Explore the different levels of the career pathway by clicking on the level that you’d like to know more about — whether your experience is through higher education or professional learning. Clicking on the related experience will display the details of that level.
Level
Education or Credential
Bachelor’s Degree or higher in any area (30 ECE college credits) or KS EC Director Credential
Professional Learning Hours
N/A
Experience
Supervised practicum + 1 year and currently in professional leadership
Professional Supports
30 weeks supervised practicum and mentoring
Education or Credential
Bachelor’s Degree or higher in any area (30 ECE college credits)
Professional Learning Hours
N/A
Experience
Practicum (2 semesters or 1 year)
Professional Supports
30 weeks supervised practicum
Education or Credential
Associate Degree (~60 College Credits) emphasis in ECE (24 ECE Credits)
Professional Learning Hours
N/A
Experience
6-month practicum
Professional Supports
15 weeks practicum or 15 weeks job-embedded coaching
Education or Credential
Provisional KS EC Director Credential
Professional Learning Hours
200
Experience
2 years
Professional Supports
15 weeks of job-embedded coaching/mentoring
Education or Credential
15 ECE college credits
Professional Learning Hours
30
Experience
1 year
Professional Supports
Job-embedded coaching/mentoring
Education or Credential
CDA CredentialTM or NAFCC Accreditation
Professional Learning Hours
120 (CDA) + 20
Experience
1 year
Professional Supports
12 hours of job-embedded coaching and small group
Choose your entry point
Choose your entry point
Education or Credential
9 ECE college credits
Professional Learning Hours
30
Experience
1 year
Professional Supports
Job-embedded coaching/mentoring
Education or Credential
Child Development Associate CredentialTM (CDA)
Professional Learning Hours
120 required for CDA
Experience
3 months required for CDA and 3 months required for Career Pathway
Professional Supports
Job-embedded coaching/mentoring
Education or Credential
6 ECE college credits
Professional Learning Hours
30
Experience
6 months
Professional Supports
Job-embedded coaching/mentoring
Education or Credential
N/A
Professional Learning Hours
60
Experience
2 years
Professional Supports
Job-embedded coaching/mentoring
Education or Credential
3 ECE college credits
Professional Learning Hours
6
Experience
None
Professional Supports
N/A
Education or Credential
N/A
Professional Learning Hours
45
Experience
6 months
Professional Supports
Job-embedded coaching/mentoring
Education or Credential
HS Diploma/GED
Professional Learning Hours
None
Experience
6 months
Professional Supports
N/A
Education or Credential
Career and Technical Education (CTE) participant
Professional Learning Hours
6
Experience
None
Professional Supports
N/A
P
Education or Credential
HS Diploma/GED
Professional Learning Hours
None
Experience
6 months
Professional Supports
N/A
1
Education or Credential
3 ECE college credits
Professional Learning Hours
6
Experience
None
Professional Supports
N/A
2
Education or Credential
6 ECE college credits
Professional Learning Hours
30
Experience
6 months
Professional Supports
Job-embedded coaching/mentoring
3
Education or Credential
9 ECE college credits
Professional Learning Hours
30
Experience
1 year
Professional Supports
Job-embedded coaching/mentoring
4
Education or Credential
15 ECE college credits
Professional Learning Hours
30
Experience
1 year
Professional Supports
Job-embedded coaching/mentoring
5
Education or Credential
Associate Degree (~60 College Credits) emphasis in ECE (24 ECE Credits)
Professional Learning Hours
N/A
Experience
6-month practicum
Professional Supports
15 weeks practicum or 15 weeks job-embedded coaching
6
Education or Credential
Bachelor’s Degree or higher in any area (30 ECE college credits)
Professional Learning Hours
N/A
Experience
Practicum (2 semesters or 1 year)
Professional Supports
30 weeks supervised practicum
7
Education or Credential
Bachelor’s Degree or higher in any area (30 ECE college credits) or KS EC Director Credential
Professional Learning Hours
N/A
Experience
Supervised practicum + 1 year and currently in professional leadership
Professional Supports
30 weeks supervised practicum and mentoring
P
Education or Credential
Career and Technical Education (CTE) participant
Professional Learning Hours
6
Experience
None
Professional Supports
N/A
1
Education or Credential
N/A
Professional Learning Hours
45
Experience
6 months
Professional Supports
Job-embedded coaching/mentoring
2
Education or Credential
N/A
Professional Learning Hours
60
Experience
2 years
Professional Supports
Job-embedded coaching/mentoring
3
Education or Credential
Child Development Associate CredentialTM (CDA)
Professional Learning Hours
120 required for CDA
Experience
3 months required for CDA and 3 months required for Career Pathway
Professional Supports
Job-embedded coaching/mentoring
4
Education or Credential
CDA CredentialTM or NAFCC Accreditation
Professional Learning Hours
120 (CDA) + 20
Experience
1 year
Professional Supports
12 hours of job-embedded coaching and small group
5
Education or Credential
Provisional KS EC Director Credential
Professional Learning Hours
200
Experience
2 years
Professional Supports
15 weeks of job-embedded coaching/mentoring
Here’s a handy reference to some of the terms you’ll find in the tool.
