Getting Started
Developed in partnership with the Office of Child Care Licensing, the Professional Development Aligned with New Staff Requirements page compares the licensing requirements for new staff with available professional development opportunities.
Key Content Identified by Program Administrators
Whether new to the field or just new to the program, leading a new classroom can be exciting but also overwhelming! Many new teachers are concerned about surviving the daily challenges of safety, care, and learning for a group of young children.
Choosing a path to engage in pre-service education will prepare teachers with the foundational knowledge and skills of child development, pedagogy, and attitudes to be an effective ECE educator. Consider starting with a CDA or other degree programs to gain this pivotal knowledge and experiences.
When choosing continuing professional development, there are several options that cover generalized topics that new teachers would benefit from. Reflect on biggest needs and interests to carefully select a topic and format that will be the most useful in building basic skills and teaching practices.
The Child Development Associate national credential is the most widely recognized credential for early childhood professionals. Delaware supports early childhood educators in obtaining their CDA credential, providing scholarships and sponsoring cohorts for professionals to work through their portfolio together.
Reach out to the Early Childhood Innovation Center for more information and to get started.
Visit our Microlearning page to receive the latest ideas to build basic skills, and routines, and to sign up to receive them via email!
DIEEC offers a variety of Professional Learning Experiences to support classroom educators. All of our Professional Learning Experiences include a training portion as well as a follow-up portion to support you in implementing what you have learned.
The National Center of Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning has developed many helpful tools and resources.
“15-minute In-service Suites” are resources designed for staff in busy, active early childhood programs. They are organized around one topic or big idea and address effective teaching and assessment practices. Current 15-minute In-service Suite topics include:
- Engaging Interactions and Environments
- Ongoing Child Assessment
- Implementing Research-Based Curriculum and Teaching Practices
- Highly Individualized Teaching and Learning
Staying Connected with the Early Childhood Community
REACH
Read about the latest news and updates, professional learning experiences, and a variety of other resources for the Delaware early childhood community.
How else can we help? Please share your ideas, feedback, and input about your needs here. This will help guide the supports and resources that we’re developing.
