The short and blunt answer is that early care is currently a fragmented field. What do we call ourselves? What do we provide? What education and training is required? How are we viewed within our communities? Fragmentation results in inequitable […]
NAEYC is the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Click here to learn who they are and what they do. VTAEYC is the Vermont affiliate of this national organization. According to NAEYC, Power to the Profession “is a national […]
Power to the Profession offers a useful framework that the Vermont workforce can use to launch our own conversations about advancing as a recognized profession. Power to the Profession also has a document of FAQs. To learn more about Power […]
We’re using this definition, derived from a presentation by Stacie Goffin based on her research: A profession has 1) A well-defined, distinct purpose; 2) Specialized knowledge and skills; and 3) Systems and structures for preparation, accountable practice, and field-wide leadership.
This is something we are building together as we go along! Chapter One was a workforce engagement project to “gauge the collective will for advancing as a recognized profession.” When the will to advance was clearly established, that workforce engagement […]
As NAEYC moves toward the implementation phase of its collaborative framework, it also recognizes that transforming a field into a recognized profession can’t be accomplished with a fifty state strategy, but a strategy that begins with “some wins” in “some […]
There is a difference between the ECE profession and the ECE field. These are the definitions put forth by Power to the Profession, currently under review by Vermont’s workforce: Early Childhood Education (ECE) Profession: The early childhood education profession includes […]
A consensus-based, workforce-led process like does not result in a set of top-down mandates. Members of the workforce know what we need for this to succeed. NAEYC released a series of Implementation Commitments as the national Power to the Profession […]
Yes, and there is some chicken-and-egg logic. Public investment follows cohesion and unification. Because the ECE field has been so fragmented, public investment has not kept up. Funders need to trust that structures are in place to support their investments. […]
Slowly. The process requires a lot of listening, a lot of room for feedback, honesty, courage and respect. Consensus does not mean that every person agrees completely with everybody else. It also doesn’t mean a basic majority opinion that disregards […]
