Friday, January 30, 2015

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level (Ms. Jay)


I started searching for jobs related to the field of early childhood education and the military child and family community and discovered several organizations that appealed to me. The top three are the Airman and Family Readinesss Program Manager, Child and Youth Program Director and The Military Family Life Consultants.

The first organization is considering being a part of the Airman and Family Readiness Team. According to the USA job site the Airman and Family Readiness program manager will have some of the following duties to include “providing plans for an efficient resource management program and provide maximum support of service delivery…to identify family issues that require exploration, development, and resolutions, determines appropriate methods and resources” (“USA Jobs Search jobs Airman and Family Readiness Program Manager n.d. 2015”) Some of the job opportunities currently available in this profession are located in the state of Illinois and Tennessee. I became very interested in this organization because I’m interested to know how military families are receiving support for their needs and how military members who separate or retire from the military receive supports as well. Some of the skills needed to perform this duty have 3 optional requirements to include one year experience performing previous duties, a degree leading to a PhD and several management, counseling advising and developing newsletters. I had the pleasure of speaking to one of the Airman and Family Program Managers at my current location and she provided guidance as to what her job encompasses but to remember that “each military family has a different need of a support system” (D. Rampolla 2015) and it is her job to provide resources to receive support. I liked the fact her job is flexible and impacts the lives of military families by providing information on different types of support resources. It seems she tries to and leads military members and their families in the right direction and sparked an interest to be a part of the Airman and Family Readiness Team.

The next job of interest includes a child and or youth program director for the military installation. This job description is also found on the same job site as the Airman and Family Readiness Program Manager Position. Some of the skills and experience needed to qualify for this position include a bachelor’s degree in child development, early childhood education, elementary or special education, at least 24 months of experience managing a child or youth facility. Currently these positions are available on military installations located in Germany, United Kingdom, Virginia and Japan. As I spoke to other directors within the child development community across the United States some have held these positions overseas and enjoy the travel, exposure to different cultures and the experience.

 

Lastly the Military Family Life Consultants are licensed Health Professionals The responsibility of the Military Family Life Consultants are providing child and youth behavioral counseling to children of service members located on military installations. They provide a variety of counseling to include, non-medical, training/health and wellness, consultation with parents, child and youth center, school providers as well as behavioral health issues affecting children and youth. Some of the skill requirements: a minimum of a master’s degree in clinical experience as well as a license in professional counseling. I had the pleasure of speaking to the current military and family life consultant on the military installation located in Nevada and she says some background experience with the military culture is highly recommended but not required to hold these positions. Currently jobs are available in Georgia, Virginia, Texas, California, Minnesota and Washington DC and several others across the United States. I became interested in these Military Family Life Consultants or (MFLC)because of their commitment to serve military families and upholding to confidentiality and the determination to meet the needs of the children and family. My first experience with a Military Family Life Consultant happened when I was preparing to enter military service. The Military Family Life Consultant was very helpful in providing me the right tools to succeed as I had text anxiety. Further into my experience as a Training and Curriculum Specialist at the Child Development Center on the military installation I witness the MFLC providing information to child care providers on a particular child diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and strategies on helping young her with behavior. I was amazed at how much her willingness to care for children and encourage military families with separation and employment helped the reputation of the Child Development Program.  

 

Job Links

Airman and Family Readiness Program Manager


Child and Youth Program Director


 

Military Family Life Consultant Through Magellan Health (Contracts)


1 comment:

BarbTymchak Olafson said...

Hello Jeanneth,
Thank you for sharing so many employment opportunities serving military families. As a civilian, I did not realize that there were so many local and national positions.