A Collaborative Approach to Designing a Unified Competency Framework for Early Childhood Educator Preparation and Workforce Equity in Nebraska
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17161/cberj.v2.23624Keywords:
Competency-based Education, Team Science, Educator Preparation, Early ChildhoodAbstract
Addressing workforce shortages among early childhood professionals is a nationwide dilemma, impacting access to quality affordable care and education for young children. Recognizing that this shortage is exacerbated by inaccessible and inequitable credentialing pathways, a statewide coalition of institutions formed the [project blinded for review] to enhance flexibility and accessibility across teacher preparation programs. Leveraging competency-based education tenets as the foundation of quality teacher preparation programs, the first aim of this project was to develop a shared competency-based framework defining common expectations for educator preparation, credentialing, and licensing across early childhood settings. This paper describes the procedures and processes utilized to collaboratively design a common competency framework to facilitate transferability of credits, credit for prior learning, and student and career advancement, with strategic emphasis on enhancing cultural sustainability and supporting diverse racial and ethnic representation among workforce professionals. Procedural stages included the identification and integration of multiple competency frameworks using qualitative methods and tools to synthesize and analyze frameworks for a final set of competencies, informed by input and feedback from professionals, institutions of higher education, community members, and field experts. Recommendations for future initiatives are included.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Victoria J. Johnson, PhD, Simin Kazemi, M.S. , Julia C. Torquati, PhD, Soo-Young Hong, PhD, Alexa Yunes-Koch, PhD, Dawn L. Mollenkopf, PhD, Julie Miller, M.Ed. (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
