Resources for Providers
California Early Childhood Educator Competencies
The California Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Competencies describe the knowledge,
skills and dispositions that early childhood educators need in order to provide
high quality care and education to young children and their families.
Developed by the California Department of Education/Child Development Division and First 5 California, the California Early Childhood Educator Competencies is an invaluable resource in describing the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that current and pre-service early childhood educators should have to provide high-quality care and education to young children and their families. It presents information about education and professional development for individuals who are interested in early care and education or who already work in the profession.
This Supplemental to the California Early Childhood Educator Competencies, also developed collaboratively by the California Department of Education and First 5 California, is focused on the two Performance Areas of Adult Learning and Coaching — including the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to facilitate the professional learning and growth of early childhood educators. Because of the focus on adults, these two Performance Areas pertain to the skills and knowledge that are necessary to guide adult learners, rather than young children.
Comp SAT is a competencies-based self-assessment toolkit.
CompSAT is the companion to the California Department of Education Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Competencies — and guides early educators through a process of self-reflection and authentic assessment in the 12 competency areas detailed in the ECE Competencies.
Resource Spotlight
Quality Counts California (QCC)
QCC is a collaboration between First 5 California, the California Department of Education, and the California Department of Social Services with the goal of strengthening California’s early learning and care system to support young children and their families.
QCC provides resources and support for early learning and care providers to connect program standards to positive child outcomes and promote their quality programs.
WestEd
WestEd is a national leader in research, development, and service and works collaboratively system-wide to provide a broad range of services — research and evaluation, professional learning, technical assistance, and policy guidance.s. They generate knowledge and apply evidence and expertise to improve policies, systems, and practices.
WestEd has a rich portfolio of high-quality publications and resources that are designed to inform and engage professionals in a variety of fields including K–12 education, early childhood, and health and justice.
Center for the Study of Social Policy
Learn more about the importance of self-assessment for programs adopting Strengthening Families. It uses concrete, observable items to show how Strengthening Families protective factors can be supported through “small but significant changes.”
Each of the Strengthening Families program self-assessments is organized by the five protective factors in the Strengthening Families framework. Within each protective factor, a set of “Everyday Actions” describe a variety of experiences and resources that programs can provide, which help families build and strengthen that protective factor.
