Staff Professional Development Overview

Staff professional development is so vital to the world of early childhood that it’s literally part of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment (see I-3A.3 and I-4.8, for a start).

Part of joining this profession is committing to continue to stay curious. This includes looking for ways to learn more about child development, relationship building, early childhood environments, materials and techniques, and learning as a skill. Most regions have specific annual requirements for early childhood professionals, so look at your local regulations to know what your staff are expected to complete regardless of your own requirements.

(Note: this page concerned professional development outside First Aid/Mandated Reporter (Child Abuse) trainings and the like)

As you prepare a budget for each year, try to find ways to make professional development a line item rather than an ‘other’. How much can you reasonably allocate for learning as a whole? (In a perfect world, you would have Scrooge-McDuck-style piles for both; it’s probably more like finding a dollar in the laundry basket.) Are you in a position to offer every staff member a certain amount of money to use as they see fit? Will you have one big ‘pot’ that everyone can take from?

Will you only provide funding when specifically requested? Do some research to see what kind of grant opportunities are available in your area: you might be able to help a staff member with a scholarship application to complete their associate’s degree, or secure funding for your whole staff to attend a local training. Always ask presenters if they have a sliding scale or payment plan option; even if they can’t bring down their rates, they might be able to recommend an option you can afford or point you in the direction of funding.

Often, local organizations or government programs will provide free or low-cost training, and many conferences or presentations have group rates. As you look for professional development opportunities, poke around websites, Instagram, and Facebook pages, particularly at the beginning of the school year – some places will release a yearly schedule far in advance, and some spots can fill up fast.

Take advantage of self-paced, online courses or presentations (hey, Playvolution HQ has those!) that you can share with your staff to experience together, or complete individually and wrap-up in a group. If you have a small program, see if any other programs near you might be interested in the same training to split the cost: learn stuff, make connections!

When planning professional development, it’s wise to have a few different tracks: things you want your entire program to explore, things you want certain classes or age groups to explore, and things you leave open for your individual staff members or small groups to explore. For example, you might expect all your staff to read the same book and talk about one chapter per month, or have everyone attend the same conference or training offered.

You might also ask just the infant teachers to listen to a few episodes of Unruffled with Janet Lansbury, while three teachers across age groups ask for funding to go to a loose parts workshop. This makes sure everyone is getting what they need, pursuing their own interests, and having the chance to report back to the whole group. (Doesn’t that sound like what we hope children’s experiences to be?)

Always solicit ideas from your staff about what sort of things they’re interested in learning as a group. Their experiences, ages, and interests will change from year to year, meaning they’ll always be in search of something different: a staff full of veteran educators probably won’t be interested in a year-long study of classroom management, but a staff full of fresh hires might be.

Decide how everyone will be accountable in group studies and individual ones, and ensure that the time dedicated to exploring these topics is not an afterthought but a highlight of your time together. (Eating snacks and casually talking about a book chapter before diving into specific questions, with the expectation that everyone shares something, is a personal favorite of mine.)

Lastly – how will you and your staff reflect on whatever professional development you take part in? For some areas, this is required for hours to be ‘counted’; I would still recommend that this becomes built into your practice in a way that’s doable and meaningful for your staff. Some organizations require reflections to be turned in through forms; others hold ‘debrief’ style meetings or give members journals. Professional development shouldn’t be wholly academic; it should provide opportunities for things to get personal and connect to daily realities of teaching.

Where to Include

At Playvolution HQ, we recommend using the Three Handbook Method.

Consider adding this policy to your Staff Handbook.

Considerations

• Some areas will require different amounts of professional development based on different education levels – for example, staff members might be required to be in active pursuit of an associate’s degree, if they don’t have one. How will you support those needs, financially and otherwise?
• Many big-name conferences take place at least in part during the work week. If many staff members want to attend – or you want many staff members to attend – how will you provide coverage for absences? Will you close the program for the day? What would the financial impacts be?
• If staff drive to a training in personal vehicles, are they reimbursed for miles?

Sample Policies

NOTE: The following samples are real-world examples relating to this post’s topic and are provided as a reference for creating your own policies and procedures. Sharing them here is not a recommendation of their content.

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

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