As the early childhood field has evolved, and continues to do so, a new model has been established that introduces the idea of the Early Years Professional (EYP). Lumsden (2010), states, "This new professional in England is being presented as the 'Gold Standard' in early years and every full-time day-care setting should have an EYP by 2015" (p. 173). The Early Years Professional must attend anywhere from four to twelve months of training and education, depending on their current knowledge and experience. I like this model for education because it is individualistic, while meeting a standard as a high-quality educator who is considered professional. In Lumsden's piece on the professional, a respondent on the relationship with teaching stated, "It is about time early years practitioners received professional and financial credit for the valuable work they do...which are the most important years to invest in" (p. 179). We can all agree with this statement.
According to the Competence Requirements document compiled and disseminated by the University of East London and Universiteit of Gent (2011), "The quality of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) depends on the competence of people working with children, families, and communities" (p. 21). In my research of the requirements of early childhood professionals in the UK, I found many commonalities to what we believe and advocate for in the U.S. This document also mentions, "ECEC refers to a holistic approach to education." Furthermore, "quality needs to be considered as an on-going process rather than as something that is achieved or not" (p. 23). Once again, this is similar to what we believe to be true in our country. Through the implementation of quality rating systems, programs are offered guidance, via benchmarks, that have been identified as markers of high-quality care and education. My colleagues and I work diligently every day to assist programs directors achieve, and more importantly, maintain their star rating under Ohio's quality rating system, Step Up To Quality. Providing high-quality, holistic early childhood care and education services requires daily work and dedication to the profession.
References:
Competence requirements in early childhood education and care. (2011). Retrieved from ec.europa.eu/education/more-information/doc/2011/core_en.pdf.
Lumsden, E. (2010). The new early years professional in england. International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education, 1(3). Retrieved from http://www.infonomics-society.org/IJCDSE/The%20New%20Early%20Years%20Professional%20in%20England.pdf
Very informative post! I liked how you compared the Early Childhood teacher quality standards to those in England. Their program, "Early Years Professional", plays a critical role in their goal to increase the awareness of the valuable work of early childhood professionals by 2015.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing about early childhood education in England. You are correct in saying that high quality in early childhood is only achieved through day to day informal assessments and interventions by those who are dedicated to the cause of children.
ReplyDeleteSally Brooks