Training & Technical Assistance

Beginning Together was created in collaboration with the California Department of Education, Early Learning and Care Division (ELCD) and WestEd, Center for Child and Family Studies as an inclusion support to the Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers (PITC).

The purpose of Beginning Together is to ensure that children with special needs are incorporated, and appropriate inclusive practices are promoted, in the training and technical assistance provided by the existing cadre of CDE/WestEd certified trainers in the PITC. This is accomplished through a "training of trainers" institute, regional outreach activities, revision/development of written materials, support to institute graduates, and support of inclusive practices in other PITC activities, such as the demonstration programs.

• Become an Inclusion Facilitator: Training-of-Trainers Opportunity Available Dec 9-12, 2019 (PDF) Jul 2019 Beginning Together will hold its second Preschool Inclusion Facilitator training. This institute, to be held in San Diego, California, is for those who train preschool program staff (teachers, assistants) on the benefits and basics of inclusive practice.

Formatted to print on legal size paper. Check your printer settings Have you ever wondered about the differences between the various California Department of Education projects that provide training or technical assistance to early care and education programs? This document/table provides a side by side comparison of Beginning Together, CA CSEFEL Teaching Pyramid, CIBC California Inclusion and Behavior Consultation Network, CPIN-California Preschool Instructional Network, PITC-Program for Infant/Toddler Care, SEEDS-Supporting Early Education Delivery Systems.

California Early Childhood Education Mentor Program is the largest mentoring program for child care professionals in the US. This program has provided advanced training for experienced child care workers who wish to become mentors to new practitioners.

The California Inclusion and Behavior Consultation (CIBC) Network is a project of the California Department of Education, Early Learning and Care Division (ELCD), coordinated by the WestEd Center for Prevention & Early Intervention. The CIBC Network offers on-site consultation and technical assistance to early care and education providers seeking to support the learning and development of children ages birth to 5 with disabilities and other special needs and those with challenging behaviors in early care and education settings.

A statewide network of Inclusion and Behavior Consultants is available to local providers to build their capacity to:

• Respond effectively to a child's unique needs in group care and classrooms
• Implement strength-based teaching strategies
• Develop individualized strategies and/or accommodations to enhance a child's learning environment and support
• Effectively utilize community resources
• Download the CIBC Brochure for more information (PDF)
• Download the CIBC Fact Sheet (PDF)

California Preschool Instructional Networks (CPIN) provides professional development and technical assistance to preschool teachers and administrators to ensure that preschool children are ready for school. The CPIN is organized utilizing the 11 regions designated by the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA). There is a Regional Lead, a Special Education Lead, and an English Learner Lead stationed in each of the eleven regions throughout the state of California.

• Calendar of Events Look here for trainings on inclusion topics including Inclusion Works! and English Learners with Disabilities and Other Special Needs

CalSAC helps build an out-of-school time workforce (such as before school, afterschool and summer learning) that is filled with strong mentors and highly skilled practitioners who reflect the communities they serve. They provide opportunities for training, leadership and advocacy.

• CalSAC Out-of-School time elearning Catalog (PDF) May 2018

Promoting Health Literacy with Free Info & Cool Tools from Your National Library of Medicine, a series of three brief training videos, is now ready for your use. The videos were developed by Sandra Smith, PhD, at the Center for Health Literacy Promotion in collaboration with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Pacific Northwest Region. They were funded by NIH through a contract with University of Washington. This three-part video training series is designed for social and health services providers and programs with limited time and money for training and materials. The brief videos (8-10 minutes) are intended for independent or small group learning and for use in staff meetings, trainings and other scheduled activities. Session I provides a tutorial on how to use MedlinePlus that is available in English or Spanish.

WestEd’s Center for Prevention and Early Intervention in Sacramento, provides statewide high quality training, technical assistance and resource development, dissemination, and support to state agencies and community programs that administer or provide prevention and early intervention services. The state agencies have included the California Departments of Education, Developmental Services, Health Services, Social Services, Mental Health, and Alcohol and Drug Programs.

The Center for Prevention and Early Intervention is recognized as California's premier source of training, technical assistance and resource development and provision supporting early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and at-risk conditions and their families.

