AFC Policy Platform - Illinois Action for Children

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Promoting Professional DevelopmentThe single greatest factor to determiningquality care for children is the trainingand education their providers are able toobtain.BackgroundProfessional development for the earlychildhood workforce in Illinois has beenone of the top policy priorities of Action forChildren for the past several years.Research has shown that the moretraining and education early childhoodprofessionals have, the higher qualitycare they are able to provide for thechildren in their programs. Despite thesefindings, many obstacles still exist forearly childhood professionals who want toobtain more training or education. Theearly care and education field has haddifficulty attracting and retainingprofessionals due to factors such as thelow salaries and poor benefits associatedwith the profession. A discussionof programs which begin to addressthese problems, both in Illinois andnationwide, follows.The T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education &Compensation Helps) Early Childhood ®Project began in North Carolina in 1990and has since been replicated by 23 otherstates, including Illinois. The programprovides scholarships to those who wantto attend school as a first-time student,earning a credential or a degree in earlychildhood education or child development,and those who want to update or finishtheir schooling in early childhoodeducation or child development.T.E.A.C.H. has helped thousands ofearly childhood professionals in Illinoisincrease their education and training.The T.E.A.C.H. program works inconjunction with another professionaldevelopment program called Great START(Strategy to Attract And Retain Teachers).Great START provides salary enhancementsto early childhood professionalsbased on factors such as their level ofeducation and the amount of time theyhave worked in the field. Great STARTand T.E.A.C.H. work together to encourageearly childhood professionals to remainin the field, stay with their currentemployer and increase their education,ultimately improving quality for thechildren in their care. (See: ReauthorizingGreat START).A “career lattice” for early childhoodprofessionals is another way Illinois isworking to improve the field. Usingresearch and program modelsimplemented in other states, Illinoisis currently developing its own earlychildhood career lattice.The first step in developing the lattice isto identify the core knowledge, skills andexperience necessary for the various rolesin the field of early learning and care.Once this is accomplished, the careerlattice will work with existing trainingand education entities to createcoordinated statewide programs, making
advancement in one’s chosen role easierand more accessible. Examples include:• Developing an early educationcore curriculum• Improving articulation between highereducation institutions• Awarding credentials uponachievement of specific training oreducational milestones.Upon development of the lattice, earlychildhood professionals and studentswill gain access to high-quality career andacademic advising.Once in the career lattice, professionalswill be able to pursue the educationaltraining that best suits their backgroundand goals rather than be limited to asingle path for advancement — which maynot fit their unique individual needs.Some of the areas of the early care andeducation field that will be addressed bythe career lattice include:• Child Care• Head Start• PreKindergarten• Preschool Special Education• Elementary Education (up to grade 3)• Administration• Birth-to-Three• Home Visiting• Early Intervention• Family Support programsActionThe programs profiled here worktogether to advance the professionaldevelopment of early childhoodprofessionals in Illinois. In order tocontinue the progress that has been made,Illinois must support the full developmentand implementation of both the careerlattice and programs such as T.E.A.C.H.and Great START — giving earlychildhood professionals across the stateaccess to resources that would nototherwise be available. These professionaldevelopment opportunities, combined withother initiatives like access to healthinsurance, increased reimbursement ratesand implementing a system of tieredreimbursement, will increase the qualityof the early care and education workforce,ultimately benefiting Illinois’ childrenand families.
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Page 22 and 23: Contacting Action for ChildrenMaria
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AFC Policy Platform - Illinois Action for Children

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