In researching some of the communities of practice that were recommended to me by a colleague, I came across a job opportunity with the Hand in Hand Parenting organization. This organization works with families to help educate parents on any questions that they might have, about raising their child(ren). "Hand in Hand Parenting
is an organization dedicated to transforming parenting through providing support, resources, and training to parents from all backgrounds and economic circumstances. For 25 years, our cutting edge yet adaptable approach, Parenting by Connection, has given parents practical tools to resolve universal family challenges" (Hand in Hand, 2014). They currently have an Executive Director position available, with the job skills requiring:
- Success in fund raising, totaling over $1 million dollars a year
- 7 Years of leadership experience
- Strong financial and operations management experience
This job was intriguing for me, because of the work that they do with families. This job requires a lot of experience in fundraising, which I am impressed that they put an amount of what they would like to see from their job candidates.
The second organization that I looked into was Amma Parenting Center. It is an organization that partners with the local hospital, March of Dimes, and a local toy store. What this organization does, is offer hospital classes to expectant mothers to ease the transition from pregnancy, to birth. I was very interested in their website, and was excited about what they currently offer to parents. In conducting further investigation they also offer classes to fathers, and a lactation support class (Amma Parenting Center, n.d.).
The only current job opening that they have is for an Infant CPR Instructor. There were no specific qualifications that were listed with the posting, there was just an email to use to contact an individual if you were interested in the position. This company sounds very enlightening to work for, and am curious to see what job openings they will have in the future,
The Office of Women's Health was informative as well. I like the way that the information is presented and offered to women. Not only do they offer information to pregnant women, but also to teenagers, and women that are looking to get pregnant. There is informational resources on everything from an ovulation prediction calendar, to a printout question sheet for your babysitter. I like that there is a broader listing of information that is available to women (Office of Women's Health, 2014).
There are not any job postings that are available through their website, but there are links to opportunities for internships. Participants on different educational journeys are encouraged to apply for an internship with the company. Once they have completed their degree, and have completed their internship, there are opportunities for a permanent placement (Office of Women's Health, 2014).
Researching these different organizations gave me more ideas on how I can expand my current CoP, and what information is currently out there, and what additional resources I feel are necessary that are not out there. I am happy that I have looked outside my current CoP and found other opportunities that are out there, that I can benefit from their current knowledge on my challenge.
References
Amma Parenting Center. (n.d.). Programs. Retrieved from Amma Parenting Center: http://ammaparentingcenter.com
Hand in Hand. (2014). Executive Director of hand in hand parenting. Retrieved from Hand in Hand Nurturing the Parent-Child Connection: http://www.handinhandparenting.org
Office of Women's Health. (2014, January 13). About Us. Retrieved from Office of Women's Health: http://www.womenshealth.gov
Jessy, I wanted to respond to a wise insight that you shared at the end of your post. I completely agree about the tremendous value in researching early childhood organizations and roles. I too was pleased to discover other resources by taking the time to explore the full reaches of the early care and education community on a national scale. Exchanging ideas with colleagues has been incredibly beneficial, and our online community of practice has been helpful in more ways that I even anticipated originally.
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI think that you have chosen some amazing organizations to share with us. I have not heard of these associations, but would like to include them into my repertoire of resources that I share with families. You have really focused your efforts on identifying organizations that can help new parents and families. There are so many products, books, websites, and other information out there for how to parent, that it is difficult for parents to figure out what is relevant, appropriate, and useful for them to use. It can be frustrating. I am glad that there are groups out there that families can turn to for parenting help. Thanks for your post.
Sharon
I like how you include the Office for Women's Health. Early childhood begins with assisting our pregnant mothers too! The information is valuable and great resources for our parents (and teachers).
ReplyDeleteJessica,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! I think you chose 3 incredible organizations. I heard of the first two, but not the last one. After visiting the sites, I think each one would be beneficial to your particular CoP. I think that this assignment has helped all of us by allowing us to share with one another other possibilities for our CoPs.
Ashley T.
Jessica, You chose three great organizations. I enjoyed reading about the Office of Women's Health. I feel with organizations like this we can create our CoP and have endless possibilities with achieving our challenges. I like the Hand and Hand Program. Parents need organizations such as these to have the knowledge and stay in the loop with what is going on and the latest trend in their child's learning and growth. Thanks for sharing. - Brittany
ReplyDeleteJessica,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. I have to admit that I was not familiar with any of the organizations that you included so it was great to learn about them. I found this blog assignment very interesting. It has been very informative to see and read about the organizations that everyone has found to be helpful in their assignments.