The Early Learning Team

  

Teacher and Early Childhood Educator Partnership

The Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program (FDK) is taught by a team comprised of a Kindergarten teacher and an early childhood educator (ECE). 

Just over a week ago I was introduced to Nadia Marrella, the ECE who I will be working with this year.  Excited as I was to meet Nadia, I wondered what our partnership would be like.  I wondered how we would share the classroom space and program planning.  Most of all, I wondered if we would get along.

I realized that Nadia was coming into a classroom space that has traditionally been led by the teacher.  When I really stopped to think about it, I recognized that there were things I could do to help Nadia feel welcome and make this partnership a success. 

Here are a few things I did to begin nurturing our partnership.

*  I consciously wanted the relationship to work.

*  I recognized and referred to Nadia and myself as The Early Learning Team of the students we teach.

*   Nadia and I collaborated on decision making and program planning.

*  We shared leadership roles.

I have truly enjoyed working with Nadia this past week.  It feels good knowing I have a partner and that we are a team.  Nadia is a smart, kind, and responsible person who the kindergarten students really love.  I look forward to our partnership growing throughout the year.

Below is an excerpt from The Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program (Draft Version), 2010-2011 (pg. 8), of the role of the teacher and the early childhood educator. 

Teachers are responsible for the long-term planning and organization of the program and the management of the Early Learning-Kindergarten classes.  In addition, teachers are responsible for student learning; effective instruction; formative assessment (assessment for learning) and evaluation, based on the team’s assessments of children’s progress; and formal reporting and communication with families.

Early childhood educators bring a focus on age-appropriate program planning to facilitate experiences that promote each child’s physical, cognitive, language, emotional, social, and creative development and well-being, providing opportunities for them to contribute to formative assessment (assessment for learning) and evaluation of the children’s learning.  They are also responsible for implementing the integrated extended day.