A credential is an achievement, or a qualification, that details your expertise or knowledge on a topic, and competence in performing an activity. For example, certificates and degrees from high schools or 2- or 4-year colleges are academic credentials, the Child Development Associate CredentialTM (CDA) is a national credential for early educators working with children ages birth to 5 years old, and the Kansas Early Childhood Director Credential provides directors with a pathway to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to be successful.
In the Career Pathway, professional learning hours refer to the number of training, professional development, or continuing education hours, both clock and credit-bearing hours, you have completed for licensing requirements and beyond. Professional learning can happen in a variety of ways.
The All In For Kansas Kids Strategic Plan defines Professional Development as “a continuum of learning and support activities designed to prepare individuals for work with and on behalf of young children and their families, as well as ongoing experiences to enhance this work. These opportunities lead to improvements in the knowledge, skills, practices, and dispositions of early education professionals. Professional development encompasses education, training, and technical assistance.” The Career Pathway may refer to the education, training, technical assistance, and the number of years you have worked in the field as professional learning experiences.
Professional supports are all the resources build into professional development opportunities to help you succeed. Examples of professionals supports include receiving job-embedded coaching or mentoring, participating in professional learning communities (PLCs), having support from a supervisor during a practicum experiences, to name just a few.
Mentoring occurs when you are paired with a peer whose experience can guide you towards your professional learning goals and your professional achievements. In general, mentors act as role models who help build confidence and resilience, support learning and experimentation, and keep you on track to achieving your goals.
Professional development opportunities may be on your own or with a small group to help you build relationships and collaborate to achieve your professional learning goals. These small groups can be called a cohort, professional learning communities (PLCs), communities of practice (CoP), or simply learning communities. Working on a taskforce, or with a local coalition or workgroup to learn about or address issues related to early childhood care and education may also count as professional learning.
A portfolio is the collection of materials that exemplify your skills, qualifications, education, and experience, for example, the portfolio the Child Development Associate CredentialTM. A portfolio can also reflect your beliefs and professional goals. Some credentialing programs require you to create a portfolio that demonstrates what you have learned and how you will apply that knowledge in practice.
The core competencies provide a framework that defines the progression of skills and knowledge through four levels, from entry to higher education. These competencies support early childhood educators’ development to provide developmentally appropriate activities, interactions, and environments that will impact Kansas children, families, and communities.
The Child Development Associate Credential™ is a national credential for early educators working with children ages birth to 5 years old. The CDA Credential™ is based on a core set of competency standards, which guide early care professionals as they work toward becoming qualified teachers of young children. The Council for Professional Recognition works to ensure that the nationally transferable CDA Credential™ is a credible and valid credential, recognized by the profession as a vital part of professional development. The CDA Credential™ is worth investing in as an on-ramp for professionals. It is a nationally recognized credential and the requirement to achieve ECCE Level I on the Unifying Framework for the Early Childhood Profession.
A credit-bearing course that may be taken during a specialized undergraduate or graduate degree that allows degree candidates to apply their developing skills in an ECCE setting. Students are supported by a supervising mentor teacher and/or a university supervisor. One or more supervised practicum courses are often required for teaching licensure programs.
Career and technical education (CTE) prepares youth and adults for a wide range of high demand careers. CTE students may earn a range of certificates, credentials (like the CDA Credential™), as well as licenses and more. To learn more about CTE clusters in Kansas, go to the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) website to read specifically about the Early Childhood Pathway.
Job-embedded coaching takes place in day-to-day practice and is designed to help you learn specific instructional and professional practices.
Individual Professional Development Plans (IPDPs) play an important role in professional development. An IPDP is a tool that guides you through the process of reflecting on your strengths and interests, as well as determining areas that may benefit from additional focus. The information you gain from this process will provide the framework for setting individualized goals for increasing personal knowledge, skills, and expertise. Kansas Child Care Training Opportunities (KCCTO) provides technical assistance and support with completing a self-assessment and IPDP.
