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Professional Standards & Competencies Resource Library

The Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators outline the essential knowledge, skills, and practices that are foundational to high-quality early childhood education. These standards define what early childhood educators should know and be able to do in order to support the learning and development of young children from birth through age 8. They serve as a guiding framework for professional development, practice, and evaluation within the field of early childhood education.

Understanding and implementing these standards is crucial for educators as they help ensure the delivery of equitable, inclusive, and high-quality education that promotes the well-being and success of all children. By adhering to these standards, educators also contribute to the profession's commitment to continuous improvement and accountability.

Please note that while the collection of resources has been organized and tagged according to the Professional Standards and Competencies, only the most applicable competencies have been prioritized for searching and tagging purposes.

For NAEYC resources in the library, you can find policies related to reproducing, distributing, or otherwise using content here. For all other resources, please follow appropriate practices for using/citing sources.

Directions for Using the Professional Standards and Competencies Resource Library

  • The PS&Cs Resource Library allows you to peruse ALL of the many resources available (by default) or you can utilize the provided filter and narrow down your search to target specific resources.

  • By using the filtering categories, you are able to narrow your search to particular professional standards, one or more of the 22 key competencies, various ECE topics, a variety of age ranges, specific types of resources such as articles or videos or even find resources available in languages other than English.

    The robust filters even allow you to choose multiple choices across categories or within the same category to further narrow your search!

  • Once you have opened the various filter categories provided in the filter tool, you will notice that “all” is highlighted and checked in each category by default. This means the filter tool will not filter out any of those options within that category. If you wish to narrow your search, you simply click on one or more of the other options within the various filtering categories. Clicking will check that option. Checked options will be utilized for your search!

    To remove an option, simply click it again to remove the check from the checkbox.

  • The search feature is similar to any other search engine on a website. It can be used for a specific key word or phrase. Although the search may be helpful and is provided, the more robust filter tool may ultimately be more helpful in focusing and narrowing your search for resources.

  • Naturally, broken links will occur. Sometimes the resource has been moved to a new web address and other times it has been temporarily or permanently removed. We welcome you to report any broken links you find here. We will do our best to replace the link when possible or remove the resource if it is no longer available.

    **As of Feb. 2025, certain webpages and resources, particularly from agencies/organizations/projects that receive federal funds, have been at least temporarily removed in order to comply with federal mandates related to the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders. We will continue to monitor these resource links and update them if and when new links are available.

Start Your Search--Resource Library

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Sort quickly through the hundreds of available resources by using the filter tool on the left to populate the specific resources you need!

Standard 3, Resource Type: Modules, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Assessment Methods and Tools, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays, Topic: Aligned with DEC Recommended Practices, Topic: Early Childhood Special Education Kadisha Conteh Standard 3, Resource Type: Modules, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Assessment Methods and Tools, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays, Topic: Aligned with DEC Recommended Practices, Topic: Early Childhood Special Education Kadisha Conteh

Early Childhood Recommended Practice Module 7: Assessment

Early Childhood Recommended Practice Module 7: Assessment

In this module, you will learn effective assessment practices and why assessment is crucial for children with disabilities.

Organization/Author:   Early Childhood Recommended Practices Module

Type of Resource: Module

Publication Date: Unknown

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Standard 3, Resource Type: Modules, Topic: Assessment Methods and Tools, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays, Topic: Aligned with DEC Recommended Practices, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Early Childhood Special Education Kadisha Conteh Standard 3, Resource Type: Modules, Topic: Assessment Methods and Tools, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays, Topic: Aligned with DEC Recommended Practices, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Early Childhood Special Education Kadisha Conteh

Early Childhood Recommended Practice Module 2: Transition

Early Childhood Recommended Practice Module 2: Transition

This module will help you support the transitions of children with disabilities and their families between and among services, supports, and programs.

