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New online tool designed to strengthen the early childhood workforce

Course is part of new STARS quality rating system

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 28, 2015) — The Governor’s Office of Early Childhood (KYGOEC), in partnership with Kentucky Educational Television (KET), has released a free online training course that aims to help early childhood professionals prepare children across the commonwealth for success in school. This course is the first free training offering to support the new STARS quality rating system to be launched later this year.

governorThe course, designed to strengthen the early childhood workforce, examines the Kentucky Early Childhood Standards and their essential components: standards, benchmarks, the developmental continuum, and example behaviors. The module features videos of real educators explaining and demonstrating the standards in the classroom.

“A high-quality early childhood workforce is of tremendous importance not only to our children, but the future of Kentucky,” KYGOEC executive director Terry Tolan said. “This module will bring convenient and economical training to professionals who have a daily impact on Kentucky’s children and will align with the new STARS system.”

Kentucky’s Early Childhood Standards are the basis for planning teacher-led activities and designing environments in an early childhood setting and are aligned with the Kentucky Core Academic Standards. Additionally, the early childhood standards encourage strong partnerships with parents and emphasize the role of families in a child’s success.

The module was prepared by early childhood experts representing all areas of early childhood education including head start, preschool, credentialed trainers and higher education staff. The online course can earn required professional development clock hours to improve a program’s STAR rating.

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