Professional Development for Early Childhood and Afterschool Professionals in Vermont

1. Professional Development for Early Childhood and Afterschool Professionals in Vermont Early Childhood Steering Committee May 19, 2005

2. The Current Structure • Training Calendars created by regional Resource Development Specialists • Inservice trainings by agencies or organizations • VAEYC, VSACN, and regional conferences • Afterschool/Vermont School Age Care Network/VOOST • Health and Mental Health Initiatives • University of Vermont Early Childhood Program • The Northeast Kingdom Early Childhood Professional Development Center

3. The Current Structure • Vermont Child Care Apprenticeship Program • Certificates of Proficiency • Vermont Early Childhood Educator Licensing Project • Higher Education Collaborative • Other offerings from hospitals, the Stern Center, Mother Goose, etc. • Professional Preparation and Development Committee (PPD) • Northern Lights Career Development Center for Early Childhood and Afterschool Professionals

4. Funded through a combination of state and private money. • Majority of funds come from CDD with all agencies supplementing funding • 10 of 12 offices are housed within other agencies including Parent Child Centers, a Domestic Violence program, and community support agencies. • 1 agency is a stand-alone child care support agency. • Services are provided within AHS districts but are open to anyone. http://www.vermontchildcare.org/member.html

5. Input from community partners and early educators is gathered formally at least twice a year in each region. • Early Childhood Councils and Starting Points Networks are often an essential component in that process. • Informal feedback is collected throughout the year through evaluations, conversations, and meetings. • Every region offers: • Required course for new center staff (the thirty hour course, the Fundamentals, etc) • Basic and advanced Specialized Care training • Variety of basic and intermediate level classes across a broad range of • topics often based on community needs/interests>Some regions offer full day conferences, multi-part sessions, college • credit bearing courses, advanced level training. • RDs are often advisors rather than trainers. • Training is usually provided by community members (teachers, directors, FIT and CUPS staff, therapists, nutritionists, etc). http://www.vermontchildcare.org/member.html

6. Annual Conferences held by each organization • Vermont School Age Care Network October 20, Hampton Inn, Colchester http://vsacn.org • Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children: October 20 & 21 Stoweflake, Stowe http://www.vaeyc.org • Regional Conferences

7. Core Competencies under development • Hiring process for lead is underway • Collaboration with multiple Partners • Joint Training with Voost

8. Health and Mental Health • Need for qualified personnel providing services to young children (birth to age 8) and their families with expertise, knowledge and competencies in early care, education, and social and emotional health • Systematic approach to professional development resulting in such qualified personnel.

9. Health and Mental Health • Competencies Under Development: • Philosophy/orientation • Human development • Family systems • Assessment • Addressing challenges • Systems • How? • Pre-service through higher education programs: early childhood education, regular and special education, psychology, social work, nursing, occupational therapy, speech therapy, etc. • In-service through training • Workshops, classes, internships, distance learning, etc • Resources for program development and scholarships

10. UVM Campus Children’s Center tours and meetings http://www.uvm.edu/~ips1 • Other Institutions of Higher Education: http://www.state.vt.us/educ/new/html/licensing/approved_teacher_prep.html and http://www.vtcolleges.org/

11. The Northeast Kingdom Early Childhood Professional Development Center • Training will model research based best practice • Offer supported observation opportunities, internship opportunities, training outreach for area childcare providers, and workshop facilitation. • Open to all children in a family centered environment. • Planning grant from the Vermont Community Development Program was awarded to the Town of Lyndon, and subgranted to Lyndon State College in July 2004 to further the initiative. • Advisory Board members are directing the activities of the planning grant. • Work in conjunction with Northern Lights Professional Development Center.

