Progress Report FY20

Alaska SEED is Alaska’s statewide professional development system, a statewide collaboration of early childhood stakeholders working towards a common goal of a professional, stable, diverse, and fairly compensated early childhood workforce. Alaska SEED is housed and managed by thread.

In FY20, nearly 1,200 educators were members of the Alaska SEED Registry, demonstrating a statewide commitment to professional development within the early childhood education sector.

As you will see in this progress report, early childhood educators continued to work on their professional development in FY20 as Alaska SEED’s service continued to evolve.

Year in Review
2019
Oct 10
Economic Impact Summit on Early Care & Learning in Alaska
During thread’s Economic Impact Summit on Early Care & Learning, Johns Hopkins University IDEALS Institute presented a spark speech on their proposed  Wage and Compensation Model for Alaska.
Nov 22
Climbing the Ladder

Alaska SEED announced updates to the early childhood/school-age professional career ladders, including the recognition of more credentials and certificates for early educators.

2020
Jan 15
Recommendations Made for a Wage and Compensation Model for Alaska

thread and Alaska SEED released recommendations for a new wage and compensation model for Alaska based on Johns Hopkins University IDEALS Institute research. Recommendations included improving educators’ compensation and strengthening the competency of early childhood and school-age educators. The Alaska SEED Steering Committee is reviewing these recommendations.

Feb 06
Feedback from the Sector

During the 2020 AAEYC Conference, Alaska SEED held a workshop session on the outcomes of the Johns Hopkins University IDEALS Institute research and recommendations. Participants were asked to rank “Personal and Professional Benefits.” Health insurance ranked as number one; paid vacation ranked second; years of experience ranked third, meaning some kind of wage compensation to the field should be based on/include years of experience.

Apr 17
Support During Crisis

As COVID-19 arrived in Alaska, Alaska SEED updated its policies and procedures to support early educators during the crisis.  Updates included professional development (PDR) costs covered at 100%, conference and travel reimbursement, extended timelines for due dates, and a simplified reimbursement application process.

 

Jun 30
Registry at a Glance

In FY20, nearly 1,200 educators were members of the Alaska SEED Registry. Three educators completed the Alaska Early Childhood Administrator Credential (AK-ECAC).

Jun 30
Financial Support for Early Educators

In FY20, Alaska SEED received more than 600 applications, awarding more than $140,000 to Alaska’s early childhood and school-age educators for professional development. This support helped advance education and training, pay for conference dues, and supported those obtaining their Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential.

What’s Next?

Alaska SEED will continue to support early educators during the COVID-19 crisis to help retain these essential workers.

The Alaska SEED Executive Steering Committee is considering options for a new wage and compensation model for Alaska based on recommendations from the Johns Hopkins University IDEALS Institute.

As part of thread’s Powering Ahead with Technology Project, a new database system is in development for the Alaska SEED Registry that will include the Trainer and Training Approval System. This new database will make it easier for educators to join the registry online and keep all their professional development documentation in one place.

The Alaska SEED career ladder is undergoing its biennial review. Stay tuned for updates!

What is Alaska SEED?

The Alaska System for Early Education Development, or SEED, is a statewide professional development system for early childhood and school-age professionals. Early educators play an important role in a child’s development, providing a foundation for a child’s learning and lifelong success. Yet their wages and benefits don’t always reflect the importance of their work. Alaska SEED works to improve overall professionalism and advocates for professional compensation in the field.

Alaska SEED gives educators:

  • Membership in the Alaska SEED Registry, a database to track and plan professional development
  • Placement on a 12-step career ladder
  • Financial supports for education and training
  • A Trainer and Training Approval System to ensure early educators get high-quality, consistent training statewide

Alaska SEED is housed and managed by thread, Alaska’s Child Care Resource and Referral Network.

Support for Alaska SEED

Download a printable version of this report.