PURPOSE

• To improve the quality of early childhood and school-age child care programs by strengthening the professional development of the adults working in the field.
  
  
• To establish a comprehensive and integrated early childhood and school-age child care career development system in New York State.

STAFFING

The CDI Director guides the Initiative and orchestrates the activities of the work groups. The CDI Steering Committee, with broad-based representation, serves in an advisory capacity to the Initiative.

HISTORY

The CDI of New York State was established in 1993 when The New York State Child Care Coordinating Council (private) and the New York State Council on Children and Families (public) formed a private-public partnership to establish The Career Development Initiative of New York State.

The Career Development Initiative involved over 115 people, representing the wide range of organizations involved in early childhood and school-age child care services in New York State, in a process to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for early childhood and school-age child care professional development.

A comprehensive plan was adopted in 1995. Four work groups were formed to implement the plan. The work groups focused on Consistent Standards, Teacher Certification, Career Pathways, and Staff Development. An Ad Hoc Task Force on Financial Strategies was formed. The work groups identified the following tasks:

Consistent Standards Work Group

• Create an early childhood core body of knowledge framework
  
  
• Disseminate the framework
  
  
• Gain widespread support and acceptance of the framework
  
  
• Demonstrate practical uses for the framework and ensure its use
  
  
• Establish greater consistency in staff qualifications for those working in comparable positions within different settings

Teacher Certification Work Group

• Strengthen Prekindergarten to Grade 6 teacher certification requirements to include course work and field experiences specific to working with the youngest students
  
  
• Broaden the awareness of the Early Childhood Annotation and support its expansion

Career Pathways Work Group

• Develop a data base of early childhood programs and course work at the college level
  
  
• Survey colleges and universities to assess current practices for granting credit for prior early childhood non-credit learning
  
  
• Support and replicate model practices for granting college credit for prior early childhood non-credit college-level learning
  
  
• Develop articulation agreements between two and four year colleges and universities to ensure that two year early childhood program credits transfer easily

Staff Development Work Group

• Review current staff development opportunities and assessment of their comprehensiveness
  
  
• Develop a computerized information system for all professional development activities across the state
  
  
• Advocate for statewide literacy programs to target those working with young children who are in need of literacy services
  
  
• Expand career development models to include The New York State Department of Labor Apprenticeship and Training Program: Early Childhood Associate

Financial Strategies Ad Hoc Task Force

• Strategies for tying additional professional development to improved compensation
  
  
• Demonstrate the true cost of care and education when well prepared staff are adequately compensated

Completed tasks:

• Development and production of The New York State Early Childhood Core Body of Knowledge Framework
  
  
• Roll outs of The Core Body of Knowledge statewide
  
  
• Coding of The Core Body Knowledge by NYSAEYC and NYSHSA as a method of organizing professional development programs and activities
  
  
• Development of recommendations and research-based justification for strengthening Prekindergarten to Grade 6 teacher certification requirements to include early childhood course work and field experiences
  
  
• Broadened the awareness of the Early Childhood Annotation for NYS certified teachers and supported its expansion
  
  
• Developed a data base of early childhood programs and higher education coursework
  
  
• Surveyed colleges and universities to assess their practices for granting credit for prior early childhood non-credit college-level learning, specifically the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential
  
  
• Supported the development of articulation agreements between two and four year colleges and universities to assure that two year early childhood program credits would transfer easily
  
  
• Developed a web site
  
  
• Expanded career development models to include The NYS Department of Labor Apprenticeship and Training Program: Early Childhood Associate
  
  
• Supported the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® New York Project, a scholarship model which links compensation to career development
  
  
• Developed The Childrens Program Administrator Credential of New York State
  
  
• Expanded the availability of The New York State Infant-Toddler Care Certificate of Completion Program
  
  
• Implemented Partners in Change projects funded by The Center for Career Development in Early Care and Education, Wheelock College. The funded projects were: Partners in Early Childhood, Capital District, The Early Childhood Career Advancement Ladder, Onondaga County, New York City Partners in Change Project, New York City, and Washington County Local Partners in Change Project, Washington County
  
  
• Developed and implemented a mentoring program that linked experienced early childhood professionals with entry level staff

THE NEXT THREE YEARS

In 1999, a second comprehensive strategic plan was adopted to guide CDI into the second stage of building a comprehensive career development system for people working in early childhood and school-age child care programs.The name of the organization was changed to: The Career Development Initiative of New York State: Promoting Professional Development in Early Childhood and School-Age Programs (CDI)

Identified Work Groups and goals:

Financial Strategies Work Group

• Research and disseminate information about student financial aid programs
  
  
• Research and develop models for staff compensation for people working in early childhood and school-age child care programs
  
  
• Investigate potential sources for funding the continued operation of The Career Development Initiative of New York State

Marketing/Communication Work Group

• Develop and implement a marketing plan to ensure that constituent groups and individuals working in early childhood and school-age child care programs have the information they need to participate in the development and implementation of the Career Development Initiative projects and activities
  
  
• Identify a core group of CDI Steering Committee members to serve as a Speakers Bureau for the Initiative
  
  
• Produce CDI marketing materials and presentations based on the marketing plan

Core Body of Knowledge Work Group

• Update and revise The Core Body of Knowledge by including essential areas of knowledge for working with infants, toddlers, children with special needs, gifted children and school-age children
  
  
• Add a section on the Arts
  
  
• Develop a section that is targeted for childrens program Administrators
  
  
• Design manuals and self-evaluation tools that will allow for developing an individual portfolio based on The Core Body of Knowledge

Credential Work Group

• Oversee the development and implementation of The Childrens Program Administrator Credential of New York State and the credentialing process
  
  
• Oversee the development and implementation of The New York State Infant-Toddler Care Certificate of Completion Program
  
  
• Establish a credentialing process for The New York State Infant-Toddler Care Certificate of Completion Program
  
  
• Develop and implement strategies for linking early childhood and school-age child care certificate and credential programs to college credit on both the undergraduate and graduate level
  
  
• Assist with the development, marketing and implementation of The School- Age Child Care Staff Credential (CDA)

Career Pathways Workgroup

• Develop a model that identifies the criteria required for training to be articulated into college credit, based on collaboration among the student, the training program, and the institution of higher education.
  
  
• Develop a system of professional development opportunities at the entry, intermediate, and advanced levels for all modalities of care, including access through non-traditional means.
  
  
• Develop a graphic representation of existing career pathways as defined by career steps, education steps, and individual road maps.
  
  
• Increase in the number of articulation agreements between early childhood education programs at the Associate and Baccalaureate levels.
  
  
• Promote professional development opportunities to be presented at the entry, intermediate and advanced levels
  
  
• Update the county by county data base of early childhood and school-age child care community based training and college course work /programs
  
  
• Develop a map representing the early childhood and school-age child care
  career pathways currently available in New York State
  
  
• Create a template for articulation agreements between two and four year colleges in the field of early childhood education
  
  
• Explore alternatives for receiving and delivering early childhood and school- age child care instruction, which can be credit bearing if the student so desires. An example would be the use of distance learning

FUNDING SUPPORT

Acknowledgement of funding support for The Career Development Initiative of New York State-Promoting Professional Development in Early Childhood and School-Age Programs: Aaron Diamond Foundation, Foundation for Child Development, New York State Council on Children and Families, New York State Education Department, New York State Legislature, New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Wheelock College-The Center for Career Development in Early Care and Education, and Work Family Directions.