| Purpose. High-quality early care and education (ECE) is increasingly viewed as a strategy for improving children's outcomes. One of the most crucial variables leading to quality is teacher training, but most states have minimal educational requirements for ECE teachers. The workforce also faces barriers in accessing effective professional development. Furthermore, the field lacks information on a training model that can both create a knowledgeable workforce and accommodate teachers' varying experience levels, work settings, and educational backgrounds. The U.S. military's child development centers (CDCs) employ a large-scale professional development system that might address these issues. The purpose of this study was to describe this system, and in so doing, provide lessons for how ECE teacher training might be improved.; Research questions. (1) What kinds of professional development are offered to caregivers in the military's CDC training model? (2) What contextual factors and policies support this model? (3) From the perspective of caregivers and Training & Curriculum Specialists, what specific aspects of the military model are most crucial for impacting caregivers' knowledge and classroom practice?; Methodology. This study utilized a qualitative interview methodology, with a sample of 13 caregivers and 8 Training & Curriculum Specialists from 6 military CDCs in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. Participants were interviewed using an open-ended protocol. Their narratives were analyzed through the use of deductive and inductive coding. Validity was enhanced through member checking and triangulation of narratives and related documents.; Significance of study. This study begins to address the gap in the current literature base on professional development for the ECE workforce by describing the coordinated system of standardized and non-standardized training provided to CDC caregivers. In addition, it describes the financial, technical, and human resources that support the model, which also have not been fully addressed in the literature. By describing both the professional development caregivers receive and the resources that support it, this study offers lessons for policymakers and other stakeholders who wish to implement a system of coordinated and responsive training within the civilian ECE sector as a way to increase program quality. |
