Competencies
The competencies workgroup has developed a unified competency-based framework that is in the final stages of refinement. This framework will be used for educator preparation, credentialing and licensing in all early childhood settings. The workgroup has established consistent expectations for the essential knowledge, skills and dispositions required for the early childhood profession and has vetted the framework with a variety of partners, including the Nebraska Department of Education. Future discussions will focus on how the framework will be used with participating RESPECT grant colleges during the pilot phase of implementation with the bachelor’s degree and apprenticeship cohorts.
Apprenticeships
The apprenticeship workgroup has been busy! Interest in its apprenticeship model is growing and people are hearing about the great work being done in Nebraska. Tracy Gordon (Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children) and Megan Burk (Child Care Services Association) presented a session about the model at the NAEYC Professional Learning Institute in June. Following the presentation, a participant from Florida reached out to Tracy to discuss the process of creating the model. Additionally, NAEYC’s editors met with Tracy and Megan to discuss the possibility of writing and publishing an article about the work. Members of the RESPECT leadership team presented a session at the Nebraska Young Child Institute Conference, which included a focus on the apprenticeship model. The team is currently addressing the promotion/distribution of the apprenticeship application and the process for selecting the apprentices. The timeframe to roll out the model has been pushed to January 2025 to give ample time for recruitment, interviews and selection.
Student Experiences & Supports
The student experiences and supports workgroup has been qualitatively analyzing interview data. The team identified “Early Childhood Educators as Community Caregivers” as one of the themes, a name that stems from participants’ descriptions of caring for children, families of children they serve, their own families, others in the field, and occasionally, themselves. The team presented qualitative and quantitative findings at the Nebraska Young Child Institute Conference in Kearney. Stay tuned for more information about the results!
Community Engagement
Community researcher partners have been trained in Omaha, Winnebago, Santee and central Nebraska. Each community researcher partner is working with a university researcher to make specific plans for data collection. Most community partners are waiting until the end of the summer to collect data because research participants’ schedules and availability will be more stable at that time.
Assessments
The assessments workgroup has met several times to review best practice documents and assessment systems that have been adopted by other institutions and states. The team will select a few competency domains to pilot assessments in courses this fall, evaluate the validity, feasibility and efficiency of the assessments, and make revisions as needed. The team is also reviewing policies related to awarding credit for prior learning within institutions of higher education.
Staff Updates
Saying Farewell to Our Valued Partners
Join us in bidding farewell to our esteemed partners: Julie Miller, Susan Sarver, Holly Hickson, Miriam Kuhn, Rachel Schachter, Marisa Macy and Dawn Mollenkopf. As we reflect with gratitude on the incredible journey we’ve shared, we honor their dedication, creativity and unwavering commitment, which have enriched the RESPECT project beyond measure. While were sad to see them go, we celebrate the milestones we’ve achieved thanks to their invaluable contributions. Their impact will resonate long after their departure, and we look forward to the opportunity to collaborate again in the future. Wishing them all the best!
RESPECT Scholars Program
The RESPECT Scholars Program aims to strengthen the state’s early childhood workforce by establishing pathways for equitable, accessible and culturally sustaining teacher preparation.
The RESPECT team is actively collaborating with a distinguished group of scholars, guiding them through the process of enrollment at their designated campuses, which include the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK). In addition to facilitating their campus enrollment, the team is also ensuring their seamless integration into the scholars’ program. Stay tuned for more detailed updates in our October Newsletter spotlight.
RESPECT Competencies Framework
The RESPECT Across Nebraska team has developed a new competency framework for early childhood educators. The framework supports the design and implementation of equitable, accessible, community-based and culturally sustaining early childhood teacher preparation pathways in Nebraska.
Learn more about the framework here.
- Visit our website regularly for the latest news and updates on the RESPECT project.
- Access meeting recordings, notes and other resources from the workgroups through the RESPECT Teams channel.
- View the project personnel directory.
Contact
If you have any questions, are interested in joining the project or one of our workgroups, email our project coordinator at respectnebraska@unl.edu.