POLICY BRIEF Professional Development for Teachers of Arizona’s Young Children 2 Educated Teachers Benefit Young Children Most in K-12 schools and in early care and education. Highly qualified early childhood teachers can significantly affect a child’s cognitive outcomes, specifically early literacy and language development, letter knowledge, and writing skills.ii When it comes to brain development, birth to 5 is prime time. Research shows that about 90% of a child’s brain develops before she enters kindergarten, and a child’s experiences in the early years lay the foundation for success, in school and in life. Parents and families are a child’s first and best teachers. They play a critical role in the health, emotional well-being and learning of their child. But, many families need to work, and place their children with paid or volunteer caregivers during all or part of the day. In addition, many families who care for their children at home choose to supplement their child’s learning with educational experiences outside of the home. Research demonstrates that when child care and other early learning programs are of high quality and developmentally appropriate, children score higher on school readiness measurements and do better in school. They also have better relationships with their peers and are more likely to graduate. But the quality of early care and education depends on the professionalism, education and skills of the teacher.i Research shows that professional development of teachers makes a difference, Competitive wages are critical to the recruitment and retention of great early childhood teachers and care providers. Combined with benefits and opportunities for pay increases, they can reduce staff turnover rates. Turnover is not only a business challenge for providers; it is a learning challenge for children. Research shows that children are better prepared to learn when they have consistent relationships with teachers.iii Large swings in teacher turnover make it difficult for children to form the secure attachments to consistent caregivers that are so critical to their learning and development. A national study found that teacher turnover is highest in child care centers with lower wages and lower levels of teacher education.iv Early childhood teachers frequently leave pre-kindergarten positions for the higher pay that positions teaching kindergarten through 3rd grade students can provide. A 2012 survey of Arizona child care providers found differences between degree attainment and type of child care providers. Thirty-one percent of teachers working in a Head Start program, 45% of teachers working in a public preschool program, 23% of teachers working at public or private early childhood centers (excluding Head Start and public preschools), and 26% of all early childhood teachers combined had obtained a bachelor’s degree. Median hourly teacher wages across different types of early childhood programs ranged between $10.00 and $16.00 an hour. Compared to wages in 2007v, there has been about a $1.00 increase in hourly median wage across different types of programs. The differences in pay and turnover among early childhood teachers in different types of schools are shown in Table 1 below. significant coursework in early childhood education and an Early Childhood Education Certificate. Holders of an Early Childhood Certificate have a bachelor’s degree, approved early childhood teacher preparation coursework that includes practicum hours, and a passing score on the Professional Knowledge Early Childhood exam.vii Head Start teachers in Arizona will also encounter new regulations. As of September 30, 2013, 50% of Head Start teachers must have at least a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or related coursework. Currently, all teachers in Early Table 1: Education and Tenure of Early Childhood Education Teachers* in Arizona, 2012vi Head Start Teachers Public Preschool Teachers Other Early Childhood Teachers** ALL Teachers Combined $16.00 $14.50 $10.00 $10.00 Percentage with bachelor’s degree 31% 45% 23% 26% On the job two years or less 13% 25% 30% 29% On the job five years or more 71 % 56% 41% 45% Median hourly wage This policy brief outlines needs, challenges and solutions for increasing the professional development of early caregivers and teachers in Arizona. We define professional development to include both the education of future early childhood teachers and continuing or in-service training for existing early childhood professionals, including administrators, teachers and assistant teachers. Minimum Education Requirements for Early Childhood Teachers Both the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and the federally funded Head Start program are moving toward stronger education requirements for early childhood teachers. By July 1, 2012, all teachers serving children birth through kindergarten in programs administered by ADE will be required to hold a bachelor’s degree or Head Start programs (for children 3 and younger) must have at least a Child Development Associate credential and, by 2012, also must have training with a focus on infant and toddler development.viii A state-licensed child care facility in Arizona currently requires teacher-caregivers to be at least 18 years old and have either a high school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED) and six months of child care experience; a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential ; or, an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in early childhood studies. An assistant teacher-caregiver must be at least 16 years old and have employment or volunteer activity in a child care facility for a minimum of twelve