What is ECPIHE
What is ECPIHE?
Throughout American history, early childhood policy (ECP) has emerged in bits and pieces — often in response to national crises — without comprehensive planning or the presence of diverse voices. Today, as policy, funding, and political will centered upon young children are burgeoning, there is a need for more strategic policy planning and for preparing a cadre of diverse individuals who can do this well.
The Early Childhood Policy in Institutions of Higher Education (ECPIHE) initiative seeks to address this systemic demand by enhancing the study of, and experiences related to, ECP in American institutions of higher education (IHEs). The initiative intends to establish a new field of inquiry, early childhood policy, and train leaders to design, analyze, and advocate for constructive early childhood policies driven by research, evidence-based practice, and a commitment to equity, inclusion, social justice. More precisely, ECPIHE seeks to:
- Prepare individuals to assume ECP roles ready to forge new pathways toward more equitable and inclusive early childhood systems;
- Develop and disseminate a core body of ECP knowledge that can prepare those individuals and their legatees to effectively address ECP and its systemic issues and inequalities; and
- Instantiate the study of ECP durably in IHEs throughout America by creating institutionalized and sustained programs, degrees, and centers.
How are we doing so?
ECPIHE aims to achieve these goals through the development of easily accessible, open-access sample tools, which will help define the emerging field of early childhood policy. The effort also supported the creation of six diverse IHE Centers (Boston College, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Colorado-Denver, the University of Florida, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Washington), each of which currently offers certificates, Master’s, or Doctoral Degrees to interested students. The University of the District of Columbia, a Historically Black College/University, recently joined ECPIHE to become the seventh Center.
Moreover, ECPIHE supported the establishment of an Alliance of IHEs through the Great Plains IDEA (Interactive Distance Education Alliance) where ECP certificates are awarded to participating students across participating IHEs. All programs are designed to shape the next generation of early childhood policy professionals to work toward high-quality, equitable, just, and inclusive early childhood policies.
ECPIHE also has established an on-line presence through the Network, which runs the ECPIHE website and associated LinkedIn page, and developed a Consortium that supports the work of the involved Centers, Alliance, and Network.
Moving forward, the ECPIHE initiative will conduct outreach to other IHEs who are pursuing ECP independent of the ECPIHE initiative and engage in broader ECP field-building efforts.
Acknowledgements
This initiative would not be possible without the advice and council of an outstanding and dedicated advisory committee (Linda Espinosa, Bruce Fuller, Walter Gilliam, Cathy Grace, Gail Joseph, Kristie Kauerz, Louis Manfra, Helen Raikes, Aisha Ray, Adele Robinson, Beth Rous, Catherine Scott-Little, Linda Smith, Valora Washington, and Albert Wat). Moreover, the vision and support of Heising-Simons Foundation, the Buffett Early Childhood Fund, and the Bezos Family Foundation have made all this work possible.
