Exploring Roles in ECE Community: Local and State Levels

When I first obtained my bachelor degree in psychology I had hopes of becoming a school social worker. I had always wanted to work in the public school system because they offer great benefits and they salary is to my standards. 

Community High School District 218
School Social worker

Skills and experience required:

• Illinois Professional Educator License or Social Worker Endorsement National Certification Desirable
• Experience providing crisis interventions, individual and group counseling for young adults with a wide range of disabilities
• Experience writing behavior intervention plans
• Experience collaborating with support staff (i.e. Speech Pathologist, BCBAs) in developing academic or behavioral intervention plans for students
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent collaboration skills: be able to work as part of a school team
• Experience with case management responsibilities
• Experience as an LEA running domain meetings, annual reviews and IEP meetings
• A strong knowledge base regarding adult community services for individuals with disabilities
• Experience choosing, giving and scoring a multitude of assessment tools
• Experience working with teachers in a Professional Learning Community

Since I did not obtain my license for becoming a school social worker because I had started working in the early childhood field, I decided that I wanted to be a coordinator. I have been a family support for 10 years and I feel that I have the experience and knowledge to become a family support coordinator. 

SGA Youth & Family Services

Family Support Coordinator

Skills and experience required:

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology or in a related field.
• Experience working with families in an Early & Head Start or family support programs.
• Knowledge of adult and adolescent learning styles, home visiting, & ability to engage at risk families.
• At least three years supervision/administration experience.
• Bilingual/Bicultural in English and Spanish preferred.
• Displays sensitivity and responsiveness to cultural differences in service population.

I wanted to work for the government because of the great pay and benefits the job offered. It is difficult to obtain a government job unless someone refer you for the position that you are interested in. I have taken many test for different government positions and I passed all of them. I did not get chosen for any of the positions I applied for. 

United States Department of Labor

Unemployment Insurance Program Specialist

Skills and experience required:

• Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-12, in the Federal Service.
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• Specialized experience is defined as experience:
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• -interpreting Unemployment Insurance (UI) legislation and/or Trade Adjustment Assistance policies, programs, and regulations
• -providing authoritative advice on UI and/or Trade program requirements to officials of Federal or State agencies
• -assessing UI and/or Trade program for accuracy, quality and conformity with Federal requirements
• -participating in special reviews and evaluations of UI benefit and tax systems functions and activities designed to enhance UI program integrity, performance, or quality to improve services to claimants and employers.
• -Working collaboratively and maintaining cooperative relationships with officials in federal, state, and local government agencies and public entities
• There is no education substitution for this position.
• Applicants must meet time-in-grade, time-after-competitive-appointment and qualifications requirements within 30 calendar days after the closing date of the vacancy to be eligible for consideration for selection. Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.