• Additional Resources from CPEI
  • California Early Intervention Technical Assistance Network CEITAN-California Early Start CEITAN is the "home base" for the Early Start Comprehensive System of Personnel Development, a collaborative effort sponsored by the California Department of Developmental Services, planned in collaboration with the California Department of Education, and administered by the WestEd Center for Prevention and Early Intervention. Through multi-modal training and technical assistance, the Early Start Comprehensive System of Personnel Development delivers the knowledge and skills that ensure that early intervention professionals are qualified and that services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families are provided statewide in a coordinated and family-centered system.
  • Early Start Institute
    Early Start Online is part of a new, multi-modal delivery model that complements the EARLY START INSTITUTES. At the heart of both delivery models is the comprehensive, evidence-based content that the field has come to expect from Early Start personnel development. It provides the core curriculum and learning outcomes for both online and face-to-face training.
    • Registration
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  • Early Start Neighborhood
    This environment provides a virtual community for Early Start professionals and partners seeking training, technical assistance and resources on early intervention Part C requirements, implementation, and evidence-based practices.
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  • Early Start Online Modules: "Early Start, Early Childhood Special Education and California's Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System (TQRIS)"
    Provides a self-paced, interactive learning resource to acquire knowledge about key players and components in California's TQRIS, system intersections across Part C, Part B 619 and TQRIS activities and the relationships between high quality early learning programs and natural/least restrictive environments.

The Center on Response to Intervention at the American Institutes of Research (AIR) continues the work of the National Center on Response to Intervention (NCRTI), which AIR ran from 2007-2012 with a grant from the Office of Special Education Programs. When the Center’s federal funding ended in 2012, AIR took over upkeep and maintenance of the Center’s website and products and continues to provide support for states, districts, and schools implementing RTI. A graphic is used to help navigate through and learn about the Essential Components of RTI including screening, progress monitoring, multi-level prevention system and data-based decision-making.

• RTI Implementer Series The RTI Implementer Series is intended to provide foundational knowledge about the essential components of RTI and to build an understanding about the importance of RTI implementation.

Child Development Training Consortium provides services, training, technical assistance and resources to students and professionals working with and for children. They collaborate with a consortium of 96 community colleges to offer appropriate coursework and to provide a Schedule of Non-traditional Classes and Trainings and technical assistance and training to CARES participants.

• California's Early Care and Education Training Portal
  Assists you to locate:
  • Professional development programs funded by California Department of Education, Early Learning and Care Division (ELCD)
  • Some ECE and child development public college online coursework
  • Health and safety trainings

Communication Technology Education Center (CTEC), developed and managed by the Supported Life Institute, provides services in Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC), which is the use of personalized methods or devices to increase a person's ability to communicate. They offer direct services to infant and adults with complex communication needs and training and consultation to school staff for preschool to grade 12 students in Sacramento, Yolo, Alpine, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sierra, Sutter and Yuba Counties.

CompSAT is a competencies-based, self-assessment toolkit. One of the hallmarks of a profession is standards for best practice. In California, early childhood educators have established a comprehensive set of expectations for our profession, set forth in the California Department of Education Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Competencies. CompSAT is the companion to the CA ECE Competencies. CompSAT guides early educators through a process of self-reflection and authentic assessment in the 12 competency areas detailed in the ECE Competencies.

• Videos on the ECE Competencies
  One of the hallmarks of a profession is standards for best practice. In California, early childhood educators have established a comprehensive set of expectations for our profession, set forth in the California Department of Education Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Competencies. The California Department of Education's Early Learning and Care Division (ELCD) produced videos to describe each of the 12 competencies detailed in the ECE Competencies. The videos are also on the CompSAT website that provides competencies-based, self-assessment toolkit.

CONNECT Online Courses From Frank Porter Graham at the University of North Carolina the Connect Modules provide training on practices to solve dilemmas in early childhood settings with videos, activities and narratives to guide you through a process to learn about serving children with disabilities effectively.

• CONNECT Training Modules with videos, PowerPoints and activities
• Online Courses on Inclusion for CEUs "Foundations of Inclusion" module is free all other course are priced at $30 per participant."

