Non-Profit Strengthens Early Childhood Education By Credentialing Staff Members Across The U.S.

• As families begin the exciting time of starting the new school year, the public focus is often on older children.  But millions of children from birth through age 5 are also headed back to their child care and preschool programs. Across America there is growing conversation about how to “professionalize” the two million staff members who educate and care for these young children, who are too often woefully underpaid, work very long hours, and are trying to meet increasing educational standards.
• As the leading credentialing organization for these staff members, The Council for Professional Recognition is starting a conversation about the need for more respect and equity for early childhood educators, and to acknowledge the field’s strengths while doing the hard work to enhance competence.

Early childhood teacher education should include the essentials:

• Multiple sources of evidence about teacher competence – think classroom and working directly with young children in a specific educational setting. The CDA requires 480 hours of work experience, a professional portfolio and observation of a teacher’s classroom interaction with young children;
• Family engagement – teaching early childhood educators how to partner with parents, help them extend learning opportunities by embracing small, but important lessons at home or in the car;
• Academic training – 120 hours of professional education in early childhood development; and
• Career Pathways – early childhood education needs to be recognized as a profession. Early childhood educators.