Project Description:
The Early Childhood Personnel Center (ECPC) was established in January 2013. Funded by the Department of Educations Office of Special Education Programs, our Center serves as a national, multi-functional resource to address the challenges faced in the Early Childhood (EC) workforce. These include but are not limited to:
Discrepancies with state adherence to national competencies and standards
Shortages of personnel
A lack of training at both the pre-service and in-service levels
Inequities of preparation and compensation among those providing services
Therefore, the ECPC was designed to provide Knowledge Generation, Technical Assistance (TA) & Dissemination, and/or Leadership & Coordination for states in addressing these concerns and challenges of the EC workforce. Specifically, we operate using evidence-based practices that assist in Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) systems for children ages birth to five years old who qualify for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Our mission is to facilitate the development, implementation and evaluation of integrated and comprehensive systems of personnel development (CSPD) for the early childhood workforce serving infants and young children with disabilities eligible for Part C and Part B(619) programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. (IDEA).
The purpose of the Early Childhood Personnel TA Center is to support States in developing, implementing and evaluating integrated and comprehensive ECI systems of personnel development so that all infants, toddlers, and preschool children with disabilities and their families receive effective early childhood intervention.
Our Center is focused around the awareness that an integrated, comprehensive system of personnel development for the EC workforce in every state - one that is cohesive with the state and national personnel standards, competencies, and recommended practices, will produce the most successful outcomes for children and families with disabilities.
The ECPC has four main objectives:
1. Serve as a national resource on personnel standards, competencies, and recommended practices (Knowledge Generation)
2. Assist states in aligning personnel standards to national professional organization standards for personnel who serve children with disabilities and their families, integrating those standards with standards for EC personnel of all children, and linking those standards to state competencies and certification or licensure requirements (Leadership & Coordination & Technical Assistance programs)
3. Assist state agencies and IHEs (Institutes of Higher Education) in partnering to align pre-service and in-service training for personnel serving children with disabilities and their families (Leadership & Coordination & Technical Assistance programs)
4. Assist states to integrate EC professional development systems to ensure that IDEA Part C and Part B programs and personnel in each state are included in the states professional development initiatives (Technical Assistance)
Our Knowledge Generation component is completed by ECPC staff & faculty renowned in the field of Early Childhood Education. Our Technical Assistance and Leadership & Coordination programs are structured to operate at the state level, being guided by an ECPC trained Leadership and/or Technical Assistance Consultant. These programs require a diverse set of state participants in order to ensure all perspectives are being considered when forming a CSPD.
es for young children with disabilities and their families (target 8 states and continued n the 12
original states in ECPC I); Increased knowledge, skills, and competencies of DEA (and territory)
Part C and Part B, section 619 administrators to lead systemic
ement efforts, actively engage in broader early childhood initiatives, use TA effectively, ld more
effective and sustainable State systems that can support a competent early
od workforce that can improve outcomes for young children with disabilities and their s (target 25
state teams and continued work with original 26 in ECPC I); and
ed knowledge, skills, and competencies of early childhood IHE faculty to align programs y to State
and national professional organization personnel standards, integrate Division of hildhood (DEC)
recommended practices throughout early childhood curricula, and design ms of study utilizing adult
learning principles (target 3 IHEs in each of 20 states). These bjectives have been initiated
through the ECPC I with data to demonstrate outcomes
each.
The new ECPC II application builds upon a strong foundation of 4.5 years of work to
Core Function(s):
Training Trainees, Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information, Continuing Education/Community Training
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, Legislators/Policy Makers
