Skip to main content

Oregon State Flag An official website of the State of Oregon »

Department of Early Learning and Care

Technical Assistance (TA) Professionals

Some of the roles that offer technical assistance and support include early childhood coaches, mentors, consultants, and trainers. These professionals work directly with early childhood educators and program administrators to provide guidance and support on a range of topics, such as curriculum development, program evaluation, and staff training. They may also provide support in areas such as health and safety, family engagement, and inclusion. By providing this kind of technical assistance and support, these professionals can help to improve the quality of early childhood programs and promote positive outcomes for young children.

Coach/Mentor Coach

Coaching is an important strategy to improve early learning programs by supporting professional development and improving the skills of early educators.

Coaches help early educators improve their professional competencies and connect program goals to improvement plans, which can lead to better results in the classroom.

Coaching is different from other forms of technical assistance, such as training, consulting, and mentoring. Practice-Based Coaching (PBC) is an effective set of practices for coaching in early learning.

Effective coaches use trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices, which can lead to improved practice, increased professionalism, morale, and self-efficacy for early educators.

In partnership with the Early Learning System Initiative (ELSI) at Oregon State University, the Department of Early Learning and Care established Oregon Coaching Competencies for Oregon’s early care and education workforce. We are currently developing tiered coaching certification to better prepare coaches for effective implementation of those competencies. ELSI developed Foundations in Coaching, a free multilingual professional development resource for instructional coaches, based on the Oregon Coaching Competencies.  In addition, Mentor Coaches at ELSI help those coaching in DELC-funded programs through conversations, workshops, study, and reflection.

woman holding arms out towards toddler and puppy  

Trainer

Trainers play an important role in the early childhood education field because they are responsible for providing ongoing professional development and training to early childhood educators. Early childhood educators work with young children during a critical time in their development, and it is essential that they have the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to provide high-quality care and education.

Trainers help early childhood educators stay up-to-date with the latest research, teaching strategies, and best practices in the field. They provide guidance on how to create a safe and supportive learning environment, promote positive behaviors, and meet the diverse needs of young children.

There are five types of certified trainers in Oregon. Each trainer type is based on the trainer’s education and professional development experiences. Trainer type determines the specific Core Knowledge Categories and knowledge standards (Set One, Set Two, Set Three) a trainer may use to develop and deliver training:

The Oregon Center for Career Development (OCCD) administers the Oregon Registry Trainer Program (ORTP) which includes childhood care and education trainers, the training session approval system, and the Sponsoring Organization system. ORTP implements statewide standards and offers certification for certified trainers, training sessions, and Sponsoring Organizations grounded in best practices, current research, community needs, and adult education. Additionally, the ORTP team develops and approves statewide training in collaboration with experts in the field.


Quality Improvement Specialist

Quality Improvement Specialists work alongside child care, preschool, and school-age care and education programs to help them improve the care and education services they provide in their community.

Places to look for job openings

Preschool Promise Quality Specialist Infant Toddler Specialist

More than half of all babies and toddlers in the United States spend some or all of their day being cared for by someone other than their parents (ZERO TO THREE, 2021).

When young children and their families have access to high-quality early learning and care experiences, they thrive! The infant toddler specialist responds to training and technical assistance requests to address the needs and improve the quality of early education programs serving children prenatally to 3 years.

They are available to consult with early learning and care professionals in family- and center-based early learning and care settings, Early Head Start and other early education programs to meet developmentally responsive practice standards and increase the quality and availability of early care and education for infants and toddlers.

Infant Toddler Specialists are available for technical assistance and consultation on broad topics relating to infant and toddler care. They also facilitate networks of providers who come together to participate in peer learning opportunities, high quality trainings, and individualized supports.

To connect with your local Infant Toddler Specialist, reach out to your regional Child Care Resource and Referral agency.

young girl playing hopscotch  

Supervisor/Instructional Leader

Trainers play an important role in the early childhood education field because they are responsible for providing ongoing professional development and training to early childhood educators. Early childhood educators work with young children during a critical time in their development, and it is essential that they have the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to provide high-quality care and education.

As a provider of professional learning, you have (or will have) opportunities to work with many different roles in a program or business. One of those you may work with is the program’s leader or supervisor. In Oregon’s mixed delivery system, this will include Family Child Care owners who are also the primary classroom teacher. In larger Family Child Care programs, or in Center Based programs, you may be working directly with someone who supervises staff in addition to being responsible for the overall programs practices. Many providers of professional supports also work directly with in school districts, supporting principles, educational manager or other school staff. In each of these situation, it is important to remember that communication and collaboration are key. There are resources available to you, as you build relationships and plan with leaders and supervisors.

woman playing with children  

Essential Fellowshipprovides information and tools to support you in working with leaders. Using Essential Fellowship practices, you will be able to work with leaders and supervisors to support what are called Early Education Essentials in their program. Research has shown that these essentials are key to overall program success. Those providing professional learning can help leaders make data-informed decisions about their program, create protected time for staff to collaborate together, and build family voice and engagement. (link to other Essential Fellowship page)

Part of working with supervisors and/or leaders is getting to know their program structure and goals for their programs. Some of this work may include connecting supervisors and leaders with Spark, Oregon’s Quality Recognition and Improvement System. Through Spark, programs can access classroom observations, which can help to inform program goals. Professional learning providers can also access additional resources at The Research Institute (TRI) and the Early Learning System Initiative (ELSI). For example, a template of Coaching or Consultation Agreements that can be shared with programs. These agreements can help guide conversations and plan ahead for how technical assistance will be implemented in programs.

Observation and Assessment Professional

An observation or assessment specialist is someone who visits child care, preschool, and/or school-age care and education settings to watch and take notes about what is happening.

What they focus on will depend on the observation or assessment tool they are using. After the observation, they review their notes, finalize scores, and often write a report summarizing what they learned during their visit. The information is shared with the program and can be used to guide their improvement efforts.

How Spark participating programs can request an observation/assessment

Visit the websites to learn more about different evaluation tools

Environment Rating Scales Institute (ERSI)
Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)
The National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations

Places to look for job openings

The Research Institute, Western Oregon University
Early Learning System Initiative, Oregon State University

Adult Learning Principles

Understanding adult learning principles is crucial for trainers because it helps them design and deliver effective training programs that engage and motivate adult learners. Adult learners have different needs and characteristics compared to child learners, and trainers need to be aware of these differences to create a positive learning environment and maximize learning outcomes.

Some of the key principles of adult learning include:

Adult Learning Principles

Support Areas

Support and resources for early childhood educators, leaders, children, and families.

Infants and Toddlers

“There is no such thing as a baby. There is a baby and someone.” -- Donald Woods Winnicott

The Department of Early Learning and Care is committed to supporting infants and toddlers and those who care for them. More than half of all babies and toddlers in the United States spend some or all of their day being cared for by someone other than their primary caregiver (ZERO TO THREE, 2021). The Department of Early Learning and Care has a specific set of supports available for those caring for infants and toddlers, or interested in caring for infants and toddlers and their families. There are also a variety of programs available to families with infants and/or toddlers. Please see below for links to the supports and programs available.

Resources>

TA Quality Improvement Recognition System (Spark)