HEAD START®

Observation and Recording: Tools for Decision Making

Training Guides for the Head Start Learning Community

Table of Contents | Preface | Introduction | Module 1 | Module 2 | Module 3 | Module 4
| Continuing Professional Development | Resources
Appendices: Appendix A | Appendix B | Appendix C | Appendix D | Appendix E

Continuing Professional Development

Participants can do many things to sustain and enhance the skills developed in this guide. The following suggestions should be considered starting points.

CDA Program

The Child Development Associate (CDA) credential represents demonstrated competence in the field of early childhood education. Administered by the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition, the CDA is considered to be the standard for the field. To find out how to obtain the CDA, call the Council at 800-424-4310, or write the Council at 2460 16th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20009-3575.

College Courses

Many four-year and two-year community colleges offer courses in child development, human development, and child study–all include in-depth information on observation. These courses can be taken independently (for credit or audit) or to fulfill requirements for CDA or towards a degree. To find out what courses are being sponsored by local institutions, contact the admissions office or continuing education or adult education departments.

NAEYC

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the chief professional organization for the field of early childhood education. Joining this organization of 60,000 colleagues not only provides networking opportunities, but learning opportunities as well. NAEYC holds an annual conference, usually in November, that provides hundreds of workshops, seminars, and presentations, including many that are observation-related. NAEYC also publishes a monthly professional journal, Young Children, in which observation is often covered. Staff interested in joining NAEYC can call 202-232-8777 or the toll-free number 800-424- 2460 or write to NAEYC at 1834 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20009-5786. Those with computer resources and Internet access can find out more about NAEYC on its World Wide Web home page: http://www.naeyc.org/naeyc/

Workshops/Training

In addition to workshops on observation offered at NAEYC's national conference, workshops are available on the local level. Most states and large cities, such as Washington, D.C. and Chicago, have NAEYC chapters that are dedicated to serving local clientele. As such, they sponsor workshops and bring in experts and guest speakers throughout the year. Contact NAEYC at its toll-free number to locate the local affiliate in your area.

As mentioned earlier in this guide, participants interested in learning more about how to use any of the major, nationally used observation instruments that are for sale, such as the Child Observation Record (COR), the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS), or The Work Sampling System, can find out about training through the publishers and/or authors of these instruments. See Appendix E for names, addresses, and phone numbers.

Conduct Workshops

Participants may want to sponsor workshops on observation. Taking a leadership role is one of the hallmarks of professional development. Participants may want to work through their local NAEYC affiliate, a community college, parent education program, or adult education program to offer such workshops.