Resource Library

This brief summarizes critical workforce knowledge and competencies to effective education practices in early childhood settings.The report organized the discussion of knowledge and competencies into two distinct groups. The first is foundational knowledge, essential to work with young children, and the second is specialized knowledge and competencies needed to provide young children with high quality learning experiences. Both the foundational and specialized knowledge and competencies are drawn from existing research on child development as well as national and state expectations for teachers of young children.

The Early Learning Career Pathways Initiative: Examining and Supporting Credentialing in the the Early Care and Education Field report describes the Six Key Elements of Career Pathways (CP) Framework which outlines the foundational components in building a career pathway system: Build Cross-Agency Partnerships and Clarify Roles; Identify Sector or Industry and Engage Employers; Design Education and Training Programs; Identify Funding Needs and Sources; Align Policies and Programs; and, Measure System Change and Performance.

The goal in Delaware is to develop, attract and retain quality, effective teachers and leaders with the knowledge and skills to serve our children and families and foster improved outcomes; professionalize the field (leaders & teachers with college degrees with appropriate compensation); and align appropriately with K-12.

This report explores how career pathways can offer an effective approach to address some of these challenges and support the current and evolving landscape of the ECE sector and its most disadvantaged professionals. Comprehensive and flexible education and training programs can make it easier for individuals to acquire industry-recognized credentials and higher education degrees to advance on a career trajectory. Effective career pathways approaches can also better serve workers that may experience significant barriers to education and employment advancement (i.e., low-skilled adults, and adults with limited English proficiency).

This brief summarizes what the report says about the science of child development and learning.

Early childhood experiences with homelessness have long-lasting impacts on a child’s well-being, but access to educational services can help mitigate some of these negative effects. However, federally-funded early childhood education (ECE) programs only serve a small portion of children who experience homelessness. Taking action to mitigate the impacts of early childhood homelessness is critical to ensuring all young children have the opportunity to thrive.

The Office of Early Childhood Development at ACF hopes these profiles, with 2014-2015 data, will provide information for local, statewide and federal conversations and planning toward the goal of ending family homelessness by 2020.

This document summarizes the 1st year of work that grantees completed across the various RTT-ELC reform areas. This summary is by no means an exhaustive collection of the early childhood infrastructure and systems-building work being done in a particular State, but it is a compilation of the work highlighted and documented by grantees as being supported by RTT-ELC funds and as meeting the stated RTT-ELC goals.