How Child Care Providers Can Prepare for the New Keystone STARS Pre-Designation and Designation System in Pennsylvania's Professional Development (PD) Registry |
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Early childhood education (ECE) professionals can prepare for this transition by completing your individual or personal PD Registry profile, adding your current employer and applying for placement on Pennsylvania’s ECE Career Pathway.
Directors, administrators and/or owners can prepare for this transition by:
- Completing your individual or personal PD Registry profile and applying for placement on Pennsylvania’s ECE Career Pathway;
- Claiming your organization profile for your program;
- Uploading your program's important documents (staff handbooks, family handbooks, lesson planning materials, etc.) to the new Document Vault library so it is readily available during the Keystone STARS designation process;
- Setting up classrooms for your organization;
- Verifying your current staff list and end date any former employees still linked to your organization; and
- Assisting your staff members to complete their PD Registry profile and apply for placement on Pennsylvania's ECE Career Pathway.
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Available Now: Recorded Demonstration of New Keystone STARS System for Directors, Administrators and Owners |
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More information and in-depth training are coming soon!
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Professional Development in Pennsylvania |
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Introducing Pennsylvania Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators (PA PSCECE) |
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Pennsylvania is adopting a new set of professional standards and competencies for Early Childhood Educators. This set of standards and competencies will replace the Pennsylvania Core Knowledge Competencies (PA CKCs) and have been adopted from the national Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators. The PA PSCECE are the general knowledge and skills that educators need to know and be able to demonstrate. They are not the specific standards and competencies needed for specific professions and occupations within the early childhood field.
Adopted and developed with stakeholders, the PA PSCECE are designed to increase the reliability, portability, and relevance of ECE professional development (including higher education programs) nationwide. These standards will help to ensure Pennsylvania’s ECE professionals are prepared to support the growth and development of each and every child, birth through age 8, across the commonwealth. The standards will include seven areas. The first six areas are adopted directly from the national standards; the seventh standard in Health, Safety and Mental Health is Pennsylvania- specific. In addition, the standards will include resources that are Pennsylvania-specific and can be integrated into coursework and trainings. These PA PSCECE will guide Pennsylvania’s early learning professional development system, including both educator preparation and non-certification programs in ECE; ongoing professional growth and development activities; and credentials.
The six adopted National and Pennsylvania specific standards are:
- Child Development and Learning in Context;
- Family-Teacher Partnerships and Community Connections;
- Child Observation, Documentation, and Assessment;
- Developmentally, Culturally, and Linguistically Appropriate Teaching Practices;
- Knowledge, Application, and Integration of Academic Content in the Early Childhood Curriculum;
- Professionalism as an Early Childhood Educator;
- Health and Safety, which includes Nutrition and Mental Health
Adoption of the National Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators was the first, most important step of this shift in workforce development. Priorities moving forward include continued communication regarding this shift/change to the broader Early Childhood Field. Over the next year, OCDEL will survey varying audience types to better understand professional development needs and develop tailored professional development, resources and supports to meet these needs. In addition, other components of the Early Childhood Education System will be aligned with the new Professional Standards including but not limited to the PD Registry and STARS standards.
An asynchronous course on the Pennsylvania Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators (PA PSCECE) is currently in development and will help professionals understand the new standards and the next steps to implementation. Anticipated release of the Pennsylvania Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators (PA PSCECE) and the introductory course is September 2021.
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Select A Properly Accredited Institute of Higher Education for Degree Attainment |
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Pennsylvania's Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and the Pennsylvania Key encourage early childhood education (ECE) professionals to pursue degree attainment through properly accredited institutes of higher education (IHEs) to advance their placement on Pennsylvania's ECE Career Pathway.
Accreditation of a program, college or university allows consumers and students to know that they are receiving a degree from an IHE that meets specific requirements or indicators of quality that are widely accepted and respected in the larger community of education.
