"The essence of quality in early childhood services is embodied in the expertise and skills of the staff and in their capacity to build positive relationships with young children...The important influence of positive relationships in shaping the architecture of the developing brain indicates that all of society would benefit from better trained personnel in early child care settings."

  - Center on the Developing Child (Harvard University),
    "The Science of Early Childhood Development"

Teachers and family child care providers are the cornerstone of quality early education and care programs. With well-trained staff, programs are better equipped to give children a safe, stable environment, address children's needs, and foster growth while partnering with families to support children's optimal development. Early educators who have access to additional educational and professional opportunities are more likely to incorporate new research findings into their work and to achieve career satisfaction.

In reality, many early educators have inadequate resources, opportunities, and professional support. Infant, toddler, and out-of-school-time teachers, as well as family care providers, often lack access to professional development opportunities that are appropriate for their needs.

Through the Collaborative, providers and educators can find information about classes, trainings, and on-site consultation, which are built on a strengths-based approach. Professional development opportunities will expand participants' current knowledge of research on key issues in the field, such as learning environments, curriculum, schedules, teacher-child interactions, family engagement, and reflective practice. Participants are engaged  in meaningful reflection and collaboration, which strengthen skills, further career goals, and promote positive outcomes for children.

Trainings

The Collaborative's Early Childhood Educator Trainings are a resource for educators of every age group in every setting who are seeking opportunities to connect with and learn from other practitioners, while expanding awareness of issues and refining professional capabilities. Trainings cover a wide range of topics, including recent sessions on strategies for engaging and communicating with parents, creating optimal learning environments, dealing with challenging behavior, and building reflective practice into work with children.

Each of our training sessions is taught by a member of our staff and addresses one or more of the Massachusetts Core Competencies. Conveniently offered during evening hours, our trainings take place in a variety of locations around the four-county region.

Visit our training page for a list of current trainings and registration information.