Let's talk about Professional Development!

Be Proactive - An Interview with the Virginia Marx Children's Center

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 12:47:59 Z

When children feel safe, validated, and nurtured within an engaging, positive learning environment, they can learn and thrive. Such an environment is created by intentional educators who support students by facilitating discovery and supporting their students in establishing positive relationships with others. This kind of setting is only possible when those same educators receive adequate support, training, and guidance from intentional leadership. Enter our featured program - the Virginia Marx Children's Center at Westchester Community College. I chose to highlight this program because of its commitment to building environments that truly support all community members, from students to staff, exemplifying what can happen when a culture of learning is embedded in the center environment.

Opening its doors in 1986, the Virginia Marx Children's Center is licensed by New York State, nationally accredited through the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and received a 5 out of 5-star rating from QUALITYstarsNY. The center is a model in its community, providing a first-rate, high-quality educational experience to preschool students in a warm, nurturing environment. Accomplishing this is no easy feat, so I recently sat down with Kalsi Johnson, the program's director, to discover what makes her center so unique.

Our conversation focused on the program's approach to staff professional development planning. Kalsi explained how the program utilizes professional development plans for teachers who express their need for more support beyond group training sessions throughout the year. "The teachers were saying they needed more. Some of our teachers have been with us for over 26 years, and they've been through a lot of different trainings." Program leadership responds to these requests by conducting individual staff observations and engaging in dialogue about strengths and growth opportunities. "We do an informal observation in the classrooms, observing the teachers; then, we meet with them to discuss the observation, and together we come up with a plan to identify areas of strengths and those that need improvement. We want to see how we can support [them]. We had some of our teachers who were great with interacting with children [but]they needed a little improvement in engaging with the parents, or they needed a little bit more assistance in being able to support their staff or the field students in their classrooms. Different teachers had different needs."

In our field, teaching staff brings diverse experiences and educational backgrounds. Effectively supporting such professionals requires learning opportunities that are developmentally appropriate and specific to the needs of each educator and the populations they serve. Equally important to ensuring effective professional development is that educators can provide input about future training and development activities. The program's approach to professional development planning is collaborative rather than "top-down." The center uses the Core Body of Knowledge as a guide, specifically the Core Competency Assessment and Professional Development Planning tools. Kalsi describes the approach as a three-step cyclical process incorporating assessment, reflection, and planning. While the formal part of the process can be done annually, it is meant to be an ongoing process that contributes toward overall improvement.

Such a process is designed to be responsive and calls educators to take responsibility for their professional learning and growth. Kalsi expressed that teacher feedback is taken very seriously. For example, when one of the teachers mentioned needing help improving her art area, Kalsi and the team worked with the teacher to identify an appropriate learning opportunity. Sometimes such opportunities may be in person, and other times they may be online. Additionally, teachers assess their performance in collaboration with leadership, noting areas for growth before sitting down with the Director to craft a plan that works for the teacher. Noting the collaborative process's significance, Kalsi said, "It's really for the staff to learn and to improve and for positive feedback. They're aware that it's very informal. They're not getting nervous when I [observe them]. [They're] not frightened by it; they're happy to do it."

Kalsi mentioned that the program continues to utilize professional development plans because, at their core, staff want to improve and are excited to get support in the areas they have identified. This collaborative effort builds buy-in, support, and sheer fulfillment when teachers see the benefits inherent in a greater ability to plan lessons and structure their centers. Sometimes attending a training session motivates staff to advance their education. Kalsi told me the story of one such teacher in her program. A seasoned, mature teacher was considering whether to complete her CDA but felt intimidated by the prospect because she hadn't been in a school for a long time. Through the support of Kalsi and QUALITYstarsNY, the teacher obtained her CDA free of charge and ultimately decided to continue her education. Many other educators in Kalsi's program have followed suit.

To date, more than 80% of the teaching staff at Marx Children's Center have higher education degrees ranging from associate's to master's degree level, likely because Marx Children's Center also serves as a laboratory school for Westchester Community College students majoring in Early Childhood. It was through this same initiative that Kalsi joined the team. Over the next 20 years, Kalsi would hold just about every position in the program, from field intern to Assistant Teacher, then Teacher to Assistant Director. Following the retirement of her predecessor, Kalsi was promoted to her current position. According to Kalsi, most teachers work in the program while advancing their education, resulting in a direct pipeline from the college that includes fieldwork opportunities for current students. Several of the staff have also had the opportunity to serve as instructors for new educators entering the field.

