Knowledge Base and

Competencies of an Early
Childhood Professionals

Prepared by:

GILLACOR G.
EMILSEN
Knowledge and Competencies
This chapter considers the knowledge and
competencies needed by adults to more seamlessly
support the health, learning, development, and school
success of children from birth through age 8 by
providing consistent, high-quality care and education.
For its articulation of these competencies, the
committee draws on the science of child
development and early learning, the KNOWLEDGE
BASE about educational practices, and the landscape
of care and education and related sectors.
 FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND
COMPETENCIES FOR ALL ADULTS WITH
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITES FOR YOUNG
CHILDREN

All adult with professional responsibilities

for young children need to know about:

• How a child develops and learn, including cognitive

development, specific content knowledge and
skills, general competencies, socioemotional
development, and physical development and health.
 FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND
COMPETENCIES FOR ALL ADULTS WITH
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITES FOR YOUNG
CHILDREN

• The importance of consistent, stable, nurturing and

protective relationships that support development and
learning across domain and enable children to fully engage
in learning opportunities.
• Biological and environment factors that can contribute
positively to or interfere with the development, behavior
and learning.
 All adults with professional responsibilities
for young children need to use this
knowledge and develop the skills to:

• Engage effectively in quality interactions with children that

foster healthy child development and learning in routine everyday
interactions, in specific learning activities, and in educational and
professional settings in a manner appropriate to the child’s
development level.
• Promote positive social development and behaviors and mitigate
challenging behaviors.
• Recognize signs that children may need to be assessed and
referred for specialized services.
• Make informed decisions about whether and how to use different
kinds of technologies as tools to promote children’s learning.
 KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCIES
FOR CARE AND EDUCATORS
PRACTITIONERS
. CORE KNOWLEDGE BASE
• Knowledge of the development science that underlies important
domains of early learning and child's development, including cognitive
development, specific contents knowledge and skills, general learning
competencies, socioemotional development, and physical development
and health.
• Knowledge of how these domains interact to facilitate learning and
development.
• Knowledge of content and concepts that are important in early in
learning major subject matter areas, including language and
literacy ,mathematics, science, technology, engineering, arts and
social studies.
 KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCIES
FOR CARE AND EDUCATORS
PRACTITIONERS
. CORE KNOWLEDGE BASE
• Knowledge of the learning trajectories( goals developmental
progressions, and instructional tasks and strategies) of how children
learn and become proficient in each of the domains and specific
subject-matter areas.
• Knowledge of the science that elucidates the interactions among
biological and environmental factors that influence children’s
development and learning, including the positive effects of
consistent, nurturing interactions that facilitate development and
learning, as well as the negative effects of chronic stress and
exposure to trauma and diversity that can impede development and
learning.
 KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCIES
FOR CARE AND EDUCATORS
PRACTITIONERS
. CORE KNOWLEDGE BASE

• Knowledge of principles for assessing children that are

developmentally appropriate; culturally sensitive; relevant, reliable,
and valid across a variety of populations, domains, and assessment
purposes.
 Practices to Help Children
Learn
• Ability to establish relationships and interactions with children that
are nurturing and use positive language.
• Ability to create and manage effective learning environment.
• Ability to consistently deploy productive routines, maintains a
schedule; and make transition brief and productive, all to increase
predictability and learning opportunities and to maintain a sense of
emotional calm in the learning environment.
• Ability to set appropriate individualized goals and objectives to
advance young children’s development and learning.
• Ability to select, employ, and interpret a portfolio of both informal
and formal assessment tools and strategies; to use the result to
understand individual children’s developmental progression and
determine whether needs are being met.
 Practices to Help Children
Learn
• Ability to recognize the effects of factors from outside the
practices setting that affect children’s learning and development, and
to adjust practice to help children experiencing those effects.
• Ability to use a repertory of instructional and caregiving practices
and strategies, including implementing validated curricula, that
engage children through nurturing, responsive interactions and
facilitate learning and development in all domains in ways that are
appropriate for their stage of development.
 Working with Diverse
Population of Children
• Ability to advance the learning and
development of children from backgrounds
that are diverse in family structure,
socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, culture
and language.
• Ability to advance the development and learning of children who have
specialized developmental or learning needs, such as children with
disabilities or learning delays, children experiencing chronic
stress/adversity, and children who are gifted and talented.
• Ability to advance the development and learning of children who are
dual language learners.
 Developing and Using
Partnerships
• Ability to communicate and connect with
• families in a mutually respectful ,reciprocal
• way and to set goals with families and
• prepare them to engage in complementary
• behaviors and activities that enhance development and early learning.
• Ability to recognize when behaviors and academic challenges may be a
sign of an underlying need for referral for more comprehensive
assessment, diagnosis, and support.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate with professionals in other,
disciplines, and sectors to facilitate mutual understanding and
collective contributions to improving outcomes for children.
 Continuously Improving the Quality of
Practice
• Ability and motivation to access and engage in available professional
learning resources to keep current with the science of development
and early learning and with research on instructional and other
practices.
• Knowledge and abilities for self-care to maintain their own physical
and mental health, including the effects of their own exposure to
adversity and stress.
 Early Childhood Education

Early childhood professionals have an exciting

and evolving role in the overall field of
education. As we embark upon this journey, we
will not only be teaching young children, but will
also be creating a community of learners which
includes families, community members and other
stakeholders. The purpose of this report is to
review the standard that guide the work of
early childhood education professionals.
 Early Childhood Professional

Early childhood professionals:

promote child development and learning;

build family and community relationships;

observe, document, and assess young children;

promote positive teaching and learning for young

children;

conduct themselves as members of the early

childhood profession.
 Standards of Professionalism
Professionalism in early childhood education is based on the six National
Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) professional
standards (a seventh standard focused on the importance of field and
clinical experiences was added in 2010) .

