One local organization I would like to involve myself with is the South Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children, found at http://www.scaeyc.org/. They are a community of practice because they involve all stakeholders in South Carolina regarding the education of young children birth through age 8 in an effort to provide the most quality early childhood programs and to promote the value of the early years. They do not currently have any job openings since members of the board are elected, but there are several jobs in my area of South Carolina that would put me in leadership roles so that I could enter these organizations with my own trainees and experience in leadership roles. One of these jobs is for a childcare director in Greenville, South Carolina, and some of their job requirements include having excellent customer service skills and valid South Carolina credentials. This job did not list a lot of dispositions or skills they hoped to see in applicants, so I continued to look for jobs that had more information about what qualities they were seeking. I found a job in Greenwood South Carolina seeking a clinical supervisor that would oversee people in families homes. Some of the skills they want are great interpersonal and organizational skills, cultural sensitivity, and leadership capabilities. Though this job does not directly place me in a community of practice, it opens a lot of doors for me to communicate with peers from other disciplines which can then form informal communities of practice where we can learn from one another and work toward a shared vision.
The second organization I chose as a relevant community of practice to my work is the SCECA or the South Carolina Early Childhood Association (their website is found at http://www.sceca.org/). Their efforts are more directed at preschool children, but still cover all children from birth to age 8 in South Carolina with a similar mission to the SCAEYC.
A final route for me to enter into a strong community of practice is though early intervention. When I was interning in an early intervention program during my undergraduate studies, I witnessed the way the professionals at the community service agency worked together and shared their disciplines with one another. I think any early intervention program would have a strong potential for a community of practice since early intervention has really emphasized multidisciplinary teams where members must work together to meet the needs of every child and family. In Florence, South Carolina, there is an early childhood job posted, and the qualifications include a passion for helping
families and children with developmental delays, being organized, and having time-management skills. It seems as though these kinds of jobs really want someone with a passion, dedication, leadership skills, and organizational skills. These are also skills that work well when someone is involved in a community of practice.