Like most communities across the country, Washington, D.C. once lacked a coherent, comprehensive system of training and professional development in early care and education. In response to this challenge, early childhood leaders in the nation's capital undertook a strategic planning process and created a unique solution to improving the quality of care in the community–The Early Childhood Leadership Institute at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC).

A quasi-independent, self-sustaining entity within the UDC, the Institute is now in its fourth year of operations. "Our program exemplifies how Head Start training dollars can be leveraged," says Maurice Sykes, Executive Director of the Institute. "With professional development funds available from the Head Start Bureau, we were better able to propose to UDC that we create win-win partnerships to support the training and professional development of people in early care and education." UDC benefits from the partnership through increased tuition revenue, student enrollment, and fidelity to its mission. The early childhood community benefits from improved quality of training classroom performance and a significant increase in the number of individuals earning academic degrees. The children and their families benefit from improved services from conscientious and capable providers, which result in improved child outcomes. Rounding out this partnership are a significant amount of local dollars provided by the District's Office of Early Childhood Development.

While the Institute supports individuals participating in degree and non-degree programs, its first initiative focused on transitioning individuals from the Child Development Associate (CDA) to the Associate's of Arts (AA) degree in child development through a program called "Project Headway." UDC awarded students entering the program six hours of college credit for their CDA certification. The Institute is a part of UDC's seamless, continuum of articulation from the AA through the Master's degree level.

Project Headway students are required to attend orientation sessions that focus on attitude, study habits, time management and what it means to be an adult learner. In addition to receiving free tuition, books, fees and on-site child care, all Headway students are provided mentoring and support services throughout the academic year. Students are organized into the cohorts, and they take their courses together. The courses are sequenced, and instructors are selected for their understanding of the non-traditional student as well as course content. Cohort members meet for monthly discussions/workshops to link academics with the workplace. "Our program has three dimensions," Sykes explains. "We focus not only on academics, but on workplace and personal issues, to make sure that our program is meeting the needs of our adult learners."

The Institute's first cohort is now in its fourth year of the program, with an impressive retention rate of 98 percent. The second and third cohorts include both Head Start and community-based child care providers. The program's third and fourth cohorts started in January 2001. Cohort four, funded through the Head Start Bureau, has a special focus on the development of teachers' skills in emergent literacy and early reading. The Institute has also implemented an Early Childhood High School Internship program in six area high schools. "If professional recruiters can recruit talented players from high school to play ball," says Sykes, "then shouldn't we be doing the same for those who would care for our children?"

Creating the Partnership

"Everyone needs to recognize that partnering with institutions of higher education is institutional change–with all the challenges and opportunities that implies," advises Sykes. "Therefore, one needs to take a strategic planning approach to forming these partnerships."

In Washington, D.C., Sykes and others recognized the need for a coherent, comprehensive system of training and professional development in early care and education. They identified a broad group of diverse stakeholders whose support and involvement in the process were critical to its success. They then convened a series of stakeholder meetings to identify guiding principles and created a citywide vision for the Institute. "You need everyone's buy-in and investment," Sykes stated. "Such broad participation also helps to sharpen the effort, in that you have a chance to discuss differing views and reach consensus as part of the planning process, rather than when you’re trying to implement the project."

What suggestions does Sykes have for creating similar partnerships in other communities? "You need to approach the process strategically," he says. As part of the process, he suggests, one must assess the following–

• Who are the stakeholders in the community?
  
• What programs or resources already exist?
  
• What have been the typical barriers that keep these partnerships from forming?
  
• What are the leverage points, and where might small changes be made that would get the process moving?
  
• What supports need to be in place for this undertaking?
  
• What do the learners need, and how will these needs be linked to resources?"
  

Don’t pander to stereotypes about folks," Sykes cautions, "and don't adopt a deficit model about learners. Adult learners in the Head Start and early childhood communities are quite capable of succeeding in higher education. However, you must believe in their worth as human beings and go the extra mile to see them through."

"And that's another thing," Sykes adds. "There is no monolithic "Head Start learner," as though all staff and parents have exactly the same needs.

"Finally, Sykes advises that Head Start-higher education partnerships should be viewed as "action research" and an ongoing process. "We should always remember our mission, ask ourselves what our folks need that they can't get within the typical university arrangement, and strive to meet those needs."

For more information, contact Maurice Sykes, Executive Director of the Early Childhood Leadership Institute at the University of the District of Columbia, T: 202-986-1819, E: mrussell18@aol.com.