|
Why
do we need a statewide system?
Individuals
who care for children (practitioners) in Iowa need to
- Have
the same information about what constitutes best practice
when caring for children.
- Be
able to access training and education that meets their individual
needs.
- Be
able to access training that is convenient and flexible.
- Be
able to access training that is not too expensive.
- Be
able to access training that can lead to certificates, credentials,
and degrees.
- Be
able to receive compensation that is directly related to
their education, training, and experience.
|
|
Ultimately,
the implementation of a comprehensive professional development
system will enhance children's healthy growth and development
and strengthen families, by increasing the quality of
care available throughout the state.
|
|
A
professional development system needs to be designed to ensure that
all practitioners
- know,
understand, and practice, Best Practices when caring for children.
- have advanced
training and education opportunities to keep them current in
new information and research.
- have an
integrated, inclusive, articulated, compensated, and on-going
professional development system.
How
will this system provide what's needed?
The proposed system will begin to connect the pieces of the current
child care training system. The long term goals and expected outcomes
of this system are:
- to enhance
the quality of training being provided
- to increase
the consistency of available training,
- to coordinate
and expand training opportunities,
- to facilitate
the integration of training requirements by licensures into
state recognized certificates,
- to build
stronger linkages between training experiences and academic
credit
- to increase
the articulation of education, and obtainment of degrees
The
proposed system will make the obtainment of training easier for
practitioners, will enable training to be tracked by licensing consultants,
and will provide practitioners with the ability to plan for their
own professional development.
|
