Partnering for Success: Strategic Collaborations Supporting Early Childhood Educator Development

This paper describes the positive influence of strategic collaboration on the development of future early childhood educators. Formal and informal in-classroom and out-of-classroom experiences including purposeful, intentional collaboration with peers, local school partners, families, mentor teachers, school administrators, and college faculty across disciplines are presented and analyzed for their impact. The authors highlight the need for teacher preparation programs to leverage strategic partnership opportunities. By supporting the professional growth and development of novice educators, teacher preparation programs can help ensure that future early childhood educators develop the requisite collaborative skill set and mindset necessary to promote positive outcomes for all young children. A specific case of collaboration utilizing a lesson study process is described, highlighting the impact on college students’ skills and dispositions. The authors posit that programs providing multiple strategic collaborations are best positioned to support the preparation of effective early childhood educators.