Regional Accreditation vs. National Accreditation
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Regional: Regional accreditation is the primary type of institutional accreditation used in the United States. It is carried out by six organizations that cover different geographic regions of the country.
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National: Some institutions hold national rather than regional accreditation because they are unwilling or unable to meet the standards of regional accreditation.
Lack of accreditation can affect the ability to transfer credits and/or receive financial aid to cover the cost of programs and degrees. Many regionally accredited schools will not transfer credit from nationally accredited schools because the National standards may not be considered as rigorous as those in place for Regional Accreditation. For a general overview of the purpose and process of accreditation in higher education, visit the U.S. Department of Education website.
ECE professionals in Pennsylvania that obtain a degree from a non-accredited IHE may endure lasting negative effects on their education verification and ECE Career Pathway placement for years after completion.
Prospective or current students interested in their next educational endeavor should engage in dialogue, request information or ask the following questions:
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What accreditations does the College or University have? Most colleges and universities will proudly list all of their accreditation on the front page of their website.
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What should I do if the IHE where I am studying currently is not accredited? Students should research and use that information to make an informed decision. Credits earned at a non-accredited IHE may not transfer to an accredited entity.
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Where can I get direct information about whether or not my IHE is accredited if it is not listed on their website or information? Search the accreditation database, which is managed and monitored by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE).
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Meet One of the PD Registry's Data Verification Associates for Pennsylvania's Early Childhood Education (ECE) Career Pathway |
Makenzie Gammon is one of the Data Verification Associates for Pennsylvania's Early Childhood Education (ECE) Career Pathway. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Leadership. Makenzie worked for five years in a child care program as an Assistant Director and for two years at a YMCA SACC program before joining the Pennsylvania Key's Professional Development (PD) Registry team. In her current role, she enjoys assisting ECE professionals and loves working with a great group of co-workers with a common goal. In her personal life, she has been married for five years. Together she and her husband share two dogs (Oliver and Blu) and a cat (Liberty or Libs). Makenzie thanks Pennsylvania's ECE workforce for its dedication to children, families, and each other.
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Recipients Awarded Funds in Recognition of Career Pathway Advancement |
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Last month the Pennsylvania Key, in partnership with the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) announced a one-time refund for early childhood education (ECE) professionals who completed their Director Credential or School-Age Credential during the last fiscal year. 160 individuals received this refund.
Additionally, ECE professionals employed in a family or group child care setting while working to obtain their Child Development Associate (CDA) through Better Kid Care were invited to apply for a one-time scholarship. 97 individuals were awarded the full cost of their coursework.
These opportunities were created in recognition of the hardships and challenges that many faced over the past year. Congratulations to the recipients of these awards as they continue forward on their career pathway journey!
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Career Advising Available Through ECE PDO at PHMC |
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Questions? Connect with PHMC’s PDO Workforce Specialist at ECEPDO@phmc.org.
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Resource Guides for the PD Registry |
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Director's Guide - Available in English and en Español
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This guide is meant to be a resource for Directors to successfully set up their organization profile and view reports for their verified staff members completed Professional Development, Self-Assessments, PD Plan completions, and Career Pathway placements. Each section is meant to help Directors complete their own requirements and/or assist their staff in successfully navigating the PD Registry.
¡Ahora disponible también en español!
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Family Child Care Provider's Guide |
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This guide is meant to be a resource for Family Child Care Providers to successfully complete both their individual PD Registry profile and their organization profile.
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Online Professional Development
Opportunities
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Learn More About Pennsylvania’s Prenatal to Third Grade (P3) Systems Building Logic Model and Health topics for PQAS and ACT 48 hours
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The Bureau of Policy and Professional Development has developed, or partnered to develop, different online trainings that are applicable to the field of early childhood. The trainings are centered around Pennsylvania’s Prenatal to Third Grade (P3) Systems Building Logic Model and Health topics related to childhood obesity prevention. These asynchronous courses are free and offer participants PQAS and ACT 48 hours. The trainings can be found in the PD Registry within the training events.
