Holmes Program Receives Funding to Support Future Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education Faculty and Leaders
AACTE is excited to announce a new partnership with the Early Childhood Intervention Personnel Center on Equity (ECIPCE), a national center federally funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs to assist states in building comprehensive systems of personnel development to improve outcomes for infants and young children with disabilities and their families. ECIPCE has awarded AACTE a 5-year sub-award to support a cohort of 12 Holmes Scholars pursuing doctorates in early childhood and early childhood special education.
More early childhood leaders and practitioners with the requisite skills and knowledge are required to meet the needs of children aged birth – 5 years old. This partnership will directly address this issue, in part, by providing targeted mentorship, professional development, and financial support to doctoral students of color pursuing a Ph.D. or an Ed.D. in early childhood and early childhood special education.
In addition to supporting their scholarship and professional development as emerging experts and leaders in the field, this partnership will produce a report that examines the national landscape of early childhood and special education degree programs and graduates. The report will analyze trends in the number of programs and graduates within early childhood and special education and compare them to the demand for professionals that can provide these services. To meet demand, it is imperative that policies and systems be in place to sustain efforts to recruit and retain these professionals, which is why the report will also include a special analysis of states that have legislated funding for early childhood special education services and have implemented successful models to attract, prepare and retain early childhood and early childhood special education personnel.
More information and an application for Holmes Scholars to apply for the cohort will be released this summer, however, if you have questions, please contact Weadé James, vice president for organizational advancement, at wjames@aacte.org.
Tags: early childhood education, Holmes Program, special education
