Professional Development in States
Professionals working with young children and families—whether in child care, home visiting programs, health clinics, or other settings—need the skills to effectively support children’s development and learning.
Although all states offer training opportunities to infant–toddler professionals, leading states are building a coordinated, cross-sector professional development system that leverages state resources to build the capacity of the infant–toddler workforce. An integrated professional development system incorporates personnel preparation and training around evidence-based core competencies, articulates into college degrees, includes alternative pathways to credentials, and links higher levels of training to increased compensation.
Featured Resources
-
Article
Illinois Develops Online Portal to Support Family Child Care Professionals
Town Square connects FCC professionals to resources to help them provide high quality care and encourages peer-to-peer sharing through a member-only area. Resources are provided in a variety of forma…
-
Article
Kansas Develops Cultural Awareness Toolkit
A new multimedia toolkit is helping home visitors and other early childhood professionals engage diverse populations and improve practice in cross-cultural settings.
-
Article
The standards and the endorsement process proved important to many outside of Michigan. By 2016, 23 state infant mental health associations, two large children’s agencies, and two international infan…
-
Article
Kansas Advances Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Policy, Practice, and Workforce Development
Kansas was one of ten states that participated in a three-year infant and early childhood mental health (I-ECMH) learning community.
-
Article
Iowa's National Academy Aims to Professionalize the Field of Family Support Services
The Iowa Department of Public Health led a significant cooperative effort to professionalize the workforce for home visitors and others providing family support services through the development of th…
-
Article
For more than six years, Idaho Secure Beginnings worked to increase awareness of early childhood and infant mental health issues and build a training infrastructure for professionals throughout the s…
-
Article
Colorado's Office of Professional Development
Learn how Colorado established the Office of Professional Development in 2006 to improve the quality of services and supports for young children in the state by enhancing skills and knowledge of the …
-
Article
Colorado Takes on the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge
Learn how Colorado is implementing the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant.
-
Article
Colorado Early Intervention Provider Database
Learn about Early Intervention (EI) Colorado, Colorado's Infant and Toddler Initiative.
-
Article
California Approves $190 Million to Support Early Childhood System-Building Initiative
Here's how California is strengthening family engagement, investing in the early childhood workforce, and supporting local Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS).
-
Article
Learn how this program supports the education and preparation of an effective, well-compensated, and diverse early learning workforce.
-
Article
Alaska System of Early Education and Development (SEED)
The Alaska System for Early Education Development (Alaska SEED) is a system of professional development for Alaska's field of Early Care and Education.
-
Article
CHILDSPAN (RI's Child Development and Education Training System)
CHILDSPAN offers high-quality training and consultation to care and education providers throughout the Rhode Island.
-
Tool
Supporting Families Together Association (SFTA)
SFTA's mission is to support groups in Wisconsin that promote quality early care, resources and education to enrich the lives of children and strengthen families.
-
Tool
Child Care Health Consultation
Child Care Health Consultants (CCHCs) work out of local health departments, CCR&R agencies or Partnerships for Children, and Head Starts, or they work independently.
-
Article
Infant and Toddler Incentive Program
The purpose of the Infant/Toddler Incentive Program is to increase the number of infant/toddler child care spaces available to low-income families.
-
Article
Cross-Sector Core Competencies for the Prenatal Through Age Five Field
Professional Development resource information on state policies and initiatives that impact infants, toddlers and their families
-
Article
Wisconsin Adopts Michigan Infant Mental Health Competencies and Endorsement
In June 2009, the Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health (WI-AIMH) took an important step in helping the states early childhood workforce build core knowledge about the social-emotional health o…
-
Article
Best Beginnings Certified Infant Toddler Caregiver Stipend Program
The Best Beginnings Certified Infant Toddler Caregiver Stipend program seeks to help early childhood programs retain certified infant toddler caregivers.
-
Article
Family Child Care Provider Start-Up Grants in Utah
The Utah Office of Child Care offers three kinds of grants to family child care or family group child care providers through the Office of Child Care.
-
Article
Wisconsin Takes on the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge
In 2012, Wisconsin reapplied for and was awarded the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant and proposed the following targets to improve its early learning and development (ELD) sy…
-
Article
Pennsylvania Early Learning Keys to Quality
The Pennsylvania Keys to Quality consists of a statewide PA Key and five Regional Keys.
-
Article
Oklahoma Early Care and Education Resources for Providers
The Oklahoma Child Care Resource & Referral Association offers various kinds of free support to providers caring for infants and toddlers.
-
Article
With a mandate from the New Mexico Office of Child Development (OCD) in 1996, New Mexico created a statewide system of professional development for the workforce across various sectors working with c…
-
Article
-
Article
New Jersey Takes on the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge
In December, 2013, New Jersey became one of the six newest states to receive a Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant.
-
Article
Minnesota has long been committed to parent-child attachment, infant mental health, and thoughtful research to enhance home visiting practice.
-
Article
Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC)
Professional Development resource information on state policies and initiatives that impact infants, toddlers and their families
-
Article
Wisconsin Takes Steps to Address Young Children's Mental Health
Wisconsin carried out a proactive and comprehensive set of strategies that address multiple barriers and build an I-ECMH system.
-
Article
Michigan Takes on the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge
In December 2013, Michigan received a four-year Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant.
-
Article
Massachusetts Takes on the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge
Funding from the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant has allowed Massachusetts an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate early childhood education so that the state’s children h…
-
Article
Maryland Takes on the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge
In December 2011, Maryland was awarded a four-year Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant and proposed the following targets to improve its early learning and development (ELD) syst…
-
Article
-
Article
-
Article
Nebraska Online Home Visiting Training Modules
In 2012, Nebraska released a Home Visiting Core Practices and Principles Online Training program, which provides information and resources that all home visitors can use.
-
Article
Rhode Island Aims to Support Home Visiting Professionals
With leadership provided by the Rhode Island Department of Health and funding from the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, home visitors across disciplines and progra…
