My goals for the future continue to be shaped and influenced by each interaction in early childhood. I know where I want to be and in so I will be reaching out to communities of practice where I can learn and grow with. Childcare Resources is a place that came into fruition because of the impacts of the early applications. Their vision “The vision of the Childcare Resources School is to create a community hub for high quality learning experiences” (ChildCareResources.org, Vision), is what I feel in my heart. Economic disadvantages should not be the reason that a child is denied the opportunity to engage, learn and explore. This community offers opportunities for professional development and volunteer opportunities, continued education credits and accreditation. Most importantly for me, the information available to become a coach, and further develop communication skills that facilitate communities of practice.
The second community of practice will include the ecological component of my vision. KidsGardening.Org has been impacting the lives of children and families since 1982. The organization provides books and curricula, lesson plans, activity suggestions, as well as providing assistance with the design and consideration for accessibility. In addition the organization, the organization is supported by a host of experts that can help with the specific considerations in this child learning environment. Most befitting to my future endeavors, Kidsgardening.org, backed by its sponsors, offer grant opportunities, and educational support for creating and sustaining gardening programs in early childhood care environments outside of the classroom and in the community (https://kidsgardening.org/kids-garden-community/).
There are two other communities of practice that pertain to the general component for anti-bias education. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (https://www.naeyc.org/our-work) supports the goals for anti-bias education and is the perfect place for me to stay current with research based articles, events, professional development. Likewise, membership with American Psychological Association will keep me up to date with the practices, competencies and ethical considerations for practice.
Gremi's Garden 
It is always good to follow your heart. Each of the organizations chosen for your research is a great opportunity for you to expand your knowledge. The opportunity for volunteering, professional development, and accreditation is crucial. Continue to strive, became a voice, create, and collaborate with organizations that will guide you to making child learning and development effective.
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Thank you for sharing!
I really enjoyed reading the resources you provided. The Kids Gardening one looks really interesting!
My question for the capstone is in regards to outdoor play, so I can utilize this link for my own assignment. Thank you!
I also wrote about NAEYC, and I use them often. How did you come across NAEYC? When I was in my undergrad we were trained to use NAEYC standards, this is where I learned more about NAEYC and its useful resources.
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Thanks for asking. I have been in the mental health field, and doing my Master is early childhood education seemed fitting to my personal goals. The most of the resources came right from this program.
As for gardening, you can sign up for monthly activities for free. It has been very useful to me in my small capacity.
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