RESPECT Updates: April 2024

Competencies

The Competencies workgroup has created a shared competency-based framework. This framework is to be used for educator preparation, credentialing, and licensing, across all early childhood settings. We have worked to establish common expectations for the important knowledge, skills, and dispositions required for the early childhood profession. We are in the final phases of refining and vetting the framework with a variety of partners.

Apprenticeships

The Child Care Services Association (CCSA) and its T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® National Division collaborated to develop an apprenticeship program for early childhood educators, sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship. After the application was submitted by the apprenticeship workgroup in July 2023, it was approved in August of the same year. The Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children was selected to oversee the creation and implementation of the apprenticeship model under a contractual agreement with CCSA/TEACH National Center. The National Center will offer technical assistance to ensure the development and execution of a successful apprenticeship model.

A small subset of the apprenticeship workgroup members was selected to serve as the “core team” tasked with attending technical assistance meetings with the National Center and offer recommendations to the larger group at decision- making points. The core team meets every two weeks with the National Center and is making progress toward the creation of the model for early childhood educator apprenticeships in Nebraska.

Student Experiences & Supports

The student experiences and supports workgroup has conducted interviews with current early childhood education students and early childhood educators working in the field to evaluate their experiences and understand the challenges they encounter in pursuing higher education, as well as to identify the necessary supports for their success. The workgroup is now coding the interview transcripts and analyzing the data. Additionally, the workgroup is arranging further interviews with a more diverse range of individuals to gain deeper insights into their communities, barriers to higher education, and support systems needed for their success. Findings are highlighted below in the News & Spotlight.

Community Engagement

The community engagement workgroup is actively recruiting Community Researcher Partners (CRPs) to engage with their respective communities and facilitate interviews. The workgroup is seeking individuals within the early childhood education sector who are interested in helping the group gain deeper insights into their communities’ experiences, strengths and needs. Training sessions and orientations for CRPs have been initiated to assist in effectively recruiting participants, conducting interviews, and accurately recording research data.

Upcoming Workgroup Meetings

Mark your calendars for the following upcoming meetings led by RESPECT workgroups. All times listed below are in Central Daylight Time (CDT).
 

April

• Student Experiences and Supports: April 9 at 1:00 p.m.
• Community Engagement: April 9 at 2:00 p.m.
• Competencies: April 11 at 1:00 p.m.
• Early Childhood Educator: April 11 at 6:00 p.m.
• Apprenticeships: April 17 at 3:00 p.m.
• Steering Committee: April 25 at 1:00 p.m.

May

• Student Experiences and Supports: May 14 at 1:00 p.m.
• Community Engagement: May 14 at 2:00 p.m.
• Competencies: May 16 at 1:00 p.m.
• Apprenticeships: May 22 at 3:00 p.m.
• Steering Committee & Advisory Board: May 30 at 1:00 p.m.

June

• Student Experiences and Supports: June 11 at 1:00 p.m.
• Community Engagement: June 11 at 2:00 p.m.
• Competencies: June 13 at 1:00 p.m.
• Apprenticeships: June 19 at 3:00 p.m.
• Steering Committee:June 27 at 1:00 p.m.

Fall 2024 Enrollment

The RESPECT Scholars Program aims strengthen the state’s early childhood workforce by establishing pathways for equitable, accessible and culturally sustaining teacher preparation. The program is being piloted using two pathways:

• One pathway is tailored for individuals pursuing an associate degree in early childhood education through a new apprenticeship program.
• A second pathway is designed for early childhood professionals interested in obtaining a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and teacher certification.

Recruitment has begun for the second pathway, and we anticipate recruitment for the apprenticeship pathway to begin in summer 2024.

For more information, visit the RESPECT Scholars page.

Student Experiences & Supports Data Report

The student experiences and supports data report presents findings from a survey conducted between November 2022 and April 2023, focusing on early childhood students’ and educators’ educational and work experiences. Overall, the findings highlight the challenges early childhood professionals face in pursuing further education and the supports they believe would help them succeed in their educational endeavors.

Key points:

• 155 English-speaking participants completed the survey, with a mean age of 37.8 years. The majority were currently working in the early childhood field, with an average of 13.2 years of experience.
• Participants worked in various settings, including center-based child care, family child care homes, Head Start programs and school-based preschools.
• 74 participants held a degree in early childhood education, while 57 were pursuing a degree or credential at the time of the survey.
• Highest reported barriers to pursuing a degree included financial constraints, family responsibilities, time constraints, negative perceptions of education, concerns about success and worries about student debt.

• Participants identified several supports that would help them complete their degrees, such as financial assistance for tuition and living expenses, proximity to home or virtual programs, support for transportation and child care, time off from work, encouragement from others, assistance navigating educational systems, information about available programs and tutoring.

• 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.