A. Current Components:
Resource-filled website:
The TECPDS website offers an array of professional development resources for anyone working in the field of early childhood, such as:
- Statewide calendar of upcoming conferences and workshops
- College directory of Texas institutions of higher education offering early childhood or child development degree programs
- College directory of national institutions of higher education offering online early childhood or child development degree programs
- General professional development resources specific to Practitioners, Administrators and/or Trainers
Core Knowledge & Skills or Core Competencies:
These refer to the list of knowledge, skills and abilities of adults working with or on behalf of young children. These competencies outline what adults should know and be able to do. Texas currently has a new list for Practitioners and Administrators. At this time we are also working on a list of competencies for Coaches and Mentors. These core competencies can also be used to guide the development of training content.
Texas Trainer Registry:
The Texas Trainer Registry (TTR) is a web-based, searchable database that lists approved Texas-based early childhood trainers and their courses. The list of training courses includes those for administrators and practitioners and all listings are searchable by Trainer, County, and Core Knowledge Area. The THSSCO administers the Trainer and Training approval process of those interested in being listed on the TTR.
B. Components in Development:
- Texas Workforce Registry:
A web-based database for early childhood professionals to log into and keep track of all their educational and employment history, as well as the professional development hours they have accrued. - Job Board:
The job board will allow program administrators to post job openings online. This tool will be accessible to anyone visiting the website. Interested parties will be able to find early childhood job openings throughout Texas. - Professional Development Planning Tool:
This tool will assist in creating and implementing individualized professional development plans by helping professionals:- Assess their current interest, knowledge and skills
- Prioritize specific areas for growth
- Identify resources to support their plan
The following are other initiatives of the THSSCO, in collaboration with the Texas Early Learning Council (TELC), that relate to early childhood professional development:
New Texas Core Competencies for Early Childhood Practitioners and Administrators
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The THSSCO, in collaboration with the TELC, has been working on new core competencies for early childhood practitioners and administrators since 2011. After much deliberation and consideration, including a period of public comment, these new core competencies are available to be shared with our state. The THSSCO and TELC are also working on new Core Competencies for Trainers and for Mentors and Coaches which should be available soon. Click here to download a copy of the new Texas Core Competencies for Early Childhoon Practitioners and Administrators.
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In addition to the Core Competencies document, there will be two online training modules (one for the Practitioner competencies and one for the Administrator competencies) available on the TECDPDS website later this year. These modules will provide an overview to the new core competencies, allowing trainees to review them, as well as assess in which areas they need to seek out further professional development.
Texas Early Childhood Career Lattice
The Texas Early Childhood Career Lattice, also known as a career ladder or career pathway, will relate a professional’s training hours, education, work experience, and other factors to a position on the career lattice, from entry-level to expertise in the early childhood field. Additionally, professionals can advance levels on the career lattice by gaining more professional experience, or obtaining additional education credentials, such as a child development associate (CDA) degree, bachelor’s degree, or beyond. Ideally, professionals will use this information to guide their professional development in the future and market themselves to employers and parents. Click here to download a copy of the Texas Early Childhood Career Lattice.
Early Childhood Workforce Compensation Study
Another project to support the TECPDS is a compensation study of early childhood professionals in Texas. The compensation study will be statewide and cross-sector, collecting compensation information on early childhood professionals in different programs. This compensation study will be used to create a voluntary salary range for early childhood professionals in Texas. This compensation study will be completed in early 2013. The research and data analysis for the compensation study is currently being finalized! The final report of the compensation study will be posted on our website in March 2013. Click here to learn more about the Texas Early Childhood Workforce Compensation Study.
Higher Education Agreements Toolkit
To purpose of the Higher Education Agreements Toolkit is to assess higher education articulation agreements among programs that offer early childhood degrees, and produce a toolkit for other institutions to use. Once the research is completed, the toolkit will be released to the public in order to assist higher education institutions create articulation agreements. The toolkit will become available later in 2013 and will be posted on both the TELC and TECPDS websites. Click here to learn more about the Higher Education Agreements Toolkit.