Pennsylvania is adopting a new set of professional standards and competencies for early childhood educators. The Pennsylvania Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators (PA PSCECE) will replace the current PA Core Knowledge Competencies (CKC), effective July 1.

About the PA PSCECE

The PA PSCECE will list the general knowledge and skills educators need to know and demonstrate. However, they are not the specific standards and competencies needed for individual professions and occupations within the early childhood field.

The PA PSCECE will include seven areas, six of which were adopted directly from the national Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators. The seventh standard is Pennsylvania-specific. These areas include:

• Child Development and Learning in Context;
• Family–Teacher Partnerships and Community Connections;
• Child Observation, Documentation, and Assessment;
• Developmentally, Culturally, and Linguistically Appropriate Teaching Practices;
• Knowledge, Application, and Integration of Academic Content in the Early Childhood Curriculum;
• Professionalism as an Early Childhood Educator; and
• Health and Safety, which includes Nutrition and Mental Health.

Transition

In order for early learning providers to familiarize themselves with the PA PSECEC and changes coming with it, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) encourages staff to take the PA Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators course in the PD Registry. This course explores the new set of PA PSCECE while helping learners:

• Understand why a new set of standards for early childhood educators is being implemented and how they were developed
• Understand the main aspects and components of the PA Professional Standards
• Understand the key shifts found throughout the PA Professional Standards

Take the course.

More Information

For details, read OCDEL’s full announcement or direct any questions to the PD Registry Team at registry@pakeys.org.