SPECIAL EDITION! | September 2023 | |
Special Edition:
Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs)
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Highlighting June's Professional Development Organization (PDO) Grantee Meeting | |
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In June, Pennsylvania’s Professional Development Organizations (PDOs) attended a conference in Harrisburg, PA. This conference was designed to generate collaborative opportunities for innovative practices between PDO-funded Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), Professional Learning Organizations (PLOs), and the PDOs.
Professional Development (PD) Coordinators learned and shared advanced career advising techniques and information from both the Pennsylvania Key and the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) staff. PD Coordinators also attended sessions discussing ways to better serve the ECE workforce through their educational and career pathway journeys.
PDO leadership teams then met with Dr. Ronald W. Whitaker II for a two-part session, The Fierce Urgency of Operationalizing Equity Within Early Childhood Education. PDOs explored how leadership can create resources for staff, partners, and students to grow a lens of equity to support and meet PDO goals.
On the second day, PDO-funded IHEs and PLOs joined the PDO team for an engaging presentation with Dr. Whitaker to further their understanding of equity across the broader landscape of ECE and within their own spheres of influence. Attendees then had the opportunity to work together and reflect on ways to infuse these practices into their daily operations.
Other highlights from this conference included:
- PDO-funded students presenting their experiences and perseverance through their journey to academic and career success;
- Technical Assistance partners shared their diversity, equity, and inclusion work within IHEs;
- Higher education partners shared creative practices for student success around apprenticeship, credit for prior learning, and extending community partnerships to enhance PDO dollars; and
- Specialized content development with alignment to ECE competencies with creative delivery methods were shared among participants.
The conference concluded with PDO systems audit methodologies which provided clarity and space for reflective practices moving forward for year five.
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Learn More About Credentials for Early Childhood Educators in Pennsylvania | |
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Director Credential
The Pennsylvania Director Credential (DC) is designed as a standard to measure and validate the abilities and competencies of directors and administrators to manage high quality early childhood and school-age programs. Additionally, it represents the level of personal and professional accomplishments of directors and administrators, their professional contributions through demonstrated leadership, and active engagement in professional endeavors beyond the scope of the daily operation of a program.
During the 2023-24 program year, approximately 17 colleges and universities in Pennsylvania will offer DC coursework. Candidates may choose the program location and modality that best fits their needs and lifestyle. To be eligible to receive a DC, candidates must hold nine ECE credits prior to entering a Director Credential program as a prerequisite and be able to provide documented leadership experience in a child care setting.
A complete list of requirements and more general information are available at pakeys.org/director-credential.
Interested individuals seeking more guidance should email info@pakeys.org to be connected with a specialist to help determine next steps.
School Age Professional Credential (SAPC)
The Pennsylvania School Age Professional Credential (SAPC) is aimed toward individuals who work in a school-age setting and want to demonstrate their competence working with this age group. Modeled after national credentials, candidates complete 120 hours of coursework and build a portfolio demonstrating competencies. The credential process is capped off by an assessment visit by a SAPC assessor.
Individuals interested in pursuing the SAPC can find out more information at pakeys.org/sapc.
Pennsylvania colleges and universities that are interested in providing SAPC coursework may reach out to Amy Barrett (amybar@pakeys.org) to explore options and learn more.
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Learn More About Rising Stars Tuition Assistance (RSTA) Program | |
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Rising Stars Tuition Assistance covers 95% of tuition and fees for eligible students pursuing either the Director Credential or School Age Professional Credential. In order for an application to be processed and payment to be made in the timeliest manner, applicants should ensure that they have gathered all required documentation before submitting an application.
Another facet of tuition assistance includes the CDA Voucher. The Pennsylvania Key will provide an opportunity for eligible applicants to receive a payment code to cover either the $425 initial application fee (a one-time occurrence) or the $125 renewal application fee (issued every three years upon application).
For a complete list of required documents, step-by-step instructions, and more information, visit pakeys.org/rising-stars.
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NOTE: Financial assistance applications should never be completed and/or submitted by anyone other than the actual applicant. Should an applicant need assistance or have questions about their application, they may reach out to info@pakeys.org with specific requests for assistance.
