California ECE Competencies
The 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. The ECE Competencies are organized into twelve overlapping areas: (1) Child Development and Learning; (2) Culture, Diversity and Equity; (3) Relationships, Interactions, and Guidance; (4) Family and Community Engagement; (5) Dual-Language Development; (6) Observation, Screening, Assessment, and Documentation; (7) Special Needs and Inclusion; (8) Learning Environments and Curriculum; (9) Health, Safety, and Nutrition; (10) Leadership in Early Childhood Education; (11) Professionalism; and (12) Administration and Supervision. The term early childhood educator includes everyone responsible for the care and education of young children.
The ECE Competencies are aligned with the California Preschool Learning Foundations and the California Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Foundations to guide professional development and related quality improvement activities.
Development of the ECE Competencies began in June 2008 in collaboration with First 5 California, and has involved expert advisors including representatives from the California Community Colleges and California State University systems to ensure that the competencies are based on current research and practice.
California Early Childhood Educator Competencies (PDF; 1MB; 124pp.)