The purpose of child care licensing regulation is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of children receiving care. Learn about the different types of child care licenses in Kansas and when you need one.
Through accreditation, ECCE programs achieve national recognition for meeting the highest professional standards in the field. Accreditation allows programs the flexibility to implement standards through the lens of diversity and child-centered care.
The All In For Kansas Kids Strategic Plan aligns the activities of agencies and providers in our state’s mixed-delivery system around common goals. To learn more about the strategic plan, visit the Kansas Children’s Cabinet website.
The Unifying Framework for the Early Childhood Education Profession presents recommendations to establish unity and clarity on the knowledge and competencies, qualifications, standards, accountability, supports, and compensation parity for all early childhood education professionals. Each milestone on the career pathway is aligned with the Unifying Framework’s three designations of Early Childhood Education professionals (ECE I, ECE II, and ECE III).
We know there are lots of questions about the Career Pathway, so we’ve compiled a few answers. Pick a theme and see if we can help clarify things.
No. Participation in the career pathway is not mandatory, although use of the career pathway is encouraged as a tool and complementary piece of other workforce investments.
The initial release and current version of the career pathway is targeted to individuals working in child care settings (licensed or license-exempt) including but not limited to roles such as owners and operators, administrators and directors, lead teachers and assistant teachers, substitutes, aides, volunteers, and relative providers.
The vision involves expanding the career pathway in the future to reflect ECCE professionals working in other settings (e.g., Pre-K licensed and unlicensed teachers, early interventionists, home visitors, family support workers, educators and faculty, advocates).
The pathway is intended to be inclusive and meet individuals working directly with children and families where they are, meaning it is not intended to be limited to certain settings or roles/positions.
Anyone who sees themselves as part of the ECCE workforce is encouraged to utilize and uniquely benefit from the Pathway based on personal and professional goals. The individual may or may not be actively working in the field.
<ul>
<li>NOTE: Planning for formal implementation of the Pathway is underway. This will include verification and validation processes, and potentially, financial incentives for access or achievement. Additional criteria such as actively working in the field or in certain settings could apply to specific functions of the Pathway depending on the funding source and other applicable eligibility requirements.</li>
</ul>
An IPDP is a self-reported professional development inventory conducted by the provider. IPDPs are most effective with technical assistance and support during the documentation process. IPDPs allow the practitioner to document accomplishments to date and set goals for their career.
The career pathway is designed to meet the needs of the user. It can be used sequentially starting at the pre-professional level and moving through the higher education or non-higher education tracks. Each level of the pathway can also be used as a stand-alone entry point to accommodate the personal and professional experiences of the individual.
Professional learning hours are typically clock hours provided after completion of a training or community-based learning opportunity.
Approved professional learning is anything approved by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) that counts toward required annual/in-service training. Hours must have been obtained within the last three years and be aligned with Kansas core competencies.
The main differences between the two are centered on total professional learning hours and participation in other professional supports. The CDA Credential<sup>TM</sup> with enhancements requires an additional 20 hours of professional learning, documentation of formal coaching, and participation in small groups or communities of practice.
Yes. Early childhood credentials and accreditation need to remain current and in good standing to be considered on the career pathway. Appropriate recertification processes should be followed by the individual.
Compensation is not tied to the career pathway. Whether pay increases or job responsibilities shift as an individual moves along the pathway depends on professionals themselves, employers, and the Kansas implementation plan and system investments. Kansas employers alone have wide variance as to minimum qualifications, pay, benefits, and policies.
Personal and professional decisions are driven by a variety of reasons and choices are made based on career goals, life situations, and opportunities/access. The career pathway promotes inclusion, professional growth, and progression/career advancement across a variety of settings. In other words, professionals do have options and can make choices based on their personal/family needs, professional/career goals, strengths, experience, and more.
Experience is considered full-time equivalent employment in a licensed or license-exempt early care program involving direct interaction, care, and/or supervision of children documented through a variety of roles (e.g., paid staff, intern, practicum, volunteer).
Yes, field experience and practicums count as on-the-job experience.
The career pathway is not related to KDHE child care licensing requirements or compliance history.
To stay consistent with other Kansas requirements, college credits do not have a time limit.
No. Any degree from an accredited institution will be honored including degrees earned online.
No. Professional learning hours must be documented and obtained within the last three years. The proposed number of professional learning hours at each level required in addition to college credits assures current content is in line with the Kansas professional development system as well as early childhood practice, competencies, and standards.
Tanya Koehn | Director of Family & Community Services
Child Care Aware of Kansas