More About CONNECT

Rationale

Research shows that many early childhood practitioners do not have the confidence and competence they need to serve young children with disabilities. One reason is because early childhood teacher preparation programs often do not require any courses in working with young children with disabilities. This can be the case even when a program’s stated mission is to prepare early interventionists and early childhood special educators.

What We Do

CONNECT is developing web-based resources and modules on effective practices to help professional development providers fill that void. The modules are designed to build early childhood practitioners’ abilities to make evidence-based decisions. They emphasize a decision-making process, realistic problems to solve, the importance of integrating multiple perspectives and sources of knowledge, the relevance and quality of content, and feedback.

In each module, learners work through a 5-step learning cycle:

Information is presented in a variety of formats including audio and video clips,interactive exercises, and written resources. CONNECT’s materials are standards-based,strongly rooted in an evidence-based practice framework, and easily adaptable to the needs of multiple audiences and contexts. All are available at no cost.

How we do it

Collaboration is a driving force throughout the work of CONNECT. Module topics were determined by the needs of faculty and other professional development providers, administrators, and families. And modules are being developed with constant feedback, testing, and refining based on people’s experiences. The flow of knowledge must be two-way and ongoing— a notion that serves as a core value of our work.