Continuous Professional Learning

As an early childhood educator, it is absolutely necessary to work towards ongoing professional development for the benefit of everyone that I work with. This includes myself, my students and their families, my co-workers, and the community. It is the dedication and passion that we, as educators, hold for our societies youngest students that make our jobs so important. It is critical that I make a plan and stay committed to my professional development. In order to do so, I have created three goals that I will be sure to engage in over the next year.

Second, I plan on joining an early childhood education professional organization that advocates for all that I believe in. Lebeau (2008) explains the many benefits of doing which include making connections with other early childhood educators, opportunities to learn about the latest trends,receive ongoing instruction, and adding to the overall professional feel and that one presents as a teacher. As I reflect back upon where most of my influences derive from when it comes to the formation of my teaching philosophy, vision, and mission statements, it is the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). As mentioned by textbook author, Krogh (2013), NAEYC is the largest organization that advocates early childhood development and care (sect. 9.6). Therefore, looking into joining this organization to receive the benefits of ongoing professional development, I can refer to their website which explains the different categories of their program. The website cites some of the reasons to join their organization in particular, which includes how it promotes high-quality education through the connection of practice, policy, and research of all early childhood educators around the nation (NAEYC, n.d.).

A third and final goal towards my professional development is that I will stay knowledgeable about new research and theories in the field of early childhood education. This meets NAEYC’s (2011) commitment to “continue to learn, grow, and contribute as a professional” (p. 9). There are many ways that I plan on doing this. One way is to sign up to receive professional journals, magazines, newsletters, e-mails, and more. I promise to stay up-to-date on what is going on and all that is new in the world of early childhood education.