Professional development is the process of improving staff skills and competencies needed to produce outstanding educational results for students. Regardless of someone's profession, continued education and hands on training is what makes a true professional. Research is constantly leading to new discoveries, and trends are always changing. A successful professional stays up to date with these changes, and responds accordingly to evolve with a changing workplace.
When it comes to early childhood education, continuing your professional development is even more important. Early childhood instructors and teachers are met with new challenges each year, from changes in technology, to new laws and procedures. Educators who don't actively participate in effective professional development don't improve their skills, and the children in their care are the ones who suffer. While the minimum requirements for early childhood instructors vary from state to state, it's always important to review the basics. For example, all early childcare providers should be certified in first aid. Annual review of these procedures and practices will help you feel confident and prepared to handle a variety of classroom situations.
NAEYC defines professional development as initial preparation and learning experiences designed to improve the knowledge, skills/behaviors, and attitudes/values of the early childhood workforce. This diverse workforce includes center- and school-based early childhood program administrators, teaching staff, and family child care providers, and others. View Article
Effective coaching helps educators become more intentional in their practice, helps facilitate use of best practices, moves educators toward a better understanding of children's overall development and needs, helps educators develop a better understanding of ways to have rich interactions with children, and provides a platform for supporting children's positive outcomes in all developmental areas. View Article
CCEI offers
ADM108: The Mentoring Process: Developing Professionalism from Within as an online no-cost trial
child care training course to new CCEI users during the month of November.
This course explores the many aspects of mentoring, from formal to informal relationships that are established between staff members. The course will identify the benefits of mentoring in an early childhood setting and outline a method directors can use to create a mentoring program in their environment.
