Competency Based Model for Early Childhood Educators

Early childhood educators play a critical role in the lives of children and as such, must demonstrate a core body of knowledge, competencies and skills. This Project aims to further professionalize the early learning and child care sector, expand existing investments in quality frameworks and standards, professional development and skills training, and improve certification levels of the ECE workforce. The objective of this Project is to develop a competency-based model that will set foundational requirements for increasing knowledge of early learning and child development theory and application. The expected outcomes of this Project are to: • Support wider entry into the profession and flexibility to achieve certification, valuing a diversity of backgrounds through considering work experience and/or equivalencies. • Define and outline the core competencies, knowledge and skills that early childhood educators should possess in order to support and facilitate high-quality early learning and child care programs and services for Alberta children and their families. • Enhance educational accessibility for ECEs in remote and rural areas without formalized educational offerings. • Increase recognition of post-secondary programs and credentials by Children’s Services. • Offer an alternative method for assessing knowledge, competencies, and skills for people who have limited access to post-secondary education, people with post-secondary credentials from foreign countries or people with international early childhood education qualifications. • Offer people with substantial experience in child care who have completed their education in a related field the opportunity to be recognized. • Provide ECEs the opportunity to continuously build on their competencies by outlining alternate career pathways to increase their certification levels and professional development. The successful Proponent will be required to work with the staff in the Child Care Branch of Children’s Services as the main point of contact, as well as ECEs, childcare programs, and other professional organizations in the child care sector across the province of Alberta.