The GDOE’s efforts over the last four years focused on strategies to build Early Childhood Educators’ skill sets on understanding the importance of developing a child’s social and emotional development and to embed cultural practices. Based on the CHamrou Studies Administrator, Ms. Rufina Mendiola, “Young children have a difficult time transitioning from the home environment to a school environment and encourage allowing children at a young age to socialize with other children.” She further states, “That inapatte (sharing) is critical as young children learn to show empathy amongst themselves.” The trainings continued to build on these foundations by focusing on specific topic areas to support educator needs. For example, the Safe Keeper role of the educator econmposses our ability to focus on supporting and maintaining children’s physical, emotional, and social safety. The participants learned about implementing that role even in a virtual context, and about the importance of this maintenance of children’s safety for academic success. Furthermore, participants gained a deeper understanding of how to create Agreements and Commitments that include all children in the contract—that equity is a core part of the process—and of how our beliefs and intentions as educators will drive the contract’s success.
The momentum from the July 2020 trainings provided GDOE with desired directions. There are ongoing plans to expand training beyond Early Childhood Educators, such as the inclusion of Childcare Providers, Family Outreach Program, Counselors, Institutions of Higher Education, Charter Schools, and the Guam Early Intervention Program. Such expansion allows for a universal approach to working with young children in all learning environments. Moving CD training to the next tier will establish a cohort of local trainers to impact more ECE educators. The GDOE also plans on strengthening partnerships to co-support efforts for all young children and their families, such as working with the Guam Department of Public Health & Social Services.
During the months of January and February 2021, R18CC continued the work with expanding the number of teachers understanding effective strategies of CD. The training included GDOE’s Early Childhood educators, Instructional Coaches, District Mentors, Elementary Counselors. Additionally, Childcare Directors and Childcare Providers and ECE Professors from both the University of Guam and the Guam Community College were also trained. Ms. Brogan Sanchez, a 1st grade teacher and also a member of the district’s Early Childhood Education Task Force, attended her fourth session with Conscious Discipline and stated,