Becoming Part of the Solution: Early Care and Education Professional Development in Iowa

Fact Iowa ranks third in the nation in the percent of children under 6 years of age with all parents in the labor force, 70% and is first in nation for school age children, 83%.

Who’s Caring for Iowa’s Children? Regulated programs such as child care centers or preschools Registered family child care homes Non-regulated situations by relatives, neighbors, babysitters or nannies. 59%

Fact 40% of Iowa’s children do not have the literacy skills required for school readiness when entering kindergarten.

Literacy skills needed Phonological Awareness Alphabetic Principle Fluency with Connected Text Vocabulary Comprehension

Early Childhood Iowa A group formed in 2002 of committed advocates dedicated to developing a comprehensive system of programs and services for Iowa’s children ages zero to five.

Early Childhood Iowa Stakeholders Delta Dental of Iowa Dept of Education Dept of Human Services Dept of Management Dept of Public Health Des Moines Area Community College Drake University Early ACCESS Governor’s Office Head Start Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children Iowa Empowerment Board Iowa Public Television Iowa School Boards Foundation Iowa State University Mid Iowa Community Action Parents as Teachers Partners in Family Development State Library of Iowa United Way of Central Iowa Universities University of Iowa University of Northern Iowa

2003 Workforce Study The Iowa Early Care and Education Workforce Study highlights that those who care for Iowa’s children report: –Low levels of education –Inadequate training history –Low income –Lack of benefits –High turnover rates All of these factors directly impact the quality of care our children receive.

2003 Workforce Study Conclusion “Iowa needs a well-educated and appropriately compensated workforce to give our children the quality care and education environments they need to succeed.”

Barriers to Quality Childcare Training Opportunities

And then came Raising Readers…

And the PBS TeacherLine Raising Readers course…

Raising Readers Online Course is part of the solution in that it removes barriers

Iowa Office of Empowerment Issued a PD RFP To support the early care, health and education professional development system Issued on May 23, 2008 Letter of intent due June 6, 2008 Complete application due June 24, 2008 Requested $75 K, received $68 K PBS TeacherLine course approved for recertification credit (DHS) & CEU’s for care givers in Iowa

IPTV’s Professional Development Project IPTV recruited 183 care providers to participate in the PBS TeacherLine Raising Readers course between July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009 (58 seats funded from CPB, 125 from the Dept. of Management) Provided the course at no cost to the participants Provided a collection of age-appropriate children’s books for use in their day care setting to each successful participant 165 child care providers successfully completed the course

After/Before Survey Results

Lessons to be Learned Free is not enough Handholding is time consuming but necessary Carrots help Put yourself in their shoes

Lessons to be Learned We’re lucky, but we aim to be Get in touch with the educational needs in your state, community, market Make use of the resources available Become part of the solution

New Challenges New, part-time staff person Aligning additional PBS TeacherLine courses with additional early childhood standards – NAEYC, QPPS, ECR, IELS, ICC

New Challenges Understanding Child Care Provider Qualification Options – CDA, Para Educator Certificate, Associate’s Degree, DHS Certification, etc. and what is required for obtaining/retaining certification. Scholarships for care providers – Who will support?

Expansion Opportunities Looking to expand use of all PBS TeacherLine Courses Understanding teacher license recertification options Finding the appropriate partners and showing them how we are part of the solution

Questions or Comments? Trista Peitzman Iowa Public Television