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Get To Know More About PAC-TE and ACCESS | |
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Here are two organizations that have connected with ECE work in Pennsylvania:
The Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators (PAC-TE) is a nonprofit professional association for all those in Pennsylvania who are engaged in the preparation and development of professional educators. PAC-TE is dedicated to providing strong advocacy for professional education preparation within the commonwealth.
The purpose of PAC-TE as the voice for professional educator preparation in Pennsylvania is to promote quality professional educator preparation programs and to provide opportunity for individual professional growth for all persons in Pennsylvania engaged in professional educator preparation. PAC-TE welcomes individual, institutional, student, and retired members. Each year more than 75 Pennsylvania institutions of higher education join PAC-TE, appointing over 300 member representatives. In addition to those members, over 80 individuals join PAC-TE annually - faculty, administrators, students, retirees, and basic education partners who want to connect to their professional colleagues. Consequently PAC-TE is the unified voice of professional educator preparation in Pennsylvania.
Visit pac-te.org for more information.
The Associate Degree Early Childhood Teacher Educators – ACCESS to Shared Knowledge and Practice, commonly known as ACCESS, is a national, nonprofit association that supports and advocates for early childhood Associate degree programs and the instructors who teach in those programs. The organization supports state affiliate chapters throughout the country (including Pennsylvania) as it builds state networks of ACCESS members, promotes the mission of ACCESS, and builds state and national leadership.
Nationally, ACCESS hosts full day meetings, trainings, and events via National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) conferences, virtual opportunities, and state sponsored gatherings. Membership includes quarterly electronic newsletters, access to the Members Only section of the website with links to valuable resources, professional development sessions at NAEYC Annual Conference and Professional Learning Institute, professional networking and support through national meetings and state affiliates, ACCESS listserv, SKiP committee conference calls, one year e-subscription to Exchange magazine, and one year subscription to Ed.flicks. ACCESS members include full-time associate degree ECE faculty, adjuncts, and retirees.
Visit accessece.org or contact Tonia Breech (tbreech@northampton.edu)
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Discover Pennsylvania's Early Childhood Education Higher Education Consortium (HEC) | |
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The Pennsylvania Early Childhood Education Higher Education Consortium is committed to collaboration across institutions of higher education to provide a seamless pathway to earning an Associate and/or Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. We are committed to reducing barriers to higher education, advocating for the needs of the ECE workforce and to providing high quality teacher training that prepares teachers to teach in multiple settings with multiple age spans.
The Higher Education Consortium (HEC) envisions social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion at the core of teacher preparation programs. Putting this vision into action will be accomplished through collaboration between two- and four-year institutions to provide a seamless pathway and create a shared vision across the higher education continuum. The strength of this collaboration is to promote policies and funding streams that support the early childhood community to provide equity and to diversify the teaching workforce, infants to 3rd grade.
If you are interested in learning more about the HEC and becoming a member, email Kathy Kashner (kkashner@northampton.edu).
The next meeting is Friday, September 29, 2023, from 9:30 - 10:30 via Zoom. The HEC will host an in-person meeting at the PAC-TE Conference in Harrisburg in October.
The members of the HEC hope that you will join and bring your expertise to support the up-and-coming educators of Pennsylvania.
For more information, contact any of the Executive Officers:
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Become An ECE Program Accredited Through National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) | |
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September 12-13: 2023 Refugee Education Summit, King of Prussia
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September 18-21: NHSA Fall Leadership Institute, Crystal City, VA
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September 19-20: ZERO to THREE LEARN Conference, Minneapolis
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October 4-7: 2023 Early Educators Leadership Conference, Houston
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October 11-13: 2023 Paving the Way to Educational Success Conference, Pittsburgh
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October 16-18: 2023 Early Childhood Summit, Virtual
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October 22-24: Family Involvement Conference, Allentown
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October 25-27: PAC-TE's 52nd Teacher Education Assembly (TEA)
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Nov. 15-18: NAEYC Annual Conference, Nashville, TN
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Nov. 28-Dec. 1: DEC's 38th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families, Minneapolis, MN
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December 4-7: NHSA’s annual Parent and Family Engagement Conference, New Orleans
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December 7-9: 2023 Empower Pennsylvania's OST Conference, Lancaster
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