Transcript Early Childhood Education: Teachers, Families and

Promoting Quality
Early Childhood Education
Programs:
The Challenges and
Opportunities of Preparing ALL
Children for a Successful Future
Mark R. Ginsberg, Ph.D.
NAEYC
Washington, DC
Introduction and Goals
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NAEYC – brief overview and introduction
Critical view that the “early years are learning
years” – a “mantra” for the field and advocates for
children
Quality Matters – Key predictors of quality
Description of the recent update by NAEYC of
“developmentally appropriate practice”
Accreditation and Related Initiatives
Evolving critical issues in early childhood
education
Discussion
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NAEYC: Who and What We
Are
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Largest early childhood professional organization
in the world – nearly 90,000 members
Professional development and resources for early
childhood educators
Advocacy, policy development and “position
statements” about critical issues
Accreditation of center-based early care and
education programs and higher education
Focus on development and education of ALL
young children and families
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“The Early Years are
Learning Years”
“Early Care
IS (and must be)
Education”
ECE Today: Key and Critical
Issues that Predict Quality
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Focus on quality – an aspiration and a goal -Availability, accessibility and affordability of services
Teacher and staff qualifications and workforce challenges
Administration and management of ECE
Group size and ratio issues
Cultural and linguistic diversity and associated challenges
Attention to children with “challenging behaviors” and “special needs”
Accountability and assessment
Linkages of: ECE – School – Family – Community
Research to Practice to Policy (and back again)
Fragile economics for the ECE field (and the nation and world)
– Impact on ECE programs
– Impact on ECE training and professional development
– Impact on research
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Developmentally
Appropriate Practice
(DAP)
(Revision in Fall 2008)
Young children are born learners.
Although individual differences are
present at birth, most set out to
explore their world with unbridled
eagerness and curiosity. Perhaps,
more than any other time of life, early
childhood is a period of never ending
possibilities. (Copple & Bredekamp,
2008)
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The Context for
Developmentally Appropriate
Practice (DAP)
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Historically important construct for the ECE field
Recent advances in understanding of human
development and neuroscience (brain science)
Practice rooted in child development theory
Evolution and development of the ECE field with
advances in understanding of and practice of DAP
Historic commitment to young children and
families, and an affirmation about the importance
of the early years
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Historically Critical Concepts
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Appreciating early childhood as a unique and
valuable stage of the life cycle
Emphasis on child development research
Importance of the partnership with the family
Recognition of the importance of understanding
the child in the context of the family, community,
culture and society
Group size and ratio issues important in a practical
sense for optimal learning and linkage with quality
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2008 Statement – Builds on
Earlier Statements (1986 & 1997)
 Core
Themes of the 2008 Revision:
–Excellence and Equity
–Intentionality and Effectiveness
–Continuity and Change
–Joy and Learning
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The purpose of DAP is to …
“… promote excellence in
early childhood education…”
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DAP Requires:
Meeting young children where they are –
enabling children to reach goals that are
challenging & achievable
 Applies teaching practices that are age and
developmentally attuned to children and
responsive to social & cultural contexts
 Best practices based on knowledge and
evidence about curricula and teaching
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Comprehensive & Effective
Curricula
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Focus on ALL domains of development
Interrelationships of and sequence of ideas
– Scaffolding of ideas and concepts
– Knowing that the rate & pattern of learning is different
among children
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Learning experiences are “aligned” across the
early childhood period
– Linkage between ECE and Elementary School
programs
– Individual, family, school and community development
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Effective Curriculum
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Multiple teaching strategies
Focus is on multiple domains
Coherent and sequential
Emphasis on teacher capability and pedagogy
Assessment driven curriculum based on needs and
challenges of each child
Resources available to all children – there is no
one curriculum that is best of ALL children
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Improving Teaching & Learning
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Teacher behavior is critical & essential
Teachers are INTENTIONAL (critical for learning)
Curriculum is planned, strategic & evidence based
Teachers are well trained and participate in continuing
professional development
BOTH teacher-guided AND child-guided experiences are
vital
Play in service of learning across multiple spheres of
development
External generalization essential at home and in the
community
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Ready Schools
 School
readiness is as much
about helping schools be
READY for CHIDREN than it
is about helping CHILDREN be
READY for School
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21’St Century Learning
21’st Century Students
 21’st Century Knowledge, Skills and
Abilities
 21’st Century Pedagogy
 21’st Century Teacher Training
 21’st Century Success
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“…The 10 most frequent
jobs of 2015 haven’t yet
been invented…”
Daniels School of Business,
University of Denver
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The seed of success
are sewn early
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Important Domains for Success
 Relationships
 Development
 Innovation
 Context
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NAEYC Program
Accreditation:
The Right Choice for Kids
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NAEYC Program Accreditation
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Established in 1985
– Differentiated from higher education accreditation
Program to assure quality in center-based early care and education programs
Standards, criteria and program review processes
Currently, more than 9,000 accredited programs in US, with nearly 10,000 in
“self-study” serving 1,000,000+ children
– Many accredited and applicant programs in GA
 265 in state, 75 in ATL area
 Many more programs in process
Steps toward accreditation
– Enrollment
– Candidacy – meeting certain benchmarks
