Birth through kindergarten teacher training.

Research indicates that children's development does not occur in one discrete, isolated area at a time. Rather, children learn to explore while they learn to talk, and they learn to manipulate materials while learning to play. Similarly, when a child has a disability, it seldom affects only one aspect of his development; his learning ability is affected in several different ways. In recognition of this truth, the Education of the Handicapped Amendments of 1986 (P. L. 99-457), which was later renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, moved the disciplines of early childhood education and early childhood special education toward a greater collaborative sharing of resources, curriculum and training.

In North Carolina, this move resulted in a licensure program that requires teacher training to include the three strands of child development, early childhood education and early childhood special education. The previous licensure program required individuals holding preschool handicapped and prekindergarten licensures to obtain the birth through kindergarten licensure.

This article describes the new licensure in North Carolina and explains its effect on both preservice teacher education programs and inservice programs. It also examines efforts to help higher education institutions statewide develop such licensure programs. Finally, the authors tally the anticipated benefits of this new licensure approach.

Rationale for Combining the Child Development, Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education Strands

When preschool children with disabilities are integrated with typically developing children, both groups benefit. Diamond, Hestenes and O'Connor (1994) report that inclusive settings offer children greater social interactions, higher levels of play and more skill-acquisition opportunities than do segregated settings. These researchers also found more accepting and less prejudicial attitudes among non-disabled children who had more interactions with children with disabilities. Salisbury (1991) reported that nondisabled children often became advocates for their peers with disabilities, frequently helping to remove potential barriers.

Buysee and Bailey (1993) reviewed studies comparing the progress of preschool children with disabilities in both integrated and segregated settings. For students placed in integrated settings, they found:

* Play was at higher rates, was more constructive and was more sophisticated

* Language development was at the same level or more advanced

* Greater socialization skills were evident

* Adult-child interactions and peer interactions were more frequent

* Developmental outcomes for either the disabled or the non-disabled children were not negatively affected

* Teacher attitudes toward children with disabilities and their families were more positive

* Meaningful practicum and supervised field experiences with both typically and atypically developing children were developed

* Participation with interagency / interdisciplinary early childhood teams increased.

Many teacher training programs do not give preservice teachers a chance to work with preschool children in inclusive settings. In a study of California Part H programs, Hanson and Lovett (1992) found that few programs covered either all or a majority of early intervention competency areas. They reported that the areas receiving the greatest amount of training were: knowledge of typical and atypical development, the effects of a disability on early development, and the sequence of typical development. These authors also reported that university training programs paid little attention to:

* Family issues

* Infant/toddler intervention and assessment

* Interdisciplinary teaming and the processes used to develop teaming

* Case management

* Cultural diversity

* Emphasis on children between the ages of birth through 3.

Other researchers found the area of family-centered experiences to be another weakness in early childhood training programs (Bailey, Palsha & Huntington, 1990; Bredekamp, 1992). McCollum and Bailey (1991) stressed that families with special needs children need help from professionals in developing individualized family service plans (IFSPs). These researchers emphasized that this training should be interdisciplinary and collaborative, and should emphasize parents' involvement in their children's educational concerns.

Training Needs for Teachers

For at least 20 years, East Carolina University's Department of Child Development and Family Relations sought to develop a certification program that would address the above concerns. While anyone seeking employment in North Carolina elementary schools must be licensed through the State Department of Public Instruction, those individuals preparing to work with young children and their families were not required to have certification unless they were to work with young children who were handicapped or those who attended public school programs for 4- and 5-year-olds.

As early as 1985, representatives from four-year, as well as two-year, institutions from the areas of early childhood / elementary education, special education, and child development participated in several statewide meetings to develop an appropriate program leading to licensure. Investigations by the Interagency Coordinating Council and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction indicated that training for early childhood teachers needed to be realigned if young children with disabilities were going to be integrated in settings with non-disabled students.

At first, the experts believed that the two existing licensures, the preschool handicapped licensure and the prekindergarten licensure, could be revised in order to accomplish this task. As individuals from early childhood special education and early childhood programs began working on this concept, however, it became apparent that a whole new licensure was needed.

As these groups attempted to realign existing licensures, they realized that they also needed to create an entirely new profession. One term kept reoccurring - "educarer," which can be attributed to Magda Gerba. Soon, an entirely new professional training program in early childhood evolved.

