Innovations in Higher Education. Promoting the Well-Being of All Young Children Through Positive Change in Higher Education
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A diverse and effective workforce of early childhood educators is crucial to ensuring that all children from birth through age 8 have equitable access to high-quality learning and care (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees et al. 2020). To effectively promote young children’s development, learning, and well-being, educators must demonstrate a core set of knowledge, skills, values, and dispositions. Yet affordability and equitable access to professional learning remain challenges within the field (IOM & NRC 2015). Positive change is urgently needed to prepare early childhood professionals, and we (the authors) are committed to this outcome. As teacher educators, we have worked to ensure that preservice teachers in our respective programs understand the communities, children, and families they serve. In addition, we served on the committee charged with writing NAEYC’s position statement on “Advancing Equity in Early Childhood.”
In this first edition of Innovations in Higher Education, we describe why and how early childhood higher education programs—at the associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degree levels—can be sites for necessary change. We outline how existing work in the field and foundational documents can advance equity in the preparation of early childhood educators. We also offer examples of how programs can ensure that “anyone who wants to become an early childhood educator, at any designation, has equitable access to affordable, high-quality, professional preparation and development” (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees et al. 2020, 6).
Why This Column: The Current Context of Early Childhood Higher Education
One of the strengths of early childhood education is its racial and ethnic diversity (Sandstrom & Schilder 2021). In recent years, greater attention and work have focused on the profession’s workforce, including the specialized knowledge, skills, and competencies practitioners need to do their essential, everyday work. In 2017, 15 national organizations came together under the name Power to the Profession to establish a framework for career pathways, competencies, qualifications, standards, accountability supports, and compensation (Power to the Profession, n.d.). Their work culminated in the Unifying Framework for the Early Childhood Profession, a report containing recommendations for these and other areas. In response to both Power to the Profession and the Unifying Framework, NAEYC updated its standards and competencies for early childhood professional preparation programs to align with the goals of a unified early childhood education profession (NAEYC 2020). These standards and competencies support early education professionals in shaping the bright futures of our children both now and in future generations.
The Unifying Framework states that investing in early childhood educators “is the best thing we can do to improve early childhood education” (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees et al. 2020, 3). Higher education programs possess an ethical responsibility to implement structural changes to ensure equitable opportunities for those wishing to enter the field. This requires change, which may be uncomfortable for some. Yet we must remember our guiding star—ensuring the well-being of all young children. The overarching message of this column is to recommend NAEYC’s “Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Education” for guiding and aligning the thoughts, practices, activities, and decisions of higher education programs to ensure that each and every child has equitable access to high-quality learning and care.
Advancing Equity in and Through Higher Education Programs
Participants at all levels of the early childhood ecosystem—educators, administrators, facilitators of educator preparation and professional development programs, and policymakers—are called to work toward eliminating structural inequities that create barriers to equitable learning experiences for all children. Recognizing and dismantling the systems of bias that accord privilege to some and are unjust to others wishing to enter and/or advance in the field must be a priority. If efforts to professionalize the field are not also coupled with efforts to increase access to higher education, inequities could be exacerbated (Sandstrom & Schilder 2021, v). (See “The Advancing Early Education Collaborative: One Community’s Efforts” below for an example of how multiple entities can work toward increased access to early childhood preparatory programs.)
NAEYC’s advancing equity position statement (2019) outlines recommendations for promoting equitable learning opportunities for all children. This foundational document can also support those advancing equity in educator preparation programs. Following are recommendations for higher education programs that dovetail with this position statement.
Commit to Providing Equitable Learning Opportunities
Both current and prospective early childhood educators must develop an understanding of the ways structural inequities in society impact early childhood education (NAEYC 2019). This means that teacher educators must ensure that their preservice candidates “understand the historical and systemic issues that have created structural inequities in society, including in early childhood education,” and work to ensure that their preparation and field experiences provide opportunities to work effectively with diverse populations (10). To do this, listening to understand—rather than listening to respond—is paramount. Prioritizing opportunities for reflection in conversations, curriculum revisions, policy changes, and overall change can benefit educator preparation programs that seek to align with professional standards and competencies.
Build in Time to Reflect and Learn
Collectivity, empathy, and shared understanding are essential to bring about change. Therefore, faculty and staff should explore cultures and beliefs beyond their own to truly gain a deep appreciation and respect for others. Educational consultants who have experience with culturally relevant or sustaining pedagogies can help foster conversations around identity, respect, values, and empathy while exploring different perspectives on the intersectionalities of race, culture, socialization, values, and more. This is an ongoing process: rather than adopting a one-and-done approach, opportunities for reflection should be embedded throughout the year. Programs can host retreats, think tanks, informal meetings, and forums, or they can launch open-ended surveys to build opportunities to reflect and learn from multiple perspectives.
As faculty learn from various constituents, they can better understand the perspectives, beliefs, and values that influence their decisions. Ideally, these discussions will lead to positive changes through action plans and policy development. For example, higher education programs might create an advisory board composed of students, policy makers, and community members to promote shared governance and to support further collaboration and collective change.
Align Standards with Curriculum and Field Experiences
Early childhood education preparation programs should review NAEYC’s professional standards and competencies, then examine their curricula and field experiences to identify opportunities for alignment. Each faculty and staff member should also spend time with the standards and competencies and reflect upon how they currently meet them and what they might consider revising. Programs can ensure standards and curriculum alignment by creating a matrix or a chart that identifies each course in the program, the standard(s) being addressed, and the settings of the field experiences. This is a great practice to engage in at the end of each semester: by committing to ongoing assessment and data analyses, faculty and staff can cultivate a “culture of assessment.”
