EASTCONN Early Childhood Specialists provide comprehensive consultation to district administrators, teaching professionals, and schools/programs regarding all aspects of Early Childhood. Professional development is available around standards, curriculum components and implementation, early learning environments, executive function and social-emotional support, NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) accreditation support, as well as state and national initiatives. We help support our districts' early childhood services by providing access to the latest information and resources available. On-site training, consultation, and coaching is aimed at accomplishing program improvement goals that lead to improved child outcomes. EASTCONN Early Childhood Specialists are also Certified Pre-K CLASS Observers.

NAEYC Consultation

The Connecticut Accreditation Quality Improvement System (AQIS) is an established resource system of regional teams providing critical leadership and support for the achievement of quality standards and excellence in early childhood programs. AQIS services include overviews of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Program Accreditation Standards and Assessment Items; technical assistance with the process of accreditation; and individualized support for programs engaged in the self-study.

 

Coaching

Early Childhood Initiatives provides coaching using a variety of coaching models and philosophies tailored to support programs needs to implement:

• Executive Function
• Pyramid Model
• CT ELDS
• CT DOTS
• CKCs
• Supporting Standards Through Play-Based Learning
• Standards Curriculum and Assessment

Training

EASTCONN offers several opportunities to join in professional development through various trainings. The trainings are designed to interact with colleagues and reflect on student learning and teaching practices.

Technical Assistance

Early Childhood Initiatives provides technical assistance to programs across a comprehensive array of quality components:

• Classroom environment
• Classroom management
• Promoting developmentally appropriate practices
• Inclusive teaching strategies
• Language modeling
• New teacher support
• Teacher/child interactions
• Anti-bias education
• IEP development

Classroom Assessment

Early Childhood Initiative supports early childhood programs to develop quality improvement plans through the use of data collected by early childhood assessments:

• • Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS)
  • Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS)
  • Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT)
  • Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS-PREK)
  • Teaching Pyramid Infant-Toddler Observation Scale (TPITOS)