Equity of care within Early Childhood has been the main focus of discussion in this week's program lesson. As it be, the website that I chose to follow from the beginning of the coursa, the International Step by Step Association, recently rolled out the Early Childhood Workforce Initiative which focuses on equity of the EC field members. This initiative focuses on the country system and policy level to support and empower the professionals in the Early Childhood field. The initiative is aiming to "bridge gaps in policy and practice and promote high quality, equitable services" (ISSA, 2016) through four main goals.The first being Compentences and Standards:
"Competences and Standards ensure that there are agreed requirements and expectations for what early childhood workers should know and be able to do as well as the core principles guiding their work with young children and their families. This also entails professional profiles of different roles within diverse early childhood services and defining competencies at individual, team, institutional, and systems levels" (ISSA, 2016).
The second goal is Training and Professional Devleopment:
"The early childhood workforce is very diverse, and both pre-service and in-service training opportunities need to be up-to-date, evidence-based, and linked to practice so to support a competent workforce. Given the diversity of the workforce, including many volunteers or staff without formal education, it is important to develop career pathways with diverse entry points/levels and a clear progression route" (Early Childhood Workforce, 2016).
The third goal is Monitoring and Mentoring:
"Creating systems for continuous feedback and coaching are important for ensuring that workers receive information they can use to improve their practice on ongoing basis and are linked to pathways for career advancement" (Early Childhood Workforce, 2016).
And the final goal is Recognition of the Profession:
"Currently, the level of remuneration, working conditions, and status of the early childhood workforce is poor, including relative to primary teachers, nurses, social workers and other similar professions. Recruitment challenges, high turnover, and low morale compromise the quality of provision. There is a need to explore ways to improve the attractiveness and perception of the profession and to promote ways to give voice to practitioners in their daily work and in policy discussions, including through collective action" (EC Workforce, 2016)
These goals are aimed to achieve equity for the professionals of Early Childhood by addressing the main four reasons many individuals choose to enter the field, or once in, whether or not to stay. As we have studied throughout this program, many Early Childhood Educators (ECE) and other EC members, deal with low pay, lack of training, and unclear standards to follow. Something like the Early Childhood Workforce Initiative can have a huge impact for EC professionals and highlight the work they do that changes children's lives.
References
Welcome to EC Workforce | EC Workforce. (2016). Retrieved December 03, 2016, from http://www.earlychildhoodworkforce.org/
Emily,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about the four main goals that you were discussing I believe that professional development is so important for teachers because it gives them the chance to learn new things, that is the reason that my teachers have to do professional development each month. Thank you for sharing.