Ultimately, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's early childhood teams concluded that three strands (early childhood education, child development and early childhood special education) needed to be included in any training program. This also meant that higher education faculty in those strands needed to become more competent in preparing teachers for the inclusion model.

In order to begin establishing guidelines for early childhood education and licensure, two consultants were brought in. Sue Bredekamp from the National Association for the Education of Young Children spoke on "National Accreditation of Early Childhood Programs," and Elizabeth Brady, Professor and Chair of Educational Psychology from the California State University at Northridge, spoke on "Four-Year-Olds in the California Public Schools: What Have We Learned?"

In August 1992, the North Carolina Board of Education approved "Birth Through Kindergarten (B-K) Certification Undergraduate Guidelines and Competencies." The general competencies for all programs were to include:

* An understanding of the various stages and substages of growth and development in young children

* Knowledge and skill in the design, adaptation and implementation of developmentally appropriate learning environments for young children

* An understanding of developmentally appropriate curricula and methods for children, birth to 2, and for 3 years old through kindergarten

* Enhanced skills and knowledge in the area of family collaboration

* Competence in data collection that focuses on an individual child's development.

With this memo in mind to produce graduates competent to work with both handicapped and nonhandicapped children, and after several more meetings, a conference represented by all higher education institutions took place in February 1993 (Miller, 1993). As a result, the following were identified as requirements for the Birth through Kindergarten licensure:

* Higher education faculty would need information regarding the necessary competencies for professionals involved in early intervention

* Higher education faculty would need help identifying areas that needed retooling in order to provide education in early intervention and early childhood education

* Higher education faculty throughout the state would need help developing both formal and informal networking strategies among programs offering inclusive training in birth through kindergarten teacher education programs.

In September 1992, East Carolina University began to develop a Birth through Kindergarten Teacher Education program. In order for students to gain licensure, the program would have to meet both State Department of Public Instruction (SDPI) and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) program approval standards.

A program planning committee began to meet regularly, using the state B-K guidelines to give themselves direction. After identifying existing courses that covered the competencies, the committee also revised courses, where possible, and developed new courses as needed. As a result, four new courses were developed: assessment and intervention, parent and professional collaboration, literacy development in early childhood and methods in early childhood special education. These last two courses were to be accompanied by practicums. The final plan for a B-K Teacher Education Program was approved by all regulatory bodies (both on-campus and off-campus) and first appeared in the 1995 Supplement to the 1994-1996 Undergraduate Catalog, in June 1995.

The Irregular Approach for Obtaining Licensure

Initially, inservice training was provided for teachers who already held either the preschool handicapped or the prekindergarten licensures. This was a limited endeavor, however, and all individuals holding these certifications had to have fulfilled the training and applied for the new B-K licensure by August 1996. The second approach to the B-K licensure was strictly for undergraduates taking university courses.

Blanton (1992) reported that effective inservice training emphasizes the development of a thinking framework that encourages teachers to use previous knowledge and experience in building new skills. For individuals holding a prekindergarten or preschool handicapped licensure, North Carolina's Department of Public Instruction developed a series of inservice workshops and activities based on this premise.

The workshop series required more than 200 hours of classroom and field experiences. Admission was based on a teacher's previous classroom experience, as well as workshop credits and university coursework. The workshops included the following activities (Baars, 1994):

* Child development. This workshop emphasized the development of the young child from the ages of birth to 5, including development of both the typically and atypically developing child.

* Program planning, evaluation and data collection. Participants considered developmentally appropriate planning of programs for both typical and atypical children. This workshop covered both formal and informal modes of evaluation and data collection (record keeping) on children's development.

* Learning environments. This workshop focused on the preparation, organization and creation of learning environments that are most conducive to implementing developmentally appropriate activities for both typically and atypically developing children.

* Curriculum for young children. This workshop covered the need to recognize different curriculum models and implement them for both typically and atypically developing children.

* Family dynamics. This workshop emphasized approaches for getting families involved in their children's learning and development. It also discussed how early childhood professionals can meet the needs of different types of families.

* Interdisciplinary teaming. This workshop stressed approaches for obtaining community and medical services by creating frameworks for contacting and working with professionals in other fields who offer services to young children and their families.

