2006 - 2007 Opportunities for Professional Development

Welcome to the 2006-2007 Opportunities for Professional Development in Windham County.

This year's offerings provide a wide range of options; classes that are challenging, fun, and informative. There is both variety and depth. We have spoken to many of you, both formally and informally gathering suggestions and input. There are some highly requested topics - more sign language and a whole series focused on working with children and families under stress. There are classes for new educators and for the more experienced. For those who are looking beyond the local offerings there is information about places to go for those advanced courses too. Your ideas are always welcome, so take time to complete those evaluations available at classes, or call or email us with feedback.

We here at Windham Child Care Association are very excited to celebrate 25 years in our community! So much has changed here in Windham County, throughout Vermont and beyond. It is our goal to offer classes and support that challenge you to go further, to try new ideas, to offer the highest quality child care possible, and to reach your professional goals. We hope you will join us in celebrating the progress our community has made, and in challenging all of us to go further.

Along with our grant from Child Development Division, we are grateful for additional support from the A.D. Henderson Foundation and C&S Wholesale Grocers. The extra funds from these organizations enable us to offer a wider range of classes and to provide the books and materials for participants.

Changes, Abbreviations, and Putting It All Together

This year we have continued to integrate the new language from the Vermont Northern Lights Career Development Center with the more familiar language of Child Care Licensing and the Child Development Associate (CDA). The Core Competencies and Levels I and II, while new, fit neatly into the framework established by The Fundamentals and CDA. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the Competencies and Levels. They provide a new framework for professional growth and development. Cyndi Miller and Gretchen Horton Kuebler are available to help you make sense of it all, create your own professional development plan, or find the classes you need to move forward.

Core Competencies for Early Childhood Professionals

The Core Competencies are the foundation for the Vermont Northern Lights Career Development Center, Vermont's unified system of professional development for early childhood and afterschool professionals. Core knowledge refers to topics describing the knowledge needed by professionals to effectively work with young children. Core competencies refer to the observable skills and dispositions needed by the professionals in order to provide high quality early care and education. Competencies are concrete, achievable and observable, and establish standards of practice that strengthen the profession. Ultimately both core knowledge and core competencies are used to define the content of professional development curricula, set goals and outcomes for training, and design mechanisms for the demonstration and assessment of a practitioner's skills.

The core knowledge and core competencies are relevant to practitioners working in a variety of settings such as family child care homes and child care centers, public preschools, Head Start, and after school programs. They are also relevant for a variety of positions including teacher, teacher assistant, provider, director, playgroup leader, home visitor, early interventionist, early childhood special educator, paraprofessionals and more.

These competencies fit within Vermont's framework of core knowledge, which has been identified as the following five broad categories:

• Child Development - Early childhood professionals have an understanding of how children develop physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally, as well as how children acquire language and other forms of communication. In addition, professionals need to know about various factors that influence child development, and how individual children's development can vary. Early childhood professionals use their understanding of child development combined with their knowledge of each child as an individual to support children's overall development.
  
  
• Family and Community - Early childhood professionals understand that children are members of a family and a community. They need to know, understand and value the importance and complexity of children's families and communities. With this understanding they are able to develop strong relationships that support and empower families, communicate respectfully, share information and expertise, and involve families as partners in their child's development and learning. Families and communities contribute their strengths and resources to children and to early childhood program as well.
  
  
• Teaching and Learning - Early childhood professionals understand that the substance of teaching and learning is in the combination of interactions, routines and experiences in children's daily lives. Teaching and learning with young children is complex. It includes a variety of strategies that are designed to match the child's unique approach to learning. It depends on a thorough knowledge of the content of early childhood education and on observation and reflection to plan and develop curriculum.
  
  
• Health and Safety - Early childhood professionals use practices that protect children's health, keep children safe, and promote healthy growth and development. This includes knowledge of good nutrition and the importance of physical activity.
  
  
• Professionalism and Program Organization - Early childhood professionals ensure that children and their families receive comprehensive, high quality early care and education and child development services. They maintain a code of ethical conduct, articulate a philosophy of early care and education, work collaboratively with colleagues, mentors and organizations, maintain a solid work ethic and implement sound business practices such as budgeting, administration and evaluation. While the core knowledge is presented as five specific areas, they are interdependent and interactive and should be considered holistically.

