I have worked in the early education
field for over 15 years and most of that time has been for a state funded
program. Recently I had the pleasure of working on a grant that was for
expanding access to full day preschool. I am proud to say that the agency that
I work for scored very high on the grant application and we have just received
all of the additional funding that was proposed. Working on this grant showed
me that even though I help my supervisor out a lot with things she has to do, I
really do not know much about how to go about getting funding or how the many
different systems of our funded programs work.
One goal that will assist me in
becoming more effective and to qualify as a program manager is to learn more
about how the systems of funding work from the administration point of view. This
will give me the knowledge that I will need to understand what funding sources look
for in programs before and after giving them funding. It also will allow me to
learn more of the operational system of a non-profit agency which will help me
understand when and if I decide to start a non-profit.
Goal number two is to learn how
teacher trainings can be geared more towards the need of not only he staff but
of families that are served by non-profit agencies. This would include how
teachers interact with families that are from different cultures than their own
and how they can increase parental involvement in the program.
Goal number three is to gain
experience as a program manager so that one day I can run a complete program
and not just one child care center. My current course Dynamics of Early
Childhood Policies and Systems will help me to develop my understand of all of
the complex systems that make up a child development program, this includes not
only the children but also their families and their teachers.
