Early Edge

New Blueprint to Transform the Early Childhood Education Workforce

We’re excited to share Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8: Implementation Plan for the State of California. Last year, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council issued the most comprehensive set of recommendations to date to ensure the evolution of the early education and child care profession in Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation — the new California plan is a blueprint to make those recommendations a reality.

The plan advances the early childhood profession through three mutually reinforcing priorities:

• Aligning California’s permitting and credentialing requirements to competency- and practice-based qualifications and performance expectations supported by enhancements to mentoring and coaching programs

• Developing discrete professional pathways and career lattice that supports individuals entering the profession and their progress along the pathways

• Promoting competency- and practice-based qualification requirements by working with higher education and degree-granting institutions, as well as professional learning programs, to support the preparation and ongoing development of early childhood teachers and caregivers

The blueprint holds especially strong potential to carry out the Transforming the Workforce Birth Through Age 8 (TWB8) recommendations because it’s informed by two key partnerships—the California Department of Education’s Professional Learning Team, which is identifying best practices of professional learning for early educators, and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing Advisory Panel (CTC AP).

Commission Convenes on Teacher Licensing, Performance, and Preparation

The CTC AP recently developed new recommendations for the licensure ladder for early educators known as the Child Development Permit Matrix, and drafted new performance expectations and preparation program standards for early childhood professionals. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing met this month to discuss the CTC AP matrix review, recommendations, and field survey results.

Early Edge attended to thank the Panel and give our support for the following:

• Further exploration with the early childhood field, including members of the workforce, employers, higher education and other preparation providers, to improve early childhood teacher recruitment and retention

• The development of performance expectations and program standards to promote quality and consistency across the state—with the recommendation that they address teacher preparation for California’s young dual language learner children

• The TWB8: California Implementation Plan, particularly its recommendations for quality improvement and professional growth

Next, the CTC AP will continue to consult with stakeholders, analyze the impact of recommendations, return to the Commission with implementation options, and develop the performance expectations and program standards.

With positive relationships with adults who know how to support their learning and development, our children can thrive. Early Edge is committed to leveraging policy and research like this to make major improvements, in our classrooms and in the Capitol, for our young children.