1 shortchanging teachers, shortchanging children marcy whitebook center for the study of child care...

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Shortchanging Shortchanging Teachers, Teachers,

Shortchanging Shortchanging ChildrenChildrenMarcy WhitebookMarcy Whitebook

Center for the Study of Child Care Center for the Study of Child Care EmploymentEmployment

University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley

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Three major questions: Three major questions: 1. What do early care and education

professionals need to know and do to meet the rising expectations for our youngest children?

2. What is our current capacity to meet teachers’ needs?

3. How can we build our capacity to support early care and education professionals?

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What do early care and education professionals What do early care and education professionals need to know and do to meet the rising need to know and do to meet the rising expectations for our youngest children?expectations for our youngest children?

• Paradigm shift in how we think about the importance of early years resulting from:

– Brain research – Child Care quality research– Importance of relationships, teacher

knowledge and stability

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• Changing characteristics of children/families/workforce:

– Working parents in dual parent and single parent families

– Immigration, changing child populations

– Diagnosis of special needs, particularly mental health problems

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• Half of the children in CA are either immigrants or the children of immigrants

• Three quarters of the Head Start children in LA County are English Learners or dual language learners (DLL)

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• Knows how to construct an environment and present activities that enhance and build upon child’s learning

• Knowledgeable about culture and traditions of children and able to communicate with children and families

• Provides ample verbal and cognitive stimulation

• Interacts sensitively and responsively• Gives generous amounts of attention and

support

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• Observes and assesses skills based on child development knowledge

• Constructs developmentally appropriate environment and activities

• Practices age appropriate classroom management• Understands adult communication and learning• Knows inclusion strategies• Aware of family support resources • Familiar with cultural tradition and practices of children in

program• Understands needs of children for whom English is a second

language• Understands the whole child

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Position Title 22 Title 5 Preschool Initiative

Teacher 12 units of college level

CD/ECE

24 units of college level CD/ECE, 16 units of GE

BA with 24 units related to early care

and education, phase in

credential

• Shifting teacher qualifications

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What is our current capacity to What is our current capacity to meet teachers’ needs?meet teachers’ needs?

• There has been a decline in the percentages of center-based teachers with college degrees

• Younger people entering the field are less likely to have college degrees

• More teachers have completed high school

• Among family providers, the percentage with some college and BAs has risen

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Ethnicity of early childhood education Ethnicity of early childhood education students by educational goalstudents by educational goal

37% 37%41%

43%

10%13%

9%12%

34% 34%

27%24%

13% 12%

17% 17%

2% 3% 2%0%0 0% 1% 0

2% 1% 0 1%1% 1% 2% 3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Certif icate (n=47) Associate (n=71) Bachelor’s (n=20) Master’s (n=16)

Mea

n P

erce

nta

ge

White, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Hispanic

Asian/Pacif ic Islander American Indian/Alaskan Native Multiracial

Other Unknow n

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Mean percentage by institution of language capacity Mean percentage by institution of language capacity of undergraduate and graduate students*of undergraduate and graduate students*

*At the undergraduate level, data for the University of California (n=1), and the two-year private (n=1) and other public programs (n=5) are excluded because of their small sample size. At the graduate level, data for the University of California are excluded because only one program is represented in this group.

Mean percentage of students with the ability to speak a language other than English with children and families

43%36% 38%

31%

18%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

CommunityCollege(n=91)

CaliforniaState

University(n=14)

PrivateCollege(n=10)

CaliforniaState

University(n=9)

PrivateCollege (n=5)

Undergraduate Graduate

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Mean percentage by institution of language capacity Mean percentage by institution of language capacity of undergraduate and graduate students*of undergraduate and graduate students*

*At the undergraduate level, data for the University of California (n=1), and the two-year private (n=1) and other public programs (n=5) are excluded because of their small sample size. At the graduate level, data for the University of California are excluded because only one program is represented in this group.

Mean percentage of students with difficulty completing coursework in English

21%

13%10%

6%3%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

CommunityCollege(n=90)

CaliforniaState

University(n=14)

PrivateCollege(n=10)

CaliforniaState

University(n=10)

PrivateCollege (n=5)

Undergraduate Graduate

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• Wage trends: – Wages have dropped relatively, lowering

the incentives for those with more education to pursue careers with young children

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US Center Staff Wages as a Percentage of Median Wage of Female College Graduates

55%47%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1980 2000

Year

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• Highlights from the study of early childhood teacher preparation programs – 136 Institutions of

higher education are engaged in preparing teachers to work with children prior to kindergarten

– Most of these programs are at the community college level

97

5

2 12

2

18

University of California

California State University

Community college

Other public agency

Two-year private college

Four-year private college or university

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• Opportunities for upper-division and graduate-level work in early childhood are very limited

