Volume 10, Issue 3

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In This Issue...
Marking a Decade of Growth and Development      
CCEI Team Members Celebrate 10 Years


This month marks CCEI's 10th Birthday. In child development terms, this puts us squarely in the "middle childhood" stage, and perhaps that is an appropriate analogy in some ways. We are certainly not young anymore, as we are working on a strong foundation of experience, skills, and knowledge. This is evidenced by the fact that CCEI users have completed nearly 1.5 million hours of Professional Development coursework and over 6,300 certificate programs. At CCEI, we are proud of these numbers, and we know it took a lot of hard work to get where we are today.

 

We are honored by the opportunity to provide high-quality training to early childhood and afterschool professionals in high-quality programs nationwide. As the industry has matured, so have we. In the beginning, CCEI users numbered in the low hundreds and were concentrated in a handful of states. Now we have tens of thousands of loyal users across all 50 states. Part of the reason for this growth is that back in 2005, only a handful of states had such stringent, specific, comprehensive requirements and standards for training and quality in early care and education; that has grown with the increased focus on teacher and caregiver preparation.

 

It is hard to resist drawing comparisons between the processes of early childhood development and the processes through which the ECE industry has grown and improved in recent years. As an early childhood professional, you know that child development is a gradual but steady process, with each new experience and bit of knowledge contributing to the growth of the whole person. Developing and implementing research-based rules and practices for high-quality child care is a gradual but steady process, too, and as an industry, we are not finished.

 

Research yields a constant stream of breakthroughs in our understanding of what young children need, but such research is not the only force driving change in the ECE industry. Little by little, American society has come to understand what dedicated child advocates have been saying for a century: all young children deserve and can receive access to high-quality early care and education, but it requires serious investment and commitment, not only by care providers but also by parents, policymakers, business leaders, and the entire education community. "It takes a village..."

 

CCEI will continue to grow and evolve in years to come. We are committed to providing professional development and administrative solutions to the child care industry, which in turn require that we actively identify and analyze current and prospective challenges and opportunities. Change is constant, not only in human development but also in the business of early care and education. Today, there is serious talk of "universal preschool," which could undoubtedly bring tremendous changes in years to come. While we can only speculate as to what the ECE landscape will really look like ten years from now, we look forward to finding out alongside our customers and partners.  


This Month's Trial Course: Elements of Professionalism

ChildCare Education Institute® (CCEI), offers PROF102: Elements of Professionalism as an online no-cost trial child care training course to new CCEI users during the month of March.

 

The goal of this course is to provide teachers and directors with a greater understanding of what constitutes professionalism in the early childhood industry and how professionalism affects program quality. Upon successful completion of this course, participants should be able to identify the relationship between center policies and professionalism, define developmentally appropriate practices, and identify roles of a child advocate.


Individual Professional Development Subscriptions for only $99 per year!  
CCEI offers over 100 IACET CEU-awarded online child care training courses that meet continuing education requirements. CCEI has professional development offerings in English and Spanish, and courses are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year from any computer with Internet access. 
   
Center-Based Subscriptions 
Center-Based Subscriptions are a great way for directors to manage and administer continuing education for staff members. CCEI's Center-Based Subscriptions, available for small and large centers, allow directors to provide training for as little as $20 per teacher for the entire year!
Online CDA Coursework
CCEI's Online CDA Certificate programs of study meet the clock-hour training requirement of The Council for Professional Recognition, which is needed in order to apply for the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. CCEI's CDA Certificate programs focus on the six CDA Competency Goals established by The Council and contain the required hours in each of the eight specified content areas.

Online Director Programs
CCEI offers several online programs for directors including the Online Director's Certificate and
Director's Certificate Renewal, Georgia Director's Certificate, Texas Director's Certificate and Texas Director's Certificate Renewal, and Florida Director's Certificate Renewal. These programs provide the professional development required for early childhood professionals seeking to further their skills and knowledge in the management of a child care center. Each student receives support from an Education Coach (EC) and CCEI's Customer Support Help Desk.

CCEI Early Childhood Credential 

The CCEI Early Childhood Credential (ECC) is designed to give a basic framework of early childhood theory and application through online content-based coursework, reading assignments, practical application exercises, essays, parent interviews, classroom observation and oral and written exams. The instructional units and the 180 hours of coursework cover major topics in early childhood education including the Principles of Child Growth and Development; Safe, Healthy Environments; Social and Emotional Development; Motor, Language, and Cognitive Development; Principles of Child Assessment; Program Management, Families, and Professionalism. The credential awards 18 IACET CEUs, and is recognized by NAEYC to meet a part of the Alternative Pathways for directors to achieve educational qualifications. The ECC is a clear pathway toward higher education and raising the knowledge and skills of the early education workforce. Holders of the CCEI Early Childhood Credential can be considered qualified for Head Start positions that require a minimum of a CDA or other certificate. Graduates of CCEI's Early Childhood Credential (ECC) will have met all training, portfolio, and observation requirements of the national CDA Credential and only need to complete the Council's exam at a PearsonVue testing center to finalize the CDA Credential application process.The ECC is an expanded program that incorporates the other CDA required elements such as the formal observation and portfolio creation.

 

CCEI coursework is eligible for college credit through articulation with one of CCEI's articulation partners, and has received college credit recommendations by the National College Credit Recommendation Service (National CCRS), which has more than 1,500 schools willing to consider college credit recommendations. Contact Admissions at 1.800.499.9907, or visit the ChildCare Education Institute website for more information or to enroll online.

  

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