Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators in Latin America: Three Experiences Across the Continent

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

The extant inequality in Latin America (LATAM), ranked as the most unequal region in the world prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, is bound to significantly increase due to the high prevalence of the disease across the continent, and the social-political unrest associated with it. High-quality early childhood education has been identified as a key approach for targeting this inequality. However, programs in LATAM are characterized by low levels of process quality, highlighting the need for effective teacher education and professional development (PD). This symposium discusses the implementation of different PD programs in LATAM across three individual presentations and a final discussion that will identify insights and propose next steps for the improvement of PD in LATAM.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Early Education and Child Development

Chair

• Manuela Jimenez, Glendale Community College

Papers

• Making the Most of Interactions: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial of an Intervention in Ecuador - Francisca Romo, Centro de Políticas Comparadas de Educación, Universidad Diego Portales de Chile; Jennifer LoCasale-Crouch, Virginia Commonwealth University; Carolina Melo-Hurtado, Universidad de los Andes; Yyannu Cruz-Aguayo

• Improving Teacher-Child Interactions in Early Childhood Classrooms in Chile: Lessons Learned - Carolina Melo-Hurtado, Universidad de los Andes; Marcela Marzolo; Constanza Ayala

• Bringing Professional Development to Teachers' Homes: Pilot of an Online Course With Colombian Early Childhood Educators - Manuela Jimenez, Glendale Community College; Andrea Bustamante, University of Missouri - St. Louis; Eliana Gomez Rodriguez, Arizona State University

Discussant

• Carolina Maldonado, Universidad de los Andes