Desired Results Access Project assists the California Department of Education, Special Education Division (SED), in implementing the DRDP Assessment System to measure the progress of California's preschool-age children with IEPs. The Desired Results access Project web site offers information and resources to assist special educators, administrators, and families in participating in the Desired Results assessment system. You can view and download the two Desired Results assessment tools used with preschool-age children with IEPs: the PS DRDP-R (including instructions for use with children with IEPs) and the DRDP access.

• Desired Results Access Video Initiative Library (Video)
  Desired Results Access Project Video Library supports early childhood practitioners' use of video in their work. The videos on this page were produced in collaboration with our partners in this initiative, including staff from the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Sacramento County Office of Education, the Santa Clara Office of Education, and the Riverside County Office of Education. Check back from time to time as new clips are added periodically. Here is a recent addition:
  • Using Video to Support a Bilingual Preschooler and His Family
  • Child Outcomes Step by Step
    The Desired Results Access Project established a Digital Video Initiative to support early childhood providers' use of video in their work. Many of the videos illustrate the ways that teachers have been using digital video to enhance their practices and achieve better outcomes for young children and their families.

ECTA is comprised of several recent OSEP-funded TA centers (NECTAC, CELL and TACSEI and ECO within the next two years). The purpose of ECTA is to improve state early intervention and early childhood special education service systems, increase the implementation of effective practices, and enhance the outcomes of these programs for young children and their families.

• National Early Childhood Inclusion Indicators Initiative May 2019 The initiative is co-led by the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center and the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI) and includes partners from across the early care and education system. ECTA Center is leading the development of the state and local program leadership indicators and the NCPMI is leading the development of the classroom indicators. Santa Clara County Office of Education is one of the stakeholders.
• Your Child’s Move from Preschool Special Education to Kindergarten (PDF)
• Local District Preschool Inclusion Self-Assessment (PDF) Feb 2018

• Additional Resources from Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
  • State Early Childhood Inclusion Self-Assessment (PDF) July 2017
  • Pennsylvania Preschool Inclusion Self-Evaluation Tool
  • ECTA Center for Families to help families understand their right under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), connect with other families and find high quality resources related to caring for infants, toddlers and young children with disabilities.
  • Recursos en Español (Resources in Spanish)
  • Inclusion in Least Restrictive Environments Designed for the administrators of state agencies responsible for services to young children and their families, including child care, Head Start, education, and early intervention. It has compiled information for administrators who are challenged with developing policies and programs that lead to inclusive comprehensive and coordinated services for all young children, ages birth to 8 years, and their families.
    • Preschool Inclusion Finance Toolkit 2017 (PDF)
      An update of ECTA Center's resource that addresses updated guidance in the Dear Colleague Letter on Preschool Least Restrictive Environments published earlier this year. Worksheets included in this toolkit:
      • Early Childhood Programs Comparison Worksheet (DOC)
      • Determining Costs Inclusive Worksheet (DOC)
  • Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (Part C of IDEA) Provides a listing by state of the websites of the organizations responsible for early intervention for babies with developmental disabilities
  • Developing High Quality Functional IFSP and IEP Goals –Training Package This training package has been developed collaboratively with staff from the ECTA Center and WRRC in response to the need expressed from state and local providers to have specific information and resources about developing Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) outcomes and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals. First introduced in September 2012, this revised training package includes: an introductory video; a set of six fully scripted PowerPoint presentations; handouts, activities and supplemental materials; and how states have used and adapted the materials.
  • Inclusion in Least Restrictive Environments
  • Position Statements on Inclusion from National Organizations
  • Research and Studies on Inclusion
    • Fact Sheets of Research on Preschool Inclusion (2014) (PDF)
    • Inclusion of Preschool children with disabilities : What we Know and Should be Doing (PDF)
  • Personnel Development for Inclusion
  • Recommended Practices
    The OSEP funded Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) has launched a campaign to bring widespread awareness about the DEC Recommended Practices (RPs). The latest ECTA resources to support implementation of the RPs include Performance Checklists for practitioners as well as Practice Guides for Practitioners and Practice Guides for Families. These resources were highlighted on a recent national webinar which was recorded and can be accessed in aRPy's Corner of the ECTA web site.
  • ECTA Webinar Series: Upcoming and Archived:
    • National Inclusion Webinar February 2016: Preschool Inclusion: What's the Evidence, What Gets in the Way, and What do High-Quality Programs Look Like?
    • Early Childhood Training Modules from the IRIS Center March - April 2016
      • Session 1: Dual Language Learners with Disabilities: Supporting Young Children in the Classroom
      • Session 2: Early Childhood Environments: Designing Effective Classrooms Module & Website Tour

