School Readiness and Preschool

Early Childhood Education Professional Development

Free Preschool Programs for Three- and Four-Year-Olds Parent-Child Home Program Early Childhood Education Professional Development Compensation Project

The City of Seattle invests in professional development services to help meet the cultural and linguistic needs of child care providers and to ensure that instruction is aligned with pre-kindergarten curricula, and the assessment and kindergarten readiness tools required by the Seattle Public Schools and the State of Washington.

The Early Childhood Education Professional Development Program supports and provides training to directors, trainers, coaches and caregivers within the agencies that serve children in the Seattle Step Ahead preschools and Early Childhood Education and Assistance Programs (ECEAP). The training and coaching provided helps ensure that learning and development happens within the person’s language(s) and culture(s) and honors and recognizes the adult as a learner and director of his or her learning. Classes are held in locations convenient to the providers when possible.

Training and services are provided by Child Care Resources. Most of the services listed below are available at minimal or no cost to staff working in Step Ahead preschools and ECEAP classrooms and programs.

• Introductory and ongoing training in Creative Curriculum or High/Scope Preschool Curriculum (required for use in Step Ahead preschool programs)
• Reimbursement for tuition, fees, books, translation and interpretation costs associated with completion of college and training courses
• Continuing education for teachers with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree
• Credit-bearing classes for teachers working toward an Associate’s (AA) or BA in early childhood education
• Pre-entry college skills support through community colleges, and tutoring for math, science and literacy
• Child Development Associates (CDA) classes
• Academic advising on CDA, AA and BA completion, and on scholarships and loan programs
• On-site coaching for eligible staff in Step Ahead preschools or ECEAP programs

The City of Seattle provides approximately $446,080 of Families and Education Levy funds in 2009 to Child Care Resources, a nonprofit, community-based organization to operate the Early Childhood Education Professional Development Program.

Information

For more information about Seattle Human Services Department-funded services for children and families, call Deborah Harris at 206-684-8852 or e-mail childrenandfamilies@seattle.gov.

For more information about our partners and similar programs, contact:

• Child Care Resources
• Council for Professional Recognition
• National Association for the Education of Young Children
• National Association for Family Child Care
• Washington State Child Care Resource and Referral Network
• Washington State Training and Registry System (STARS) with the Department of Early Learning

Links

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