Erin Gager, Denver Metro
"Aren't you just babysitting?" |
"Want to change the future? Become an Early Childhood Educator!"
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"What do you even teach toddlers?"
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"Your work makes a difference everyday"
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"Oh, that's so cute!"
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"The most neural development happens in the first five years of life, and has life-long impacts"
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These contradictory phrases, often heard by Early Childhood Educators, also reflect their lived experiences. Despite the importance of their work in not only allowing parents to be an active part of the workforce, but also shaping the minds of future generations during their most vulnerable and developmentally important stages of life, they are consistently seen as “babysitters” and compensated about the same as parking lot attendants.
There have been attempts to address these inherent contradictions; efforts like NAEYC’s “Power to the Profession”, state-created competencies, higher education standards, etc. try to professionalize the field so that respect and compensation are commensurate with the impact this field has on the future of our world. In my professional role, I have been steeped in these efforts for years, and have seen that they are based on a general belief that capturing competencies usually demonstrated through higher education achievements will lead to increased respect, and therefore compensation as an assumed outcome.
Understanding that this is the prominent model behind the types of conversations happening around decision-maker tables, I decided to use my action research capstone project to explore how a variety of diverse early childhood educators currently working in the field envisioned professionalism. This unique opportunity to take a deep dive into exploring "professionalism" as a lived concept in early childhood was made possible through my participation in the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program, which prepared me for this challenge through the program's focus on the skills, knowledge, and approaches necessary to undertake a systematic study in partnership with my community.
While the vision of professionalism that emerged from these conversations was as complex and varied as the professionals themselves, some key ideas materialized:
Or they could help us understand professionalism as a system that builds up professionals by first recognizing them as whole people. This understanding is similar to many models used to help us think about how we support young children: start by addressing foundational supports for the workforce to lead a thriving life.
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Ultimately, to merge the models of professionalism envisioned across the field, the action research process of engaging with the community helped me to understand that there are several key features informing professionalism in an interdependent cycle: respect, compensation, support, and qualifications.
Most professionalism movements in the recent history only build on one or two of these key features at a time. This can mean progress in some ways, but keeps the field from reaching a holistic professional model because the other pieces remain unaddressed.
We must address all of these key features in tandem, and it is clear that for educators, compensation and respect remain the key pain points. We can rewrite qualifications and competencies ad infinitum, but even if we found the money to support professionals to achieve these qualifications, the needle would not magically move in neglected areas. We must stop indirectly addressing these issues or assuming they will be a result of increased credentials, and instead tackle them head-on. Instead of regulating our way to professionalism, we must show our appreciation for the work that is already happening to lift up our young learners. Maybe when EC Educators are no longer on food stamps, we can talk about bachelor’s degrees.