These learning modules are highlights of higher education courses from the Early EduAlliance. EarlyEdU follows an innovative competency- and practice-based framework. If you are familiar with the Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center (ECLKC) 15-minute in-service suites, this approach will be familiar to you. These learning modules go a bit deeper than the in-service suites and combine theory and the latest early childhood education research with students’ field-based learning. Four Modules from Early EduAlliance:

• Mindfulness: A Resilience Practice
• Emotional Literacy
• Building Skills in Two Languages
• Using Interactive Media in Early Learning

In this collection of archived webinars, you’ll find recordings on topics such as 1) Building a Dynamic Brain: The Influences of Music, Movement, and Nutrition, 2) Reflective Curriculum Planning for Infants and Toddlers, 3) The Impact of Trauma and Toxic Stress on Infant and Toddler Development, or 4) Supporting Babies with Disabilities and many other topics.

Early Head Start National Resource Center (EHS NRC) webinars are presented online using PowerPoint and feature topics of interest to EHS and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start staff serving infants, toddlers, and families, including expectant families. Faculty include experts and program staff familiar with the practical application of the content. Archived webinars can be viewed alone or in groups as part of professional development experiences.

This environment provides a virtual community for Early Start professionals and partners seeking training, technical assistance and resources on early intervention Part C requirements, implementation, and evidence-based practices.

• Guidelines for Evidence-Based Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment and Screening for Early Start in California In order to support Early Start service coordinators and service providers in assessing social and emotional development, the California Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) developed the Guidelines for Evidence-Based Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment and Screening for Early Start in California. The Guidelines are based on federal and state statutes, as well as a review of evidence-based literature and published best practice guidelines, with input from Early Start stakeholders. 

The Embedded Instruction grant connects the DRDP (2015; California Department of Education 2016) assessment to curriculum and instructional practices to strengthen the relationship between assessment and instruction and provide planned and intentional instruction for children with disabilities during everyday activities. Local educational agencies (LEAs) within California will work with experts and researchers in the area of embedded instruction to pilot these techniques and practices in their early childhood programs.

The purpose of the CDE/ECE Faculty Initiative Project is to align and integrate essential content and competencies of key CDE/ELCD materials and initiatives with core early childhood education curriculum of the California Community College (CCC) and the California State University (CSU) systems. Faculty will have information and resources to integrate content of the CDE initiatives and publications into unit-bearing coursework required for the attainment of college certificates, permits granted by the Commission for Teacher Credentialing (CTC), and campus graduation requirements.

• Instructional Guides for CDE Publications
• Links to CDE Publications

The Professional Development Center at FPG (PDC@FPG) provides people and organizations with opportunities to expand capacity, knowledge, and skills in areas related to child development and learning. PDC offerings are based on evidence-based content and strategies for supporting adult learners. Professional development options include: Institutes and Intensive Workshops, Online Learning, Technical Assistance Services, and Study Visits.

• Additional Resources from Frank Porter Graham
  Healthy Mind, Healthy Body

  • Resources Within Reason Compiled by Camille Catlett and Erin E. Barton, this one page resource gives you easy access to the definition of inclusion, benefits of inclusion, research findings and access to essential examples of inclusion.
  • Mindfulness Helps Adults Overcome Childhood Adversity With significant implications for early childhood education, new research reveals that a mindful disposition is associated with alleviating lasting physical and emotional effects of childhood adversity. A team of scientists from Temple University, UNC's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG), Child Trends, and the Rockefeller University conducted the groundbreaking study—the first to examine relationships between childhood adversity, mindfulness, and adult health.
  • Teachers Play a Key Role in Program to Fight Childhood Obesity An innovative physical activities guide developed at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) is helping North Carolina fight childhood obesity. New research shows that when teachers direct these physical activities, young children become more active and less sedentary. A sample of activities from the Be Active Kids Guide to Early Childhood Physical Activity is available for download.