Organization/Author:   Early Childhood Recommended Practices Module

Type of Resource: Module

Publication Date: Unknown

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Standard 2, Topic: Partnership-building with Families, Topic: Early Intervention, Resource Type: Modules Kadisha Conteh Standard 2, Topic: Partnership-building with Families, Topic: Early Intervention, Resource Type: Modules Kadisha Conteh

ECTA Family Capacity-Building Online Module

ECTA Family Capacity-Building Online Module

Family capacity-building is an  approach that can be used to promote parents' use of any type of early childhood practice, and includes strategies to engage parents in activities to build their competence and confidence in providing learning opportunities for their child. This online module provides an introduction to this framework.

Organization/Author:  ECTA Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center

Type of Resource: Module

Publication Date: Unknown

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Standard 2, Standard 3, Standard 6, Topic: Early Intervention, Resource Type: Modules Kadisha Conteh Standard 2, Standard 3, Standard 6, Topic: Early Intervention, Resource Type: Modules Kadisha Conteh

Early Childhood Recommended Practice Module 5: Families

Early Childhood Recommended Practice Module 5: Families

This free, online module offers content related to supporting children’s learning and development through quality adult-child and child-child interactions. Objectives target what family-centered practices are, how to build the capacity of families, and strategies for building trusting partnerships with families. A companion Learning Guide provides additional resources for faculty and professional development providers to use in addressing the content of the module.

Organization/Author: Early Childhood Recommended Practices Module

Type of Resource: Module

Publication Date: Unknown

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Standard 2, Topic: Partnership-building with Families, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Early Childhood Special Education, Resource Type: Video Collection with Reflection Questions Kadisha Conteh Standard 2, Topic: Partnership-building with Families, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Early Childhood Special Education, Resource Type: Video Collection with Reflection Questions Kadisha Conteh

Engaging Families and Creating Trusting Partnerships to Improve Child and Family Outcomes Webinar Series

Engaging Families and Creating Trusting Partnerships to Improve Child and Family Outcomes Webinar Series

The ECTA Center partnered with the DaSy Center, Ann and Rud Turnbull, and invited guests to facilitate an interactive four-part web broadcast series aimed at supporting early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) systems leaders with building capacity in personnel and families to develop trusting partnerships. These partnerships in a child’s early years lay the foundation for achieving the long-term intended outcomes for children/students with developmental delays and disabilities articulated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The series features discussions of the role that data play in strengthening family-professional partnerships. Suggestions and resources for designing personnel and family development activities to support partnerships are also shared.

Organization/Author: Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA)

Type of Resource: Videos with Handouts and Discussion Questions

Publication Date: 2017

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Standard 2, Resource Type: Video Collection, Topic: Partnership-building with Families, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Multilingual Learners Kadisha Conteh Standard 2, Resource Type: Video Collection, Topic: Partnership-building with Families, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Multilingual Learners Kadisha Conteh

Practitioner Family-Centered Practices for Working With Families

Practitioner Family-Centered Practices for Working With Families

Several brief vignettes with Early Interventionists, families, children interacting in the home setting as examples of family-centered practices.

Organization/Author: Puckett Institute

Type of Resource: Videos

Publication Date: 2017

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Standard 6, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Ethical and Professional Guidelines, Topic: Aligned with DEC Recommended Practices, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays, Resource Type: Position Statement Kadisha Conteh Standard 6, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Ethical and Professional Guidelines, Topic: Aligned with DEC Recommended Practices, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays, Resource Type: Position Statement Kadisha Conteh

DEC Position Statement on Ethical Practice

DEC Position Statement on Ethical Practice

The Position Statement on Ethical Practice for the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children is a public statement of principles and practice guidelines supported by the mission of DEC.

Organization/Author: Division for Early Childhood at the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC)

Type of Resource: Position Statement

Publication Date: 2022

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Standard 6, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Ethical and Professional Guidelines, Topic: Aligned with DEC Recommended Practices, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays, Resource Type: Position Statement Kadisha Conteh Standard 6, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Ethical and Professional Guidelines, Topic: Aligned with DEC Recommended Practices, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays, Resource Type: Position Statement Kadisha Conteh

DEC Position Statement: The Role of Special Instruction in Early Intervention

DEC Position Statement: The Role of Special Instruction in Early Intervention

The purpose of this position statement is to clarify the role of the service,

Special Instruction, and its providers (referred to as “early intervention educators” in this paper) within the broader field of IDEA (2004) Part C early intervention (EI).

