Frequently Asked Questions about the Northern Lights Instructor Registry

Applying to join the Instructor Registry

What is the purpose for the Instructor Registry?
The purpose is to ensure that high quality professional development opportunities are available statewide to individuals working with children or on behalf of children. The Instructor Registry displays a collection of instructors, with their credentials and particular expertise, who may be suitable instructors for a variety of professional development offerings. The Instructor Registry is a web-based database that is searchable by certain data fields.

Why would I want to sign up?
Sign up to become known as an instructor of professional development for early childhood professionals. The Instructor Registry is a resource for other people who recruit instructors for teaching opportunities, such as Resource Development Specialists, Starting Points Network Leaders, CCV staff, and others. In other words, the Instructor Registry can act as a promotional or marketing tool for instructors who participate in the system.

Who sees the Instructor Registry?
The Instructor Registry is an interactive web site that is linked from http://brightfuturesinfo.org (Scroll down the page to “Professional Development.”) Any user of this public web page can search the Instructor Registry. You apply to join the Instructor Registry using an online application. Approved applications become the profiles in the Instructor Registry itself. The application asks whether you would like to have a visible profile in the Instructor Registry. You can participate in the Instructor Registry as an approved instructor without a public listing, if you prefer.

How long does it take to complete the application?
It depends on your situation. If you have more experience to share and more details to include, it will take longer. Also, if your records and your recent resume are already at your fingertips, it should be a faster process for you. The statewide committee that created the application hoped that most applicants would take 30 minutes to one hour to complete it.

What if I can't finish this application and need to come back to it?
Not a problem. Your online application in progress is saved for you as you complete each screen. You can close the window and come back to your application at anytime by logging in with your email and the password you initially created.

How do I find a supporting instructor?
Ask one of your colleagues or supervisors to be your supporting instructor. Your supporting instructor must be in the Instructor Registry as a Master or Certified instructor, so you can also look in the Instructor Registry for ideas.

Can I sign up if I want to be an instructor but don't have much experience?
Yes. There is a way for every instructor to enter the system even with no recent experience, as long as you are willing to have a supporting instructor. Less experienced instructors will instructor with a supporting instruction. As you gain experience, it is possible to change your designation as an instructor.

How do I get a BFIS number?

Do not let this discourage you! Contact vtnlight@ccv.edu for more help. If you are an eProvider and do not have access to the Résumé function or a Quality Case ID, please contact the BFIS Help Desk: brightfuturesinfo@srs.state.vt.us. You will in turn receive a username and password from BFIS.

Is there a fee to join and/or renew?
No. In other states, there is a fee of $30 or more to join their registries.

Is the Instructor Registry available to out of staters?
Yes. Many instructors who reside in other states and who work with or who are willing to work with professionals in Vermont join the Instructor Registry.

If I join the Instructor Registry, will I have people calling me for workshops, trainings, or even college courses?
It is possible that some people who want to organize training in your content area of expertise will try to reach you via the contact information you provided to the Instructor Registry. You are not obliged to provide instruction. You may be offered some interesting opportunities for instruction. If you wish to never be contacted by another person, you should elect to participate in the Instructor Registry without a public profile. This means that you are an approved instructor, but not listed in the Instructor Registry public database.

What benefits do I get by joining?
You get to tell others about your qualifications as an instructor of professional development. You join the only organization in Vermont specifically geared to professionals in this role. You receive invitations to participate in relevant professional development opportunities for yourself.

What is a typical amount of money instructors charge for trainings?
Instructors’ fees range from nothing to $50 or more per hour of instruction. Some instructors instruct as part of their regular salaried position, while others make their living primarily from their work as instructors. Fees are variable and can often be discussed with the person or organization who asks you to instruct. You can also look in the Instructor Registry to see what your peers are listing as their fees.

What is the basic makeup of the Instructor Registry? Who are my compatriots on this list?
One year into the development of the Instructor Registry, the participating instructors are primarily at the Certified and Master level (Bachelor’s degree or more in a related field). There are instructors from every region of Vermont and with every commonly-held educational credential such as CDA, Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degree.

I've already been hired by colleges to be an instructor. Why should I join this Instructor Registry?
The Instructor Registry is another way for you to get the word out about your qualifications and expertise. When you join the Instructor Registry, which is free, you also get notices about other opportunities for your own professional development. Additionally, some teaching job opportunities are emailed to you when you are part of the Instructor Registry. Finally, an experienced instructor can play an important, collaborative role in the development of a newer instructor by being a supporting instructor. In these ways, joining the Instructor Registry has benefits to you and to the system of professional development in Vermont.

I've been doing trainings for local agencies for years. Why am I being asked to join the Instructor Registry now?
Resource Development Specialists, key people at local agencies who contract with many different instructors to provide professional development, are key partners of the Child Development Division and the Northern Lights Career Development Center. Beginning in 2007, the Child Development Division has asked the Resource Development Specialists to ensure that the instructors they hire are participating in the Instructor Registry. The Instructor Registry was piloted and first implemented in 2006. This is why you may have been asked to join the Instructor Registry now after so many years. We all appreciate your participation in this unified system.

Using the Instructor Registry as a database

Since the instructors are approved in the Instructor Registry, I don’t really need to interview them before I hire them, right?
Incorrect. The Instructor Registry does not take the place of a typical hiring process, but it can help you locate a pool of instructors who might be right for your opportunity.

If I sign up for the Instructor Registry, will I be able to identify other instructors who do similar kinds of courses and workshops?
Yes. You can do this by going online to http://brightfuturesinfo.org (Scroll down the page to “Professional Development” and Click “Instructor Registry.”) This takes you to a search page for the members of the Instructor Registry. Search by Core Knowledge Area to find a list of instructors who teach about topics related to that Core Knowledge Area. If you want to see an overall list of everyone in the Instructor Registry, don’t specific any search fields. Look within each instructor’s individual profile to see what exactly the instructor teaches.