Faculty members can begin the alignment process by selecting a curriculum course and evaluating its content. (Is the content culturally responsive? Does it align with NAEYC’s professional standards and competencies?) Faculty can also review curriculum (such as books and posters) and program marketing materials (such as brochures and websites) to determine if they reflect diversity across multiple platforms. In the final phase of this process, faculty can explore ways to align field experiences with the curriculum. This includes strategizing with clinical and field experience staff members to identify partners in diverse settings where higher education students can engage with diverse populations. For example, programs in urban areas may want to explore adding opportunities for students to learn and develop in rural settings.
Strategize to Recruit and Retain Diverse Faculty
A program’s faculty and leadership team should be diverse. While we recognize the multifaceted, historical, and damaging impact of colonization, we encourage thinking beyond racial designations, such as Black and White. Diversity also includes age, experiences, and factors such as the digital divide. Diverse faculty and leaders should see themselves reflected beyond a program’s branding. Consider conducting surveys to determine if they feel a sense of belonging. Are they supported and affirmed? Are they part of decision making?
Diverse faculty positively impact equitable learning environments by contributing varied perspectives and skills. They can offer multiple perspectives and provide feedback on curricula materials and content. For example, a faculty member who has traveled internationally or who is from another country may recognize the need for embedding global experiences and perspectives into the curriculum. The presence of diverse faculty can also affirm students from similar backgrounds.
The Advancing Early Education Collaborative: One Community’s Efforts
The Advancing Early Education Collaborative (AEEC) launched in January 2022 in Washington, DC, and aims to address systemic wealth gaps for early childhood educator preparation programs. Using various recruitment efforts, it focuses on Black and Latina women who are District residents and who live or work in the early care and education fields in Wards 7 and 8. These wards have historically been underserved in several ways, and economic disparities exist today. The collaborative is funded by a three-year, $5-million grant through JPMorgan Chase’s yearly Advancing Cities Challenge.
AEEC is a post-secondary, stackable credential initiative that offers seamless transferability of degree programs as well as robust student support. As part of the collaborative, American University and Trinity Washington University have partnered to support students at either institution with a seamless transfer to the other university. (See “University Transfer Partnership” below.) Their partnership is augmented by AEEC Student Support Services provided by LIFT-DC and Martha’s Table. These organizations offer services geared toward removing barriers to degree completion and enhancing students’ academic experiences: LIFT-DC integrates financial, education, and career coaching that builds pathways to economic stability and mobility. Martha’s Table provides a wide range of educational, family, health and wellness, and community supports, such as access to free groceries, professional clothing, and a practicum site at its early childhood center. The initiative also receives support from Youth Invest Partners, a philanthropic organization investing in systemic change in Greater Washington.
Additionally, AEEC offers scholarships and stipends for key requirements, services, and supports, including those related to tuition, books, child care, transportation, and teacher licensure exam fees. Students can also be referred to other partnering organizations for a free groceries program, emotional wellness resources, adult and child clothing (including business attire), and a financial literacy program.
AEEC has become a model for preparing early childhood professionals. Student feedback has underscored that this program provides them with educational opportunities they had not previously imagined for themselves due to lack of access and the presence of barriers and other inequities. It holds promise for the field as it looks to build a better tomorrow for each and every young child by creating a system that provides greater access for those who would like to be early childhood educators or who want to further their education in the field. It also demonstrates how early childhood higher education programs can promote equity in ways that positively impact the lives of educators and the children and families they serve.
Conclusion
We acknowledge that the recommendations outlined in this column may seem overwhelming to some. However, we must be cognizant of how overwhelming it has been for people who have historically experienced inequities—inequities that some of our higher education programs have reinforced and sustained. To effectively promote the development, learning, and well-being of young children, higher education programs must commit to providing equitable learning opportunities and settings for faculty, staff, and preservice teachers. Despite the field’s barriers and challenges, programs can achieve this by recruiting and retaining diverse faculty and students and by building in time to reflect, learn, and strategize.
NAEYC’s professional standards and competencies and its advancing equity position statement can serve as guiding frameworks to do this important work. The well-being of all young children must continue to be our guiding star as we use NAEYC’s “Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Education” as a framework to ensure that each and every child has equitable access to high-quality learning and care.
Think About It
- Have you experienced inequities as a child or adult? How did those experiences make you feel? How did they impact you?
- How do you believe inequitable learning experiences impact child development?
- What resources could support you in fostering equitable learning experiences for all children? Who should support these efforts?
Photographs: © Getty Images
Copyright © 2023 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See Permissions and Reprints at NAEYC.org/resources/permissions.
References
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, American Federation of Teachers, Associate Degree Early Childhood Teacher Educators, Child Care Aware of America, Council for Professional Recognition et al. 2020. Unifying Framework for the Early Childhood Education Profession. Washington, DC: NAEYC. powertotheprofession.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Power-to-Profession-Framework-03312020-web.pdf.
IOM & NRC (Institute of Medicine and National Research Council). 2015. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
NAEYC. 2020. “Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators.” Position statement. Washington, DC: NAEYC. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/professional-standards-competencies.
Power to the Profession. n.d. “Where We Started: Power to the Profession.” Accessed July 28, 2023, https://powertotheprofession.org/about/.
Sandstrom, H., & D. Schilder. 2021. Strengthening the Diversity and Quality of the Early Care and Education Workforce: Summary of the 2018 and 2019 Convenings (Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2021).