Early childhood education program directors and their staffs in four New England states now have a significant new resource in the form of training and technical assistance service centers. Established and managed by EDC and staffed by childhood education experts, these new centers serve hundreds of Head Start and Early Head Start staff in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
The centers also make services—which were developed in close collaboration with early childhood education state and federal leaders—available to the greater early childhood community.
The services include delivering training programs for directors, teachers, and family services and health staff on such topics as adopting research-based classroom practices and curriculum, and supporting implementation of state standards.
EDC will also work with programs and states to assess needs, analyze available data on early childhood education, and address national and state priorities.
“State programs are at a critical juncture as they are shaping their priorities,” says EDC’s Joanne Brady, who directs EDC’s Learning and Teaching Division. “With the training and technical assistance centers, we can support the development of local Head Start programs and early childhood staff.”
The new centers build on decades of work by EDC to help Head Start programs enhance their services to ensure children’s school readiness. They are funded for five years by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Head Start, for a total of $10.8 million.
In 2008, Head Start and Early Head Start served nearly 1 million children.
Originally published on January 29, 2010
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