
Workforce Development
Earn a Graduate Certificate in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health from Troy University. Social and emotional development is something that can be fostered from birth throughout life. However, earlier is always better when addressing problems in these areas for children. If you are someone who has a heart for helping, a love for children and the desire to impact the mental health of our future generations, let Troy University equip you with the skills needed. For more information, click the link below.
Accreditation for Trainers
The Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education (ADECE) is pleased to announce that one-time grant funds up to $10,000 will be awarded to Alabama’s higher education institutions to pursue a program whereby the sponsoring institution will organize, plan and manage logistics in order to offer the Teaching Strategies® Accreditation Program for Trainers (APT). The program prepares participants to deliver training that promotes teachers’ reliable use of the Teaching Strategies® curriculum and assessment tool. ADECE will award these one-time grants through a competitive application and review process. Applications are due by the end of March each year.
Background
The MyTeachingStrategies™ Gold assessment tool is currently used in all Alabama First Class Pre-K classrooms, the Alabama Pre-K – 3rd Grade Integrated Approach to Early Learning Pilot, Head Starts, and some DHR family childcare and DHR child care classrooms. The mission of Teaching Strategies® is to advance the early childhood field through high-quality, integrated resources; responsive, ongoing support; and research-based, research-proven solutions that enable every early childhood educator to open doors to lifelong learning. Teaching Strategies® created an Accreditation Program for Trainers (APT) that prepares participants to deliver training that promotes teachers’ reliable use of Teaching Strategies® curriculum and the assessment tool. Accredited trainers assist teachers in understanding the developmental levels of children in their classrooms and empower them to use the curriculum materials and assessment data to individualize instruction, as well as communicate with families and other stakeholders.
Grant Requirements
To apply for funding, a sponsoring institution must:
- Be a regionally-accredited institution of higher education located in the state of Alabama;
- Have an articulation agreement already in place or can show that the institution is working toward finalizing such an agreement for early childhood and/or child development courses (in addition to STARS); and
- Provide documentation to the ADECE on the progress of this work;
- Commit to upholding Teaching Strategies® professional development competencies as well as APT trainer core competencies and guidelines;
- Commit to managing all logistics for ongoing Teaching Strategies® training, including:
- Handling the selection process for APT trainer(s)
- Choosing the topic (Creative Curriculum or TS GOLD platform) for APT trainer(s) [APT trainer(s) must be trained in TSGOLD platform before applying for the Creative Curriculum topic]
- Advancing workforce development for teachers through the APT trainer(s)
- Arranging for a training facility with adequate space for all attendees
- Providing ongoing monitoring of APT trainer(s)
- Maintaining records of the training services provided by APT trainer(s)
- Encourage higher education collaboration with ADECE for a three-year period in relation to APT training and assure APT trainer(s) conduct three (3) trainings per year for the agency.
Grant Application
If you have any questions regarding the application process or requests for further information, please contact Jean Allen at 334-314-0023 or jean.allen@ece.alabama.gov. Follow the link below to apply.
Teacher Certification/ Field Experience/Internship Site for ECE Majors
Effective July 1, 2016, and applicable to early childhood education (ECE) and early childhood special education programs: 1. Field experiences shall include placements in at least two of the three main types of early education settings (early school grades (K–3), child care centers and homes, and Office of School Readiness programs). 2. The internship shall include a placement with at least two of the following age groups: birth–age 3, age 3–5, age 5–8. To ensure that placements are made in quality programs, The Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education has provided a list of approved classrooms. If you have any questions, please contact your Region Director.
Memorandum from Alabama Departments of Education and Early Childhood Education (Implementation of the 2015 Educator Preparation Chapter of the Alabama Administrative Code)
NAEYC Standards & Accreditation
The Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education is pleased to announce that one-time grant funds up to $10,000 will be awarded to Alabama’s higher education institutions to pursue accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The Department will award these one-time grants to the following programs:
- Bevill State Community College
- Enterprise State Community College
- Shelton State Community College
- Southern Union State Community College
- Trenholm State College
- University of Alabama – Huntsville
- University of West Alabama
- Northeast Alabama Community College
- Wallace State Community College
- The University of Alabama
- Athens State
- Northwest Shoals Community College
- Troy University
The mission of the NAEYC higher education accreditation system is to set a standard of excellence for early childhood degree programs and to recognize programs that have demonstrated they meet this standard, thereby benefiting the early childhood profession, young children, families and communities. NAEYC’s Professional Preparation Standards serve as the accreditation standards for the system, and these standards establish expectations for early childhood educators across all early learning settings.
