CANCELLED. Austin Early Childhood Collaborative

• In Event: 29.015 - Pro Bono Education Research Service Projects (ERSPs): AERA's ERSP Initiative

Abstract

Our social service project served the Austin community of Chicago, a high-poverty area. We worked with the Austin Early Childhood Collaborative to first develop a database of early childhood providers in the Austin community and where they ranked in terms of credentials. Then we contacted the early childhood centers to see what type of professional development is needed for each center to move up the ladder when it comes to the Gateways credentialing system. Lastly, we worked with the Chicago Public Schools to see what type of professional development is needed to build bridges from the early childhood centers to the public schools. We held parent meetings informing the community of the early childhood centers available in Austin. In terms of impact and outcomes, we feel that we have just started a discussion in the Austin community on what a quality early childhood center looks like but there were many obstacles we faced along the way due to the state’s budget crisis and bureaucratic hurdles at the state level.

Author

• Samina Hadi Tabassum, Northern Illinois University