Professional Development Consortium

The Department of Early Learning (DEL) is leading a group of early learning experts and stakeholders in work to create a clear, comprehensive early learning professional development system in our state for those who work with children ages birth through school age.

Why is such a system important for our state? Research shows that interactions between caregivers/educators and children are one the most important indicators of a high-quality program. Caregivers and educators need the training and education opportunities that support high-quality interactions with children. Additionally, caregivers need clear and accessible pathways to attain professional goals from local training opportunities to higher education.

A clear, comprehensive early learning professional development system will:

  • Help ensure there are training and education opportunities available to help early care and education professionals offer high-quality early learning programs, and help ensure that professionals know how to access those opportunities.
  • Offer clear guidelines on the competencies expected for early care and education professionals, including providers, teachers, directors and administrators.
  • Offer supports and resources to early care and education professionals such as coaches and mentors and scholarship opportunities.

The Professional Development Consortium meets regularly to discuss how that system should look. Consortium members include representatives from many organizations:

  • DEL
  • The Washington State Department of Health
  • Educational service districts and school districts
  • State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
  • Higher Education Coordinating Board
  • Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
  • Tribal Nations
  • Thrive by Five Washington
  • Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network
  • Other organizations involved in professional development for early care and education professionals

Click to view consortium meeting minutes and other related documents.

The 2009 Legislature approved House Bill 1943 (signed into law by Gov. Chris Gregoire), which outlines specific areas that the Consortium will be required to work on and report. Information from Consortium meetings will be posted on this page as it becomes available. A brief status update of the Consortium’s work plan will be submitted to the Governor and the Legislature, and posted on this Web site, by September 15, 2009 and December 31, 2009. A final report will be submitted and posted by December 31, 2010, outlining a comprehensive statewide integrated system of preparation and continuing professional development for the early learning and school-age program workforce.

Along with the language in HB 1943, the Consortium is using the Policy Blueprint Summary from the National Association for the Education of Young Children as one foundational document to guide our work.

DEL welcomes your input as we work to develop an early learning professional development system in our state. Please e-mail your comments, questions and ideas to char.rupp@del.wa.gov.