ERIC Number: EJ1448719
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1090-1027
EISSN: EISSN-1745-5642
Recognition of Early Childhood Professionals' Competencies through a Micro-Credential Program
Marilys Galindo
Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, v45 n4 p473-485 2024
The Micro-Credential Program is a digital badging system composed of competency-based pathways that move forward early childhood professionals to achieving mastery in employability skills. These skills are crucial for early childhood professionals to have to provide high-quality, nurturing learning environments to children in their care as well as to be successful in their careers. As the early childhood professional completes the competency-based professional development, they move along the pathway and earn badges representative of these new skills. Once they have earned all the badges in the pathway and completed its corresponding portfolio, they earn the micro-credential for that employability skill. The program provides accessible, affordable, and attainable competency-based professional development for early childhood professionals who find it difficult to pursue or finish a college degree. This reflection on practice analyzes qualitative and quantitative data that has been collected from Badgr, Micro-Credential Pathway Journey Surveys, and interviews. Data has been analyzed to measure the impact of the program on the childcare workforce of Palm Beach County, Florida. It disclosed that early childhood professionals are acquiring new skills to implement with the children in their care and are motivated by earning the badges and micro-credentials.
Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Microcredentials, Early Childhood Teachers, Teacher Competencies, Electronic Learning, Competency Based Education, Employment Potential, Mastery Learning, Faculty Development, Educational Quality, Educational Environment, Recognition (Achievement), Evaluation Methods, Information Storage, Program Descriptions, Career Development, College Programs, Equal Education, Access to Education, Teacher Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Florida
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A