Professional Learning for Educators: Enhancing Practice and Parent-Teacher Relationships in Early Childhood Programs in the Cayman Islands

Many countries around the world including the Cayman Islands are drawing upon the principles of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) to develop curriculum frameworks for early childhood programs in response to the convergence of multidisciplinary research indicating the importance of high-quality care and learning experiences in the early years. This study investigated how teachers and parents in the Cayman Islands are responding to the Cayman Islands Early Years Curriculum Framework. Specifically, this mixed methods study investigated the effectiveness of a three-month long multi-dimensional professional learning (PL) intervention designed to: 1) enhance teacher and parent understandings of DAP, and 2) empower and support teachers in the design and implementation of two Early Childhood (EC) Parent Open Houses to discuss and share DAP with parents. Four preschools were randomly assigned to either the PL intervention or comparison groups. Prior to the PL intervention, surveys were used to understand parent and teacher views of DAP and parent-teacher relationships (PTRs) finding that teachers and parents have similar views of DAP and that while both parents and teachers rated their PTRs very favorably, parent ratings were significantly higher. Pre-intervention focus groups with PL teachers revealed three themes: dichotomies and uncertainties; more communication needed and barriers to PTRs. The quantitative data analysis found that PL teachers had more positive views of DAP and PTRs after the intervention, a change not found for the comparison teachers. Both the qualitative and quantitative data analyses provided evidence that the PL intervention enhanced teacher understandings and implementation of DAP; empowered teachers, promoted more collegiality and reflexive practice; and improved teacher views of PTRs. Parent focus groups revealed that parents also had positive views of the EC Parent Open Houses. This study can inform ECCE policy and practice in the Cayman Islands.