Introduction
The Infant and Toddler Teacher and Caregiver Competencies (ITTCC) project, funded by the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is exploring different approaches to implementing competency frameworks and assessing the competencies of infant and toddler teachers and caregivers who work in group early care and education (ECE) settings (centers and family child care homes).
The ITTCC project has completed several foundational activities including a review of the literature, a scan of existing competency frameworks, and a scan of existing measures that can or have been used to assess competencies.
How are competency frameworks being used to build the capacity of the infant and toddler care and education workforce and support quality improvement?
Share information about the implementation of competency frameworks for infant and toddler teachers and caregivers. We are seeking information about competency frameworks that are actively being used in states, institutes of higher education, and professional organizations as well as in early care and education programs (centers and family child care homes).
We invite you to share innovative examples of how competency frameworks are:
- Used for pre-service and/or in-service education, professional development, and training and technical assistance efforts;
- Implemented across early childhood systems including licensing, QRIS, and credentialing systems;
- Disseminated to potential users;
- Leveraged to support the professionalization of the workforce;
- Implemented in child care centers and family child care homes with infant and toddler teachers and caregivers and other early childhood staff; or
- Aligned with assessments such as rubrics, checklists or other tools and how information from competency assessments is used.
Please send all materials, along with your contact information, via email to ITcompetencies@mathematica-mpr.com by December 1, 2020.
Glossary
- Competency:
- A piece of knowledge (K), a skill (S), or an attribute (A) essential to the practice of teaching and caring for infants and toddlers.
- Knowledge:
- Information that may be applied to practice.
- Skills:
- Strategies or abilities that may be applied to practice.
- Attributes:
- Attitudes, beliefs, or other characteristics that may influence the application of knowledge and skills to practice.
- Competency Framework:
- A compilation of competencies intended to convey the range of knowledge, skills, and attributes essential to a particular area of practice, job, or profession.