The NAEYC Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs awards accreditation to early childhood associate, baccalaureate, and master's degree programs that demonstrate evidence of excellence by meeting the NAEYC Professional Preparation Standards. The NAEYC accreditation process provides a framework for self-study, external evaluation, and improvement in the quality of teacher preparation programs.
There are currently 208 institutions in 42 states with NAEYC-accredited programs. In the state of Alabama, there are four NAEYC-accredited programs: Calhoun Community College (A.A.S. Child Development), Gadsden State Community College (A.A.S. Child Development), Jefferson State Community College (A.A.S. Child Development), and the University of Alabama (B.S. Human Environmental Studies, Early Childhood Education Major).
NAEYC has set 10 standards for early childhood programs that can help families make the right choice when they are looking for a child care center, preschool, or kindergarten. The standards and criteria are also the foundation of the NAEYC Accreditation system for early childhood programs. To earn accreditation, programs must meet all 10 standards.
Based on research on the development and education of young children, the standards were created with input from experts and educators from around the country. The standards define what NAEYC—the world’s largest organization of early childhood professionals—believes all early childhood programs should provide.
The program promotes positive relationships among all children and adults. It encourages each child’s sense of individual worth and belonging as part of a community and fosters each child’s ability to contribute as a responsible community member.
Warm, sensitive, and responsive relationships help children feel secure. The safe and secure environments built by positive relationships help children thrive physically, benefit from learning experiences, and cooperate and get along with others.
What to look for in a program:
- Children and adults feel welcome when they visit the program. Teachers help new children adjust to the program environment and make friends with other children.
- Teaching staff engage in warm, friendly conversations with the children and encourage and recognize children’s work and accomplishments.
- Children are encouraged to play and work together.
- Teachers help children resolve conflicts by identifying feelings, describing problems, and trying alternative solutions. Teaching staff never physically punish children.
The program implements a curriculum that is consistent with its goals for children and promotes learning and development in each of the following areas: social, emotional, physical, linguistic, and cognitive.
A well-planned written curriculum provides a guide for teachers and administrators. It helps them work together and balance different activities and approaches to maximize children’s learning and development. The curriculum includes goals for the content that children are learning, planned activities linked to these goals, daily schedules and routines, and materials to be used.
The NAEYC Accreditation system does not prescribe a specific curriculum; programs can design their own or choose a commercially available curriculum that meets NAEYC’s guidelines.
What to look for in a program:
- Ask about the program’s curriculum and how it addresses all aspects of child development. The curriculum should not focus on just one area of development.
- Children are given opportunities to learn and develop through exploration and play, and teachers have opportunities to work with individual children and small groups on specific skills.
- Materials and equipment spark children’s interest and encourage them to experiment and learn.
- Activities are designed to help children get better at reasoning, solving problems, getting along with others, using language, and developing other skills.
The program uses developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate, and effective teaching approaches that enhance each child’s learning and development in the context of the curriculum goals.
Children have different learning styles, needs, capacities, interests, and backgrounds. By recognizing these differences and using instructional approaches that are appropriate for each child, teachers and staff help all children learn.
What to look for in a program:
- Teachers carefully supervise all children.
- Teachers provide time each day for indoor and outdoor activities (weather permitting) and organize time and space so that children have opportunities to work or play individually and in groups.
- Children’s recent work (for example, art and emergent writing) is displayed in the classroom to help children reflect on and extend their learning.
- Teachers modify strategies and materials to respond to the needs and interests of individual children, engaging each child and enhancing learning.
The program is informed by ongoing systematic, formal, and informal assessment approaches to provide information on children’s learning and development. These assessments occur within the context of reciprocal communications with families and with sensitivity to the cultural contexts in which children develop.
Assessment results benefit children by informing sound decisions, teaching, and program improvement.
Assessments help teachers plan appropriately challenging curriculum and tailor instruction that responds to each child’s strengths and needs. Assessments can also help teachers identify children with disabilities and ensure that they receive needed services.
What to look for in a program:
- The program supports children’s learning using a variety of assessment methods, such as observations, checklists, and rating scales.
- Assessment methods are appropriate for each child’s age and level of development and encompass all areas of development, including math, science, and other cognitive skills; language skills; social-emotional skills; and physical skills.
- Teachers use assessment methods and information to design goals for individual children and monitor their progress, as well as to improve the program and its teaching strategies.
- Families receive information about their child’s development and learning on a regular basis, including through meetings or conferences.
The program promotes the nutrition and health of children and protects children and staff from illness and injury. Children must be healthy and safe in order to learn and grow. Programs must be healthy and safe to support children’s healthy development.
What to look for in a program:
- Teaching staff have training in pediatric first aid.
- Infants are placed on their backs to sleep.
- The program has policies regarding regular hand-washing and routinely cleans and sanitizes all surfaces in the facility.
