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Gateways for Early Educators
program included educational achievement with various early childhood educators describing going back to school, earning degrees or enrolling in college. Permit achievement was also frequently described area of success. Participants were able to apply for a permit for the first time, apply for or receive a higher permit than the one already attained, or apply for a credential. Participants also described changes in their programs due to their participation in Gateways. Most frequently, participants indicated that they had better interaction or communication with parents and children than before receiving coaching. Others described changes they made to their child care environments including establishing learning areas or other specific changes based on findings from their rating on the Family Child Care Environmental Rating Scale (FCCERS). In addition, coaching participants reported receiving encouragement or motivation from their Gateways coach and support in achieving their goals.
2016
Table 12. Participants’ Successes in the Gateways Program
Number of Participants
Percent
Professional Development
Educational achievement (e.g. going back to school, earning a degree, taking a 42 college course, etc.)
18.2%
Applied for a permit / received a higher level permit /applied for or earned a credential
Learned about different career options / received job promotion / support in applying for jobs
Opened own business / improved capacity or marketing of business
Made changes to their child care program (e.g. learning areas, rearranging space, etc.)
Use of tools (e.g. DRDP-R, ASQ, etc.)
Learning about new activities and ideas to implement in their program
Received support to achieve their goals
29 12.6%
11 4.8%
6 2.6%
19 8.2%
14 6.1%
9 3.9%
11 4.8%
Professional development (e.g. worked towards Gateways passport, attended 17 trainings, etc.)
7.4%
Gained confidence in their job / aware they are a professional 10
4.3%
Ability to network and connect with other early childhood educators 5
2.2%
Quality Improvement
Better interaction with the children and their families / ability to engage and 23 involve parents
10.0%
Increased their knowledge (e.g., about child development, child learning, etc.) 16
6.9%
Improved their child care practices 11
4.8%
Better able to identify and meet children’s needs 8
3.5%
Positive Experience in Coaching
Received encouragement and motivation from the coaches, felt supported 19
8.2%
Success in Coaching
“[Through the Gateways Program I] increased program quality by maintaining NAEYC accreditation and secured a grant to explore share services for early care providers.” ~Gateways Coaching Participant
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