Our Vision

Comprehensive early care and educational services need to be available and accessible to all children and their families. These services need to be culturally appropriate and be designed to accomplish the following:

The Teaching Research Early Childhood and Training Department engages in development and dissemination activities designed to assist child care agencies, Head Start Programs, early intervention providers, special education providers and related agencies. We strive to create better access to quality services and positive results for children and families at national, regional, state and local levels.

Our Values

We promote practices that have a positive impact for young children and families. 

Our Department is dedicated to the development and dissemination of practices that enhance quality of life, maintain human dignity and are responsive to children and families goals.  To accomplish this we: 

• obtain input from families at all levels of design and development of our projects.

• promote models of service that are family centered and family guided. 

• promote models of service that are responsive to the developmental needs of children and address the whole child including the social/cultural context in which children live.

• promote models of service that emphasize the inclusion of children with disabilities in their natural least restrictive environment.

• affirm diversity in all aspects of our work.

• promote models of service that teach young children in their native language while providing instruction in English.

We use current and reliable research and literature to guide our activities.

Our Department is dedicated to the dissemination of practices that are empirically validated. We seek to:

• promote practices that are historically and currently supported in the literature.

• utilize all available empirically valid documentation in determining practices to be disseminated.

• promote practices that have been used effectively in our own demonstration efforts.

• promote practices supported by professional organizations within the respective field.

We use proven professional development practices and strategies in all dissemination and training activities.

Our Department is dedicated to utilizing proven practices and strategies in order to provide high quality professional development opportunities.  To accomplish this we:

• provide training that goes beyond the acquisition of knowledge to the development of skills and change in values.

• design training activities that are responsive to adult learner characteristics and  differing cultural backgrounds.

• utilize the systematic approach to the development of training that is documented in the Teaching Research Inservice Model.

• provide training in the native language of the participants.

We work together as a team utilizing each staff person’s expertise in process and content.

Our Department functions on a team model, which capitalizes on each staff member’s strengths and interests.  To accomplish this we:

• meet regularly both formally and informally to discuss common issues, problem solve, report progress and provide professional support to one another.

• support individual staff members to develop expertise within professional areas of interest common to the fields of early childhood and training.

• use a consensus approach for making significant decisions effecting department projects.

• function in various roles across multiple projects determined by staff member’s interests, expertise, and/or project needs.

We strive to influence policy and practice in Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education.

Our department is dedicated to sharing knowledge, project findings and resources to influence policy and practice in the field.  To accomplish this we:

• serve on national, regional and local groups.

• are members of professional organizations.

• publish in professional journals.

• present at state and national conferences.