What role can online courses play for early learning professionals? Yo Ann Martinez KQED Education Network Slides provided by Michelle Philips Researcher

Project Background Online course with F2F orientation, mid- course meeting, and graduation 6 weeks 80 applied, 40 were selected, 28 finished Participants were homecare preschool providers Discussions were bilingual (ENG/SP) Instructor was certified fluent Spanish

Evaluation Activities Pre-survey of all applicants (n=56) 2 mid-course focus groups (n=19) Post-survey of participants who completed the program (n=19) 1 final group discussion (n=19) Phone interviews with those who did not attend graduation

Participants All ran preschool programs in their homes All female, except for one male The majority had not taken an online class before All had internet access in the home The majority responded that they used their computers primarily for educational purposes, entertainment, shopping, and paying bills

Role for Online Courses Context Homecare preschool providers… Do not have benefit from a preparation program similar to what teachers typically have Do not have access to as many professional growth opportunities as preschool providers in centers or teachers have Are bound by the schedules of the families they serve - their schedules are unpredictable Must be at home all day every day and available to their clients (isolated)

Role for Online Courses Findings Homecare preschool providers… Are able to participate at their convenience Do not have to drive to and park on a campus (at night) to benefit from courses with other colleagues Are able to participate with and learn from other professionals who work in very similar contexts Are able to participate with and learn from other professionals who share their concerns Are able to share the resources they find with their clients

Sustained Resources “ As day care providers, they don’t give us a handout, or a handbook telling us what we should be looking for at each stage in the child’s life regarding their age, but when we got to the milestones in the class, it gives you a website that you can go to and say, ‘okay this is what I should be doing here’. You have something to look into, or look forward to working with, and getting more information.”

Accessibility “If the course wasn’t bilingual, I wouldn’t have taken it because I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to express myself fully. Here is an opportunity to express myself and feel more comfortable. It also helped my English because I am weak in English, the kind of English that is involved in the course.”

Summary: Role of online courses Increased accessibility for a profession restricted in time and place Professional growth opportunities for an often- overlooked population of providers Multiple ways to participate and express oneself in the course A professional community with which to share ideas and practices Reduced isolation Sustained, always-available resources for providers and families