Critical Competencies Trainings and Learning Options
Helping Educators Build Essential Knowledge
Infant-toddler educators have one of the most important jobs in the world, but they often lack practical resources to support their work.
The ZERO TO THREE Critical Competencies for Infant-Toddler Educators™ suite of early childhood professional development products and services helps educators build the essential knowledge and skills they need, in flexible and user-friendly formats.
Our competency model defines the specific knowledge and practices required for infant-toddler educators to be successful now, to support the future of our children.
The curriculum helps early childhood educators use evidence-based practices to bring more intentionality and more thoughtful connections to support children’s social emotional, cognitive, and language development.
Get alerts for upcoming virtual and in-person events.
- Critical Competencies Webinar Series
- Critical Competencies Online Learning Course and Micro-Courses
- Critical Competencies Intentional Teaching Series
- Training of Community of Practice Facilitators
- Critical Competencies Coaching Program
- Critical Competencies Training-of-Trainers (ToT)
- Critical Competencies Course Curriculum e-Resources
- Technical Assistance
Contact us to learn more about the Critical Competencies offerings and for customized packages that meet your specific needs.
What do the Critical Competencies do?
Get practical, evidence-based guidance on infant-toddler pedagogy to support educators working with diverse, multilingual and high-needs populations in group settings, aligned with national standards, state competencies and key observation frameworks.
- Focus on infant-toddler pedagogy — the method and practice of teaching
- Explore the unique needs of multilingual, multicultural families and children from populations facing risk factors
- Describe the recommended teaching methods and practices with easily understood guidance and examples
- Feature considerations for working with high-needs populations and multi-language learners
- Support educators who work in group settings (center-based and family child care homes) with infants, toddlers, or both
- Build on professional criteria for the early childhood field (e.g., NAEYC, CDA, and more), are cross-walked with state core knowledge and competency areas, and align with observation tools (e.g., ITERS and CLASS), and the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework
The case for better compensation of early childhood educators.
The Competency Model
The Critical Competencies address three essential learning and development areas:
Understanding what promotes social-emotional, cognitive, and language/literacy development gives the adult tools to support the developing child.
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