Professional Portfolio - Documenting Your Successes

The secret is out!  You are a great director or teacher!  You have shown that by taking an interest in documenting your work. However, sometimes it is difficult to communicate your special talents and teaching abilities to others.  By designing a portfolio, you can more easily and concretely illustrate to others your teaching experiences, educational background, and strengths. Center directors often use a portfolio as a resource in assessing the knowledge, skills, and performance of current and future directors or teachers. First, let's define what a portfolio really is.  A portfolio is a collection of work and materials assembled in an approved format to demonstrate and document knowledge and skills. A portfolio is proof of your expertise and can encompass knowledge and skills gained from a wide variety of sources.  Some of these sources include:  jobs, independent reading and study, training or in-service programs, hobbies, community or religious activities, military service, and organization memberships. Portfolios are often reviewed for renewal of a license or a credential.  They are sometimes requested for verification and documentation in certification programs, or used to assess a candidate for academic credit, admissions, awards or scholarships. It is important to note that a portfolio is a highly personalized product; no two are alike.  Both content and organization will differ widely based on the intended use, individual preferences, and style of the director or teacher developing it.   A well-designed and developed portfolio ensures the strongest possible evidence of accomplishment for any director or teacher.  Portfolios capture professional growth over time so that you become an informed assessor of your own practice.   Enjoy developing your portfolio and make it a dynamic tool that grows as you expand and develop your knowledge and skills in working with young children. Remember, your portfolio is an opportunity to show others your special abilities as an early childhood professional! Join the CCEI Discussion Thread and share your strategies for creating your professional portfolio.  What have you included in your Professional Portfolio to document your early childhood knowledge, skills, performance and education?  How has your portfolio helped to advance your career? Learn more about creating a professional portfolio. Visit ChildCare Education Institute to discover over 100 online child care training courses that meet the continuing education requirements of the child care industry.  Register for a sample course and try online learning today!