– Application – self-study process
– On-Site Visit
– Annual Reporting and random and interim visits
– Re-Accreditation process
Reinvention of program in 2006
– Review and revision of process
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– Newly revised standard and criteria
NAEYC Accreditation: A
Standard for Quality
NAEYC accredited programs have
demonstrated a commitment to providing a
high quality program for young children and
their families
 Emphasis is on the quality of interaction
among teachers and children, the
experiences of children and on the
developmental appropriateness of the
curriculum
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CHILDREN
Relationships
Curriculum
Health
Assessment of Child Progress
TEACHERS
Teaching Staff
Teaching
ADMINISTRATION
Leadership &
Management
PARTNERSHIPS
Physical
Environment
Families
Community Relationships
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Strategies and Tactics
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Use of governmental programs to incent
quality
– QRIS
16 of 18 link with NAEYC Accreditation
 20+ additional state QRIS in development
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Tax Credits
– Arkansas and Maine link a tax credit to sending
children to NAEYC Accredited programs
– LA has tax credits linked to QRIS
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Strategies and Tactics
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TEACH and other scholarship and workforce development programs
– Grants, loans and financial aid
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Professional development programs and incentives
– Professional development systems
– College of Education
– Other community linkages and partnerships
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Birth-to-five incentive grants coordinated with state early learning
councils
Linkages and strengthened relationships with public schools and
school systems
Workforce credentialing systems
– Teachers
– Administrators
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State early learning standards
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A New Administration: New
Opportunities and Challenges
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ECE, and education more generally, are priorities of the new Obama
Administration – economic issues, energy and health care are primary goals
Economic Recovery & Stimulus
– CCDBG and Head Start Funding Increases ($4.1B)
Quality
– Birth to 5 Incentive Grants
– State-Level QRIS and related quality incentive programs
– Training and professional development
– Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
– Nutrition – Child and Adult Food Program
– Re-authorization of NCLB and other federal programs
Workforce
– Higher education loan forgiveness
– TEACH
– Higher Education Opportunity Act
– Credentialing issues
– Coordination among agencies and with states
– National Commission on Early Childhood Development & Learning and new
Office of Early Learning
– FMLA
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Call to Action
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Reap national economic benefits by helping children & families thrive
– Head Start, Early Head Start, CCDBG
– Make the dependent tax credit refundable
Prevent gap from birth
– Expand early head start
– Better infant & toddler care
– Expand FMLA
– Expand Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) Part C
Help families afford and programs provide high quality development
& learning
– Double the # of children receiving subsidies
– Improve child care subsidies by requiring states to pay at no less
than 75% of market rate
– Develop statewide quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS)
– Improve professional development systems
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Call to Action
(Continued)
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Make EVERY SCHOOL a READY SCHOOL
– Enhance & strengthen professional development systems for
teachers, administrators & staff
– More widely available developmental screening
– Expand child & adult care food program
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Build a high quality ECE system
– Create a birth – 5 incentive system and QRIS
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Currently 18 state QRIS with 27 more in development
Linkage of ECE with P(K) – 12 systems
Fund state early learning advisory councils
Reinstate Child Care Bureau = Head Start in the US HHS
Establish and interagency coordination workgroup leading to a
National Council on Early Development & Learning
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Call to Action
(continued)
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Attract, educate and retain a high quality ECE workforce
– Expand Higher Education Opportunity Act program
– Programs for increased compensation & benefits for ECE staff
– Focus on workforce
Expand our knowledge and apply it
– Maintain a research center on ECE
– Make research a component of the National Council on
Development & Learning
– Continue EC longitudinal study
– Fund National Academy of Science study on the costs of quality
ECE
– Require school districts to provide more data, especially on Title 1
programs re . Comprehensiveness of programs, enrollment data
and demographics of children served
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Evolving Critical Issues in
ECE
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ECE Workforce – and enhancing knowledge, skills &
abilities
Teacher training and pedagogical practice
Credentialing
Research to and connected with practice
Curricula
Technology
Culture, language and related issues
Inclusion & special education
Early literacy and mathematics – (STEM)
Social & emotional learning and issues re. “challenging
behavior”
Standards, performance based assessment and
accountability issues
Systemic linkages
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Challenges to an effective
system of ECE
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“Workforce Matters” – preparation & professional
development, comp & benefits, prestige & respect,
retention & career advancement
Program Management – “principal” metaphor
Links with public schools
– Evolution of “P – 12”
Quality versus quantity
Community engagement and context
Resources – facilities, teaching tools
Health and safety issues
Financing – the central issue – high quality and accessible
ECE for ALL children is costly – yet a good investment
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– Principle of “social arbitrage”
A National Consensus
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Importance of education, generally
Impact of our past economic growth and current economic
downturn
World events and changing priorities
“Hurdling” toward a consensus about the integral role of
ECE – public will
Racing toward the finish line (urgency) with hurdles
(barriers) to traverse
Need for responsible advocacy and public engagement
Rhetoric needs to match actions
Change is upon us
– We must be the WIND
– We must create momentum for the SAIL
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NAEYC Web Site
www.naeyc.org
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Summary
and
Discussion
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