Levels of Northern Lights Core Competencies

The Northern Lights Core Competencies address three of the six levels of the Professional Development Continuum. This continuum begins with preliminary knowledge, skills and dispositions that would be expected of a educator who is new to the field and in their first year in an early childhood work setting, and continues through advanced knowledge, skills and dispositions expected of a professional with graduate-level education and degrees. Professionals progress from one level to another through a combination of education, experience and reflection. Individuals may possess competencies at different levels among the core knowledge areas depending on their background, position and life experience.

• Level I competencies include the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary for entry-level professionals, working under supervision or with support from networks or organizations. (Level I training includes the Fundamentals for Early Childhood Professionals).
  
  
• Level II competencies include level one plus the knowledge, skills and dispositions associated with the Child Development Associate credential or an accumulation of 12 credits in early childhood education, or its equivalent. A Level II Consistent Curriculum now exists in Vermont. This packet of 90 hours of professional development is delivered throughout the state in a uniform way. That means that learners will cover the same material no matter where they take the classes. Local agencies will offer the ninety hours in a three year rotation. This rotation is planned with regional neighbors (Windham Child Care Association, Bennington County Child Care Association, Springfield Area Parent Child Center, the Child Care Project in Hanover and Rutland Child Care Support Services) so that an educator willing to travel could take any of the Level II classes in any year.
  
  
• Level III competencies include levels one and two plus the knowledge, skills and dispositions associated with completion of the Apprenticeship Program; or the Child Care Certificate from Community College of Vermont; or an Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education or a related degree; or the equivalent.
  
  
• Level IV competencies include levels one, two, and three, plus the knowledge, skills and dispositions associated with achievement of a BA or BS in early childhood education, with or without teacher licensure in early childhood education, or the equivalent.
  
  
• Level V competencies include levels one through four, plus the knowledge, skills and dispositions associated with a master's degree in early childhood education or a related field, or the equivalent credential, with or without teacher licensure in early childhood education.
  
  
• Level VI competencies would include levels one through five, plus the knowledge, skills and dispositions associated with a Ph.D. or Ed.D in early childhood education or a related field, or the equivalent credential.

  Decoding the "Credit Line"

  • R: counts toward the CDD annual professional development requirement
    
    
  • S: counts toward the 6 hour Specialized Child Care Services requirement
    
    
  • C: counts toward the 2 hour Child and Adult Care Food Program requirement
    
    
  • LII: meets the requirements of the Level II pathway required classes
    
    
  • LI: part of Level I: Fundamentals for Early Childhood Professionals
    
    
  • LIIE: meets the requirements for Level II pathway electives
    
    
  • ECMHS: part of the Early Childhood Mental Health Series

  CDA number indicates the CDA Subject Areas covered. These are:

  1. Planning a safe, healthy learning environment
     
     
  2. Steps to advance children's physical and intellectual development
     
     
  3. Positive ways to support children's social and emotional development
     
     
  4. Strategies to establish productive relationships with families
     
     
  5. Strategies to manage an effective program operation
     
     
  6. Maintaining a commitment to professionalism
     
     
  7. Observing and recording children's behavior
     
     
  8. Principles of child growth and development

  CDA Support

  Support and resources are available for candidates pursuing the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential through self-study. We can help get you started, devise a study plan, and provide guidance along the way. Time is available to meet individually to answer questions and provide resources. If you would like more information, contact Gretchen Horton Kuebler at 254-5332, extension 310.

  Network Groups

  Starting Points Network groups meet monthly to provide support, training, and peer networking for local early educators. There are currently two active groups.
  
  The Brattleboro Early Childhood Educators' Group meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month at The Family Garden, 861 Western Ave. Contact Judy Rosner at 254-3409 for more information.
  
  
  • September 12: Luz Elena Morey - creative movement with young children
    
    
  • October 10: Daphne Moritz - Vermont Apprenticeship program questions & answers
    
    
  • November 14: Annie Frielich - songs and games to play with children
    
    
  • December 12: Potluck Holiday Celebration (RSVP to Judy Rosner)
    
    
  • January 9: Laura Lawson Tucker - curriculum development
    
    
  • February 13: Ellen Nam - yoga for children
    
    
  • March 13: Pam Maile - dramatic play
  
  
  The Deerfield Valley Starting Points Group meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month at The Growing Circle at Mt. Snow. For more information contact Jessica Wainfor at 348-7476.
  
  Funds and support are available to any new group interested in forming. Contact Cyndi at 254-5332 for more information.

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