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Home REL Northeast & Islands About REL Northeast & Islands U.S. Virgin Islands Partnership to Strengthen the Early Childhood Workforce

U.S. Virgin Islands Partnership to Strengthen the Early Childhood Workforce

In 2019, the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) legislature passed USVI Act 8270, which requires all prekindergarten (preK) through grade 3 teachers to have early childhood certification by October 1, 2023. Through establishing this act, the USVI legislature has signaled that it recognizes that setting the Islands’ young children on a path to school and lifelong success will require a highly qualified early childhood workforce. This sentiment is in line with growing evidence that suggests the qualifications of early childhood teachers impact the quality of early childhood education environments and of child outcomes.1 Addressing the education of the Islands’ youngest learners is important since recent data show that 57 percent of children in the USVI are below kindergarten age-level proficiency in language,2 and only 18 and 14 percent of students in grade 3 are proficient in ELA and in math, respectively.3

The U.S. Virgin Islands partnership aims to improve kindergarten readiness and elementary outcomes for all preK–3 students, particularly in literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional learning, by strengthening the early childhood educator workforce. REL Northeast & Islands will support the Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE) and partnership members with a multi-year training project to design three evidence-based modules that will allow USVI early childhood and elementary teachers to earn micro-credentials toward certification in early childhood and be eligible to teach in grades preK–3. The micro-credentials will serve as a pathway to certification for teachers who are already certified as elementary educators and who want to teach in early childhood grades. These activities will build on previous work with VIDE to identify pathways to early childhood certification. REL Northeast & Islands will also develop an infographic on the early childhood workforce, including certification pathways, which will be disseminated to current and prospective educators and policymakers.

Partner Organizations: Virgin Islands Department of Education, St. Croix School District, St. Thomas/St. John School District, University of the Virgin Islands

1 Manning, M., Wong, G. T., Fleming, C. M., & Garvis, S. (2019). Is teacher qualification associated with the quality of the early childhood education and care environment? A meta-analytic review. Review of Educational Research, 89(3), 370–415. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3102/0034654319837540

2 The Annie E. Casey Foundation. (n.d.). Kids Count Data Center: Language in the Virgin Islands https://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/10309-language?loc=54&loct=4#detailed/4/any/false/1755,1744,1651,1650,1499,1728,1481,1092,1091,1649/6376,6383,6384/19940

3 Virgin Islands Department of Education. (2020). VIDE 2019 Report Card. https://viconsortium.com/editor_new/source/2019%20School%20Report%20Card%20Release%201-21-2020%20-%20PDF.pdf

Current Projects

This project builds on a previous project that produced three micro-credential modules focused on playful learning. To help build knowledge of and support for the modules, REL Northeast & Islands will curate a packet of materials on joyful learning that can be shared with parents, administrators, and other USVI stakeholders. In addition, the project will develop supports for administrators who are interested in creating group learning opportunities in which teachers can complete the modules and discuss the content and implementation of the recommended practices in their classrooms, including a brief facilitators guide.

Completed Projects

REL Northeast & Islands collaborated with the Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE) to design three online, self-paced micro-credential modules focused on evidence-based practices for playful learning. These modules allow early childhood and elementary teachers in USVI to earn micro-credentials toward certification in early childhood so they will be eligible to teach in PreK– grade 3 classrooms. REL Northeast & Islands partnered with VIDE to gather input from educators and administrators to ensure that the modules are responsive to the local context and meet the needs of USVI early childhood educators.
Product Type: Blog | Publication Date: April 01, 2024
Bringing joy back to early childhood classrooms is a key priority for the U.S. Virgin Islands. This blog explores the value of joyful learning, what playful classrooms look like, and strategies to help educators bring joy to the classroom so children...

REL Northeast & Islands Logic Model (170 KB)

REL Northeast & Islands Logic Model