Created in 2007 by the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), The Pennsylvania Key implements the work and supports the policies developed and managed by OCDEL. Learn More. >
Created in 2007 by the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), The Pennsylvania Key implements the work and supports the policies developed and managed by OCDEL. Learn More. >Since 2004, Pennsylvania has encouraged or required the Early Childhood Education (ECE) workforce to assess individual professional competencies and make ongoing professional development choices based on personal growth goals. Pennsylvania values continuous quality improvement and strives to align with national standards to the extent practicable, while continuing to address ECE workforce professional development needs.
In response to the recent National context, Pennsylvania has adopted a new set of PA PSCECE. This set of standards and competencies replaces the PA Core Knowledge Competencies (CKCs) and have been adopted from the national Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators. The PA Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators are the general knowledge and skills that educators need to know and be able to demonstrate. They are not the standards and competencies needed for specific professions and occupations within the early childhood field (see Introduction for more info).
It is important to note that the PA PSCECE do not include Program Organization and Administration Standards and Competencies. For those, the field will continue to use K8 of the Core Knowledge Competences (K8 begins on page 44). Revised competencies for administrators will soon be under development.
An asynchronous course on the Pennsylvania Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators can be viewed in the PD Registry.
To register for The Pennsylvania Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators course, login to your PD Registry account and click on Search Training Events within the left hand menu. Enter in the title within the Course Title section and click Search.
Faculty and Instructors at Institutes of Higher Education (IHE), Career and Technology Education (CTE) and post-secondary education programs interested in connecting work to the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) or the Pennsylvania Key please visit the Higher Education page on the Pennsylvania Key website.
The Big Ideas Framework is a companion document to the Pennsylvania Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators (PA PSCECE). This framework will be the primary tool for consideration of long- and short-term professional development goals and the creation of individual professional development plans.
An essential component of Pennsylvania’s professional development system is Pennsylvania’s Home Visitor Competencies for Home Visiting Professionals. It identifies a set of content areas that help define the knowledge expectations for professionals in settings within the home visiting field.