Early Childhood Education Pre-PAC

The Pre-PAC programs from AAFCS can help increase professionalism in secondary students during their post-secondary education and careers.

Child development and child care courses are excellent preparation for students who want to pursue a career in the early childhood education industry. The recently released Pre-Professional Assessments and Certifications (Pre-PAC) program from the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) is designed to allow secondary and lower post-secondary students to get certification for future employment and promote further education at the post-secondary level.

Program Details

The Early Childhood Education Pre-PAC documents pre-professionals’ (secondary students’) knowledge of early childhood education. It is based on standards developed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and is consistent with the National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences Education and the National Career Clusters Initiative.

The assessment helps secondary and post-secondary students demonstrate knowledge and improve skills for careers working in child care, teaching, community-based children’s programs, social services or counseling for children, and after-school programs.

The assessment consists of 80 multiple-choice questions pulled from a larger bank of questions so that each assessment is unique. Of the 80 questions, 70 are included in the final score and 10 are used for piloting and research purposes. Based on the difficulty of the exam, the national cut score is established each year by the AAFCS. To earn certification, pre-professional participants must score a minimum of 70 percent for 2011–2012.

A variety of professionals in early childhood practice and education helped with the development of the assessment:

• Peggy Thoenen, Buttons and Bullfrogs Family Center, Jefferson City, MO
• Jean Simpson, Office of Head Start, Washington, DC
• Barbara Sawyer, National Association of Family Child Care, Arvada, CO
• Sara Moleski-Rice, National Child Care Association, Washington, DC
• Alison Lutton, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Washington, DC
• Celia Farr, Children’s Harbor, Portsmouth, VA
• Sabrina Thomson, Faith-Based Child Care Organization, Oklahoma City, OK
• Susan Hoff, Child Care Group, Dallas, TX
• Robin Hasslen, Head of Child Development Centers, Bethel University, St. Paul, MN
• John Anne Reynolds, South Plains College, Levelland, TX
• Anna Goff, Farmington School District, Farmington, AR
• Eleanor Keppler, FCS Teacher and Child Care Director, IN
• Vicki Rexroat, Oklahoma Department of Career Tech and Child Care Director, Fort Cobb, OK

Taking the Test

Items on the test are broken down by domain and given a specific weighting for scoring:

For more information on domains and competencies, sample test questions, and how to sign your students up for testing, visit the AAFCS website.