Building a Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) For State Systems Serving Infants and Young Children with Disabilities and Their Families

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In-Service Personnel Development is a part of a Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD)

What is a CSPD?

A CSPD is a framework to improve the quantity, quality, and effectiveness of the early childhood intervention workforce in order to optimize outcomes for young children with disabilities/delays and their families. A CSPD is designed to address the need for a qualified and competent workforce in early intervention and early childhood special education. The CSPD includes: Recruitment and retention of personnel Alignment of state personnel standards, licenses, and certifications with national standards Comprehensive pre-service programs of study at Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) for all disciplines Continuity of in-service professional development opportunities for all disciplines Leadership for the sustainability of a CSPD Evaluation

In-service personnel development maintains and expands on the knowledge and skills acquired by EI/ ECSE practitioners in preservice courses of study to ensure they have competence in evidence-based intervention practices and new research findings to apply to their jobs. You can explore the ECPC website to locate tools and resources that can help you make sure your in-service professional development process/delivery is effective and sustainable. This newsletter highlights resources and tools you can find there!

Here are some ways to get started:

Align your In-Service PD to Professional Preparation Standards for EI/ECSE

The EI/ECSE standards are the first standards to focus specifically on the preparation of early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) who work with young children ages birth through eight who have or are at-risk for developmental delays and disabilities and their families.  You can find resources and materials related to each of the standards in the ECPC Curriculum Modules that connect the knowledge and skills acquired in pre-service IHE preparation to provide up-to-date in-service professional development, a vital continuum embedded in the CSPD process.

In-service professional development should align with the DEC Recommended Practices for infants, toddlers, and young children with disabilities and their families. Importantly, the EI/ECSE standards have been systematically cross-walked with the DEC Recommended Practices. Through the systematic use of these standards and competencies, you will be able to determine if the topics of your training are aligned with professional standards relevant to the EI/ECSE workforce.

Integrate the ECPC Cross Disciplinary Competencies

In addition to the EI/ECSE standards, an initiative of the ECPC has been to collaborate with professional organizations to identify core cross-disciplinary competencies for all personnel serving infants and young children aged birth to five with disabilities and their families. The Cross-Disciplinary Competency Areas, Definitions, and Indicators laid out in this table: Cross-Disciplinary Competency Areas and Indicators Table can be used for in-service training. The following seven organizations representing disciplines providing services in early childhood have participated in the development of shared competencies: American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC) and the Division for Early Childhood (DEC), the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC); and ZERO TO THREE.

Coordination and Collaboration Family-Centered Practice Evidence-Based Intervention Professionalism

*New* Cross-Disciplinary Competency resource available! Applying Cross-Disciplinary Early Childhood Practice User Guide This User Guide presents a set of case studies that exemplify each of these four core areas of practice. The Guide walks a trainer/educator through the use of the materials including introduction/exploration of the competencies and includes authentic and interactive practice activities. The intended users of the guide include educators, practitioners, students, and families. It can be used for state team training, professional development, and higher education.

Incorporate Principles of Adult Learning

As you plan for in-service professional development, you will want to incorporate evidence-based practices in adult learning. These practices include: An explanation and illustrations of the content or practice to be trained. Authentic and job-embedded learning opportunities to apply the content or practice. Opportunities for reflection about the content or practice. Guidance and feedback on the implementation of the content or practice. Follow-up on training of sufficient duration and intensity to ensure mastery of the content or practice.

To get you started on the use of EI/ECSE personnel development training materials that use these adult learning practices and address evidence-based practices, check out the e-Learning Lessons and Videos section of the ECPC website. In alignment with evidence-based adult learning practices, each e-Learning Lesson has an introduction, practice illustration, and implementation activities – and many additional resources!

E-Learning Lessons

These lessons and videos include e-learning lessons, practice guides, resources, and links to the CONNECT modules, providing authentic learning activities and opportunities for self-evaluation and student-guided mastery experiences.

E-Learning Lessons Naturalistic Instruction Everyday Child Learning Activities Interest-Based Child Learning Early Child Contingency Learning Games Authentic Child Assessment

Include the Voices of Families

In the process of building a high-quality in-service professional development system, families should always be included as a valued part of the CSPD at all levels of training, which includes reimbursement for their time.

Ensure high-quality in-service PD training is sustainable over time

High-quality systems of in-service professional development do not rely on one-and-done trainings. Creating sustainable high-quality systems for in-service professional development requires intentional collaboration across statewide systems of a CSPD to ensure that EI/ECSE providers across disciplines receive the training they need. EI/ECSE providers must have ongoing access to high-quality in-service training to provide engaged and culturally relevant evidence-based services to optimize outcomes for young children and their families.

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