Communities of Practice

Three organizations that appeal to my passion for early childhood social-emotional development include: Voices for Georgia's Children, the Georgia Association for the Education of Young Children, and the Easter Seals of North Georgia.  Each group is dedicated to the health, safety, education, and well-being of children, and each group strongly identifies social-emotional development as a major contributor to a child's overall healthy development and life success.

Voices for Georgia's Children describes a vision/mission of "promo(ing) equity, quality, and accessibility in systems created to serve children’s needs.  Our work advances policies and implementation actions that ensure the best possible outcomes for children.  Voices’ vision is that all children in Georgia will thrive because they are safe, healthy, educated, connected to family and community, and prepared to be productive and responsible citizens.". They maintain four strategic areas, the second of which is  to "increase the availability of quality out-of-school time opportunities and promote the social and emotional development of children". This strategic area, along with the overall mission of the group, resonates strongly with my own concerns and passions for fostering social-emotional and empathy development in young children. The group is multidisciplinary and maintains relationships with "public officials, advocates, and policy experts at all levels of government". Voices is currently seeking a Communications Manager. This role is "charged with using a variety of communication channels to promote the organization’s priorities and will play a significant role in implementing the organization’s overall communications strategy". Ideal candidates will posses strong multi-modal communication skills, and "thrive in a fast paced environment". While my communication skills are strong, in order to be considered for this position, I would want to increase my web and social media skills, as my experiences with these are primarily personal, and not professional.

The Georgia Association for the Education of Young Children is an affiliate of the NAEYC and "supports the education and development of Georgia’s young children ages birth – 8". Most appealing was a link that I found to a past event: GAEYC Infant-Toddler Super Saturday. The event is described as "Are you an infant-toddler teacher looking for new ideas to support children’s social-emotional development and guide their behavior?" Y.E.S. If only it hadn't already occurred! However, based on the fact that this type of event is sponsored by the group, I feel that this would be a strong community of practice to be involved in. Strengthening Georgia Families is a multidisciplinary partnership administered by the GAEYC and aims to strengthen children and families through specific domains related to parenting and social-emotional skill development of young children. While no employment opportunities are currently listed for either group, multiple opportunities for volunteering exist and range from short term conference helpers to longer term board membership.


Easter Seals of North Georgia has an Early Childhood Social/Emotional Development Program which "target(s) children ages three to five who exhibit aggressive behavior, need additional support in developing pro-social skills or are considered “at risk” due to exposure to a number of demographic risk factors". The program is based in a "comprehensive curriculum designed to promote social competence and prevent, reduce and treat aggression and related conduct problems in young children". The organization currently lists multiple opportunities for employment as Lead Teachers, Family Support Advocates, Head Start Teachers, and Physical, Speech, and Occupational Therapists. In addition, the agency is seeking a Special Instructor/Early Interventionist for their Babies Can't Wait program aimed at supporting the healthy development and well-being of children with developmental delays and disabilities. With a background in both Mental Health Counseling and Early Childhood Studies, this may be an ideal position, enabling me to work directly with families and children in developing strong family bonds, the precursor to healthy social-emotional development.