Page 16 - Gateways for Early Educators

Gateways for Early Educators
were enrolled. This allowed the program to be tailored to the needs of the individual participant. Some had complex goals that took longer periods of time to complete while others had goals that could be accomplished in a shorter period of time. Some had language, educational, or life crisis challenges that may have resulted in them taking longer to accomplish their goals than those who did not have these challenges. The rolling enrollment and open time frame for the program allowed each individual the time they needed to accomplish their goals without feeling that they had to stay in longer than needed or be exited from the program at a pre-determined time.
Coaching Activities
According to the research literature, activities that are common in coaching programs include building a relationship with the early childhood educator, conducting an initial assessment of the quality of the environment, setting goals within a quality improvement plan, modeling, giving feedback to the provider, engaging in reflective practice, and facilitating communities of practice for the early childhood educators.viii It is critical to examine these activities to understand and identify the processes underlying positive effects of coaching and be able to understand what approaches are key in improving quality early care environments and school readiness for children.ix x xi One study found that the most common activities for quality improvement were discussions with the participant on how to improve quality (82% of programs), followed by observations and feedback (59%), and modeling of positive practices was the least frequent (35%).xii Gateways is reflective of this research. Within the coaching model it was intended that all participants engage in discussions on how to improve their quality (if they were enrolled in the quality improvement component of Gateways). General observations and feedback were frequent activities, but not universal in the program. Formal observations were only conducted for those participating in the LACOCC QRIS program. Modeling was not considered a key activity of the program and as such was likely to be a relatively rare activity.
There is a general lack of published research on the duration and intensity of quality improvement coaching activities. One study cites that most states (59%) report that on- site visits occur monthly or less often.xiii Because of the lack of research, the “optimal” intensity for quality improvement coaching is not known. The Gateways program aimed to provide one session per month on average for each participant. Sessions could have been on-site, at the agency, via the telephone, via email (after collecting resources to send via email), or in group meetings/trainings.
Although indicated as a key aspect of successful programs,xiv only 41% of states report having a formal guide or manual for quality improvement efforts.xv The Evaluation Team with the help of the program staff and management developed a program manual and a database manual to assist the Coaches and their supervisors in implementing the program and ensuring consistency across all sites and participants.
2016
6