Birth to Kindergarten Pathway

Early childhood educators and state leaders in Louisiana have joined efforts to develop a new Birth to Kindergarten Pathway for individuals interested in obtaining certificates and degrees that focus upon the education of children from birth to kindergarten. Workgroups are being formed to develop various components of the pathway. Information pertaining to the development of this pathway is provided below.

Birth to Kindergarten Statewide Curriculum Development Committee

Committee Members.  List of names and e-mail addresses of committee members identified by campus leaders and agency heads.

February 19, 2015 Meeting.  E-mail sent to committee members.  The agenda and documents (i.e., draft roles and responsibilities, draft tasks and timelines, draft curriculum, and draft Letter of Intent) discussed during the first meeting of the statewide committee were focused upon logistics that need to be addressed for interested two- and four-year campuses to develop a statewide birth to kindergarten curriculum in which courses for certificates, Associate of Science degrees, and Bachelor of Science degrees can be transferred statewide and used to obtain a BESE Child Development Ancillary Certificate and BESE Birth to Kindergarten certification once a statewide proposal is approved by interested campuses, university systems, Board of Regents, and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.  Minutes of the meeting identify the specific issues discussed and next steps.

March 17, 2015 Meeting:  Initial E-mail and follow-up E-mail sent to committee members.  The agenda and documents (i.e., Revised Letter of IntentB2K Statewide Syllabi TemplateB2K Cluster Groups, and Committee Timelines) were provided in the e-mail.

April 27, 2015 Meeting.  Initial E-mail sent to committee members on March 26, 2015 to provide information about tasks to be completed prior to the April 27th meeting, and the following documents were attached:  Birth to Kindergarten MembersStatewide Program Development Committee TimelinesTemplate for Course SyllabiB2K Statewide Cluster Groups.

Follow-up e-mail was sent to committee members on April 9, 2015 to provide information about an e-mail that was sent to the chief academic officers about the Letter of Intent, and the following documents were attached:  Letter of Intent for B2K Statewide CurriculumProgression of Knowledge and Skills in Birth to Kindergarten Courses Chart.

Follow-up e-mail was sent to committee members on April 22, 2015 to provide a potential structure for the junior and senior years for the Birth to Kindergarten degree for discussion at the April 27th meeting, and the following documents were attached:  Draft Potential B2K Structure for Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Years; Cluster Group 4 Final Minutes.

Follow-up e-mail was sent to committee members on April 27, 2015 to provide the agenda for the meeting and documents to be discussed during the meeting:  B2K Committee AgendaDecision Points and Portfolio Artifacts for CandidatesRevised Draft Potential B2K Structure for Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Years.

Minutes of the meeting identify the specific issues discussed and next steps.

May 20, 2015 Meeting.  Initial E-mail sent to committee members on May 7, 2015 to provide information about tasks to be completed prior to the May 20th meeting and the following documents were attached:  Draft Potential B2K Structure for Associate and Baccalaureate DegreesB2K Statewide Cluster GroupsAssignment of Course SyllabiTemplate for Course SyllabiChart to be Developed by Burns – Objectives, standards, and artifacts; and Decision Points and Portfolio Artifacts for Candidates.

July 20, 2015 Meeting.  Initial E-mail sent to committee members, agenda for the July 20, 2015 meeting, and follow-up e-mail sent on October 1, 2015 to committee members with attachments:  ProposalDraft Syllabus 1; Draft Syllabus 2Draft Syllabus 3.

Communication with Chief Academic Officers and Deans/Heads.  Memo sent to chief academic officers and college of education deans/heads to identify campuses to work together to finalize the development of the documents for the birth to kindergarten statewide curriculum, draft proposal, partner form, and draft syllabi for the first three courses:  Draft Syllabus 1Draft Syllabus 2Draft Syllabus 3.

Documents Prepared by Stakeholders

BrightStart Workgroup Recommendations for Birth to Kindergarten Pathways Overview. A brief overview of the work that was done by a BrightStart Birth to Kindergarten Pathway Workgroup to identify the structure for a Birth to Kindergarten Pathway.

