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Since the end of the Sputnik era, our nation has lacked the urgency to make education a national priority—until now. Global competition for human talent and innovation, long-standing educational achievement gaps, low high school graduation rates, and the pending retirement of 77 million baby boomers have placed tremendous workforce pressures on American business. These pressures, if not checked, will jeopardize our national economic security and the viability of the American dream. Because the business community understands the importance of having…

The expansion of state-funded prekindergarten programs and a new federal Preschool for All initiative (www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/early-childhood) to expand access to early childhood education to all Americans have led to renewed discussions about early childhood teacher qualifications, current career pathways, and related degree programs. What investments and models can increase the number of early childhood teachers who hold bachelor degrees? What strategies and policies will support degree completion and transfer for a diverse early childhood workforce? Read more here.

In April 2015, the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council of the National Academies released a report, entitled “Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation,” asking the question: How can the science of children’s health, learning and development inform how the workforce supports children from birth through age 8? The report highlighted a number of key messages, chief among them was the notion that the “adults who provide care and education of children birth…

Programs and policymakers face numerous challenges as they develop and implement professional development strategies for the early childhood workforce. The field lacks consistent standards and requirements for professional preparation, and, as a result, low levels of education and a minimum of specialized training in early childhood education are the norm. Less than one-third of the institutions of higher education offering two- and four-year degrees have programs in early childhood education, and those programs that exist must address the needs of…

Professional preparation and ongoing professional development (PD) for the early childhood education workforce is essential to providing high-quality services to children and families. Consistent terminology and definitions related to PD methods, roles, knowledge, and capabilities have emerged as a critical issue for the early education field. Recently, states have experienced new early childhood education system challenges and needs related to training and technical assistance (TA). The urgency of these issues grows, particularly as states increase their focus and work on…

Though one method of PD delivery is generally predominant in a given situation, training, technical assistance and education frequently overlap. All three of these may be organized and sponsored by institutions of higher education. College and university instructors may be engaged in delivery of all three types of PD. Many college students are already working in the field and may be participating in training or TA as part of or parallel to degree completion. For example, all teacher education programs…

The development of an early childhood system, both in states and communities, is an exciting venture, requiring coordination among people and programs from many disciplines and organizations, including community stakeholders who do not have a professional role related to children and families. Supporting Children Through Community-Based Coalitions is a guide to support newly forming community coalitions in their work. The guide explores: why coalitions are important to impacting change; what coalitions need to be successful; how to get started; and…

The Departments of Health and Human Services and Education have partnered to launch Birth to 5: Watch Me Thrive!, a coordinated effort to encourage developmental and behavioral screening and support for children, families, and the providers who care for them.  Birth to Five: Watch Me Thrive! will bring communities together around four core missions: Celebrating developmental milestones Promoting universal developmental and behavioral screening Identifying possible delays early Enhancing developmental support for families The Importance of Developmental and Behavioral Screening As…

Available in either English or Spanish, Healthy HomeStyles helps parents you work with raise happier, healthier, and safer kids.

Published in March 2014 with support from the Heising-Simons Foundation, this policy report explores the perspectives of nationally recognized experts in the field of mathematics and early care and education about three main issues: The knowledge and competencies that practitioners need in order to teach mathematics to young children; Effective strategies for educating practitioners to support young children’s mathematical development; and The challenges and successes that these experts have experienced in math-related ECE workforce development efforts Read the report here.