Welcome to the…
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
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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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Start Your Search--Resource Library *
Sort quickly through the hundreds of available resources by using the filter tool on the left to populate the specific resources you need!
Dual Language Learners: Screening and Assessing Young Children
Dual Language Learners: Screening and Assessing Young Children
This 30-minute activity features a video and discussion questions that align with DEC Recommended Practices for Assessment.
Organization/Author: Iris Center
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: Unknown
Funds of Knowledge Toolkit
Funds of Knowledge are the essential cultural practices and bodies of knowledge that are embedded in the daily practices and routines of families. This toolkit gives a historical overview of the concept of “funds of knowledge,” a definition of this concept, and ideas for how educators can learn about and use funds of knowledge in their practice.
Organization/Author: Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: Unknown
ETCA Practice Improvement Tools: Family Practices
ETCA Practice Improvement Tools: Family Practices
This is a set of tools that includes family checklists, family practice guides for practitioners, and family practice guides for families. They are aligned with DEC Recommended Practices.
Organization/Author: Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA)
Type of Resource: Toolkits
Publication Date: 2018
Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework
It all begins with an idea.
Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework
The Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five (ELOF) presents five broad areas of early learning, referred to as central domains. The framework is designed to show the continuum of learning for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. It is grounded in comprehensive research around what young children should know and be able to do during their early years.
Organization/Author: Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC)
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: 2024
Getting Started with Mindfulness: A Toolkit for Early Childhood Organizations
Getting Started with Mindfulness: A Toolkit for Early Childhood Organizations
Learn more about the case for implementing mindfulness in early childhood, try hands-on strategies for doing so, and learn more from organizations that have begun this journey. This resource must be downloaded to access.
Organization/Author: Zero to Three
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: Unknown
A How To Guide for Book Adaptations
A How To Guide for Book Adaptations
This chart outlines 8 easy at-home storybook adaptations, categorized by the type of support families/practitioners may provide (motor, sensory, communicative/linguistic, visual, or auditory).
Organization/Author: Sarah Pedonti
STEMIE Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: 2023
A Guide to Noticing STEM Learning
A Guide to Noticing STEM Learning
All children can develop the foundations for STEM learning from infancy. Young children are active learners who explore their environments and learn from doing, seeing, touching, and/or hearing. Through intentional and careful observation, caregivers can tap into children’s natural curiosity and provide opportunities for children to develop an understanding of the world around them.
Organization/Author: Campbell, P., Waters, V., Lim, C., & Sam, A.
STEMIE Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: 2023
A Guide to Dialogic Reading (Using The Very Hungry Caterpillar)
A Guide to Dialogic Reading (Using The Very Hungry Caterpillar)
Learn about dialogic reading and how you can use it to have storybook conversations in STEM with young children. The tip sheet includes an example of prompts that you can use for Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The related blog post includes additional information such as a link to the adaptations tip sheet and a video example of dialogic reading using an augmentative communication device.
Organization/Author: Chih-Ing Lim
STEMIE Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: 2023
A Guide to Child-Level Processes
A Guide to Child-Level Processes
In this document, we define and describe child-level processes in STEM learning for all young children, including children with disabilities. We provide definitions, examples, AND now learning progression steps for each child-level process.
Organization/Author: Victoria Waters, Christine Harradine, & Chih-Ing Lim
STEMIE Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: 2022
A Guide to Cross-Cutting Concepts
A Guide to Cross-Cutting Concepts
Cross-cutting concepts are a set of overarching big ideas that look and behave similarly across all STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) domain areas. In this document, we define and describe cross-cutting concepts in STEM learning for all young children, including children with disabilities. We provide definitions and examples. Learning progression steps for each cross-cutting concept have been added as well.
Organization/Author: Ann Sam, Victoria Waters, Chih-Ing Lim,
STEMIE Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: 2021
A Guide to Everyday STEM Talk
Transform everyday routines and activities into playful STEM and brain building opportunities with your young child! Take a moment to expand and extend daily routines and activities by adding STEM concepts and vocabulary, whether it's by posing a question, narrating your observations, modeling curiosity, or posing a problem to solve together.
Organization/Author: STEMIE Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: 2024
Free Early Math Downloadable Resources from Erikson Initiative: Early Math Collaborative
Free Early Math Downloadable Resources from Erikson Initiative: Early Math Collaborative
This is a wealth of free, downloadable resources from the Early Math Collaborative at Erikson Institute. Resources are searchable by a variety of filters.
Organization/Author: Early Math Collaborative, Erikson Institute
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: unknown
Brain-Building Through Play: Activities for Infants, Toddlers, and Children
Brain-Building Through Play: Activities for Infants, Toddlers, and Children
This handout series, developed with support from the LEGO Foundation, provides suggestions for games and play-based activities based on a child’s age. The activities for younger children are designed for adults to engage in with children. Activities for later ages allow the adults to step back, enabling children’s independence to blossom as they transition to playing more often with peers.
Organization/Author: Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University
Type of Resource: Toolkits
Publication Date: unknown
A Guide to Toxic Stress
A three part series about toxic stress, which includes:
Toxic Stress 101
The Science and Social Causes of Toxic Stress
Preventing and Addressing Toxic Stress
Link: A Guide to Toxic Stress - Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Organization/Author: Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: unknown
Serve and Return
Links- https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/serve-and-return/
A two part series about the what and how of serve and return interactions.
Organization/Author: Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: unknown
InBrief: The Science of Early Childhood Development
Links- https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/inbrief-science-of-ecd/
This brief is part of a series that summarizes essential scientific findings from Center publications. It includes videos and text.
Organization/Author: Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: unknown
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