  Inclusive Practice

  • Baby Talk Added: February 2017 Resources to Support the People Who Work with Infants and Toddlers is a free newsletter by Camille Catlett, distributed monthly. Each issue features resources that are high quality and readily available at no cost.
    • The January 2017 issue
  • Resources Within Reason Added: February 2017 Compiled by Camille Catlett and Erin E. Barton, this one page resource gives you easy access to the definition of inclusion, benefits of inclusion, research findings and access to essential examples of inclusion.
  • National Center on Early childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning (ECDTL) Webinar Series on High Quality Inclusion
    • Webinar #1 Partnerships for Inclusion
    • Webinar #2 Supporting Participation for All Children: Essential Features of High-quality Inclusion
    • Webinar #3 Partnerships for Inclusion: Supports that Ensure High-Quality Inclusion

  Training & Technical Assistance

  • More Than Baby Talk 10 Ways to Promote The Language and Communication Skills of Infants and Toddlers This brief guide describes ten practices that early childhood teachers can use to foster language and communication skills among infants and toddlers. The guidelines are based upon the latest research findings on optimal adult-child interactions for promoting strong language and communication skills among young children.
  • AFIRM Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Training Modules-How to use Visual Supports
    AFIRM Modules are designed to help you learn the step-by-step process of planning for, using, and monitoring an evidence-based-practices with learners with autism spectrum disorder from birth to 22 years of age. Supplemental materials and handouts are available for download.
  • Online Courses on Inclusion for CEUs
    "Foundations of Inclusion" module is free all other course are priced at $30 per participant.
  • Dual Language Learners: Strategies for Successful Opportunities in ECE- 2016 Free Training Module
    This free module provides an overview of the cognitive, social-emotional, and language development of dual language learners (DLLs) as well as examples of how early childhood professionals can support children. Through the content, videos, and reflection assignments, professionals will begin to identify ways to support DLLs in their own care settings.

Santa Clara County Office of Education Inclusion Collaborative leads the effort to provide every Santa Clara County Child with a quality learning environment. Its focus is the successful inclusion of children with special needs in child care, preschool programs and the community through education, advocacy and awareness. The Inclusion Collaborative offers training and technical assistance on inclusion, and an inclusion support Warm Line that responds to questions by telephone (408) 453-6651 or by email inclusionsupport@sccoe.org.

The Inclusion Collaborative also leads:

• The Annual California Inclusion Conference is a three-day conference on inclusion that addresses the care and education of children from birth to 12th grade. Many of the sessions are live streamed and recorded.
  • 2017 Inclusion Conference Recorded Sessions (Videos)
  • 2016 Inclusion Conference Recorded Sessions (Videos)
• California Equity Performance and Improvement Program (CEPIP) goal is to support and build capacity within COEs, LEAs, and schools to promote equity for disadvantaged student populations in California schools. The Inclusion Collaborative Department at the Santa Clara County Office of Education created the “California One: Highway to Success for All” project for students with disabilities, English Learners, and African American students. The grant will increase the knowledge and skills of administrators, teachers, and school staff so that they can incorporate equity and inclusion at their school sites. Technical assistance and coaching will be offered to schools in Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara counties. Check back soon for more information.

The Infant Development Association of California (IDA) is a multidisciplinary organization of parents and professionals committed to optimal developmental and positive social and emotional outcomes for infants, birth to three, with a broad range of special needs and their families. IDA advocates improved, effective prevention and early intervention services while providing information, education, and training to parents, professionals, decision makers, and others.

