A former accounting professional, Alice “Dan” Zhang of Sunnyvale, California, has transitioned into a career in early childhood education. She received early child development training at Sunnyvale’s Foothill College before accepting a position at OFJCC Leslie Family Preschool in Palo Alto. Alongside her day-to-day professional activities, Alice Zhang maintains membership in the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
In its efforts to improve early childhood education, NAEYC offers a variety of programs and resources for individuals and institutions that care for and educate children 8 years old and younger. In 2016, the organization launched Power to the Profession, a national collaborative initiative that aims to create a shared framework of professional guidelines for early childhood educators.
Working alongside NAEYC on the initiative are more than a dozen organizations, including the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, the National Association for Family Child Care, and the National Head Start Association. In establishing the professional guidelines, NAEYC and other organizations involved in the collaboration are also drawing on feedback and contributions from early childhood professionals across the country.
After the framework is established, the Power to the Profession national task force will work to promote and implement the framework at the local, state, and national levels. For more information about the initiative, visit www.naeyc.org/profession.