3. Observing,
2. Building documenting
1. Promoting child family and and assessing to
development and community support young
learning relationships children and
families

4. Using
developmentally 5. Using content
effective knowledge to 6. Becoming a
approaches with build meaningful professional
children and curriculum
families
 Standard 1: Promoting Child
Development and Learning
Early childhood professional promote child development and
learning by focusing on four areas of professional practice:

Child development
Developmentally appropriate approaches
Teaching diverse children
Creating healthy, respectful, supportive and challenging learning
environments
 Child development

Having a solid foundation of knowledge about child

development is critical for all early childhood educators.
It is this knowledge that allows teachers to make
predictions about what children of a
specific age group will and won’t
be capable of, and offer learning
experiences to promote optimal
growth and development.
 Developmentally Appropriate Approaches
Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) refers to teaching methods
based on how children grow and develop and on individual and cultural
differences. When making decisions based on DAP, practitioners consider:
Practitioners rely on knowledge of age-related
Child characteristics of children, and are able to make predictions
development about the capabilities of children at certain ages, and the
and learning type of experiences and strategies that will promote learning
and development.

Knowing Practitioners endeavor to know each child so that they can

children as adopt for and be responsive to the learning and development
individuals needs of each child in a group.

The social and Practitioners strive to understand the values, behaviors,

cultural and expectations which are important to various
context in communities, so that they can ensure learning experiences
which children are meaningful, relevant, and respectful to children and their
live. families.
 Developmentally Appropriate
Approaches
Developmentally appropriate approaches also include
Developmentally and Culturally Responsive Practice (DCRP).

DCRP is the practice of being sensitive to and responding to

the cultural and ethnic background and needs of the diverse
people.

Early childhood education practitioners are expected to

embrace multiculturalism in their practice.
 Creating Healthy, Respectful,
Supportive and Challenging Learning
Environments
Healthy environments ensure the physical and psychological health
and safety of children.

Respectful environments ensure that each child, regardless of

background, family characteristics, or abilities is respected.

Supportive environments include teachers who believe that all

children can learn, and teachers who are willing to help children
understand and make meaning of their experiences.

Challenging environments include achievable, yet stretching

experiences for all children.
 Standard 2: Building Family And Community
Relationships
A critical aspect of your professional development includes becoming
confident in establishing and maintaining relationships with families.

Involving families
and communities
in children’s
learning and
Collaborating development Being
with,
respectful to
supporting, and
empowering children and
families their families

Knowing and
Building
family and Knowing
understanding
community families’
characteristics of
children’s families relationships childrearing
and communities practices
 Standard 3: Observing, Documenting,
And Assessing To Support Children And
Families
The process of gathering and recording information about children’s
growth, development, behavior, learning styles, dispositions, academic
learning/progress, and the need for special services is known as
assessment.

The assessment process provides teachers with information to guide

what and how to teach children.

The assessment process also provides teachers with information to

share with parents and families.
Standard 4: Using Developmentally Effective Approaches
To Connect With Children And Families

Fostering oral
a p it a li z in g
language and C
c hi ng communication on
Tea gh inciden
ta l
u
thro l teachin
g
a
soci actions
r
inte Developmentally
effective
approaches Add
Creating chi ressin
l
support cha dren’s g
for l
play beh lengin
avio g
Using rs
integrative
approaches
to curriculum
Standard 4: Using Developmentally Effective
Approaches To Connect With Children And
Families

Early childhood professionals also enter into

responsive relationships with children and their
families that respond to the individual interests of
children and their families.
 Standard 5: Using Content
Knowledge To Build Meaningful
Curriculum
Teachers must be knowledgeable about the content areas in order to
help young children learn to read, write, do mathematics, and be
creative.
The content areas include:
Language and literacy
Reading
Art, music, drama, creative movement, dance
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Physical activity
 Standard 5: Using Content
Knowledge To Build Meaningful
Curriculum
Teachers must have two types of knowledge:
Content knowledge is knowledge about the subject matter they
plan to teach.
Pedagogical knowledge is the knowledge of how to teach in order
to ensure meaningful learning experiences for children.

Teachers today design, implement, and evaluate curriculum. They

engage in collaborative planning or team planning to plan curriculum.
 Standard 6: Becoming a
Professional
Implementing the following practices will be instrumental to your
becoming an early childhood professional:
o Become familiar with ethical conduct and act in an ethical manner.

o Look for continuous opportunities to learn and grow your professional

skills.

o Collaborate with other stakeholders which may include other staff

members, families, and community partners.

o Become a reflective practitioner.

o Be a voice for young children, their families and the early childhood
profession. Learn about advocacy opportunities.
 Standard 6: Becoming a Professional

Professional dispositions refer to the values, commitments, and

professional ethics that guide early childhood professional’s
behaviors toward the children and families with whom they work, as
well as with professional colleagues and stakeholders in the
community.

Professional dispositions effect the learning, motivation and

development of children with whom early childhood professional
work.

Dispositions include caring, collaborating, ethical conduct, and

reflective practice.
Standard 6: Becoming a Professional

is the most
important
disposition for
early childhood
professionals.
 Influences on the Future of Early
Childhood Education
A number of conditions will likely influence the future of early
childhood education.

 New ideas will continue to challenge old ways of conducting the

professional field of early childhood education.
Technology will continue to play a role in both the way teachers
teach and the way children learn.
learning and professional development will be an important part of
the careers of early childhood education teachers.
 Conclusions
Having a role in the early learning of a child
is a complex responsibility that requires a
sophisticated understanding of child’s
cognitive and socioemotional development;
knowledge of a broad range of subject
matter content areas and skills for
developing high quality interactions and
relationships with children; their families and
other professionals.