As we’ve been talking about quality early childhood professionals and the role that teacher qualifications play in that quality, I have tried to be conscious of the high-quality teachers who would be left behind if qualification requirements were raised. However, there is an exciting opportunity for Head Start employees, along with a few other state-funded preschools in the area, to participate in a career pathway program. The program is funded by the Race to the Top: Early Learning Challenge, a grant won by nearby Shippensburg University, and allows employees to complete college credits through a combination of their current work in the classroom, webinars, and trainings held in their place of work. Participants can earn 9-12 credits that will be directly transferable to our local community college. I love how flexible the program is and hopefully everyone who is interested will be able to participate.
In my Head Start program, there are countless opportunities to attend trainings throughout the year, and each staff member must complete at least 15 hours of 
professional development per year. This year I had the opportunity to attend the Capital Area Association for the Education of Young Children (CAAEYC) conference and this Summer, as part of the aforementioned career pathway program, there is a free two-day early childhood conference and Dr. Jean will be there (if you’re not familiar, you should youtube her songs right away!)
As per our assignment this week, I’ve been thinking a lot about my professional goals. First, I’d like to continue to engage in regular professional development. Being a part of this Master’s program is exposing me to a wealth of resources and once I graduate I will continue to seek out current information and research in our field. I would also like to become more involved in the policy aspect of early childhood, but first I need to develop an understanding of how policy is informed and formed. The NAEYC website has some great basic information for those interested in learning about policy: https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/public-policy-advocacy/build-your-public-policy-knowledge. My third goal is to grow in my practice of mindfulness. We have all probably heard about ‘teacher burnout,’ and I want to avoid that and proactively seek ways to reduce stress and be in-the-moment with the children in my classroom. There is actually a lot of research about teacher mindfulness and classroom benefits (Jennings, 2015).
The fears that I have associated with my future in this field seem kind of childish… I started working at Head Start right out of college and it is the only professional job that I’ve had. When I think about the future and moving into a different role, possibly a more political one, I start to panic.. Change is scary! My hope for the future is that early childhood becomes recognized as a ‘profession’ and that it is able to attract and support new, high-quality teachers. A dream of mine is to be a part of the process of forming early childhood policy AND be able to spend time in the classroom. I don’t want to lose my connection to children and lose-sight of who would be impacted by the policies. When I was researching for my paper this week, I actually came across an educator who was in a hybrid position (National Network of State Teachers of the Year, 2015). They worked two days of the week in a classroom, and then three days working on policy. This sounds like the dream!
Thanks for reading, can’t wait to hear about your hopes and dreams :-)!
References
Jennings, P. (2015). Early Childhood Teachers’ Well-Being, Mindfulness, and Self-Compassion in Relation to Classroom Quality and Attitudes Towards Challenging Students. Mindfulness, 6(4), 732-743. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262727035_Early_Childhood_Teachers’_Well-Being_Mindfulness_and_Self-Compassion_in_Relation_to_Classroom_Quality_and_Attitudes_Towards_Challenging_Students
National Network of State Teachers of the Year. (2015). Engaged: Educators and the Policy Process. Retrieved from http://www.nnstoy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Engaged-FINAL.pdf
Look and Listen 
Laura,
You touched on some interesting points this week in featuring programs for supporting our current professionals and the idea of teacher burnout. I too this week felt extremely reflective on the professionals I work with that are being challenged with new qualification standards and professional development requirements. I love the idea of meeting the educator where the are currently and allowing them to use their current classroom experiences to obtain the most effective practices and knowledge in early childhood education.
Teacher burnout definitely is a real thing! I’ve heard that most EC professionals change their paths after five years of being in the field. Five years is not very long at all. Refreshing our knowledge and exploring multiple areas within the field keeps individuals invested and passionate, developing a life-long career. It does sound like the dream job to still be in the classroom a couple days a week and advocate for EC policy the remaining days, I hope you one day achieve your hopes and dreams! Thanks for sharing.
-Crystal
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Laura,
Thank you for sharing some of your hopes and dreams with us. I also love Dr. Jean! I also love to hear more about Race to the Top and how it is being implemented. I have seen some colleges and workplaces band together to allow college credit for work experience and think it is a wonderful way to keep teachers in the field. Change can be scary but some of that feeling can be helped when you arm yourself with all the information you can possibly find before making the change. The hybrid position you mention sounds like a dream. I like the idea of staying connected while working on policy and advocacy. So many times, that is the problem with policy. Politicians are not taking and using the information given to them by professionals in the EC field in its proper context. Somehow, it seems to get lost in translation.
Trish
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Laura,
Thanks for sharing. This is my first time hearing about Race to the Top, it sounds like like an excellent program. I agree with you when you mentioned that early childhood is recognized as a profession. As mentioned in the discussion, when someone said to you “aww that’s cute,” they do not realize how much is implemented in ECE. Also, Mrs. Vasquez shared that ECE are often viewed as just babysitters, when it is nothing like babysitting. I enjoyed reading about your hopes and dreams. You are amazing.
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Hi Laura,
I am happy you found your dream job, that is incredible. I am not an Early Head Start teacher but I do take training with them. I really like how Early Head Start have meeting to eat and greet with their families, the professional free training, assessments, family support specialists on the premise, and a curriculum specialist. The organization is being thoroughly professional in giving the whole child the care needed. I imagine Head Start to be similar, there is a wellness check parents are obligated to do for their children quarterly, and the parents are more involved because there is so much to do. We are trying to adopt some of their ideas because we are all in the same building Pre-K , preschool, and early head start,
I am honored you shared your fears, but I have confidence in your ability to master any goal you pursue.
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