* Field experiences. These activities took place in an early childhood setting, with either typically developing or atypically developing preschool children.

The number of workshops to be taken was determined by two evaluators who looked at each teacher's transcript, along with other written verification of experience or training. These evaluator teams were located in regional districts and represented the three strands of child development, early childhood education and early childhood special education. Once the evaluators reached a consensus on whether the individual met all the requirements, they forwarded the paperwork to the state's Division of Certification of the Department of Public Instruction. The applicant was either issued a license or, if skills were found lacking, was required to attend workshops.

The B-K licensure was available through workshops only to individuals already holding certification. This was considered an "irregular" approach to obtaining licensure for teachers who fit one of the following descriptions:

* Teachers without a permanent or provisional license in preschool handicapped or preschool kindergarten education, but who held a valid North Carolina teacher's license

* Teachers with licensure in preschool handicapped education

* Teachers with a provisional license in preschool handicapped education

* Teachers with licensure in preschool kindergarten education

* Teachers with a provisional license in preschool kindergarten education.

Teacher Training Programs and Institutions of Higher Education

University and college-based programs are the focal point for a second approach to B-K licensure. These initial licensure programs emphasize the three strands of early childhood education, child development and early childhood special education. Both the North Carolina Governance of the University System and the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction have mandated that B-K programs should have meaningful input from child development, early childhood special education and early childhood education departments. An example of such collaboration can be found at East Carolina University (ECU), where the birth through kindergarten teacher education program is located in the Department of Child Development and Family Relations. This program requires 42 hours of general education, as do all majors at East Carolina University. The rest of the program is divided up as follows:

Child Development (48 semester hours):

* Infancy

* Early experiences with preschool education (mainly observation)

* The preschool child

* Preschool methods and materials

* Marriage and the family

* The child in the family

* Assessment and intervention with the young child

* Preschool education

* Directing the behavior and development of children

* Contemporary nutrition

* Preschool practicums at all different levels, birth through kindergarten

Elementary/Early Childhood (6 hours):

* Early childhood/elementary school curriculum

* Literacy development in young children

Special Education (9 hours) - All of these courses have an emphasis on early childhood:

* Introduction to exceptional children

* Instructional programming in special education

* Methods in early childhood special education

* Practicum in early childhood special education

Professional Teacher Education Courses (16 hours):

* Introduction to American education

* Educational technology

* Teaching internship with placements in birth through kindergarten, with an accompanying seminar.

Assistance for Planning and Implementation to Institutions of Higher Education

In 1993, a two-day conference was organized for all state universities and colleges. During the conference, representatives from all the institutions that were preparing birth through kindergarten licensure programs shared the extent and content of their planning to that point. Follow-up work sessions led to the development of recommendations, which were distributed to every state institution of higher learning (Miller, 1993). According to the recommendations, quality birth through kindergarten licensure programs should include:

* An interdisciplinary focus in planning and implementation

* Essential content components in child development, early childhood special education and early childhood education

* An emphasis on working with families

* Special attention in developing competencies in programming for infants and toddlers

* An awareness of agency programs that serve infants, toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners and families

* Diverse field experiences with infants, preschoolers and kindergartners, with and without disabilities, and their families

* The use of professional program standards for teacher preparation as the foundation for curriculum development.

First Year of Operation

The Birth through Kindergarten Teacher Education program at ECU is housed in the Department of Child Development and Family Relations (CDFR), in the School of Human Environmental Sciences. Whereas teacher education is a new program in the CDFR department, both faculty and students had to learn new requirements and procedures.

One new process concerned admission into the upper division of teacher education. Upon matriculation at ECU, students may declare a major in a teacher education program. Thus, students may declare B-K as a major at almost any time; however, to be admitted to the upper division, the student must meet the following requirements:

* A grade of "C" or better in the early experience course

* A speech and hearing screening

* Passing scores on the PRAXIS I

* An overall grade point average of 2.5 or better

* Demonstration of computer competency

* A satisfactory interview

* An essay outlining reasons for wishing to pursue a career in education.

Prospective teacher education majors are not permitted to enroll in more than 50 percent of their professional education courses prior to admission into the upper division.

