To:

• All Department of Human Services (DHS) Certified Child Care Providers;
• Early Childhood Education Professionals; Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRCs);
• Pennsylvania Key Career Pathway Verifiers and Career Pathway Staff;
• PQAS Approved Instructors;
• Professional Development Organizations (PDOs); and
• The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) staff

From:

Tracey Campanini,
Deputy Secretary, Office of Child Development & Early Learning

Issue Date: April 7, 2022
Effective Date: May 1, 2022
End Date: N/A

To provide clarification on the implementation of the Pennsylvania Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators (PA PSCECE) including enhancements within the Professional Development (PD) Registry.

In response to the recent National context, Pennsylvania has adopted a new set of PA Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators (PA PSCECE). This set of standards and competencies replace the PA Core Knowledge Competencies (CKCs) and have been adopted from the national Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators. The PA PSCECE are the general knowledge and skills that educators need to know and be able to demonstrate. They are not the specific standards and competencies needed for specific professions and occupations within the early childhood field. This transition is timely and is informed by trends and shifts occurring nationally to ensure consistency and reliability in early care and education (ECE). Following the release of the seminal 2015 Institute of Medicine Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation

(IOM Report), the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) announced a collaborative initiative called Power to the Profession. This initiative established the first ever Unifying Framework for the early childhood profession with the goal of advancing ECE as a recognized professional field of practice.

The PA PSCECE are designed to increase the reliability, portability, and relevance of ECE professional development (PD) (including higher education programs) nationwide. These standards help to ensure Pennsylvania’s ECE professionals are prepared to support the growth and development of every child, birth through age eight, across the commonwealth.

The PA PSCECE include seven standards. The first six standards are adopted directly from the national standards; the seventh standard, Health, Safety and Mental Health, is Pennsylvania specific. In addition, the standards include resources that are Pennsylvania-specific and can be integrated into coursework and trainings. These PA PSCECE will guide Pennsylvania’s early learning PD system, including both educator preparation and non-certification programs in ECE; ongoing professional growth and development activities; and credentials.

Effective July 1, 2022, the PA PSCECE will replace the CKCs. This transition to the PA PSCECE has several system and policy implications related to Keystone STARS including the following PD Registry subsystems:

• Effective May 1, 2022, updated PD courses to align with the PA PSCECE
• Effective July 1, 2022, updated PD Plan (PDP)
• Effective July 1, 2022, updated PD Self-Assessment using an updated Big Ideas Framework

1. ELRCs
   1. Review information with your
   2. Direct any questions to your Program
2. ECE Professionals
   1. Take the PD Course: PA Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators
   2. Update your PD Self-Assessment and PDP before their current expiration date in the PD Registry using the appropriate set of Competencies (either CKCs or PA PSCECE)
   3. Direct any questions to your ELRC
3. PQAS Instructors
   1. Take the PD Course: PA Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators
   2. Register for one of the trainings that will take place on April 13, 2022 or April 28, 2022 as outlined above
   3. Do not schedule any PD events to take place, after July 31, 2022 until courses are aligned to the new PA PSCECE
   4. Beginning May 1, 2022, revise/renew all your PD courses to align with the new PA PSCECE. Once courses have been revised/renewed to reflect alignment with the PA PSCECE, you can schedule events to occur after July 31, 2022.
   5. Direct any questions to the PD Registry Team at registry@pakeys.org

View full announcement as a PDF.