- There is a clear plan for responding to illness, including how to decide whether a child needs to go home and how families will be notified.
- Snacks and meals are nutritious, and food is prepared and stored safely.
The program employs and supports a teaching staff with the educational qualifications, knowledge, and professional commitment necessary to promote children’s learning and development and to support families’ diverse needs and interests.
Teachers who have specific preparation, knowledge, and skills in child development and early childhood education are more likely to provide positive interactions, richer language experiences, and quality learning environments.
What to look for in a program:
- Teaching staff have educational qualifications and specialized knowledge about young children and early childhood development. Ask, for example, how many teachers have Child Development Associate (CDA) credentials, associate’s degrees, or higher degrees.
- The program makes provisions for ongoing staff development, including orientations for new staff and opportunities for continuing education.
- Teaching staff have training in the program’s curriculum and work as a teaching team.
The program establishes and maintains collaborative relationships with each child’s family to foster children’s development in all settings. These relationships are sensitive to family composition, language, and culture. To support children’s optimal learning and development, programs need to establish relationships with families based on mutual trust and respect, involve families in their children’s educational growth, and encourage families to fully participate in the program.
What to look for in a program:
- All families are welcome and encouraged to be involved in all aspects of the program.
- Teachers and staff talk with families about their family structure and their views on child rearing and use that information to adapt the curriculum and teaching methods to the families served.
- The program uses a variety of strategies to communicate with families, including family conferences, new family orientations, and individual conversations.
- Program information—including policies and operating procedures—is provided in a language that families can understand.
The program establishes relationships with and uses the resources of the children’s communities to support the achievement of program goals. Relationships with agencies and institutions in the community can help a program achieve its goals and connect families with resources that support children’s healthy development and learning.
What to look for in a program:
- The program connects with and uses museums, parks, libraries, zoos, and other resources in the community.
- Representatives from community programs, such as musical performers and local artists, are invited to share their interests and talents with the children.
- The staff develop professional relationships with community agencies and organizations that further the program’s capacity to meet the needs and interests of children and families.
The program has a safe and healthful environment that provides appropriate and well-maintained indoor and outdoor physical environments. The environment includes facilities, equipment, and materials to facilitate child and staff learning and development.
An organized, properly equipped, and well-maintained program environment facilitates the learning, comfort, health, and safety of the children and adults who use the program.
What to look for in a program:
- The facility is designed so that staff can supervise all children by sight and sound.
- The program has necessary furnishings, such as hand-washing sinks, child-size chairs, and tables, as well as cots, cribs, beds, or sleeping pads.
- A variety of materials and equipment appropriate for children’s ages, skills, and abilities are available and kept clean, safe, and in good repair.
- Outdoor play areas have fences or natural barriers that prevent access to streets and other hazards.
- First-aid kits, fire extinguishers, fire alarms, and other safety equipment are installed and available.
The program effectively implements policies, procedures and systems that support stable staff and strong personnel, as well as fiscal and program management so all children, families and staff have high-quality experiences.
Effective management and operations, knowledgeable leaders, and sensible policies and procedures are essential to building a quality program and maintaining the quality over time.
What to look for in a program:
- The program administrator has the necessary educational qualifications, including a degree from a four-year college and specialized courses in early childhood education, child development or related fields.
- The program is licensed and/or regulated by the applicable state agency.
- The program’s written policies and procedures are shared with families and address issues such as the program’s philosophy and curriculum goals, policies on guidance and discipline, and health and safety procedures.
- Appropriate group sizes and ratios of teaching staff to children are maintained (for example, infants—no more than eight (8) children in a group, with two (2) teaching staff; toddlers—no more than 12 children in a group, with two (2) teaching staff; and 4-year-olds—no more than 20 children in a group, with two (2) teaching staff).
Why LETRS?
Alabama is committed to supporting Pre-K–Grade 3 teachers with the tools necessary to teach every student the basic literacy skills needed to be successful in school. This comprehensive training will provide the P-3 teacher deeper understanding of the science of reading and evidence-based strategies necessary to support students who experience reading challenges. Learn more about Alabama LETRS:
Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) can be a critical component in the teacher’s instructional toolbox of reading strategies. The LETRS is not a curriculum or program; instead, LETRS focuses on the science of reading and supports teachers in diagnosing reading issues, prescribing a strategy and assessing the effectiveness of the instruction provided to support the student.
This intensive learning experience will be provided, on a voluntary basis, for Alabama P-3 teachers and coaches. If the demand exceeds funds, a rubric with weighted criteria will be used to finalize eligibility. The Alabama State Department of Education and DECE are committed to identifying opportunities to fund additional LETRS training in the future.