Defining and Advancing the Professions that Support All Young Children Peggy Kemp, Executive Director Council for Exceptional Children Division for Early Childhood peggy@dec-sped.org Marica Cox Mitchell, Deputy Executive Director National Association for the Education of Young Children mmitchell@naeyc.org

Our Collective Commitment All young children (each and every child) have the supports needed to grow and develop All young children (each and every child) are able to meet their full potential

Professions and Occupations Matter Well-prepared, diverse, effective, and supported professionals are essential Child Outcomes Family Engagement Interdisciplinary Collaboration Return on Public Investments ….and more

What We Need

What It Requires Significant Public Investments Profession-led Policies* Unifying Frameworks and Definitions* *Focus of Presentation

What We Have Right Now: Internal Confusion Varying nomenclature Varying competencies Varying preparation Varying qualifications Varying compensation Varying working conditions Varying expectations for practice Varying performance Varying accountability

What We Have Right Now: Internal Confusion (continued) Lead teachers need credential X or degree Y. Why do teachers have to take math classes? All they need is passion. Any degree in early childhood education or a related field is fine. Everybody who cares for young children is automatically an early childhood educator. Educators working in home-based programs are “providers” not teachers. We should not be called teachers because we also care and nurture.

Internal Confusion Yields External Confusion

How We Get What We Want

Power to the Profession January 2017- December 2018 National, profession-led initiative Members of the early education field invited to join in as experts National professional organizations serve as Task Force National advocacy organizations serve as Stakeholders NAEYC “deep dive” states inform and test decisions Establish a unifying framework to define the early childhood profession Name, unique role and identity Career pathways Knowledge and competencies Qualifications Compensation Standards for practice Quality assurance systems

Two Categories of Conversations Awareness to Drive Action and Engagement Acknowledge that there is some internal confusion needing internal attention Acknowledge that the confusion weakens effectiveness, influence, and the case for compensation Unifying Decisions Consensus on the unified framework and definitions Shared ownership of decisions Organized as eight stackable “decision cycles”

Examples of Decisions What is the ECE profession in the context of the wider field? What are the unique responsibilities for this profession? What should early childhood educators know and be able to do? What are the career levels within the profession? What is the compensation structure per career level? What degrees and/or credentials can effectively ensure that professionals are prepared for their career levels? What specializations should be recognized in this profession? When should early childhood educators be eligible to specialize? What infrastructure will be needed to support the profession? Higher education? Professional organizations? State licensing boards?

Decision Cycle 1: Identity and Boundary (working draft) Review & React Decision Cycle 1: Identity and Boundary (working draft)

Your Leadership and Expertise are Needed Learn more about Power to the Profession (see power to the profession main page) Spread the word and advocate Inform the Power to the Profession decisions Join the mailing list (email Power to the Profession)