Birth to Kindergarten Proposed Course Content. A listing of standards and competencies that are recommended by the BrightStart Birth to Kindergarten Pathway Workgroup for inclusion in the ten Birth to Kindergarten courses for certificates and degrees.

Documents Prepared by State Agencies

Early Childhood Teaching Policies.  PowerPoint presentation by the Louisiana Department of Education of the Early Childhood Care and Education Advisory Council on December 8, 2014 that outlined proposed changes to Board of Elementary and Secondary Education policies for Birth to Kindergarten cerfitication and Early Childhood Ancillary Certificates for individuals to teach in a publicly-funded early learning center serving children from birth to five.

Bulletin 746 – Birth to Kindergarten Certification and Early Childhood Ancillary Certificates.  Changes to Bulletin 746 – Louisiana Standards for State Certification of School Personnel that were approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on January 13, 2015 for a Notice of Intent. The changes create a new Birth to Kindergarten certification, new requirements for an Early Childhood Ancillary Certificate, and new requirements for add-on Birth to Kindergarten certification.

Standards and Competencies

Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential Standards

CLASS

COMPASS

Council for Exceptional Children Division for Early Childhood Recommended Practices in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education

Louisiana Birth to Kindergarten Standards 

Louisiana Workforce Knowledge and Competencies

National Association for the Education of Young Children Standards 2013

TS GOLD

Workgroup Meetings

Workgroup Members    

Contact information for Workgroup Members

Birth to Kindergarten Syllabi Development Work Group

May 5, 2014 Meeting. E-mail sent to work group members. The agenda and the course syllabi templates are focused upon the first three Birth to Kindergarten courses to  obtain a CDA credential.

May 28, 2014 Meeting. E-mails sent to work group members. The agenda and draft course syllabi that will focus upon the first three Birth to Kindergarten courses will be discussed during the meeting.

May 29, 2014 Follow-up E-mail and Tasks.  E-mail sent to work group members.  Members were asked to (1) provide feedback about the revised draft course syllabi, (2) complete a form pertaining to textbooks and empirical bases for courses, and (3) examine the agenda for a June 27 meeting.

June 25, 2014 E-mail.  E-mail sent to B2K Syllabi Workgroup members to extend the time period to provide feedback.

Birth to Kindergarten Online Associate and Baccalaureate Degrees Work Group

May 6, 2014 Meeting. E-mail sent to work group members. The agenda and the Birth to Kindergarten Online Associate and Baccalaureate Degrees Overview is focused upon core elements of online degrees to be delivered by multiple colleges/universities in  multiple systems.

May 29, 2014 Meeting. E-mails sent to work group members. The agenda and draft Recommended Elements of a Birth to Kindergarten Online Associate and Baccalaureate Degrees will be discussed during the meeting.

May 30, 2014 Follow-up E-mail and Tasks.  E-mail sent to work group members.  Members were asked to (1) provide feedback about the revised Recommended Elements of a Birth to Kindergarten Online Associate and Baccalaureate Degrees.

June 25, 2014 E-mail.  E-mail sent to B2K Online Workgroup members to extend the time period to provide feedback.

Resources

Early Childhood Inclusion. A joint position statement of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) regarding early childhood inclusion.

Louisiana Community and Technical College System. Information about the process that students need to use to register for online courses within the Louisiana Community and  Technical College System.

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards – Early Childhood Generalist. Information pertaining to information that needs to be submitted for early childhood teachers pursuing National Board Certification.

North Dakota CCR&R – How to Compile Your CDA Professional Resource File. Document that identifies how to create a CDA Professional Resource File.

SREB Principles of Good Practice. Document prepared by Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) that identifies common standards for electronic campuses.

Suggested Relationship Between the CDA Formal Child Care Requirement and NAEYC Standards for Professional Preparation Programs. Crosswalk between CDA and NAEYC Standards.

University of Louisiana System. Information about one online degree offered by nine  universities in the University of Louisiana System.

QualityMatters. Rubric to examine the quality of online courses and programs.

For additional information, please contact: Susannah F. Craig, Ph.D., Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs and Innovation, Louisiana Board of Regents, (TEL) 225-342-4253, (EMAIL) susannah.craig@laregents.edu.