Online Professional Development Opportunities and Key Resources for Early Childhood Education Professionals

Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC)
ECLKC is an online service provided by the Administration of Children and Families Office of Head Start.  This site offers information for professionals on a wide array of topics in English and in Spanish as well as key areas for professional development.
 

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
NAEYC has published a new magazine for preschool teachers and an online library of resources for preschool teachers looking for ideas, strategies, and information that you can access at http://tyc.naeyc.org/ .  They also have an entire section dedicated to supports for teachers that you can access on their main website.
 

National Association of Child Care Professionals (NACCP)
Visit NACCP’s Online Professional Education Center for providers and administrators.  Courses offered through the center are now eligible for college credit!  Visit this website to learn more about how you can turn your CDA National Credential into nine college credits.

Positive Beginnings: CIRCLE Best Practices Kit for Early Childhood Classrooms
CIRCLE, the Center for Improving the Readiness of Children for Learning and Education at The University of Texas Medical School, Houston, has developed Positive Beginnings to help teachers offer planned and purposeful play within an organized, child-friendly classroom environment. Positive Beginnings includes the materials and guidance required to transform any early childhood classroom into an organized, productive learning environment.  The kit is available in English and Spanish

Pre-k Now
Pre-k Now’s website has an entire section dedicated to resources for “educators” that includes a pre-k teacher resource center, a virtual classroom tour, issues affecting community-based pre-k providers, and teacher profiles.

Raising Texas
Raising Texas, an initiative of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission has developed an Early Childhood Standards Crosswalk that can assist professionals in the field with the varying program standards and regulations that comprise child care, Head Start and public pre-k. Visit the “Early Care and Education” section of the website to utilize this helpful tool.

Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TAEYC)
TAEYC works to improve education opportunities for young children by providing professional development services to early childhood practitioners, offering technical assistance to improve quality, and engaging in advocacy to increase public sector investments in quality early childhood education.  Visit this website to learn about upcoming events and publications that can help improve the services that you offer.

Texas Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (TACCRRA)
The Texas Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, made up of seven local agencies serving the state of Texas, is a clearinghouse for professional development and training opportunities and offers extensive training, mentoring, consulting, and modeling services.

Texas Early Care and Education Career Development System (TECECDS)
The goal of the system is to make the career paths and choices within the profession align with statewide recognition and transferable credit for training and coursework. The system includes a process for trainer registration.

Texas Education Agency (TEA): Regional Education Service Centers (ESC’s)
This link will connect you directly to a list of education service centers for every region of the state.  The centers’ focus on technical assistance, training opportunities, and key staff such as the School Readiness Integration Specialist provides a great resource for every early childhood education professional.
 

Texas Licensed Child Care Association (TLCCA)
This statewide membership association provides an array of services and information to licensed child care providers throughout Texas.  Visit this website to learn about relevant professional development opportunities and online training avenues.
 

Texas Professional Home Child Care Association (TPHCCA)
The Texas Professional Home Child Care Association is a dynamic organization dedicated to quality home child care in order to best serve the children, parents, and providers in Texas.  Visit this website to stay up to date on regional workshops and statewide training opportunities.

ZERO TO THREE
ZERO TO THREE provides multidisciplinary professionals working with very young children and their families an extensive collection of resources aimed at supporting the work of professionals in a variety of early childhood settings.  In addition, ZERO TO THREE offers customized trainings on a variety of topics that you can learn more about by visiting their Center for Training Services. Simply click on “Professionals” on the home page to lead you to the wide array of resources and information.

Don’t see a critical resource that you utilize on a regular basis?  Please contact Don Titcombe at dtitcombe@tecec.org to update this page.