Arizona Early Childhood Professional Development Collaborative
A sustainable model for building high quality early childhood programs in Arizona
Better access, better beginnings
Project ECHO*
*Extension for Community Health Care Outcomes
Project ECHO® was created to tackle the world’s greatest professional development challenges.
Dr. Sanjeev Arora founded Project ECHO to ensure the right knowledge exists at the right place at the right time.
That's why he created the ECHO Model; its “all teach, all learn” approach is the infrastructure for knowledge-sharing in rural and underserved communities around the world.
By the end of 2022, an estimated 1.5 million people from 193 countries had logged an estimated 4 million attendances in ECHO sessions.
Purpose of the Collaborative
The purpose of the Arizona Early Childhood Professional Development Collaborative is to directly address the problem of inequality in early childhood experiences and learning programs in Arizona, including the lack of equitable access to high-quality professional development training for educators and caregivers.
Inequal
“Inequality in early childhood experiences and learning produces inequality in ability, achievement, health, and adult success.”
The right knowledge at the right place at the right time
Professional development (PD) optimizer
High speed internet connection for the early childhood educational system
Spreads new knowledge throughout the state
Exponentially increases access to high quality PD
Changes the world, FAST
Move knowledge, not people
Project ECHO Model of Professional Development
Always FREE & Earn CEUS!
Anatomy of an ECHO Session
Order often changes – whole groups and small groups
Usually each session lasts about 90 minutes
ECHO Supports Translation of Research to Practice
3 stages of expert knowledge acquisition
Declarative
Learn something new and construct your understanding of the concept
ECHO Didactic
Procedural
Consciously translate new knowledge into procedures
ECHO Case Studies, Homework & Collaborative Learning
Autonomous
Procedures become automatic
ECHO Case Studies and Homework
How We Decide on Training Topics
AZ Early Childhood PD Collaborative 2020-2023
Completed, In Progress, and Ongoing ECHOS
Business Practices for Child Care Programs During COVID ECHO
Strengthening Business Practices for Child Care Programs ECHO
Early Literacy & Language Conversations ECHO
Supporting the Emotional Well Being of Teachers and Children in Early Childhood ECHO
Literacy Rich Classrooms & Centers ECHO
Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity ECHO
Early Childhood Math Literacy ECHO
Enhancing Early Learning Environments to Successfully include Young Children with Disabilities ECHO
Promoting Equity in Early Childhood Settings ECHO
Early Literacy & Language ECHO
Phonological Awareness ECHO
Developmentally Appropriate Practices ECHO - 5 ECHO Series
IHE Pre-Service Faculty ECHO - 2 ECHO Series
Research Demonstrates the Positive Impact of Professional Development
“In-service professional development improves the quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC).”
“…in-service professional development supports child development...with substantial improvements in ECEC quality.”
“Professional development of ECEC staff enhances pedagogical quality…”
“Pedagogical quality “…is a key mechanism to accelerate developmental outcomes in young children.”
(Egert, Fukkink, & Eckhardt (2018) p. 421)
Data for Completed Project ECHO Series
Number of Arizona counties represented 13/15
Number of unique schools/agencies/colleges >300
Number of roles represented > 7 (e.g. administrator, teacher, therapist, DSI, faculty, family home provider, owner, teaching assistant, medical provider)
Number of children served by participants > 8,000
Number of Project ECHO training sessions 84
Average attendance per ECHO session 28.3
Total learning hours completed 2,746
Many participants attend more than one ECHO series
Out of state attendees (e.g. San Juan, NM; Wayne, MI; Palm Beach, FL; Bloomington, IN; Puyallup, WA; Yakima, WA; Mission Viejo, CA, Van Nuys, CA)
High Satisfaction – High Impact
We use continuous improvement practices including (a) hub team debriefing after each ECHO training and (b) surveying participants after each session to determine whether learning objectives are met and participants are satisfied with the training value and procedures
Meet the Collaborative Action Team
Dr. Shelley Gray, PhD CCC-SLP
EC PD ECHO PI Professor of Speech & Hearing Science
Arizona State University
Patty Chan
Program Coordinator, Project ECHO
College of Health Solutions, ASU
Bjorg LeSueur M.Ed & MA
Clinical Associate Professor, Early Childhood
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, ASU
Stephanie Williams
Speech Language Pathologist
ECHO Collaborative Team - ASU, retired
Chantelle Curtis
AzEIP and Melissa Busby, Division of Child Care
Suzanne Perry
Katherine Kicey M.Ed
Clinical Assistant Professor, Early Childhood
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, ASU
Harveen Ciochetto
Owner, Director
Next Horizons Child Development Center
Barbie Prinster
Executive Director
Arizona Early Childhood Education Association
Sonia Samaniego
F.A.C.E.S of AZ
Children's Hearing and Vision Services
Dr. Evandra Catherine
Assistant Professor, MLFTC
Deputy Director, Children’s Equity Project
Arizona State University
Dr. Eric Bucher
Executive Director
Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children
Dawn Greer, M.S., CCC-SLP
Clinical Professor of Speech and Hearing Science
Arizona State University
Alicia Durbin
Ginger Sandweg, Shari Elkins
Denice Contreras
Brittany Miller
References
Heckman, J. J., (2011). The economics of inequality – The value of Early Childhood Education. American Educator, 35, 31-35.
Burchinal, M. (2018). Measuring early care and education quality. Child Development Perspectives, 12, 3-9.
Friedman-Krauss, A. H., Connors, M. C. & Morris, P. A., (2017). Unpacking the treatment contrast in the Head Start Impact Study: To what extend does assignment to treatment affect quality of care? Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 10, 68-95.
Egert, F., Fukink, R. G., & Eckhardt, A. G. (2018). Impact of in-service PD programs for early childhood teachers on quality ratings and child outcomes: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 88, 401-433.
National Institute for Early Education Research (2021). The State of Preschool Yearbook 2020. https://nieer.org/state-preschool-yearbooks/yearbook2020.