2008 Kentucky Licensing Regulations:
Professional Development
Dr. Amy H. Hooten, CCR&R Training Specialist
Kentucky is implementing new regulations, effective July
1, 2008, that are changing the training requirements in early
care and education settings. These revisions include a change
in the number of training hours required annually. Professionals working in Type I or Type II programs will now be
required to earn 15 clock hours of training annually, while
Certified Family Home providers will now be required to earn
9 clock hours of training. [922 KAR 2:110 Section 5 (14);
922 KAR 2:100 Section 9(1)]. In addition to the increased number of hours, all staff
will now be required to complete a “written annual plan for
child-care staff professional development” (922 KAR 2:110
Section 3(8)). For Certified Family Homes, this regulation
will be found in 922 KAR 2:100 Section 2 (9)(b). What is a written plan for child-care staff
professional development?
A written annual plan for professional development is
also known as a Professional Development plan or a PD
Plan. PD plans are like a blueprint, they help you outline a
“framework ” for what you want to learn about or what you
need to strengthen in your own professional growth. Not only
does it outline your needs, it also identifies the steps you will
take to accomplish those goals over a certain period of time. PD plans for staff are similar to lesson plans for children; just
like goals are developed for children’s learning and a plan
to accomplish that learning is developed, we as professionals
are developing goals for our own learning. As each goal is
accomplished, we can mark that goal as accomplished and see
the progress we are making in our own professional journey. It is recommended that new employees complete a plan
within 90 days of employment. For staff members who have
been employed for longer than one year, plans may be developed at any time or they may be a part of the annual performance evaluation. One way to ensure that plans are done in
a timely manner is to develop the annual plan near the staff
persons ‘hire date to ensure an annual plan exists. It is important to note that PD plans do not take place of the evaluation;
however, they are tools to help you enhance job performance
based on the evaluation system. A PD plan should look different for every staff person
because everyone has different strengths and areas of improvement. It is not appropriate for a director or supervisor to
develop one plan and copy it for each staff person in the center. It may be possible that some of the staff in one classroom
may have some of the same needs. For example, if you have
done an observation in a classroom and observed that hand
washing was done inappropriately by every staff member in
the room, it may be expected that each of those teachers may
have hand washing as an area of improvement in their plan. However, the rest of their plan may look differently based on
their other job performance. What is supposed to be on the PD plan?
Although there are no specific required components
within a PD plan, quality plans will include the following:

Personnel Information, including name, hire date,
position held in program, classroom assignment, number
of hours worked (weekly and monthly), level of education completed, and a listing of certificates or credentials
earned in the field.

Self-Reflection, a section completed by the staff person
that would identify their thoughts on what they feel are
their individual strengths within the field of early care
and which can be broken down by the Kentucky Core
Content Areas. (For a list of the Core Content Areas,
please consult page 24 of this issue of The Child Care
Professional.)
Who is responsible for developing the
PD plan?
According to the regulations, each child care staff person
must have a written plan in place. Supervisors should work
with staff members to develop these annual plans in a private,
confidential manner. It is not appropriate to conduct group
meetings where there are discussions about individual job
skills and knowledge as plans are being developed.
ccrr.expert@wku.edu
www.wku.edu/ccrr-wku/
Child Care Resource & Referral

Goals, a place to identify the goals for professional
growth. Goals can then be tied to a core content area
and training level.

Action plan, a place to specify the actual steps that
will be taken to accomplish the goals. Action plans will
include the activities that are necessary to reach the goal. Sometimes the goals are big and the activities allow you
to break them up into easy to manage steps. Action
plans will also include a timeframe in which you will
complete each of the activities. Action plans will also
include a place to identify the resources necessary for the
completion of the activity. Resources may mean attending training sessions, reading journal articles, asking for
assistance from others, or a variety of other options. Action plans will also have a section that will set a time for
the staff person and the supervisor to review and assess
the progress and/or achievement of the goals. Although there is no required format for a PD Plan, we
have include a recommended sample plan on page 8 of this
newsletter. This sample will give you an idea of the various
Core Content Area/Level:
Goal:
components that should be included in an easy to read, easy
to use format. Staff from the CCR&R will be offering several training sessions throughout this year designed to provide
information on the development of plans, as well as provide
participants with a copy of the recommended format. Watch
The Child Care Professional newsletter for more training
sessions on PD Plans! As a manager in a child care program, I once supervised a teacher that was very creative in setting up her classroom environment! She always had learning centers that
were exciting, supplied with great materials, and planned
activities within the centers. One area that was not as
exciting as the others was the art center. Yes, there was an
art center, but there were not many materials and there was
never any paint available for the children to use, and not
many planned art activities. When conducting her annual
evaluation I pointed out her strengths within the room arrangement but we also discussed the lack of art materials in
the art center and the lack of art activities within her lesson
plans. Using this as an example, her Plan for Professional
Growth might look like the sample in the box below
Environments & Curriculum, Training Level 3
The goal is to enhance the understanding of creative materials within the preschool classroom.
Action:
I will enhance the art center to include appropriate materials and activities with children on a regular basis.
Activities
Time Line
Resources Needed
Observe a co-worker’s classroom and art center
Within next 2 weeks Co-worker’s permission to observe
Review articles and activity ideas focusing on art with
young children
Within 1 month
Journal articles, internet searches
Attend a training session
focusing on art with young
children
Within next 3
months
CCR&R training calendar, other
training session on art with young
children
Add appropriate materials to
the art center
Within 3 months
Supervisor approval of added
materials
Develop art activity plans
At least 2 plans
within the first
month and 4 plans
per month after that
Supervisor approval of art activities
prior to implementation
Child Care Resource & Referral
(270) 745-2216
(800) 621-5908
Assessment/
In Progress Status
Will review within 30
days
Date
Completed
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ccrr.expert@wku.edu
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www.wku.edu/ccrr-wku/
Child Care Resource & Referral
What else should I know about PD plans?
An important note to remember when developing PD
plans is that individuals may also be at various training levels
in different core content areas, dependent upon one’s own
experiences and education. For instance, someone who has
had formal training in the field of business prior to entering
the early care and education field, may need a Training Level
4 or 5 in Program Management and Evaluation, BUT may
also need a Training Level 1 or 2 in Health, Safety and
Nutrition. This is another example of helping individual staff
assess their own professional needs, outline their own goals,
and choose their own training sessions and/or resources to
accomplish their overall goals.
PD plans are essential pieces for professional growth
and having an individualized plan helps staff become more
interested in the training in which they participate, makes the
information more valuable, and assists individuals in continuing their lifelong learning.
Who can help us understand how to
meet this new regulation?
Staff members from of the Child Care Resource &
Referral are available to programs to assist in learning more
about the development of PD plans. Feel free to contact us at ccrr.expert@wku.edu or by phone at 1-800-621-5908 if we can
offer more information or technical assistance in this area. The area Professional Development Counselors are also very valuable resources for offering assistance with professional
development plans. You may contact Kimberly Smith, QEI Professional Development Counselor for further information or assistance in this area by calling 270-901-1157 or by e-mailing kimberlyj.smith@uky.edu.
Child Care Resource & Referral
(270) 745-2216
(800) 621-5908