• Additional Resources from IDA
  • Public Policy The public policy committee keeps the organization informed about and involved in the public policies and analyzes pressing policy issues related to laws and regulations, communicates key findings and program performance results, and makes recommendations to the organization for appropriate actions in the form of strategies to ensure quality outcomes.
  • Webinars on the social and emotional development of young children

  Training & Technical Assistance

  • IDA/MAP Webinar Series
    "Ideas Worthy of Replication," hosted by the Interdisciplinary Collaborations for Quality Committee of the Infant Development Association and co-sponsored by the Infant Development Association and the MAP to Inclusion and Belonging Project of WestEd Center for Child and Family Studies. The goals of this webinar series are to bring attention to quality trainings and programs rooted in the concepts and knowledge areas of the California Competencies documents including:
    • The Early Childhood Educator Competencies
    • The Revised Guidelines for Infant Family and Early Childhood Mental Health
    • Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) Recommended Early Start Personnel Manual
  • IDA/MAP Webinar Series Recordings
    This series will inspire others to develop similar programs or training to make them more accessible to others throughout the state. Each recording last just under an hour.
    • Caring for Parents: Elements and Models of Support Recorded: 04/07/2014
    • Mindful Leadership: Leading with You in Mind Recorded: 11/13/2014
    • Talking to Parents When Conerns Arise Recorded: 05/19/2015
    • Supporting Young Children's Behavior: The Hourglass Model Recorded: 10/13/2015
    • Tips for Supporting and Communicating with the Nonverbal Child Recorded: 5/26/2016

KIT stands for Kids Included Together, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was founded in San Diego, California in 1997. The mission of Kids Included Together is to support recreational, child development, and youth development programs that include children with and without disabilities. KIT's goals are to enrich the lives of all who participate and to increase understanding and acceptance of disabilities as a natural part of life. We invite you to explore our site and learn more about our work in San Diego County and across the nation.

• Summer Camp Means Fun for All: How to Create a More Inclusive Camp May 20, 2022 Kids Included Together (KIT) says, “Pinpointing exactly what it means and looks like to be inclusive can be tough because creating a sense of belonging for each child will differ from person to person and camp to camp. But, that’s really what it is – creating a sense of belonging for each camper.” “So, where do you start and how do you know if you’ve gotten there? Well, providing a meaningful experience for every camper may look varied, but it will be rooted in a few universal principles.” This article provides helpful considerations to add to KIT’s inclusion checklist.

• Additional Resources from KIT
  • KIT: Top 5 Trends in Disability Inclusion 2018 Sept 2018 Kids Included Together (KIT) is leading the field in disability inclusion and behavior support through work with over 450 organizations in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Using research, media, and recent KIT data from 625 training sessions, 100 online courses, 325 onsite visits, and 1,752 support center calls, we have identified the top 5 trends in childhood disability inclusion. In 2018, we can exploit these trends to help increase meaningful inclusion of children with disabilities in schools and communities.
  • Inclusion Resources: Videos, Tip Sheets, Checklists, Guidebooks and Websites Sept 2018
  • Who We Are-Our Work: Publications Sept 2018
  • What is Inclusion? (PDF) Sept 2018

The Early Intervention team’s four-part webinar series for 2019 will focus on supporting young children with autism and their families. This webinar series will take us through important steps in the lives of families of children with autism and related disorders. These free webinars are easy to join and offer continuing education credits for early intervention and Board Certified Behavior Analysts. A brief overview of each session can be found in this Early Intervention blog post.

The National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI) is working with states to ensure that early childhood teachers are prepared to educate and care for young children with disabilities in settings with their typically developing peers.

• Additional Resources from NPDCI
  • Early Childhood Inclusion Two major early childhood organizations, DEC and NAEYC, created a joint definition and position statement on early childhood inclusion through a process facilitated by the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI). Return here often to discover new resources and examples for using these resources to improve early childhood services.
  • Foundations of Transition Video Today, most families of young children use and move between different types of early childhood services -- like Head Start, private child care, public preschool, or kindergarten. Moving between and among these various programs is often referred to as ’transition’.” This 8-minute video provides an overview of the desirable outcomes of transition, research identifying effective transition practices, as well as the legal requirements of early childhood transition (running time: 8 min. 19 sec.)
  • Speaking of Inclusion (Blog) Inclusion insights, stories and resources for professional development providers as well as practitioners, policy makers and parents. An informative blog brought to you by the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion. Your comments are invited.
  • Response to Intervention in Early Childhood (RTI-EC) The NPCDI facilitated a process with The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC), the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and the National Head Start Association (NHSA) to create a reliable source of information on the emerging practice of Response to Intervention in Early Childhood.
  • Quality Inclusive Practices: Resources and Landing Pads Provides brief descriptions and supporting references for evidence-based and promising practices that support early childhood inclusion.
  • Building Inclusive Child Care Universal Design for Learning rom North Hampton Community College

The Office of Child Care supports low-income working families through child care financial assistance and promotes children's learning by improving the quality of early care and education and afterschool programs.

