Monday, September 2, 2019

Why do ECE engage in Continued Professional Learning?

 
Read more on CPL  here

Reading lots of comments in groups on FB lately that seem to imply that many believe that the College had choice in the current reality of the CPL mandate for members - the reality is that in 2007 the Liberal government made it LAW for the College to be developed in order to be a stepping stone for the implementation of Full Day Kindergarten and having ECE working along side Teachers in the school board. Part of that law included them ensuring members engaged in ongoing professional learning.

For almost a decade the College felt that doing that on on voluntary basis was enough to meet their mandate. 

In 2016 the Liberal government changed it from a blanket 'members must engage in continued professional development with a voluntary process for documenting that to it being LEGALLY REQUIRED for the College to ensure we are all engaging in CPL and that the college has a measurable manner in which to ensure that members are accountable to the pubic that it is being done. The program we have now and all the mandated steps of it are laid out in the regulations by the government - it is no longer just a College policy but LAW that we engage in this process! 

And members should be aware if you are clicking YES in your renewal box and than are sharing on public social media in groups like this that you are actually NOT doing you CPL and refuse to and what not than sadly you are admitting publicly to not only in violation of the Code of Conduct for ECE but you are admitting to breaking the law and with that submission of your renewal form you are basically committing fraud by way of lying on a legal document. 

This is the Internet and sadly there is nothing to prevent employees of the College from being one of the 9,000 plus members of this particular group. Employees of the College who may be reading your public declarations of defiance to both the Code of Conduct and the Law. So many members of this group seem to believe that the College is a power tripping money grab out to get them and if that is true reality is there is nothing to prevent them from using that public declaration to figure out what name you are registered under with the College and AUDIT every member who is claiming not participate - and even if you submit on time than you are in the difficult position of having to explain to the College disciplinary panel why you were lying to other professionals about ones CPL conduct ... which is a catch 22 in regards to professional misconduct

Attaching the link to the law so no one feels they need to just take my word for it being legally binding requirement to participate in the CPL. https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/150359

Also wanted to add because I am sure people will comment with the 'but teachers do not have to do this' .... my guess is that the challenge with a voluntary process that the College initially had as a policy is that it is hard to show accountability to the public and government
 that as ECE we are engaging in it. Reality is that unlike teachers, who are also required to engage in continual professional learning to be members of their College, most RECE are not public employees with one employer mandate in regards to professional development that is also inline with the OCT.
We need to STOP comparing ourselves to TEACHERS because while we do similar roles we are uniquely different in so many ways! The biggest one being this one that they are public servants with one collective employer - The Ministry of Education and the division of the School Board and most RECE are NOT!

RECE are employed in a wide range of settings with a wide range of employers all who have very different supports in place for professional development and different funding models - so my guess is that our CPL is unique in that the College needed a process were they would be able to tell the public that YES all RECE regardless of where they are employed are engaging in CPL so here is the process they ALL undergo to document their CPL and than members are randomly audited to ensure they are doing it and disciplinary processes in place for those who are not engaging in the process.


Personally I think the College has great potential to improve the quality of work environment for early childhood educators, raising the bar and standards of our profession and therefore better serving the public. 

I have engaged in continuous professional learning for my entire 30 year career in one manner or another and I actually love the idea that with the development of the College we now how a process that ALL RECE can engage in that has the same standard process while also allowing it to be flexible to each educators journey.

Change is hard. It brings fear of the unknown for many but change can also be GOOD for us. Without change there would be no butterflies! 









Have an amazing day


Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Be Totallyawake4-life

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