The Center for Early Childhood Professionals

As an Early Childhood Professional Development (ECPD) contractor, The Center for Early Childhood Professionals (formerly known as Center for Universal Pre-K) provides intensive professional development in support of comprehensive, developmentally-appropriate, standards--based, birth-to-grade-one interdisciplinary instruction. Our services are offered to teachers, social workers, early childhood consultants, educational assistants, parent coordinators, teacher leaders, coaches, and school and regional administrators. Services are designed to increase the knowledge and ability of the school community to more frequently implement effective research-based language and literacy strategies that support children's emergent literacy, numeracy, and school readiness. Ultimately, our aim is to improve the entire school community's capacity to continue providing high-quality professional development. Strategies for working with children who have disabilities, social-emotional challenges, or who are English language learners.

Note: For best results, we highly recommend that services be obtained as a complete package.

ECPD services include:

Needs Assessment, Pre-planning, and Progress Meetings
Using a variety of methodologies, including surveys and focus groups, Center for ECP staff compile and analyze the professional needs of the school community. Collected data is used to jointly create a professional development plan and determine content for seminars, study groups, and in-class mentoring support.
Teaching Staff Seminars
During seminars, teachers learn to tailor existing instructional materials and strategies, and to create new ones, in order to meet the learning needs of individual children. Seminars provide the focus for other professional development activities, especially in-class mentoring support.
Administrative Staff Seminars (Training of Trainers -- TOT)
TOT seminars offer Principals, Early Childhood Directors and Coordinators, teacher leaders, and learning coaches hands--on instruction designed to provide a standards--based lens for conducting classroom observations and feedback, and developing program improvement plans. Training will include strategies for observation of adult-child interactions and developmentally-appropriate practice in classrooms. Additionally, they will learn to administer tools such as the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale and the Program Administration Scale.
Study Groups
Study group sessions for teachers and assistant teachers focus on connecting the knowledge gained in seminars to classroom practice. To support mentoring and supervisory work, study group sessions are also available for Early Childhood Coordinators, teacher leaders, and learning coaches.
In-class Mentoring Support and Coaching for Teachers
Monthly in-class mentoring allows teachers to receive one-on-one assistance in addressing children's differing developmental levels, interests, languages, temperaments, cultural backgrounds, and learning styles--and thus learn how to emphasize each child's strengths. Individualized one-on-one mentoring support is also provided to Early Childhood Coordinators, teacher leaders, and learning coaches.
Family Literacy Training Series This training series focuses on enhancing participant workshop facilitation skills as well as on increasing knowledge of family literacy theory and practice; it leads to the development of on-site literacy workshops for parents. These services can also be accessed by community based early childhood programs. For more information, contact Tracey-Lee Drummond Lucas, 212.961.3411
tldlucas@bankstreet.edu