Pennsylvania’s Prenatal to Third Grade (P3) Systems Building Logic Model is designed to support OCDEL’s mission of providing families access to high quality services to prepare children for school and life success. When early learning settings are implemented with attention to quality and are intentionally aligned to one another, all children, including those lacking opportunity, benefit. Comprehensive P3 approaches hold incredible potential to dramatically change the path of opportunity gaps and to set young children on solid pathways to educational and lifelong success. The Pennsylvania P3 Systems Building Logic Model was developed to assist a variety of groups (state agencies, regional teams, local communities) in the planning and implementation of innovative P3 policies and practices. The following courses accompany Pennsylvania’s P3 Systems Building Logic Model:
- P3 Systems Thinking
- Understand Context Overview
- Understanding Context: The Health and Managed Care Organizations System in PA
- Understanding Context: The Public Education System in PA
- Understanding Context: The Home Visiting System in PA
- An Introduction to Pennsylvania’s Family Engagement Framework
- Transition Across the Early Learning Continuum
The Department of Health in collaboration with Tuscarora Intermediate Unit (TIU) developed the training Tools for Promoting Healthy Weight Practices in Early Childhood Education: An Integrated Approach to Coaching Online Course for all ELRCs. The training development and logistics were coordinated with OCDEL and The Pennsylvania Key. Training was provided at five regional hubs in September 2019. For continuity, this course recently became available in the PD Registry. This will provide an opportunity for ELRC training coordinators to ensure that new staff are trained. The training is targeted to ELRC coaching staff, but all staff are welcome to participate in the training.
This 1.5 hour online professional learning opportunity will support participants in understanding the complexity of childhood obesity and the evidence that supports implementing healthy weight strategies in early childhood education settings. Participants will be able to use new knowledge and resources, identify and leverage opportunities, and support implementation of practices and policies related to nutrition, physical activity, and farm to early care and education standards during their quality coaching with early childhood education programs.
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Enroll in myTeachstone for Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®)
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Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and the Pennsylvania Key invite early learning programs interested in implementing Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) as their chosen Program Observation Instrument (POI) to enroll in myTeachstone.
myTeachstone is an online professional development platform that streamlines CLASS implementation. It enhances skills as seen through the lens of CLASS by using CLASS data to support coaching and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) work. It also uses research-based professional content. myTeachstone is designed for teachers, coaches, observers and administrators! No cost enrollment may be available!
For more information, next steps for enrollment and a printable flyer: bit.ly/2Qqo6YO
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Professional Learning Opportunities for Some Program Observation Instruments (POI): Introducing Facilitated Program POI |
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Facilitated Program Observation Instrument (POI) Orientation is an intentional discussion between a Program Quality Assessor and a program to support a program’s decision to choose and use a POI that does not have current virtual or online professional development opportunities from the Pennsylvania Key. This session is not available for Environment Rating Scales (ERS), Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), Program Administration Scale (PAS), or Business Administration Scale (BAS).
This is a one-on-one (or small group when appropriate) hour-long session. One PD hour is awarded in the PD Registry upon completion. Also upon completion, a program may receive a scale book, supporting print materials and/or classroom materials to support the use of the POI at no cost.
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Available Now: Program Quality Assessment (PQA) Recorded On-Demand Webinars |
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The PQA team offers select recorded webinars on the Pennsylvania Key website for on-demand viewing. These are free to anyone and not for PQAS hours. Currently available:
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Program Quality Assessment (PQA)
- Take Your Pick - A Look at ERS and CLASS
In the future, more recorded webinars and additional information will be provided.
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You are receiving this email because you have a registered email address on The PD Registry. If you think you are receiving this email by mistake or you would like to unsubscribe, please email registry@pakeys.org or call 1-800-284-6031.
Find more information about Quality Early Learning in Pennsylvania
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The Pennsylvania Key | 200 N. 3rd St. | Harrisburg, PA 17101
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