Dimensions of Early Childhood - Southern Early Childhood ...

experts, developed a plan to evaluate
the components of KIDS NOW
that directly enhance early care and
education in the state. The overall
purpose of the evaluation was to
determine how programs and communities
change as a result of the
KIDS NOW Initiative, and how
those changes affect children and
families within their communities.
In 2004, this effort was extended to
address the state-wide PD framework
through a $1.2 million grant
from the Administration for Children
and Families, Child Care
Bureau (Grant No. 90YE0071).
The conceptual framework for
the study builds upon existing
research and is further based upon
the principles of transfer of learning.
The ability of teachers to use highquality
practices learned through
professional development opportunities
is dependent on a transfer
partnership (Broad & Newstrom,
1992) that exists between the trainer
or instructor, the director/principal,
and the teacher. The trainer or
instructor has the responsibility to
design training/education that is of
high quality and supports the transfer
and application to the work environment.
Findings from this study
are expected to be available in 2007.
The Kentucky legislature
authorized a seamless
system of early
childhood professional
development.
Implications for
School and Early
Childhood Leaders
The structure of early care and
education programs varies across the
country. Early childhood services
within states are complex and
diverse. Children and families are
often served by multiple agencies
and programs concurrently. For
Figure 2.
Conceptual Framework of PD Framework Research Collaborative
Availability
of Multiple
Formats
Teacher or Provider
Participation in Professional
Development Activities
Trainer or Instructor
Trainer
Partnership
Quality
Environments
Child
Outcomes
Availability
of Incentives
to Participate
Director or Principal
example, a child may attend a public
preschool program in the morning
and then attend a child care program
in the afternoon.
Therefore, in order to truly support
positive child outcomes, a state’s
adoption and support of a comprehensive
professional development
system may offer the best chance to
improve both the quality of its early
childhood programs and subsequent
positive outcomes for children.
Kentucky is one of the first states in
the nation to develop and implement
a unified professional development
system that crosses all early care and
education settings and that provides
a career lattice with incentives for
participation to providers, directors/
principals, and trainers. This system
has been successful as measured by
the number of early care and education
professionals who have participated
in the scholarship program
and received a credential or degree.
While the components of the
Kentucky professional development
system are consistent with national
standards (e.g., National Association
for the Education of Young Children),
it is important to continue to
study the impact of comprehensive
approaches to professional development
in relation to staff retention,
classroom quality, and child outcomes.
References
American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
(2002, December). At the starting line:
Early childhood education programs in
the 50 states. Washington, DC: Author.
Barnett, W.S., Hustedt, J., Robin, K., &
Schulman, K. (2004). The state of
preschool: 2004 state preschool yearbook.
New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute
for Early Education Research.
Billman, J. (1995). Child care program
directors: What skills do they need? Early
Childhood Education Journal, 23(2),
63-70.
Winter 2007 DIMENSIONS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD Volume 35, Number 1 35