months. Depending on their age, they must either have a high school diploma or GED or be currently enrolled in high school.ix *Assistant Teachers not included. ** Teachers from for-profit and non-profit centers, excluding Head Start and public school teachers 3 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PATHWAYS Career and educational options for aspiring early childhood professionals. Basic and Core Knowledge in Early Childhood Childhood Development Associate (CDA) General Education Studies Pursue Early Childhood OR Child & Family Studies Degree? Yes Enter Workforce Enter Workforce No Continue Education General Education & Advanced Knowledge 2a General Education & Advanced Knowledge 2b AA or AAS in ECH AA/AAS in Human Services, ECH Management, Family Studies Enter Workforce Family Child Care, Special Needs, Residential Child Care Continue Education ECH Certification or Endorsement BA/BS Enter Workforce Post Baccalaureate Programs BA/BS BAS/BIS Continue Education Master’s Degree Early Education Doctorate Degree Early Education Childhood Education Pathways Diagram. State School Readiness Board 2006. (Diagram is currently under revision) Professional Development Needs and Challenges Access to Professional Development Opportunities Early childhood teachers can face numerous barriers to their professional development, including financial, time and transportation constraints, access to coursework, and access to consistent academic guidance.x For example, the number and types of educational classes available to working professionals during evenings and weekends may be limited. Because women make up more than 94% of the child care workforce, early childhood teachers are often balancing home and work responsibilities with furthering education.xi As mentioned earlier, child care workers receive low wages, lower than other female-dominated occupations, leaving early childhood teachers at risk for poverty themselves.xii These barriers are off-set, at least partially, by a workforce that is often eager to build their skills and serve their students better. “My teachers really embrace professional development and the chance to learn,” a Tucson child care center director said. “Most of the people are in this field because they really love it and don’t want to do anything else.” Access to professional development is also not consistent among all types of care – in-home care providers often have less access to professional development and have lower documented levels of continuing education than their center-based counterparts.xiii The Value of Professional Development Numerous studies demonstrate the importance of young children’s relationships with their teachers to their future success in school. High quality teacherchild interactions have been found to predict aca- demic skills, language skills, and social skills among young children.xiv Yet, a review of various studies involving teachers of four-year-olds revealed that increasing teachers’ education levels alone does not significantly improve “classroom quality or maximize children’s academic gains.” Rather, specific, focused professional development activities, opportunities, and supports that emphasize high quality teacher-child interaction are needed.xv Other research documents the challenge of making teacher education opportunities widely available— such as through online learning— while maintaining a high standard of quality. Evidence exists that web-based systems of professional development that include consultation on specific interactions between children and teachers are much more effective than the web-based systems alone.xvi In this sense, professional development opportunities that improve teacher-child interactions can increase school readiness. The director of one southern Arizona child care center described the impact of her teachers’ increased professional development this way: “I see a lot of improvements in the classroom: I see more focus on the students; more child-related, hands-on activities. Before, a lot of the work I saw was more teacher-driven, memorization work—learning colors and shapes, that sort of thing. Now, they’re learning weights and measures. I see more child-led activities. I hear more music. I see more child art. You can see the children getting a better education.” Professional development can also enhance teachers’ understanding of variations in cultural and ethnic traditions and values. Research suggests that professional development specifically related to diverse classroom settings affects providers’ attitudes and perceived confidence about embracing, appreciating and being sensitive to the needs and interests of children with varied cultural backgrounds and family configurations. Studies also reveal that a majority of early care providers find their training has not prepared them to care for and teach young children with atypical development and 5 6 other special needs.xvii Early care provider training may lead to higher quality care that includes children who may need extra support and understanding due to physical, emotional and/or developmental challenges.xviii Additionally, academic professionals have documented the lack of research on professional development approaches which could improve the cultural competence of early childhood teachers and caregivers, and have called for more strategic study.xix Uniformity and Standards in Professional Development For Arizona early childhood education providers, the path to earning a degree or certificate often begins at a local community college and ends at a state university. Cooperation between community colleges and Arizona’s three state universities –Arizona State University (ASU), Northern Arizona