New partnership brings globally recognized CLASS methodology to nation's largest provider of early childhood education and child care.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 17, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teachstone Training LLC, a leading provider of assessment and professional development for educators, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with KinderCare Education®, the nation's largest provider of early childhood education and child care. Teachstone® owns and distributes the Classroom Assessment Scoring System® (CLASS®), a research-based method for measuring, evaluating, and improving teacher-student interactions. CLASS has been broadly adopted at the state and national level in the United States and in 45 countries, including Finland and Singapore.
Through this partnership, Teachstone will provide professional development to KinderCare's 26,700 teachers, delivering online courses and training modules to meet the specific needs of educators in a variety of child care and education settings across the country. Teachstone and KinderCare are working together to ensure these early childhood professionals are equipped with the essential understanding and skills required to positively affect children. The program reflects the most recent research and best practices for child development and learning.
"Teachers are the foundation of a strong early childhood education program," said Dr. Elanna Yalow, KinderCare Education's Chief Academic Officer. "Teachstone is a great partner because they focus so strongly on education and develop their courses around real-life classroom scenarios. They created a CDA program that not only is interactive and approachable, but also utilizes observational measures many state quality rating systems also use—making the CLASS program a great tool for KinderCare Education teachers to understand and utilize."
Teachstone's new CDA with CLASS® is a key element of the professional services provided for KinderCare. This online learning program fully prepares teachers for the Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential. Using the carefully planned framework defined by the Council for Professional Recognition, CDA with CLASS® blends the requirements of a CDA credential with the CLASS methodology. This new series of online learning courses meets the unique learning needs of child-care and early childhood education practitioners. Coursework also supports a foundational understanding of the CLASS tool, with emphasis on positive relationships and interactions in early childhood education settings. The courses are available at two levels: Pre-K and Infant-Toddler.
"This is an exciting opportunity for students interested in pursuing CDA training that aligns with the Council's eight subject areas and competencies," said Dr. Valora Washington, CEO at the Council for Professional Recognition. "Having the flexibility to learn online allows students to manage their life, whether pursuing a CDA credential on a part- or full-time schedule."
CDA with CLASS® participants learn autonomously as they experience 76 learning modules distributed across three online courses. Each module targets specific learning objectives mapped to CDA Competency Standards. Online engagement builds critical concepts and skills that learners can apply in their own classrooms. Program participants create a unique professional portfolio, an important requirement for the CDA credential. Course facilitators with CLASS expertise support and interact with students enrolled in the program. CDA with CLASS® will be available to the general market this fall.
About Teachstone
Teachstone® was founded in 2008 to deliver the Classroom Assessment Scoring System® nationwide and around the globe. Developed through years of research, the CLASS® observation tool measures interactions between teachers and children, which have been shown to drive learning and lifelong achievement. CLASS, adopted as part of the federal Head Start monitoring protocol in 2009, is used to assess the effectiveness of teacher-student interactions. CLASS is now included in a growing number of states' Quality Rating and Improvement Systems. Teachstone partners with organizations to implement CLASS, which includes data collection and analysis and teacher professional development, to improve classroom dynamics and student performance. Teachstone solutions and ongoing support are designed for long-term impact. More than 150 research studies with input from educators, coaches, administrators, and researchers from all 50 states and 16 countries around the world show students in classrooms with high CLASS scores have better academic and social outcomes.
Learn more about CLASS and how it improves child outcomes at www.teachstone.com or 877-401-8007.
About KinderCare Education
KinderCare Education® is an experience-based provider of early education and child care with more than 32,000 teachers and staff serving 170,000 families every day, where they need us:
- In neighborhoods with KinderCare® Learning Centers that offer early childhood education and child care for children from six weeks to 12 years of age,
- At work through KinderCare Education at Work™, with family-focused benefits for employers, including on-site and near-site early learning centers and back-up care for last-minute child care, and
- In local schools with our Champions® before and after-school programs.
KinderCare Education operates more than 1,300 early learning centers, more than 500 Champions sites, and is supported by a corporate team of nearly 500 headquarters employees based in Portland, Oregon. In 2018, KinderCare Education earned their second Gallup Great Workplace Award—one of only 39 companies worldwide to earn this recognition.
To learn more, visit kc-education.com.
About the Council for Professional Recognition
The Council for Professional Recognition is dedicated to ensuring that all early childhood education professionals have the necessary knowledge and skills to meet the developmental, emotional, and educational needs of our nation's youngest children. To meet this ever-increasing need for well-qualified childcare and education staff, the Council developed and administers the Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credentialing Program. This program establishes competency standards, sets policies, and assesses practitioner preparedness for the CDA credential.
The Council works with professionals in all types of early care and education programs, in Head Start, Pre-k, infant-toddler, and family child care settings, and home visitor programs. To date, more than 420,000 CDA credentials have been awarded in the United States, and the program is expanding worldwide.
To learn more, visit cdacouncil.org.