12. VT was in the first round of funding from US Department of Labor for Child Care Apprenticeship Programs in 1999. • The Vermont Child Care Industry and Careers Council, Inc. oversees, coordinates and works to expand program. • Provides the cycle of Courses of Related Instruction: • Communication in the Early Childhood Workplace • Infant and Toddler Development • Development of the Young Child Ages 3-8 • Curriculum Development • Program Management • Leadership, Mentoring and Supervision in the Early Childhood Setting • Child Care Apprentices complete 297 hours of classroom instruction and 4,000 hours of on-the-job training, working with qualified mentors in their child care programs http://www.workforcedev.org/child/

13. Apprentices are enrolled in Addison, Chittenden, Rutland, Bennington and Windsor, Orange and Windham counties and throughout Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. • Classes are currently offered in Burlington, St. Johnsbury, Brattleboro and Hartford. • Expanded to the Northeast Kingdom and Bennington County, Spring 2004 and to Brattleboro and the Orange/Windsor region, Spring 2005. • Over 1,000 children have received quality care from the Vermont Apprenticeship Program apprentices and their mentors since 2000. • Over 650 early childhood and school age care professionals have taken Apprenticeship Program classes. http://www.workforcedev.org/child/

14. Purpose:  increase the number of licensed early childhood teachers with the ECE endorsement • Principle: licensed educators increase program quality and services to children • Assist early childhood programs in meeting criteria necessary to partner with school districts • Provide professional development designed to meet the competencies of the ECE endorsement http://vecel.org

15. Provide regional advisory groups for peer support and learning in demonstrating competence • Utilize the Peer Review model of alternative route to licensure • Successfully graduated 17 new licensed teachers in first cohort http://vecel.org

16. Purposes: • Increase the number of licensed early childhood (ECE) and early childhood special educators (ECSE) • Increase professional development opportunities and access for practitioners to acquire advanced degrees in ECE and ECSE • Create a pathway and provide support for practitioners with associate’s degrees to acquire educator licensure and a bachelor’s degree Description: • The Vermont Department of Education, University of Vermont (UVM), and Vermont State Colleges (VSC) form the Higher Education Collaborative (HEC) • Reduced tuition; scholarships available http://www.state.vt.us/educ/new/html/prodev/resources.html

17. 3-tier program • Tier 1 is for licensed teachers to add the ECE or ECSE endorsement • Tier 2 is for practitioners with a bachelor’s degree to acquire initial ECE or ECSE licensure • Tier 3 is for practitioners with an associate’s degree to acquire initial ECE or ECSE licensure plus a bachelor’s degree • Tiers 1 & 2 are graduate level programs; Tier 3 is undergraduate • Core ECE program is 18 credits, and the core ECSE program is 21 credits • Course delivery model for the programs is a combination of week-long summer institutes, distance learning, and onsite courses in 3 areas: Manchester, St. Johnsbury, Waterbury • Accepting applications for Tiers 1 & 2 NOW • Tier 3 program should be rolled out in about 2 years • CONTACT: Manuela Fonseca 828-3850, mfonseca@doe.state.vt.us http://www.state.vt.us/educ/new/html/prodev/resources.html

18. Other Initiatives • Franklin County: Early Childhood Special Education mmspence@yahoo.com • Stern Center http://www.sterncenter.org/ • Mother Goose http://www.mothergooseprograms.org/ • Vermont Institute of Natural Science http://www.vinsweb.org/ • Regional/Local Hospitals

19. PPD • Advancing the coordination, consistency, quality and access of learning opportunities • Networking for providers of professional development to target population • Developing products that assist in professional development and career planning • Identifying and addressing gaps in the system http://www.ahs.state.vt.us/earlychildhood/ppdc.htm

20. Funded by a grant from the Child Development Division of the Vermont Agency of Human Services. • In collaboration with the Community College of Vermont (CCV) and the Vermont Child Care Industry and Careers Council (VCCICC) • Unify the current professional development system in our state through various strategies. statewide. • Staff will work with existing professional development frameworksin Vermont to build congruency and unity while allowing flexibility and responsiveness to regional cultures. http://northernlightscdc.org

21. Core Knowledge Areas and subsequent Core Competencies as the foundation • Revised Career Advising Guide and Lattice • Inventory of current professional development offerings • Consistent Level I and II offerings for the state • Instructor Qualifications and Database with pertinent credential, qualification, and location information will be created in conjunction with the Bright Futures Information System. • Advising on local, regional, and statewide levels http://northernlightscdc.org

22. Unmet Needs • Wages and benefits increases tied to gains in education and credentials • Advocacy for professional development in the legislature • Resources and agreements to address the pathway of AA to BA degrees • Articulation agreements between the community college, state college and university systems for professional coursework