When I asked Kalsi what her program would be like if they were not utilizing professional development plans, she said, "I don't know what it would look like, but I know it wouldn't look like what we have…. Professional development is very important. We have to make sure that we're getting new information and new ideas. We're constantly learning and utilizing this knowledge to benefit the children."

It was Beverly Falk who said, "As teachers, we always need to be learning. We should always be trying to outgrow ourselves because teachers are never finished - we are always in the making." Through this ever-evolving process, true transformation occurs, the kind of transformation that can only occur when we are proactive.

Watch the full interview below:

Have feedback? Let's talk about it! Send all comments and feedback to Pdblog@nyworksforchildren.org.

Think Win/Win - Training Approval & Quality Assurance (QA) Pt II: Trainers & Training Organizations

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 09:12:57 Z

I often support program leaders with their individual and organizational professional development tracking during my workday. In one particular instance, I assisted the Education Director of a relatively large Head Start program. With roughly 35 classrooms, they frequently offered many in-service trainings for their staff. Imagine how overwhelmed this director felt as she contemplated the various ways of documenting such trainings within The Aspire Registry; the sheer amount of time and energy needed to accomplish the task seemed daunting. Now imagine how liberated this director must’ve felt when I told her there was actually a more beneficial and easier way to use The Aspire Registry through Training Approval.

In my previous blogs, I’ve emphasized the importance of high-quality trainings for the professional growth of educators, how early childhood and school-age educators can locate them, and the significant impact of these opportunities on the entire field. In this edition, let’s talk about professional development from the vantage point of trainers and training organizations.

We know that high-quality professional development builds educators’ capacity to provide engaging and meaningful interactions that will promote learning among children. This process must be both fluid and sustainable. As a trainer, I used to think that if I did my job well, participants would be able to apply what they’d learned almost instantaneously. In light of what I know now, I recognize that it’s not that simple. In reality, high-quality professional development – the kind that elevates program practice – requires time and relationship-based support. Effective support includes mentorship, learning communities, training series, and college-level courses. These types of professional development provide robust learning opportunities which allow for reflection and inquiry – key elements to change in practice. To maximize this, internal or external trainers must draw from their knowledge and experience while creating just the right amount of engagement to keep the training interesting.

Now, before you think this doesn’t apply to you or feel that you don’t have any trainers on staff, please allow me to offer a different perspective. Let’s suppose you are a Director, Assistant Director, or Head Start teacher who provides in-service professional development to staff. In that case, you’re already familiar with your staff’s strengths and the opportunities available to foster their growth. You’re probably already coaching and guiding them toward best practices to better serve your community. By our definition, you’re a trainer. You should register as such and be sure to document all of those in-service professional development events within The Aspire Registry. If you’ve already done all of that, excellent job!

There’s a tremendous benefit to training your staff and acknowledging it in The Aspire Registry, but this also comes with immense responsibility. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) position statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practice, “…educators have a professional responsibility to be life-long learners who are able to foster life-long learning in children; in this, they must keep abreast of research developments, while also learning continuously from families and communities they serve.” Being a life-long learner also means seeking professional development experiences to expand one’s knowledge and skills. One could argue that the same applies to trainers. As a trainer, you cannot support early childhood and school-age professionals in their work if you do not practice the same disciplined approach to learning yourself. You’ll need to keep up with the latest trends, actively participate in prominent organizations like NAEYC, and partake in various training opportunities to obtain and maintain professional credentials. This will improve your practice as a professional and set you apart from others.

For seasoned trainers, one option to consider is the Training and Technical Assistance Program (T-TAP) credential. The T-TAP provides an opportunity to showcase yourself as a professional and allows you to reflect on your practice. For many T-TAP credentialed trainers, the bonus of being eligible to accept payment for training via the state’s Educational Incentive Program scholarship is a significant value for financially strapped programs. Another plus is that The Aspire Registry promotes trainings facilitated by T-TAP credentialed trainers in the PD Finder as Quality Assured trainings that members can register and pay for directly. In essence, the Training Approval process is straightforward, and we are here to help. Please check out our help center articles and instruction guides. Our friendly staff is also available to provide support.