Organization/Author: Division for Early Childhood at the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC)

Type of Resource: Position Statement

Publication Date: 2024

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Standard 2, Standard 3, Standard 6, Topic: Partnership-building with Families, Topic: Assessment Methods and Tools, Topic: Communication Skills, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays, Topic: Aligned with DEC Recommended Practices, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Early Childhood Special Education, Topic: Collaboration with Service Providers and other Members of the Team, Resource Type: Modules Kadisha Conteh Standard 2, Standard 3, Standard 6, Topic: Partnership-building with Families, Topic: Assessment Methods and Tools, Topic: Communication Skills, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays, Topic: Aligned with DEC Recommended Practices, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Early Childhood Special Education, Topic: Collaboration with Service Providers and other Members of the Team, Resource Type: Modules Kadisha Conteh

CONNECT Module 3: Communication for Collaboration

CONNECT Module 3: Communication for Collaboration 

These modules are designed for faculty and professional development providers to use in their professional development. Instructor Guides, in the form of dashboards, are included. Learn about effective communication practices that can be used to promote collaboration with professionals and families in early care and education, and intervention settings.

Organization/Author: CONNECT: The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge and DEC

Type of Resource: Module

Publication Date: Unknown

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Standard 3, Topic: Assessment Methods and Tools, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Assessment Partnerships, Resource Type: Modules Kadisha Conteh Standard 3, Topic: Assessment Methods and Tools, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Assessment Partnerships, Resource Type: Modules Kadisha Conteh

Authentic Assessment in Early Intervention  (0-3) 

Authentic Assessment in Early Intervention  (0-3)  

This module provides an overview of authentic assessment in early intervention including what it is and why it is important.  Individuals who complete this module will have an understanding of who participates in authentic assessment, where it may happen, when it can be done, and within what early intervention processes it can occur.  The module includes links to a variety of tools and resources.

Organization/Author:  Universal Online Part C EI Curriculum

Type of Resource: Module

Publication Date: 2020

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Standard 3, Topic: Assessment Methods and Tools, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Assessment Partnerships, Resource Type: Video Kadisha Conteh Standard 3, Topic: Assessment Methods and Tools, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Assessment Partnerships, Resource Type: Video Kadisha Conteh

Authentic Assessment in Early Intervention  (0-3) 

Authentic Assessment in Early Intervention  (0-3)    

Physical therapist Megan Klish Fibbe describes and illustrates how authentic assessment practices enhance her early intervention work with children and their families, including the use of observation, conversations with families, and video.

Organization/Author:  Results Matter Video Library, Colorado Department of Education 

Type of Resource: video

Publication Date: unknown

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Standard 1, Standard 3, Resource Type: Training, Topic: Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Topic: Assessment Methods and Tools, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays Kadisha Conteh Standard 1, Standard 3, Resource Type: Training, Topic: Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Topic: Assessment Methods and Tools, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays Kadisha Conteh

Watch Me! Celebrating Milestones and Sharing Concerns

Watch Me! Celebrating Milestones and Sharing Concerns

This FREE, online training course, Watch Me! Celebrating Milestones and Sharing Concerns, helps you fulfill this role by providing tools and best practices for monitoring the development of children in your care and talking about it with their parents.

This 1-hour, 4-module course focuses on:

  • Why monitoring children’s development is important

  • Why you have a unique and important role in developmental monitoring

  • How to easily monitor each child’s developmental milestones

  • How to talk with parents about their child’s development

Organization/Author:  CDC

Type of Resource: Training 

Publication Date: 2024

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Additional Resources

About the Resource Library &

The Professional Standards & Competencies for Early Childhood Educators