Best Practices in Resource Leadership (May 2007)

Linda Good, Ph. D.
Minnesota Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators

Because there may suddenly be a demand to hire more kindergarten teachers due to proposed legislation to fund all-day kindergartens, because the recent K-6 and K-8 teaching licenses do not necessarily assure preparation to teach kindergarten, and because young children who enter kindergarten are experiencing a unique year that bridges elementary education and early childhood education (child care, preschool, Montessori, Head Start, Early Childhood Family Education, and Early Childhood Special Education), there is a need to hire highly qualified kindergarten teachers -- who can accommodate this wide range of individual student differences and facilitate children’s success in a regular school setting.

The National Association of Elementary School Principals (2005, p. 90) has stated that “principals … need support in recruiting qualified teachers, who are a critical component of all quality early childhood programs.” Hyson (2003, p. 9) warns against “generic credentials that lack relevant knowledge bases and field experiences;”; instead she advocates for teacher licensure in early childhood education as recommended by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Association of Teacher Educators. A research study by Zeng and Zeng (2005, p. 706) concluded that “a large percentage of kindergarten teachers …were poorly qualified, which may account for the prevalence of the developmentally and culturally inappropriate practice and beliefs in U.S. kindergarten programs.”

The Minnesota Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators offers the following brief screening tool to assist those who hire kindergarten teachers. A response of “yes” to the following six questions would indicate a more-qualified candidate.

1. Is the candidate a graduate of an early childhood education program that resulted in a birth to age 8 or grade 3 teaching license? OR Is the candidate a graduate of an elementary education program with a preprimary specialization? Has the candidate completed student teaching in a kindergarten OR pre-kindergarten setting?

2. Has the candidate completed a kindergarten methods and materials class OR a preprimary methods and materials class?

3. Has the candidate completed a clinical experience, practicum, or internship in a kindergarten OR pre-kindergarten classroom?

4. Has the candidate developed a constructivist philosophy, such that s/he will facilitate learning through hands-on, minds-on experiences that address the development of the whole child (cognitive, social, emotional, large motor, fine motor, language, and literacy) and can successfully integrate skill development within the context of the broader program?

5. Has the candidate mastered “developmentally appropriate practices” such that curriculum, teaching strategies, and assessment are age-appropriate, individually appropriate, and culturally sensitive?

6. Can the candidate demonstrate the ability to implement a successful assessment program (authentic assessment tools, anecdotal recordings, portfolios, individual profiles) so that the program responds to the needs of each individual?

Thank you for considering these qualifications as you make your important decision for young children.

References: Hyson, Marilou (Editor) (2003). Preparing Early Childhood Professionals: NAEYC’s Standards for Initial Licensure, Advanced, and Associate Degree Programs. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

National Association of Elementary School Principals (2005). Leading Early Childhood Learning Communities: A Guide for Those Who Care About Creating and Supporting Quality in Schools. What Principals Should Know and Be Able to Do. Alexandria, Virginia: NAESP.

Zeng, Guang and Liang Zeng. (Summer, 2005) Developmentally and Culturally Inappropriate Practice in U.S. Kindergarten Programs: Prevalence, Severity, and Its Relationship with Teacher and Administrator Qualifications. Education, Volume 125, Issue 4, p. 706-724.