Two leading early childhood experts and faculty members in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Education, Health and Human Behavior (SEHHB) Department of Teaching and Learning have been competitively selected to serve as Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Faculty Fellows.
As Faculty Fellows, Stacie Kirk, PhD, professor and early childhood education program director, and Anni Reinking, EdD, assistant professor, will help shape how early childhood professionals in Illinois will be evaluated for years to come.
The Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies worked with the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) to arrange Illinois faculty into teams that will improve assessments pertaining to credentials for early childhood professionals. The assessments will focus on seven Gateways Content Areas. The initiative began in May 2019 and will conclude in May 2020.
In a letter to the chosen Faculty Fellows, ICCB Executive Director Brian Durham, EdD, and IBHE Interim Executive Director Nyle Robinson wrote: “Funded by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, the groundbreaking work you are undertaking with other early childhood experts from public and private institutions of higher education across Illinois will result in a suite of well-designed assessment tools and practices to support a competency-based system of preparation, credentialing, and professional development for the field of early childhood care and education. The import of this Fellowship initiative cannot be overstated.”
Reinking will serve as a Faculty Lead Fellow, utilizing her expertise in authentic technology-embedded assessment. Reinking will oversee the technology implementation of all of the groups, and will serve on the leadership team for the Gateways to Opportunity initiative.
“I am excited to have been recognized for my hard work in the field of early childhood education, and my focus on implementing useful practices utilizing technology,” Reinking said. “This opportunity will expand my networking and work with technology from the viewpoints of many individuals from around the state. It will also help us as a program as we consider and/or expand some of the credentials we offer at SIUE.”
Kirk will boost her team’s efforts through her expertise related to supporting health, wellness and physical activity in young children, supporting young children with disabilities in inclusive settings, and early intervention with infants and toddlers with, or at risk for, development delays.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with this esteemed group of 40 early childhood education faculty from across the state,” Kirk explained. “I am part of the team looking at assessments for the content areas of health, safety and well-being; human growth and development; curriculum or program design; and family/community relationships.”
Kirk credits retired early childhood education faculty member Martha Latorre, PhD, for her work in initializing the process of establishing SIUE as a Gateways Entitled institution on behalf of the early childhood education program.
“Involvement in this work adds greatly to my knowledge of initiatives that are underway across the state and in other programs,” Kirk added. “This work also adds to the tools that the SIUE early childhood education program uses to assess the competency of our students who go on to become quality early educators across the state, serving children and families in important ways.”
For more information on the Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Fellowship program, visit ilgateways.com.
To learn more about SIUE’s early childhood education program, visit siue.eduacademics/degrees-and-programs/undergraduate/early-childhood-education.
Photo: (L-R) Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Faculty Fellows and SIUE early childhood education faculty members Stacie Kirk, PhD, and Anni Reinking, EdD.