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HELPFUL RESOURCES

HELPFUL RESOURCES

Early Learning Coaching

An Early Learning Coach is a support for childcare programs and teachers as they commit to continuous quality improvement work.

Overview

What is coaching?

Coaches are available to walk through the revised Early Achievers process, answer questions, and help to understand the various steps of EA including the Program Profile and video highlights submission.

A coach can also support a variety of other topics from business basics to developmentally appropriate practices to anti-bias curriculum and so much more. Coaching is a collaborative relationship.  Reflecting on your current practices, your strengths, and the areas where you wish to grow in partnership with your coach can help you meet your goals.  You can connect with your coach in a variety of ways to best meet your needs; coaches are available for in-person visits, virtual meetings, phone calls, email and even text messaging.

Coaching Services

Menu of Coaching Services

Below is a sample of coaching supports that support continuous quality improvement available through BrightSpark.  Please contact us to learn more.

  • Quality Recognition Coaching

  • Developing and implementing policies and practices.

  • Observation and feedback to improve classroom practice.

  • Setting goals to support program and individual growth.

  • Classroom Organization and Environment Coaching

  • Engaging teacher-child interactions and emotional support.

  • Instructional support and facilitation of learning and development.

  • Creating a high-quality learning environment.

  • Social-Emotional Skill Development Coaching

  • Social-emotional tools and curriculum support.

  • Expulsion prevention tools and support.

  • Promoting positive identity development.

  • Leadership Coaching

  • Being reflective and supportive in leadership roles.

  • Supporting anti-bias and anti-racist practice to create inclusive and equitable outcomes.

  • Skill building to provide strengths-based feedback.

  •  

    Business Coaching

  • Enrollment practices and support.

  • Recruitment, selection, and retention of staff.

  • Building equitable family and staff policies.

  • Modeling and Guided-Practice Coaching

  • Supporting and growing a teacher’s knowledge and skills in:

  • Developmentally appropriate practice.

  • Culturally responsive instruction and dual language support.

  • Science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM).

  •  

    Individualized Coaching Supports

  • Provider led coaching sessions.

  • Mental Health consultation: Holding Hope.

  • Reflective practice as a quality improvement tool.
Thrive

Thrive Specialty Coaching

  • Technology

  • Basic education on how to use and navigate technology. 

  • Basic understanding of navigating databases like provider portal, WA compass, CeCi, DCYF training portal, Merit, etc. 

  •  

    Curriculum

  • Support for a variety curriculum including inquiry-based, project-based, Mother Goose Time, Montessori, Teaching Strategies Gold (Creative Curriculum), High Scope, and Emergent. 

  • Screening & Assessments

  • Overview of different options for screenings & assessments such as, ASQ, TSG, CDC Milestones, Informal Assessments, Observations, and Strengthening Families.

  • Positive Behavioral Guidance

  • Providing holistic Specialty Coaching & support to classroom management by creating a cooperative, respectful community of children and adults. 

  • Emphasis on sensitivity to cultural needs, cultural differences, and developmentally appropriate practices. 

  • Infant/Toddler Supports

  • Providing supports around all aspects of infant/toddler care such as relationship building through family involvement, engagement, and partnership to include connecting families with community resources.  

  • Policy Development & The Teaching and Guidance Essential Policies Checklist (TAGPEC)

  • Behavior guidance policies that are grounded in anti-bias/anti-racist practices give early learning professionals the tools to practice self-reflection to address implicit bias and build trusting partnerships with families to support all children.

  • This work requires deep reflection on policy, implementation, and data collection by programs to determine a policy’s effectiveness in supporting children and families. 

  • Expulsion Prevention Program

  • Ending expulsions of children from early learning programs, by educating and motivating providers to change their practices and creating strong partnerships with families. 

  • Centering child development basics and the ways in which children develop differently within the context of their home cultures. 

  • Becoming self-aware of deeply embedded implicit biases to stop their harmful impacts, up to and including expulsion of children and using positive behavior supports. 

  •  

    Marketing

  • Understand the big picture of what attracts parents and children to a program, build up enrollment and gain knowledge of using the available tools such as social media to promote their business. 

  •  

    Trauma Informed

  • Build awareness of how trauma impacts all people; specifically, children and their learning, adults and how they are present in their caring of children, and the dynamics of equity.  

  •  

    Comprehensive Provider Partnerships

  • Establishing connections between partners that support work within Early Achievers programs.

  • Creating collaboration of services across programs with providers.

  •  

    Rapid Response & Licensing

  • Understanding and provide clarity around the Foundational Quality Standards for Early Learning Programs (WACS 110-300) handbooks, and policies. 

  • Understanding what needs to be in the Family/Center handbooks and policies. 

  • Knowledge of the compliance agreement.
FAQS

Frequently Asked Questions