Hello Diana,
Congratulations on attaining and maintaining NAEYC Accreditation status. I think this is a testimony to the commitment you and everyone associated with your program have to provide a high quality experience for the children, families and staff you serve.
I believe these are exciting times in the field of Early Childhood Education as evidenced by increased funding for the Child Development Block Grant and the beginning of more attention on the education and compensation for those working with young children. Yet with the exciting changes I believe are and will benefit young children comes new challenges and opportunities.
As a former Director of several Centers that were NAEYC Accredited, I understand your position regarding the educational requirements for the teachers and assistant teachers in ECE programs. It is challenging to meet these requirements because the increases in funding don't provide what is needed to support the teaching staff to get the degrees needed to maintain accreditation.
A few suggestions I would offer to you, for your consideration are:
1. Create a budget that includes the cost to ensure the teaching staff is able to earn AA and Bachelor's degrees in Early Childhood Education or a related field and to have the funds needed to compensate those who earn degrees to ensure they stay with your program. Use this budget to advocate for more funding for your program with any funding opportunities at the local, state and national level. This might include government officials, business leader and your members of Congress.
2. Form an Advisory Committee that includes higher education faculty at the closest Community Colleges, Colleges and Universities in your state to help you develop and implement a Professional Development Plan that provides the pathway where your teaching staff is able to earn degrees. Online degree programs help those in rural areas earn degrees and are usually less expensive than onsite programs.
3. Call staff at NAEYC who work in the Accreditation Department to get their help in how to move forward to meet the requirements for the teaching staff. I found the staff to be very helpful in addressing this issue.
4. Develop a form for members of the Teaching staff to use to create, with your support, an Individualized Professional Development Plan that includes a SMART goal to earn a degree.
5. Contact your NAEYC Affiliate to find out what resources and support they can offer to you in this matter.
I wish you continued success in your role as the leader of an Early Childhood Education Program accredited by NAEYC.
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Robert Gundling, Ed.D.
Better Futures LLC
Senior Consultant
Washington, DC
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-02-2019 11:10 AM
From: Diana Verbeck
Subject: Teacher Qualifications
Wondering how other programs are doing with meeting NAEYC's current (and upcoming 2020) Teacher Qualification requirements. Is anyone finding it to be challenged to recruit and retain qualified teachers and teacher aides? Or to encourage those without degrees to pursue additional education? We are in a rural community, and our state has seen a significant decline in education majors, coupled with a steady increase of state funded pre-k classrooms, with higher compensation levels, further compounding the issue of meeting NAEYC's requirements. I am genuinely concerned for my ability to maintain our accreditation.
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Diana Verbeck
Executive Director
Danville Child Development Center
Danville PA
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