So, you may be wondering what happened with the Head Start director I mentioned at the beginning of this blog. Well, I did what any trainer would do! I provided training on how to register as a trainer and enter professional development sessions into The Aspire Registry. I am proud to report that this Head Start program ultimately became an approved Training organization in The Aspire Registry. Now, all of their trainers create Aspire profiles and can submit their in-service trainings into our system for regulatory training credit. What’s more, every time one of their programs holds an in-service training, their trainers can upload sign-in sheets and update the attendance portal for participants. Through this process, attending staff members and directors can breathe a collective sigh of relief because now training credits will automatically appear on individual profiles - one less thing for teachers and program leaders to do.

All that said, what’s the moral of the story? Whether you consider yourself a seasoned trainer or provide in-service sessions every so often, it’s imperative to register as a trainer and submit your events into The Aspire Registry. What’s more, when your training events are complete, do yourself and your staff a favor by uploading sign-in sheets and updating the rosters. By doing so, trainings automatically appear on staff profiles, saving everyone time to do what they do best: provide nurturing, supportive high-quality educational experiences for the youngest among us. Now that is what I like to call a Win/Win.

Have Feedback? Let’s talk about it. Send all comments and feedback to Pdblog@nyworksforchildren.org.

PD Finder What it is & Why YOU need it!

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 15:28:23 Z

It’s 12:30 pm. The children have eaten lunch and are settling in for nap time. A quiet hush cascades over the center as staff quietly move about over the steady hum of little ones sleeping. As you are on a break you think this would be a perfect time to sign up for training, but where should you look? You don’t have a lot of time to scour a bunch of different websites for training that counts. Oh, if only there was a place you could go to find what you need…….If you have ever found yourself in this situation, then you know just how frustrating it can be. The good news is such a place does exist.

Allow me to introduce you to the New York State Training Calendar. In actuality, it operates less like a calendar and more like a really helpful search tool, such that here at New York Works for Children we refer to it as the Professional Development (PD) Finder.

The PD Finder allows the user to search for upcoming professional development training and/or search for specific trainers through a variety of ways. Looking for a session related to COVID-19 Guidance Requirements? Just type the word “COVID” into the keyword search and a list of training populates the bottom of your screen. Searching for trainers who speak Spanish or Coaches located in Buffalo? Just type in your search parameters and off to the races (or training) you go – all within a matter of minutes.

There are many options with which to search for professional development and the best part is that all listed sessions are Quality Assured or PDP approved. You might be reading this asking yourself what Quality Assured means and why it’s important. Well, I am so glad you asked! Quality Assured training sessions have gone through the Aspire Course/Event review process AND are facilitated by a credentialed trainer(s). This means that you will not only find training that counts but training that is high quality.

High Quality is a term that we use a lot around here and for good reason. More often than not when staff and directors are searching for training they are usually focused on checking a box for compliance sake- that is ensuring that the number of training hours are fulfilled during the licensing term to avoid regulatory violations. The problem with this type of thinking is that it is short term at best and neglectful at worst. Imagine going to a training that not only teaches you what you should do and how but actually empowers you as a professional to identify strategies that could take your classroom to the next level. The kind of level that would make you excited to come to work because you get to do new things that really work with the children instead of being taught the same information year after year that is neither relevant to your work, practical nor helpful. When training merely focuses on compliance it feels like drudgery, but when executed correctly, professional development can be absolutely life changing growing an early childhood or school-age educator into a highly effective, highly skilled practitioner putting their gifts and talents to use for the benefit of the children and families they serve.

As the resident Professional Development Quality Assurance Specialist at New York Works for Children, I am a strong proponent and advocate for high quality professional development because I have seen what it can do. The truth is anyone who actively takes responsibility for their professional development is a hero. This fact can’t be overstated. So from our vantage point you deserve a tool that will support you in locating professional development that is relevant and meets your needs. To that end that is why we have doubled down on our efforts to build up the training calendar and want to include your sessions. If you are a credentialed trainer offering high quality professional development then we want your sessions in the calendar. If you know of really good trainers in your county or region whose stuff needs to be in Aspire, then let us know. We will reach out to them. Even better, if you have never used the PD Finder, click here to access it.

In this political climate, there are so many issues being put before us. At a time like this what greater opportunity is there than supporting an early childhood workforce? It is our honor to support the development of the workforce’s knowledge, skills and dispositions in a way that sets them up for success so that they can effectively serve the future leaders of tomorrow. From my vantage point there is none greater. My name is Tinnycua Williams, your Professional Development Quality Improvement Specialist and I approve this message. Have Feedback? Let’s talk about it. Send all comments and feedback to PDblog@nyworksforchildren.org.