Announcement ELRC 23-02
Subject: Ending Option for Director Instructor- Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS)
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;
- Professional Development Organizations (PDOs);
- Professional Learning Organizations (PLOs); and
- The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) staff
From:
Shante’ Brown
Deputy Secretary, Office of Child Development & Early Learning
Issue Date: March 21, 2023
Effective Date: March 21, 2023
End Date: n/a
View full announcement as a PDF. >
Purpose
To end date the option for individuals to apply for and become Director Instructor (DI)- Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS) who offer training as a “Director Instructor.”
Background
The Director Instructor (DI) – Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS) allows approved directors to provide professional development to their staff on pre-approved Director Instructor modules. The pre-approved modules include the following:
- The Child Observation Modules,
- The Pennsylvania’s Learning Standards for Early Childhood Series,
- Mind in The Making- Seven Essential Skills, and
- Step Up to Quality Supervision Series.
Discussion
Effective March 21, 2023, applications for Director Instructor (DI) Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS) will no longer be accepted or processed. The DI PQAS will no longer be available as an option for individuals to provide training to child care staff. Individuals holding a DI PQAS will no longer have access to train child care staff, as a Director Instructor and the trainings will be made obsolete on April 28, 2023.
Directors may pursue a PQAS application and create their own content in alignment with competencies for which they are approved based on expertise and/or education. Visit PQAS APPLICATIONS – THE PENNSYLVANIA KEY (pakeys.org) for information on applying to become a Professional Development Instructor.
For those holding an active DI PQAS, effective March 21, 2023, no new courses on the outdated materials should be scheduled. Any courses currently in the PD Registry under the outdated materials will be end dated April 28, 2023.
For child care staff seeking professional development in material similar to the outdated modules, OCDEL is supplying course content to replace the outdated modules within the PD Registry. Please see Table A below. All content in the PD Registry is offered by approved Professional Development PQAS Instructors in order to count for various professional development requirements.
Table A
| Outdated Module | Options in the PD Registry |
|---|---|
The Child Observation Modules |
|
The Pennsylvania’s Learning Standards for Early Childhood Series |
In addition, content on specific Key Learning Areas can be found in the PD Registry.
|
The Step Up to Quality Supervision Series |
|
- Mind in the Making—Seven Essential Skills will no longer be offered
Next Steps
-
- Review and share this information with all relevant staff.
- Please direct any questions to your ELRC.