The first organization that I would be very interested in joining is the Bangkok Kindergarten Volunteering Project (The Friends for Asia Project, 2015). This organization especially appeals to me as I live and work in Thailand and I would like to give back to the community that has given so much to me. I would be interested in getting involved in this program, maybe even helping with the curriculum or supporting people who would like to volunteer. As most volunteers are very young and don’t have any teaching experience. At my school, we also have a community of practice known as the Pedagogical Development Group. The pedagogical development group supports the school management team as well as the teachers by identifying and sharing best teaching practices. I would like to become part of this community of practice as I feel that most of the teaching practices and ideas that they share support the upper elementary teachers. There is a lack of teaching practices and ideas that are shared that are relevant to lower elementary and kindergarten teachers, therefore I believe that I can contribute to this community of practice.
Another organization that appeals to me is the International Parenting Network (International Parenting Network, 2018). I have attended a few of their events before and this organization provides such a good support to parents as they offer a wide range of parenting support services to parents and childcare professionals through events, seminars, and workshops. I would be interested in getting more involved and perhaps volunteer to offer a workshop on inclusion. A job opportunity that I am very interested in is becoming a program coordinator for a Head Start/Early Head Start center. For this job opportunity, I won’t need any additional education as I already have a master’s degree in educational administration. Another job opportunity that I would be interested in is a Center Director/Family Service Coordinator. For this job opportunity, I will need “knowledge of program planning and practices in infant/toddler and preschool center-based programs through knowledge of Head Start Program Performance Standards and best practices related to early childhood education” (United Nations, 2018, p. 1). Thus this can be a job opportunity that I can consider after gaining experience in being a program coordinator for a Head Start/Early Head Start center.
References
International Parenting Network. (2018). Retrieved from Smartexpat: https://smartexpat.com/thailand/bangkok/business/family/support-groups/bangkok-international-parenting-network-ipn-9253
The Friends for Asia Project. (2015). Kindergarten Volunteer – Bangkok. Retrieved from Bangkok Volunteer Projects that Make a Difference: https://www.volunteerthailand.org/bangkok/
United Nations. (2018). Center Director/Family Service Coordinator, Patterson, United States. Retrieved from unjobs.org: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1500076437780
Laying a Solid Foundation for the Early Years 
Lindie,
Wow, all of those positions and job opportunities could be quite influential in the Early Childhood Field and their respective areas of influence. Lindie, have you always worked in Thailand? If not and are able to speak on it, do you find that the difference between their education system and that in North America lies in the policies and initiatives that drive each system?
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Holly, I have only worked in Thailand, however, I work in a Swiss-German International School so, thus, we only follow the German and Swiss curriculum and policies.
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Hello Lindie,
I enjoyed reading the agencies that you are fond of. I’ve always been interested in going to another country to see how they treat childcare differently than we do here. Both places sound very interesting and wish you well on your journey of becoming a key person in the community of practice
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Thank you, Shakira!
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Lindie,
I find it so fascinating that you live and work in Thailand. It is so amazing to see and read about the organizations around the world that cater to the needs of families. The Center Director/Family Services Coordinator really appealed to me because this is an area and role I would be interested in taking on after I have obtained my degree and some experience. Families are a child’s first teacher. The earlier they are taught on how they can support their child at home the better the outcomes will be for their child.
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Lindie,
I never realized how many people from across the world are in this program. Are you from Thailand or did you decide to move there? I also find it interesting that you want to volunteer and support teachers with the best teaching practices. I believe that we need that everywhere in the world because sometimes the knowledge we gain from our degrees doesn’t always remain in our knowledge and sometimes we need a refresher. There are so many teachers here in Columbus, Ohio in the United States who could use those practices that you want to share with the teachers in Thailand.
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The international parenting network sounds like something i would also like to join. I think thats a really cool organization. It is always better for programs to work together with families.
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Lindie Denny the international parenting network sounds like a really interested organization to join in.
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