Ohio Professional Development Network James Scott Head Start State Collaboration Director Ohio Department of Education

1. Ohio Professional Development NetworkJames ScottHead Start State Collaboration Director Ohio Department of Education

2. Ohio Professional Development Network (OPDN) What is It? A collaboration of early childhood and afterschool professionals and partner agencies and organizations at the state and local levels. Members work together to: Support the creation of a comprehensive professional development system Advance the status of early childhood and afterschool professionals

3. History Formulated in the early 1990’s by early childhood professionals and organizations Initially, the collective work was led by the Head Start Collaboration Office, the Early Childhood Coordinating Committee and Ohio Family and Children First Vision: A comprehensive, coordinated and accessible professional development system for early childhood professionals

4. OPDN Subsequent work has been led and supported by: Build Ohio Head Start State Collaboration Office Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association (OCCRRA) Ohio Department of Education (ODE), Office of Early Learning and School Readiness Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), Bureau of Child Care and Development Ohio Family and Children First Quality Network (QNET)

5. Membership Early childhood and afterschool professionals Advocacy organizations Early care and education programs Head Start Higher education Professional development organizations State associations State government

6. Primary Activities Meeting regularly with network members to develop work plans, share information, learn about national and state initiatives and conduct specific committee work in small groups Convening stakeholders to research and design specific components of the professional development system

7. Primary Activities Sponsoring a listserv to share information Developing and maintaining the ODPN Web site www.ohpdnetwork.org Designing and implementing a professional registry

8. Ohio’s Key Professional Development System Components Core Knowledge Career Pathways Professional Registry Training and trainer approval process Coordinated regional information (training) Specialized credentials and certificates Leadership development and mentoring Compensation and benefits initiatives

9. Organization Serves as the Professional Development Work Group of Build Ohio Co-chaired by ODE Head Start State Collaboration Office, OCCRRA, and ODJFS Bureau of Child Care and Development Supported by OCCRRA staff

10. Organization Three committees function to research and design specific components of a professional development system Compensation and Retention Committee Core Knowledge and Articulation Committee Registry Committee

11. Accomplishments Supporting the development of the Registry Research and recommendations leading to the establishment of T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Ohio Advocating for information on workforce development leading to the 2005 workforce survey Writing and distribution of Ohio’s Early Childhood Core Knowledge & Competencies

12. OCCRRA Provides Staff Support Hosts the OPDN Web site Manages the Registry Manages T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Ohio

13. Funding Support Build Ohio Head Start State Collaboration Office, ODE Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Bureau of Child Care and Development Private Grants

14. Future Activities Create a cross-agency training and trainer approval process Develop strategies to compensate and retain professionals in the field Standardize a student-friendly articulation process in higher education Continue to develop the Web site Streamline the Registry

15. RegistryJulie StoneDirector of Professional Development Ohio Head Start Association

16. What is the Registry? Online tool for early childhood and afterschool professionals that documents, quantifies, and tracks professional development progress Key component of a comprehensive professional development system

17. What is Career Pathways? The framework for The Registry that quantifies professional growth and accomplishments and assigns point values for: Formal education Training Experience Specialized credentials Establishes a professional designation, level I through VI, based on professional accomplishments

18. Current Use The Registry is open to any early childhood and afterschool professional Professionals working in Step Up To Quality centers must use the Registry

19. Current Benefits Allows individuals to create a record of their professional achievements Part of the OPDN Web site Serves as a gateway to information for early childhood and afterschool professionals Creates an up-to-the-minute picture of the workforce

20. Potential Benefits Allow professionals access to personalized notifications, professional development opportunities and give the ability to generate a transcript of qualifications and accomplishments Generate valuable information for employers, including verification of staff qualifications, aggregated regional and statewide salary information, and data to assist in program administration Provide verified documentation of licensing requirements, streamlining the process

21. Potential Benefits Serve as centralized system for trainer and training approval, as well as training identification, registration and evaluation Generate comprehensive workforce information to drive policy decisions Provide forum for potential employers and tools for job seekers Continue to define and advance the early childhood and afterschool profession

22. OPDN & Registry Web Tour Donna RuhlandDirector of Professional DevelopmentOCCRRA

37. Thank You!