New recommendations aim to increase quality of Massachusetts' early education and care and out-of-school time programs

BOSTON – Today the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley (UWMBMV) and the Schott Fellowship in Early Care and Education will release recommendations that lay the foundation for a robust statewide workforce development system to elevate the quality of early education and out-of-school time programs and respond to the needs of today’s children.

“This report represents a critical milestone in the Department’s ongoing work to make comprehensive investments in those who care for and advocate for our children every day,” said Amy Kershaw, Acting Commissioner of the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC). “Its recommendations are in line with Governor Patrick’s Education Action Plan and provide very rich guidance on next steps.”

According to EEC, more than 275,000 Massachusetts children are reached by licensed early education and care and out-of-school time programs. In all, children and youth can spend up to ten hours a day with early education or after-school staff, individuals whose teaching and influence has an enormous impact on their language development, learning, self-confidence and social skills. While the research has consistently shown that staff qualifications are strongly linked to the quality of children’s learning, there currently exists no comprehensive workforce development system in the Commonwealth for the staff in these programs.

“For Massachusetts to promote positive child development and high-quality learning, we have to create a career path for the professionals in this field that enables their skills and knowledge to grow and advance over time.” said Peg Sprague, Vice President for Community Impact at United Way of Massachusetts Bay & Merrimack Valley. “This also means creating a compensation structure that reflects those skills and qualifications.”

“Research has clearly demonstrated that education makes a real and substantial difference in the quality of human life,” said Valora Washington, Ph.D. of the Schott Fellowship in Early Care and Education. “If all children are to have equitable learning opportunities, the staff who spend many hours a day with them must be have the skills and tools they need.”

In July 2004, the Massachusetts State Legislature passed the Early Education for All Act, which required Massachusetts to create the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) to coordinate standards and funding for all public and private early education and care programs in the Commonwealth. Today’s recommendations, which are the product of a year’s worth of work by a 55-member public-private task force, will presented to the Board of Early Education and Care to support their work and chart the course for a professional development system for the early education and care and out-of-school time workforce. The recommendations are as follows:

• Create a set of core competencies and standards to promote consistency among professional development credit policies: The Economic Policy Institute’s Losing Ground in Massachusetts Early Childhood Education reports that the number of early childhood educators in Massachusetts who hold a four-year degree has declined by nearly 20 percent since the 1980s. There are currently inconsistencies among higher education programs and credit policies that can lead to duplications of credit and professionals receiving no professional credit for the courses they have taken.
• Ensure ready access to future training and development opportunities: Continuous professional development should be both expected and supported through the development of consistent and cutting-edge curriculum.
• Delineate a clear and motivating career path with achievement-based compensation: According to the National Institute for Early Education Research, there is a significant connection between a well-educated and well-compensated workforce and the quality of learning experiences that children receive. In 2006, preschool teachers, those responsible for the care and education of our children during their most critical stage development, earned an average of $28,780 a year, nearly half the salary of the average elementary school teacher in Massachusetts.