Recognition of early childhood professionals’ competencies through a micro-credential program

ABSTRACT

The Micro-Credential Program is a digital badging system composed of competency-based pathways that move forward early childhood professionals to achieving mastery in employability skills. These skills are crucial for early childhood professionals to have to provide high-quality, nurturing learning environments to children in their care as well as to be successful in their careers. As the early childhood professional completes the competency-based professional development, they move along the pathway and earn badges representative of these new skills. Once they have earned all the badges in the pathway and completed its corresponding portfolio, they earn the micro-credential for that employability skill. The program provides accessible, affordable, and attainable competency-based professional development for early childhood professionals who find it difficult to pursue or finish a college degree. This reflection on practice analyzes qualitative and quantitative data that has been collected from Badgr, Micro-Credential Pathway Journey Surveys, and interviews. Data has been analyzed to measure the impact of the program on the childcare workforce of Palm Beach County, Florida. It disclosed that early childhood professionals are acquiring new skills to implement with the children in their care and are motivated by earning the badges and micro-credentials.

Acknowledgments

The author gratefully acknowledges the thoughtful support and reviews of Becky Slack, Dr. Thomas Gauthier, Dave Weber, Mary Ceille Allen, and Veronica Maravankin.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).