Recommendation

1
Recommendation 1 of the Eager to Learn
Educating our Preschoolers Report

• Each group of children in an ece and care program
  should be assigned a teacher who has a bachelors
  degree with specialized education related to
  early childhood (e.g., dev.psych, ece ecse).
  Achieving this goal will require a significant
  public investment in the professional development
  of current and new teachers.

2
States Efforts in Improving the Qualifications
of Early Care and Education Teachers Report

• Of the 42 states that offer state financed pre-k
  programs, just over half require teachers to have
  a BA in early childhood or another subject.
• Only one-fifth of the states require that
  teachers in private ece settings undergo any
  preservice training before assuming their
  positions.

3
Inservice Recommendations

• As for ongoing professional development, the
  number of training hours ranged from 3 to 24
  hours with the average being 12. The training
  sessions are not necessarily linked to classroom
  activities.

4
THE DOUBLE WHAMMY

• limited supply of staff (too few qualified)
• high staff turnover (too many leave)

5
A Training Nonsystem due to

• inconsistent requirements across states and
  program types
• disconnected training programs
• limited opportunities for professional
  advancement
• piecemeal/ fragmented (state ed. or social
  service)
• poorly financed (variety of funding streams)
• lacking in continuity across settings (impeded
  job mobility)

6
Quality Matters Report (Copple, 1990)

• Widespread agreement on
• nature of developmentally appropriate
  environments
• what early childhood staff should know how to do

7
Consensus lacking on

• minimum levels of knowledge and competence that
  ece personnel require in order to be effective
• how to develop a career development ladder based
  on
• clear articulation of staff positions across
  systems
• defined set of qualifications for each position
• how to train personnel to deal with special
  groups (homeless, HIV, non native speakers)

8
State Initiatives to Improve the Situation

• Massachusettes entry level teachers must now
  have a minimum of 3 credits in child development
  as well as 9 months of experiences
• Washington teachers must now have a minimum of
  20 hours of approved training.
• Michigan- is participating in TEACH Teacher
  Education and Compensation Helps (scholarships
  and financial incentives).

9
Forms of Regulation of Child Care and Early Ed
Programs

• Licensing
• Registration
• Administrative Standards
• NAEYC Accredidation
• Credentialing (e.g., CDA)

10
NAEYC accredited centers provide better quality
services by

• A staff with more formal education and
  specialized early childhood training
• A more developmentally appropriate environment
  with age appropriate and child initiated
  activities
• A child centered physical environment to promote
  learning

11
NAEYC accredited centers..

• Teaching staff who interact more sensitively and
  less harshly
• Stronger staff communication
• Better health and safety provisions
• Better relations with parents