- Overview and Contacts
- State Policy Blueprint
- Database of State Policies
- Professional Development Definitions
- Workforce Policy Web Seminars
- ECWSI Peer-to-Peer Exchange
- Professional Development Summit: Annual National Meeting of States New!
- Related Resources and Links
- Initiative Sponsors
Overview and Contacts
The Early Childhood Workforce Systems Initiative’s purpose is to assist states in developing, enhancing, and implementing policies for an integrated early childhood professional development system for all early childhood education professionals working with and on behalf of young children. Integrated policies intentionally promote the building and support of an efficient cross-sector system that decreases duplication of efforts and increases accountability and sustainability. An integrated system helps develop and retain a competent and stable early childhood workforce—a skilled cadre of effective, diverse, and adequately compensated professionals.
An integrated system crosses sectors serving early education professionals working in direct and nondirect service roles. Such roles may be in Head Start; for-profit and not-for-profit child care programs in centers and homes; state prekindergarten programs in community-based and school-settings; public school programs; early intervention and special education services; resource and referral agencies; higher education institutions; state departments of education, licensing, health, and other early childhood education related departments.
Contact Information
State Policy Blueprint
Workforce Designs: A Policy Blueprint for State Early Childhood Professional Development Systems
This blueprint focuses on the policies that connect professional development activities and that support and make possible an effective implementation of a state system of professional development. It highlights policy principles and essential policy areas that build or sustain an integrated system—a system that ensures quality in all settings in which early childhood professionals work. These principles and highlighted policy areas look beyond the status quo; they are aimed at the development and retention of a competent and stable early childhood workforce—a skilled cadre of effective, diverse, and adequately compensated professionals.
Click here to access the full report.
Click here to access the brief.
- Building an Early Childhood Professional Development System: an NGA Center for Best Practices Issue Brief, written in partnership with NAEYC and based on the NAEYC blueprint
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A Policy Framework for an Early Childhood Iowa Professional Development System: Early Childhood Iowa’s integrated system plan, a state adaptation of the NAEYC blueprint
- Workforce policy presentations framed by the NAEYC blueprint
Database of State Policies
The database of state policies is organized by the blueprint’s six essential policy areas of professional standards, career pathways, articulation, advisory structure, data and financing. The database also indicates whether or not state policies apply or address the blueprint’s four over-arching policy principles of integration; quality assurance; diversity, inclusion, and access; and compensation parity.
Click here to access database.
Professional Development Definitions New!
Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and Technical Assistance Glossary, jointly developed by NAEYC and the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA).
Workforce Policy Web Seminars
The workforce policy seminars are designed for state policy makers, early education advocates, and program administrators working to connect professional development activities and initiatives into an integrated system.
May 2011 Policy Seminar New!
- Professional Development Systems: Approaching Integration, part of the Birth to Five Policy Alliance's Supporting State Advisory Councils initiative (PDF / audio recording: part 1, part 2)
February 2011 Policy Seminar
- Higher Education and the Early Childhood Workforce, part of the Birth to Five Policy Alliance's Supporting State Advisory Councils initiative (PDF / audio recording: part 1, part 2, part 3)
April 2010 Policy Seminar
- Focus on Workforce and QRIS: Research and Realities (PDF / Online Presentation)
October 2009 Policy Seminar
- Focus on Professional Development (PD) Specialists—professionals who provide/deliver PD, e.g., trainers, coaches, mentors, advisors, technical assistance providers, and consultants (PDF / Online Presentation)
Spring 2009 Seminar Series
This six-part series is organized by the essential policy areas as outlined in Workforce Designs: A Policy Blueprint for State Early Childhood Professional Development Systems.
#1 Focus on Advisory Structures (PDF / Online Presentation)
#2 Focus on Articulation (PDF)
#3 Focus on Data (PDF / Online Presentation)
#4 Focus on Professional Standards and Career Pathways (PDF / Online Presentation)
#5 Focus on Financing (PDF / Online Presentation)
#6 Focus on Workforce Development Systems and QRIS (PDF / Online Presentation)Click here for more details on this seminar series.
