Career Ladder Level III - Vermont Northern Lights Career ...

Vermont Early ChildhoodCareer LadderLevel IIIWhat is the Career Ladder?The Career Ladder identifies the six career levels of earlychildhood professional development. It serves as a basisfor tracking and planning your professional growth. Youmay enter the Career Ladder at any level, and there aremany different paths to take to develop your career. Eachlevel combines education and experience. The NorthernLights core competencies provide the foundation for thissystem.What is Level III?There are two stages to Level III. Both include having atleast two years’ experience working with young children, acurrent Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP),and completed education through college course work.Level IIIA education options include:Completed Vermont Child Care Registered ApprenticeshipORCommunity College of Vermont’s (CCV) ChildcareCertificate Program ORHighly Qualified Paraprofessional certificate from a publicschool ORTwenty-one related college credits in at least threeVermont Core Knowledge areas.Level IIIB education options include:Associate’s degree in early childhood education or relatedfield ORAssociate’s degree with 21 related college credits in atleast three Vermont Core Knowledge areas.Why is completing Level III important?It means that you value yourself as a professional. Itshows you are dedicated to early childhood and know howimportant your professional development is to your career.Many people who achieve Level III are in charge of theirown classroom or are directors of small programs.An Associate’s degree is a requirement for staffworking in Head Start and other programs.“First I met with theadvisor at the college andthen I planned whatcollege courses I wouldtake. Now I bring what Iam learning in college tomy work and I bring lots ofexamples of real lifeexperiences to myclasses.”Resources:Northern Lights CareerDevelopment Centerhttp://northernlightscdc.orgCommunity College ofVermont (CCV)http://www.ccv.edu/The Vermont Child CareApprenticeship Programhttp://vtchildcareindustry.org/802-985-2700Vermont Northern Lights Career Development Centerhttp://northernlightscdc.orgPhone: (802)828-2876See the reverse side for moreinformation on Level IIILevel III (08/2010)

Vermont Early ChildhoodCareer LadderLevel III (continued)What do I get when I achieve Level III?Completing college course work in your field can lead tobetter job opportunities and higher pay. When you achieveyour Level III certificate, you may be eligible for a bonusfrom the Child Development Division. Step AheadRecognition System (STARS) also recognizes Levelcertificates. An Associate‘s degree is recognized across thecountry and can support NAEYC or NAFCC programaccreditation. The college courses you take may also helpyou achieve your Program Director Credential (see theNorthern Lights website).How do I apply for a Level III certificate?Please submit a completed Level III application to NorthernLights. Applications can be found at the Northern Lightswebsite or contact us to request one.How do I pay for college courses?There are grants, scholarships, loans and low cost courses.Many are only for people currently working in the field ofearly childhood. The Child Development Division offersgrants for college courses. Talk with the college you areplanning to attend and the Vermont Student AssistanceCorporation (VSAC) about financial aid. The Vermont ChildCare Apprenticeship program sponsors low cost or tuitionfreecourses at the Community College of Vermont in manyparts of the state. Also, check with your employer.Can I get college credit for what I have learnedbased on experience?College credits may be earned either through CourseChallenge or Assessment of Prior Learning (APL) at theVermont State Colleges Office of External Programs. Foreither option, you must be an enrolled student. Yourequest Course Challenge if you are seeking a degree orcredential and think you have already met the objectives ofa course. APL is a three credit college course that helpsyou create a portfolio showing what you learned and how itrelates to college courses. Your portfolio is then reviewedby a panel of experts who recommend howmany college credits you should receive.Some other private colleges also offer creditfor learning from experience.http://northernlightscdc.orgPhone: (802)828-2876Did you know…?Over 1000 early childhoodprofessionals have takenat least one coursesponsored by the VT ChildCare ApprenticeshipProgram.You can find help to createyour IPDP (IndividualProfessional DevelopmentPlan) on the NorthernLights website: PlanningProfessional Development– IPDP.More Resources:VSAChttp://vsac.org/Child Development Divisiongrantshttp://dcf.vermont.gov/cdd/grantsAssessment of Prior Learningand Course Challengehttp://www.ccv.edu/aplStep Ahead RecognitionSystem (STARS)http://dcf.vermont.gov/cdd/starssee Arena: staff qualificationsand annual professionaldevelopmentNorthern Lights CareerDevelopment Center660 Elm St, PO Box 489Montpelier, VT 05601Level III (08/2010)