"I Heard That... And It Hurt!"

I can understand how this scenario can take place. In my past, I have introduced the CDA as the entry level of competence, and many of the more experienced child care teachers did not understand why they needed to get the credential. Over time, as teachers and caregivers took the classes and enjoyed the learning, were paid for their time in classes, and then earned a nice shiny credential, the problem faded for most and they complied. It became important to get that credential. Then we were able to give small raises for those who got the credential. All of those things helped!

Hello Mrs. Pierce and thanks so much for shedding light on such occurrences! As a CDA trainer and Advisor, I hear of such incidences all too often. I certainly feel that this could possibly be avoided by having directors of childcare facilities to take a more active role in encouraging and in some instances, facilitating professional development among staff and/or helping them to continuously seek out learning opportunities.

Frequently, I share with administrators about the importance of creating professional learning communities within their organizations in order to build collaborative learning climates of shared knowledge and cohesive partnerships. This internal capacity to integrate and sustain new knowledge can be used for the benefit of the organization as a whole, including developing the most qualified and well-trained employees who want to serve and help children and their families. In turn, the director is able to effectively shape and manage the environment by shared understandings and access to the knowledge of others through organizational networks. As a result, organizations would be able to better meet the needs of children and their families.
Thanks again for a great post!
Dr. Yvonne McCastle

As a past child care director, this was a problem I encountered from time to time. Staff members working at the center the longest were the most resistent to change. As a director, you have to convince them that education is a good thing. In addition, you'll need to help them understand that just because they've worked w/ children for years, given birth to children or even used to be a child doesn't mean that they are qualified to be an early childhood educator. There is a certain amount of natural ability required to work w/ children. However, it also takes a great deal of education - education that should be never ending. If the director values education and continues to improve her/his skills through additional education/training, this will help to encourage the rest of the staff as well.
Thanks for a great topic of dicussion!