The three organizations I choose to explore that drew my interest are: The Children Defense Fund, The National Head Start, Association, and Save the Children. I selected these organization and would love to work either one them because we share the same goals; which are to defeat poverty, touch, impact, and serve the lives of children and their families; ensuring them with a bright future as they deserve.
The National Head Start Association vision is to lead – to be the untiring voice that will not be quiet until every vulnerable child is served with the Head Start model of support for the whole child, the family and the community – and to advocate – to work diligently for policy and institutional changes that ensure all vulnerable children and families have what they need to succeed. NHSA’s mission is to coalesce, inspire, and support the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education (NHSA, 2015).
The Children’s Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective and independent voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby or speak for themselves. They pay particular attention to the needs of poor children, children of color and those with disabilities (CDF, 2015).
Save the Children invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. Since 1919, Save the Children has been fighting for children’s rights, saving their lives and providing hope for brighter futures (Save the Children, 2015).
Career Opportunities:
The Children’s Defense Fund National/ Title: National Director of Education Initiatives
Responsibilities:
- Oversee federal and foundation grants and initiatives related to school transformation in the areas of academic/student achievement, teacher development, and school discipline.
- Develop professional development protocols to train teachers and related school staff in Freedom Schools engagement strategies and pedagogy.
- Develop evaluation protocols that measure the impact of curriculum, instruction, assessment, school discipline and school related practices on school staff and Freedom Schools scholars.
- Provide ongoing support and feedback to bolster school transformation efforts.
- Serve as a thought leader for the Freedom Schools advisory committee.
- Serve as a spokesperson and advisor in the CDF Freedom Schools expansion efforts with school districts, nonprofits, government agencies, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and other colleges and universities.
- Collaborate with CDF regional and state office Freedom Schools efforts. Demonstrate an interest and commitment to advocacy and social justice projects aimed at improving the quality of life for children living in poverty, children of color and children with disabilities.
- Engage the public and other entities such as faith communities, elected officials, civil rights leaders, community leaders, governmental and nonprofit agencies related to the mission and vision of CDF’s Black Community Crusade for Children (BCCC) and Freedom Schools through forums, presentations and conferences.
Qualifications:
- Master’s degree preferred with at least 5 years’ experience in one or more of the following:classroom teaching, educational administration and supervision,leading educational and/or educational youth development, professional experience in a school or university workplace, and particular experience working with low-income communities and children of color;
- Demonstrated successful experience implementing and managing federal educational grants, including screening and supervising staff and overseeing budgetary expenditures, as well as completing required grant reporting.
- Ability to successfully interact with and collaborate between and among a variety of educational professionals at the Pre-K -12, as well as higher education levels;
- Must be a strategic thinker with demonstrated management and leadership skills;
- Gifted in networking and organizing diverse groups around a common agenda;
- Experience in planning and implementing training programs;
- Strong human relations and interpersonal skills;
- Ability to support and collaborate with colleagues in addressing organization-wide goals;
Save the Children/ Title: Roving Communications Manager – Child Refugee Crisis
The role
The Roving Communications Manager will spend the majority of their time deployed to countries in the MEE region where refugees are transiting on their way to Europe. The role of the deployee is to deliver vital communication products that enable excellent media and fundraising activities for Members and across Save the Children international. The Communications Manager will prepare outputs such as case studies, blogs and key messages; help to build a media profile and gather powerful communications materials, ensuring that Save the Children is able to provide compelling products about the situation for refugee children who are migrating to Europe. In many circumstances, the post-holder will also be expected to mentor and/or capacity build existing country programme staff. In this role, the post holder should be able to move projects forward with limited in-country support.
Qualifications and experience
Essential:
- Significant experience of working overseas in communications for humanitarian programmes
- Masters Education in a relevant subject or equivalent field experience
- Experience of leading communication activities in a challenging environment
- Ability to deliver high-quality photographs and case studies from affected communities
- Evidence of excellent verbal and written communication skills for a wide range of different audiences including donors, journalists and the ‘general public’.
- Experience of effective spokespersoning across a range of media
- Excellent relationship building skills in order to work for limited periods within programmes under pressure of running emergency responses
- An initiative-taking, proactive, inspiring attitude with the ability to manage and prioritise an unpredictable workload and solve problems quickly with limited support
- Experience of delivering training, presentations and other capacity building activities to varied audiences, ideally within a country programme.
- Excellent IT skills, especially in Microsoft Word
- Excellent understanding of ‘head office’ communication and information needs across fundraising, media and campaigning activities.
- Strong influencing skills
The National Head Start Association/ Title: Early Childhood Education Program Specialist
Under direct supervision, this position will coordinate and monitor the implementation of the Head Start and Early Head Start Performance Standards for assigned centers and assigned program options.
I was not able to review the qualifications for these positions without being an active member.
References:
The Children’s Defense Fund. (2015).
Retrieved from http://www.nhsa.org/
The National Head Start Association. (2015).
Retrieved from http://www.nhsa.org/our-work/professional-development/careers
Save the Children. (2015).
Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6226565/k.BFEA/Working_at_Save_the_Children.htm
trinisha gross 