University (NAU), and University of Arizona (U of A) – is open and ongoing. Because of Vision 2020, an Arizona Board of Regents strategic community development plan, a number of notable partnerships recently have emerged between Arizona community colleges and Arizona universities. NAU has an articulation agreement, or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with Yavapai Community College; U of A has a similar agreement in place with Pima Community College, as does ASU with Central Arizona College. Articulation agreements promote the seamless transfer of course credits between the colleges and universities, making it easier to complete a degree. Arizona’s Early Childhood Articulation Task Force has also dedicated many years to facilitating more MOUs and establishing official partnerships around shared curricula and course credit transfers. While the numerous degree and certificate programs that exist in Arizona universities and community colleges must meet state standards, only one early childhood education program in the state, at NAU, is nationally accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and recognized by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Beyond formal teacher education, the Arizona Early Learning Standards also guide classroom curricula for three-to-five year-olds.xx The Program Guidelines for High Quality Early Care and Education: Birth through Kindergarten address the importance of quality teacher-child interactions and instructional support and discuss how teachers can best interact with children this age.xxi Policy Cooperation Both the National Governors Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children advocate state policies that increase integration of professional development requirements, improve quality of professional development, increase compensation parity, support researchbased practices, and ensure greater access to professional development opportunities.xxii Policy solutions for the professional development of early childhood caregivers and teachers don’t necessarily require a notable portion of the state budget. What are First Things First and other Arizona organizations doing? While the challenges and needs of increasing professional development opportunities among Arizona’s early childhood education workforce seem great, certain measures to strengthen and support teachers and caregivers are already in place. Funding College Scholarships: First Things First (FTF) funds the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Arizona (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps) program administered locally by the Association for Supportive Child Care. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Arizona offers college scholarships to individual child care center teachers, directors, and family child care providers. Scholars can receive support toward a Child Development Associate certificate or an associate degree at a community college. “Having a professional career has been a dream of mine,” one recipient explained. “Now that the T.E.A.C.H. program has awarded me a scholarship, I am in the path to making my dream a reality. Taking courses in Early Childhood has helped me apply the skills I gained to be able to enhance the quality of care that I provide.” In the 2011 Fall semester, First Things First supported 626 T.E.A.C.H. scholars/participants from 394 providers.xxiii Increasing Compensation: FTF has partnered with Valley of the Sun United Way to launch Professional REWARD$. Professional REWARD$ was designed to help retain qualified teachers to care for and educate Arizona’s youngest children. The program offers financial incentives (ranging from $300 to $2,000 based on the recipient’s education level) to early care and education professionals for progressive education, educational attainment and commitment to continuous employment. The program is wide-reaching, drawing over 1,200 applicants from all over Arizona between July and December of 2011.xxiv Greater Professional Certification: the Arizona Department of Economic Security and FTF are partners in the Professional Career Pathways Program (PCPP). PCPP supports home-based care providers in their pursuit of the CDA credential, and centerbased caregivers for coursework towards the CDA, as well as a community college certificate. PCPP scholarships are prioritized for regulated child-care homes. Communities as Resources in Early Childhood Teacher Education (CREATE): Helios Education Foundation has granted the University of Arizona $1.5 million over five years to support a new curriculum for college students who want to specialize in preschool or K-3 education, and workshops to help current teachers get new ideas for engaging young children and their families in reading and stories. Professional Development Data: Tracking standards of professional development, for both recipients and providers, is necessary for a complete understanding of our state’s progress. In Arizona, a voluntary statewide professional development registry was established in 2004. The Statewide Child Care and Early Education Development System, or S*CCEEDS, reviewed, listed, and promoted training for caregivers and provided tracking of caregiver educational attainment for almost 10,000 early care workers. Community-based training and education was offered at no cost to participants, and could lead to college credit and certifications. Unfortunately, the registry was discontinued in March of 2009, due to state budget cuts. 7 8 Next Steps In the early years of a child’s life, high quality relationships with adults – both parents and teachers – establish a solid foundation for success in school and life. A primary challenge