The Hawaiʻi Advancing the ECE Profession Initiative is an intentional pursuit towards excellence in ECE. The Initiative is a partnership between the Hawaiʻi Association for the Education of Young Children (HIAEYC) and the Hawaiʻi Careers with Young Children (HCYC). The Initiative is led by the Hawaiʻi Early Childhood Educator and Excellence (ECE3) Project at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Education. The Initiative has been funded by the Samuel N. & Mary Castle Foundation and Preschool Development Renewal Grant, Birth through Five.

The Initiative utilizes a collaborative systems change approach that involves the entire ECE ecosystem to support a unified, cohesive, equitable early childhood education profession. The ECE ecosystem is made of early childhood educators, professional preparation programs, early learning programs, employers and owners, state and local government agencies, policy makers, philanthropic organizations, and the federal agencies and government to design thoughtful and inclusive implementation recommendations of the Unifying Framework.

A core part of the Initiative is the Hawaiʻi Advancing the ECE Profession Task Force, a cohort of early childhood educators representing various roles and sectors from across the state who engage in collective learning, reflection, and outreach to build support for the implementation of the Unifying Framework’s recommendations in Hawaiʻi. With support from PDG, the ECE3 Project, in partnership with HIAEYC, hosted two cohorts in the past two years. As they learned about the concepts and recommendations in the Unifying Framework, they were also introduced to the different initiatives that already exist or are under development in Hawaiʻi to meet these recommendations. With guided instruction, the Task Force members reflected on their own experiences related to issues that are pervasive in the ECE field. They also reached out to other early educators in their communities to share the information and resources they gained from the Task Force. In doing so, they helped build broader buy-in among their peers.

Quote 1: “Talking about the Unifying Framework with colleagues makes it much more real, and more accessible. I can see myself as an agent of change that moves the work forward.”
Quote 2: “I never looked at myself in a Leadership role, but the words of encouragement and positive feedback I’m receiving [from this group] truly helps me in getting to where I want to be.”