Training Committee

The importance of training for child care professionals, and its effect on quality is well established. However, in Alabama, there are neither stringent enough requirements for training for child care professionals, nor a training system that is accepted by all child care entities. The Training Initiative looks at the broad scope of training as this issue affects all forms of child care and its quality.

What do we currently know about training efforts to improve the quality of child care in Alabama?

Alabama has no statewide system for training that is universally accepted by Child Care Management Agencies, Community colleges, and Four-year colleges.
Alabama’s minimum standards for day care programs do not require enough training.
Directors and teachers need incentives to complete higher levels of training.
As training requirements increase and more programs begin to provide infant and toddler care, more training is needed.

What are the policies that currently guide training?

Alabama’s minimum standards for day care programs require that directors have one year of experience in child care and 40 hours of training at the time of employment, and that they complete 8 hours of training each year.
Alabama’s minimum standards for day care programs require 4 hours of training per year for teachers, but no training at the time of employment.
Head Start requires that at least 50% of the teachers for a particular program must have an Associate degree in Child Development or a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education by 2003, and that programs must provide infant and toddler care by 2005.

What barriers or obstacles will be encountered as we try to improve child care training?

Directors and teachers, often underpaid, share the costs of training, such as tuition for courses and substitute care.
Certain areas in Alabama cannot easily access training resources.
Child care workers often must repeat coursework to achieve higher levels of training because Child Care Management Agencies, Community colleges, and Four-year colleges do not have a universally-accepted child care training curriculum.
Directors and teachers who have worked with children for years may not meet proposed requirements for higher levels of training.
As child care workers complete higher levels of training, they may leave child care for positions with higher salaries and better benefits.

What are some innovative solutions to these barriers?

Gather information about the qualifications of the current work force in Early Care and Education, the training needs of Alabama, and programs, such as T.E.A.C.H., in which Alabama could participate or model.
Develop a state credential for child care directors and providers.
Create a Training Approval System with a statewide, standardized system of training that would be recognized by the Child Care Management Agencies, Head Start, Community colleges, Four-year colleges, and other training entities (Athens State is already working to allow child care workers to count CMA training courses toward requirements for upper level degrees).
Develop a Career Lattice System that would encourage directors and providers to complete higher levels of training by offering scholarships, substitute care, and a mentoring system of child care workers with different levels of experience (e.g., S.T.A.R.S.).
Provide incentives for child care workers to achieve higher levels of training through bonuses, increases in salary, and recognition of quality child care programs, directors, and teachers.

What are some possible funding sources for improving child care training?

Gather information about training resources in Alabama to find out what kind of training is available, who provides it, what methods are used, and how successful is it.
Revise and reorganize the statewide funding system to coordinate training funds and use them more efficiently.
Participate in programs, such as T.E.A.C.H., which encourage community participation and support of efforts to improve child care training.