for Arizona’s early childhood workforce is to build strong teacher-child relationships. This challenge is magnified by the high expectations parents, communities and policymakers place on early education and teaching. Teachers and caregivers need more opportunities and much more support to meet these expectations. Specifically, Arizona needs: • greater collaboration and integration of professional requirements and among systems of higher education; • greater application of research showing the importance of professional development in fostering strong teacher-child relationships and how strong relationships can contribute to positive child outcomes; • financial support to further the education of aspiring early childhood professionals, including coordinated and adequately funded efforts to address barriers often encountered by individuals entering the early childhood workforce, such as college advisement specifically geared to students in early childhood programs, or targeted tutoring to help students complete degree requirements (e.g. math and writing courses); • incentives to retain high quality early childhood teachers; • an integrated data collection, evaluation, and knowledge building system to track progress of early childhood teachers and aspiring early childhood professionals, leading to an improved early childhood system of services in Arizona. Professional development of early childhood teachers notably increases school readiness and cognitive outcomes for young children. In the words of one early childhood teacher who received support through FTF and the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Arizona program: “ My knowledge and confidence has grown so much! I am trying new activities and see a difference in my classroom and with the children. The parents have noticed that the quality of what I do is so much better.” Endnotes i See Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. (2008). Parents and the High Price of Care: 2008 Update. Retrieved from http://naccrra.org/ and Fuligni et al., (2009). Diverse Pathways in Early Childhood Professional Development: An Exploration of Early Educators in Public Preschools, Private Preschools, and Family Child Care Homes. Early Education and Development, Vol. 20 (3), pp. 507-526. ii Powell et al. (2010). Effects of an Early Literacy Professional Development Intervention on Head Start Teachers and Children. Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol. 102, (2), pp. 299-312. iii Mims, S., Scott-Little, C., Lower J. (2008). Education Level and Stability As It Relates to Early Childhood Classroom Quality: A Survey of iv Whitebook and Sakai (2003). Turnover Begets Turnover: An Examination of Job and Occupational Instability Among Child Care Center Early Childhood Program Directors and Teachers, Vol. 23 (2), 227. Staff. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Vol. 18, pp. 273 – 293. v Stevens (2008). A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce. vi First Things First (2012). Early Childhood Workforce Compensation and Credentials Survey unpublished data. vii Stevens (2008). A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce. http://www.azftf.gov/. http://www.azftf.gov/. viii Arizona Department of Health Services, Office of Child Care Licensing. Arizona Administrative Code and Arizona Revised Statutes for Child Care Facilities. Retrieved from www.azdhs.gov ix Stevens (2008). A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce. http://www.azftf.gov/. x Arizona Head Start Association Professional Development Message, May, 2010. Personal correspondence. xi Ibid xii Child Care Workforce. NACCRRA. Retrieved from www.naccrra.org. xiii Stevens (2008). A Decade of Data: The Compensation and Credentials of Arizona’s Early Care and Education Workforce. xiv Fuligni et al. (2009). Diverse Pathways in Early Childhood Professional Development: An Exploration of Early Educators in Public http://www.azftf.gov/ Preschools, Private Preschools, and Family Child Care Homes. Early Education and Development, Vol. 20 (3), pp. 507-526. xv Hamre and Pianta (2001). Early Teacher–Child Relationships and the Trajectory of Children’s School Outcomes through Eighth Grade. Child Development, Vol. 72 (2), pp. 625-638 and Mashburn et al. (2008). Measures of Classroom Quality in Prekindergarten and Children’s Development of Academic, Language, and Social Skills. Child Development, Vol. 79 (2), pp. 732-749. xvi Early et al. (2007). Teachers’ Education, Classroom Quality, and Young Children’s Academic Skills: Results From Seven Studies of Preschool Programs. Child Development, Vol. 78 (2), pp. 558-580. xvii Skills: Results From Seven Studies of Preschool Programs. Child Development, Vol. 78 (2), pp. 558-580. xviii Pianta et al. (2008). Effects of Web-Mediated Professional Development Resources on Teacher–Child Interactions in Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Vol. 23 (4), pp. 431-451. xix Chang et al. (2005). Early Childhood Teacher Preparation in Special Education at 2 and 4-year Institutions of Higher Education. Journal xx Baker-Ericzén et al., 2009. Impact of Trainings on Child Care Providers’ Attitudes and Perceived Competence Toward Inclusion - What of Early Intervention, Vol. 27 (2), pp. 110-124. Factors Are Associated With Change? Topics in Early Childhood Special Education. Vol. 28 (4), pp. 196-208. xxi Ibid xxii Arizona Department of Education Early Learning Standards, 2005. Retrieved from http://www.ade.az.gov/earlychildhood/downloads/ EarlyLearningStandards.pdf xxiii First Things First (2012) Grantee Data Submission Reports xxiv Ibid 9 First Things First | 4000 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85012 | www.azftf.gov