ECWSI Peer-to-Peer Exchange
The Early Childhood Workforce Systems Initiative Peer-to-Peer Exchange is an online community designed to facilitate peer-to-peer exchanges between state policy makers, early education advocates, and program administrators working to connect professional development policies that support an integrated early childhood professional development system.
Professional Development Summit: Annual National Meeting of States
The PD Summit is an intensive day designed for state leaders working to build and enhance early childhood cross-sector systems integration with a focus on professional development and workforce system policies. The summits include interactive peer-to-peer discussions with a variety of national experts serving as resources to state leadership teams.
2012 Professional Development Summit: 6th Annual National Meeting of States
The 2012 Professional Development Summit will be held on Saturday, June 9, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana as a pre-session at NAEYC's 21st National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development. For more information on the Institute visit: http://www.naeyc.org/institute.
As with all of the past PD Summits, the focus for 2012 will be on State professional development and workforce system policies that move toward cross-sector systems integration. Also, we will once again be inviting state leadership teams to join us and requesting policy and decision-maker representation (including State Advisory Councils). In addition, we are pleased to be able to provide a stipend for travel and logistics.
NAEYC thanks the Birth to Five Policy Alliance and the McCormick Foundation for their continued support of this annual event.
We look forward to sharing more details about the 2012 Professional Development Summit: 6th Annual Professional Development Meeting of States in the coming months. Feel free to check back for more information or contact Heath Ouellette at houellette@naeyc.org with any questions or comments.
More than 325 people attended the 2011 Summit, including 38 state leadership teams and more than 30 facilitators from national organizations and federal agencies. The event was held on Saturday, June 11, 2011 in Providence, Rhode Island--a preconference session at NAEYC's National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development. As with all of the professional development (PD) summits, the focus of the 2011 event was on state PD system policies that move towards systems integration.
Selected materials for the 2011 Summit
NAEYC thanks the Birth to Five Policy Alliance and the McCormick Foundation for their generous and continued support of this annual event.
The 2011 Summit was planned in partnership with:
- Center for the Study of Child Care Employment
- National Governors Association Center for Best Practices
- National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education
- National Association for Family Child Care
- National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center
- National Council of La Raza
- The National Registry Alliance
- Office of Child Care
- Office of Head Start
- US Department of Education.
2010 Summit
More than 300 participants, including 36 state leadership teams and expert facilitators from more than 20 national organizations, attended the 2010 National Summit: 4th Annual State Professional Development Leadership Team Work Day. The summit was held on June 5, 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona--a preconference session at NAEYC's 19th National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development. In addition to peer-to-peer discussions and state team meetings, the Summit featured plenary presentations and Q&A by Joan Lombardi, Deputy Assistant Secretary and Inter-Departmental Liaison for Early Childhood Development, Administration for Children and Families and Jacqueline Jones, Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Early Learning, Office of The Secretary, US Department of Education.
Selected materials from the 2010 Summit
2009 Summit
Leaders from 36 states joined national experts to collaborate and refine their work on implementing integrated state professional development systems at the 2009 National Summit: Third annual state professional development leadership team work day. The summit was a preconference session at NAEYC’s 18th National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development in Charlotte, North Carolina. Click here for the press release on the 2009 Summit.
Selected materials from the 2009 Summit
2008 Summit
Hundreds of leaders from 30 states and national experts participated in Linking sectors, advancing systems: Second annual state professional development leadership team work day pre-conference session at NAEYC’s 17th National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development in New Orleans, Louisiana. Click here for the press release on this state team work day.
Selected materials from the 2008 Summit
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Summary of ECE Provisions of the Higher Education Opportunity Act
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Where We Stand on Standards for Programs to Prepare Early Childhood Professionals
Related Links
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American Associate Degree Early Childhood Educators (ACCESS)
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National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies
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National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education
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National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center, Workforce Development resources
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National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Early Childhood Care and Education
NAEYC thanks the Birth to Five Policy Alliance, the McCormick Foundation, and Cornerstones for Kids for their generous support of the Early Childhood Workforce Systems Initiative.
