by Sonja Raymond
For the full February 2020 newsletter, click here.
This February we\’re seeing lots of activity at the State House around early education, and a flurry of activity around Advancing ECE as a Recognized Profession. Coming up soon, we in the workforce are looking forward to Early Childhood Day at the Legislature on March 11 and the Kindergarten Conference in Burlington on March 13.
Vermonters are becoming more and more aware that early education is at a critical point, requiring livable wages and supports for the workforce, availability and affordability for families, buy-in from businesses — and that our state\’s economy relies on getting this right.
So, it\’s heartening to see such attention to early education, the workforce and the families we serve. And we know there\’s much work to be done.
NAEYC\’s Power to the Profession is about to put out its “Unifying Framework,” which is a culmination of all of the work and recommendations made through the Decision Cycles. This framework will be used to guide the national movement toward becoming a profession. Additionally, NAEYC will soon publish the final version of Competencies and Standards. We are eagerly awaiting these two documents and can\’t wait to begin digging into them together.
In our own work on Advancing ECE as a Recognized Profession, Regional Facilitators have hosted about 20 conversations around the state to talk about the Task Force\’s Discussion Draft around Professional Identity. Join a conversation, read the draft, take the survey – we really need to hear from you.
Meanwhile, our Task Force has been working on the \”big picture.\” See Project Coordinator Susan Titterton\’s Task Force update below for a snapshot of that work. And be sure to read Staci Otis\’s blog post about what it\’s like being a FCCP on the Task force.
We are also building out a new section on vtaeyc.org as an online hub for our statewide work on Advancing ECE as a Recognized Profession. Be on the lookout in the next couple of weeks for new pages, new information and tons of resources.
In the legislature, the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development has started taking testimony on support for scholarships, loan repayment, a wages supplement program, engagement with business and CCFAP.
If you are a constituent of a committee member , now is the time to email them and ask for their support on these important topics. For a reminder on some of our legislative priorities, see the Let\’s Grow Kids legislative agenda.
Warmly,
Sonja
Sonja Raymond
VTAEYC Executive Director
For the full February 2020 newsletter, click here.