Policy [M]atters | Episode 5 | Professionalizing the Early Childhood Education Field

Policy Matters is a video chat series between Teri Talan of the McCormick Center and a guest author in early childhood policy. The chats, which began in the summer of 2015, take place and are distributed on a quarterly basis.

Our guest author for the next year (four episodes) will be Stacie Goffin. Stacie has authored several books, including: Professionalizing Early Childhood Education As a Field of Practice: A Guide to the Next Era, Early Childhood Education for a New Era: Leading for Our Profession, and Ready or Not: Leadership Choice in Early Care and Education, which was co-authored by Valora Washington.

In episode 5, Stacie offers context on how and why the field has arrived at the topic of “professionalization”. Teri inquires about the term’s meaning. Stacie draws several parallels to other professions, such as the medical field, while providing two attributes that define a profession.