an hour a way. I was looking at being a Library Associate in the childrens section though. These are the requirements “Bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university

• Minimum 1 year of work experience and/or classroom training in working with children aged birth to grade 5
• Minimum 1 year of customer service work experience
• Ability to obtain & maintain  Library Associate certification from the Maryland State Department of Education, plus willingness and ability to attend training sessions as applicable
• Working knowledge of children’s literature, early childhood literacy, and reading interests
• Working knowledge of research techniques and available research materials as well as general reader's interest, authors, books and other formats of library materials
• Knowledge of public library practices and procedures
• Strong and effective spoken and written (English) communication skills, including public speaking skills
• Ability to effectively access and utilize FCPL's computerized systems and the Internet, and ability to effectively provide related instruction for customers and staff
• Ability to effectively organize work, determine priorities, make decisions and complete assigned duties with minimal supervision
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with customers, co-workers and the general public, with particular skill in working with children aged birth to grade 5
• Physical requirements include the ability to lift and carry FCPL materials weighing up to approximately 40 pounds” (FrederickCountyGovermentMaryland, n.d) I don't have enough confidence to go for some of these things though.
  

References

Maryland Learning Links (ND) SESAC retrieved from http://marylandlearninglinks.org

Maryland State Department of Education (nd) Credentialing Branch received from http://www.marylandpublicschools.org

Frederick County government Jobs (nd) retrieved from http://frederickcountymd.gov