Another adjustment, for both faculty and students, was learning and keeping up with the myriad requirements for the B-K major. Prior to official publication in the Undergraduate Catalog, committee members developed and distributed a check sheet listing requirements for the B-K major. The check sheet helped students identify courses they should take in anticipation of declaring B-K as their major. When it became apparent that students were getting conflicting, and sometimes erroneous, information about B-K requirements, three faculty members were identified to advise declared B-K majors. Those same three faculty serve as the interview committee for admission to the upper division. Moreover, faculty who teach methods courses or supervise field placements must hold B-K licensure. The same three faculty advisers and the department chairperson all hold B-K licensure, as well. The stringent requirements for field experiences was the third adjustment for both faculty and students.

Despite having somewhat higher admission standards than other majors in the Department of Child Development and Family Relations, the B-K major is very popular. One reason for the popularity of the B-K licensure program may be the potential it offers for employment opportunities. It prepares individuals not only to obtain licensure to teach in North Carolina public schools, but also to work in a variety of diverse settings with children from birth to age 6. In a very real sense, the B-K program has created a new profession.

Improvements Needed in the B-K Licensure Program

At least three areas needing attention have been identified, all of which will soon be addressed. First, and perhaps foremost, are the concerns about field placements. Issues that have been identified include 1) being sure that each B-K major has experiences across the age span encompassed by birth through kindergarten with both typically and atypically developing children, 2) establishing standards of quality for field placements sites and monitoring the quality of field experiences obtained by the students and 3) increasing the variety of placements to include, for example, home-based programs.

Second, since completing its work, members of the planning committee have not met again. The interdisciplinary nature of the B-K major suggests that they should do so on a regular basis.

Third, an advisory board for the B-K Teacher Education Program needs to be considered. Input from students, faculty, on-site field placement supervisors, parents and others could offer valuable input.

Summary

North Carolina's B-K teacher education program stresses an inclusive approach for training teachers at both the preservice and inservice levels. The concept of collaboration among the fields of child development, early childhood education and special education should result in quality teacher education. At East Carolina University, teaming attempts and closer planning allow for a real alignment in the training program. The authors hope that these inclusive efforts will spill over into classrooms elsewhere in the state and that teachers and other professional staff will collaborate more often. Furthermore, this unique licensure program may spread to the elementary grades, as well as the middle school and high school levels.

All aspects of this program have implications for reviewing and redesigning education programs for all age levels. Families need to be more involved, education programs need to be more developmentally appropriate, and outside agencies, along with other professionals, should be used for the betterment of all children.

References

Baars, K. (1994). Birth-kindergarten add-on licensure process. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction.

Bailey, D., Palsha, S., & Huntington, G. (1990). Preservice preparation of special educators to serve infants with handicaps and their families: Current status and training needs. Journal of Early Intervention, 14, 43-54.

Blanton, L. (1992). Preservice education: Essential knowledge for the effective special education teacher. Teacher Education and Special Education, 15, 87-96.

Bredekamp, S. (1992). The early childhood profession coming together. Young Children, 47, 36-39.

Buysee, V., & Bailey, D. (1993). Behavioral and developmental outcomes in young children with disabilities in preschool: Problems and promise. The Journal of Special Education, 26, 434-461.

Diamond, K., Hestenes, L., & O'Connor, C. (1994). Integrating young children with disabilities in preschool: Problems and promise. Young Children, 49, 68-73.

Hanson, M., & Lovett, D. (1992). Personnel preparation for early interventionists: A cross disciplinary survey. Journal of Early Intervention, 16, 123-135.

McCollum, J., & Bailey, D. (1991). Developing comprehensive personnel systems: Issues and alternatives. Journal of Early Intervention, 15, 57-65.

Miller, P. (1993). Building quality teacher education programs in early education and early intervention (birth through kindergarten): A state planning conference for interdisciplinary teams in higher education. Raleigh, NC: Interagency Coordinating Council for Services to Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers with Special Needs and Their FamiLies.

Salisbury, C. (1991). Mainstreaming during the early childhood years. Exceptional Children, 58, 146-155.

Virginia L. Myers is Instructor, Developmental Psychology, Manatec Community College, Venice, Florida. Harold C. Griffin is Assistant Professor, Special Education, Jane Telekei is Associate Professor, Child Development, James Taylor is Director, Early Childhood Intervention Center, and Linda Wheeler is Teacher, Early Childhood Intervention Center, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina.