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Learning Resources

Required Resources

• Course Text: Early Childhood Education Today

• • “Pathways to Professional Development,” pp. 19–23

• Web Site: Vocational Information Center: Early Childcare and Education Career Guide
  http://www.khake.com/page15.html

  Scan the titles listed under Child Care and Education Career Descriptions. Click the links to review at least five positions of interest to you. Note that the Web site below may be accessed from this site by clicking Careers with Children (eighth line in the first column).

• Web Site: Personnel Improvement Center: Career Development
  http://www.personnelcenter.org/choose.cfm

  Review the following professions:

• • Art Therapist: http://www.personnelcenter.org/art_ther.cfm
  • Early Childhood Special Educator: http://www.personnelcenter.org/ear_chil.cfm
  • Educational Audiologist: http://www.personnelcenter.org/audiologist.cfm
  • Occupational Therapist: http://www.personnelcenter.org/occ_ther.cfm

• Web Site: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008 – 09 Edition
  http://www.bls.gov/ooh/

• • Teachers – Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Education-Training-and-Library/Kindergarten-and-elementary-school-teachers.htm (Focus on information about preschool and kindergarten teachers.)
  • Education Administrators: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Management/Elementary-middle-and-high-school-principals.htm (Focus on information on preschool and child care administrators.)
  • Child Care Workers: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Personal-Care-and-Service/Childcare-workers.htm
  • Social Workers: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Community-and-Social-Service/Social-workers.htm (Focus on information on child, family, and school social workers.)

Note: The following two resources are for this week’s Application:

• Web Site: NAEYC Early Childhood Career Forum
  http://careerforum.naeyc.org/jobs
  
• Web Site: Child Care Exchange: Employment Opportunities
  http://www.childcareexchange.com/jobs/

Optional Resources

• Web Article: Trends in Education and Care
  http://www.childcareexchange.com/resources/view_article.php?article_id=5017112

• Web Site: National Training Institute for Child Care Health Consultants
  http://nti.unc.edu/about_us.htm

• Web Site: McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership
  http://cecl.nl.edu/

  Web Site: Youth Consultation Service (YCS) Institute for Infant and Preschool Mental Health
  http://www.ycs.org/

Sharing Career Explorations with Colleagues

By sharing and discussing the results of your career explorations with your colleagues, you can expand your awareness of career opportunities and learn from others’ research and insights.

Click on the Doc Sharing tab and read at least three of your colleagues’ Positions in the Early Childhood Field Career Exploration Sheets. As you read, consider the following questions:

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• What insights can you gain from your colleagues’ job selections?
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• Are you prompted to reconsider a choice you made based on a colleague’s choice? If so, why?

By Day 4:

Post a response to the following with your colleagues’ career exploration sheets and your own thoughts in mind:

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• Compare and contrast the positions you researched with those you learned about from reading your colleagues’ exploration sheets. Describe specific conclusions you reached, insights you gained, or changes in your perspective you experienced as a result of considering other students’ job selections and reasoning.
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• Based on the positions you read about, summarize your thoughts – including new knowledge and insights you gained – with regard to career opportunities in the early childhood field. Explain at least one goal you would set for yourself to help maximize your future career options.