• Infant/Toddler Resource Guide This Resource Guide offers a host of materials to support the development and implementation of policies and practices for high-quality care for infants and toddlers. Whether you are a CCDF Administrator developing policies, a child care provider seeking information and guidance, or a professional development provider seeking innovative training materials, this site is for you. Development of this guide is new and actively growing, so check in frequently to see what resources have been added to support your work with infants, toddlers, and their families.
  • Program for Infant Toddler Care (PITC) Six Essential Program Practices This series helps promote essential program practices to ensure quality within family child care and center-based programs that serve infants and toddlers. It addresses the following topics:
    1. Continuity of care
    2. Culturally sensitive care
    3. Inclusion
    4. Individualized care
    5. Primary care
    6. Small groups
• QRIS Cost Estimation Model and Resource Guide
• Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN) Through the Office of Child Care's Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN) and federal leadership, the OCC provides training and technical assistance to states, territories, tribes and local communities. This involves assessing Child Care and Development Fund grantees' needs, identifying innovations in child care administration, and promoting the dissemination and replication of solutions to the challenges that grantees and local child care programs face. Our technical assistance helps states, territories, tribes and local communities build integrated child care systems that enable parents to work and promote the health and development of children.

As part of the Center for Human Services at UC Davis Extension, the Resource Center for Family-Focused Practice serves the multidisciplinary human services needs of organizations with an emphasis on family-centered practice. In partnership with the California Department of Social Services, the Resource Center provides research, custom and standardized training, technical support, symposia and support services with the goal of integrating practice approaches to improve outcomes for children and families.

These videos, produced by the Colorado Department of Education and Larry Edleman, help providers better understand ways to use observation, documentation, and assessment to inform practice. You can watch the clips online or download QuickTime versions of the videos for use in educational and professional development activities.

• Child Outcomes Step by Step (Video)
• iPads in Early Childhood Videos
• The Sunshine Bus Preschool (Video) (Length: 09:23) This video is a sequel to "Gus The Bus - Preschool on Wheels," illustrating how a host of community partners produced a second Preschool on Wheels to serve families who live in isolated areas. The focus of this story is on family engagement, described by a number of families who participate in the program.
• Practice Here and There Practice Here and There section of the library which features videos submitted by programs and preschools.

The mission of the Supported Life Institute is to offer educational and training opportunities to assist individuals and organizations in the work of improving the quality of life for people with disabilities. The Supported Life Conference has been held annually since 1987 and has grown to be the best-attended conference in the field of developmental disabilities on the West Coast, with 1250 to 1500 professionals, teachers, people with disabilities and family members sharing information, learning, and gaining encouragement from our focus on state-of-the-art efforts to create fully inclusive communities.

We are funded by the California Department of Education, Special Education Division, through Riverside County Office of Education and El Dorado County and Charter SELPA. We also partner with various university and technology partners to provide the best in research and technological support to our grantees. SIP’s purpose is to provide support and technical assistance to local education agencies (LEAs) to increase the amount of time that students with disabilities are included in general education settings, especially in preschool. For 2018-19, SIP has 8 grantees who are designated as ‘Exemplar’ and 28 grantees who are committed to moving towards a model of inclusion. The Exemplar grantees are assigned a group of up to 3 other grantees to mentor and guide on the path to inclusion. For a complete description of the SIP see the Edge Newsletter Spring 2018 (PDF).

The Teaching Pyramid approach provides a systematic framework that promotes social and emotional development, provides support for children's appropriate behavior, prevents challenging behavior, and addresses problematic behavior. The WestEd Center for Child and Family Studies offers comprehensive professional development packages for infant/toddler, preschool, and early elementary educators. WestEd's Teaching Pyramid is based on evidence-based practice originally developed by the Center on the Social Emotional Foundations in Early Learning (CSEFEL), authorized by California Department of Education (CDE), and aligned with California's Early Learning and Development System.