• California’s population of students studying to work with young children is very diverse in terms of language and ethnicity

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Number of colleges overall and number of Number of colleges overall and number of colleges providing early childhood education colleges providing early childhood education

by type of institutionby type of institution

2

18

97

1210

23

109104

University ofCalifornia

California StateUniversity

CommunityCollege

WASC-accreditedPrivate 4-year

institution

Colleges providing Early Childhood Education Total Colleges in CA

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A closer look at the four year A closer look at the four year institutions offering ece optionsinstitutions offering ece options

1 10

15

11

0

7

5

1

Bachelor's Degree Master's Degree Doctorate Degree

University of California California State University

Four year private college or university

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• Faculty in Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Programs are predominately white and adjunct.

• Most of the faculty in the upper division programs do not have a background in early childhood education or experience working with children prior to Kindergarten

• Many of California’s degree programs in ECE do not require a full course in a variety of topics widely identified as relevant to the profession

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Ethnicity of facultyEthnicity of facultyEthnicity background of full-time faculty (in percentages)

69%74%

82%

71%

12%

3%0%

11%10%7%

0%6%6%

15%18%

6%2% 1% 0%

6%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Community College(n=93)

CSU (n=18) UC (n=2) Private Four-year (n=9)

White, Non-Hispanic Black, Non-Hispanic Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander Other

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Educational background of part-time Educational background of part-time and full-time faculty (in percentages)and full-time faculty (in percentages)

63%

85%

32%41%

57%62%58%

65%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

Percentage of all faculty with a degree inEarly Childhood Education or Child

Development that specifically coverschildren younger than kindergarten age

Percentage of all faculty with directemployment experience working with

children ages 0-5

Community College (n=87, 94) CSU (n=18) UC (n=2) Private Four-year (n=12)

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Early childhood program faculty, as compared to Early childhood program faculty, as compared to faculty in institutions as a whole: Mean percentage faculty in institutions as a whole: Mean percentage of part-time faculty, and mean number of students of part-time faculty, and mean number of students

per faculty memberper faculty member

67.7%

59.6%

54.0%

56.0%

58.0%

60.0%

62.0%

64.0%

66.0%

68.0%

70.0%

Mean percentage of part-time faculty(n=128)

Mea

n P

erce

nta

ge

Standard errors are not presented for institutions as wholes because these values are population statistics. The sample sizes are lower than reported elsewhere due to non-response on some items.

Early Childhood Programs Institutions as a Whole (IPEDS Data)

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92

25

64

0102030405060708090

100

Mean number ofstudents per faculty

member (full- and part-time) (n=110)

Mean number ofstudents per full-time

faculty member (n=109)

Mea

n N

umbe

r

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Recommendation #1Recommendation #1• A concerted effort to build public

awareness of:– The value and skill involved in working

with young children which is sensitive to the existing workforce as well as encouraging to newcomers to the field;

– The need for advanced levels of education; and

– The need for increased compensation to increase teacher retention.

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Recommendation #2Recommendation #2• A statewide process, such as a Blue

Ribbon Committee, to:– Create a blueprint for a well-articulated higher

education and certification system;– Develop a comprehensive set of ECE teacher

skills and competencies;– Design a relevant ECE teacher certification

system;– Promote improved teacher compensation in

early care and education.

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Recommendation #3Recommendation #3• Increased resources to California

institutions of higher education to update what we teach, how it is taught and by whom:

– Expand lower-division programs and practicum opportunities;

– Develop more upper-division and graduate programs with preschool child development focus;

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Recommendation #3, cont.Recommendation #3, cont.

– Hire more full-time ECE faculty;– Attract a more culturally and

linguistically diverse faculty; establish Master’s program as one strategy; and

– Update and revamp the courses of study that higher education programs offer to prepare early childhood teachers

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Recommendation #4Recommendation #4• Improve access to higher education

for diverse students through:– Tuition support;– Cohorts and community classes;– Academic and linguistic supports; and – Enhanced career and academic

counseling.

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Recommendation #4Recommendation #4Improve compensation in early care and

education jobs:– Create new incentives to encourage

students to pursue degrees in early childhood education;

– Explore benefit pools and mechanisms for ongoing wage increases.

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Recommendation #5Recommendation #5• Support research that:

– Tracks pathways of successful students;– Clarifies best practices for training

effective early care and education professionals who are culturally competent; and

– Clarifies best practices for working with children who are dual language learners.

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You all are in You all are in positions to positions to make these make these changes!changes!

1 shortchanging teachers, shortchanging children marcy whitebook center for the study of child care...

Documents

youngest children

early care

needs of children

practices of children

children of immigrants

education professionals

traditions of children

child slide