Home » Articles on Demand » Early Childhood Coaches: A New Breed of Professional Development




Early Childhood Coaches: A New Breed of Professional Development

by Sharon Spillman
March/April 2015
Access over 3,000 practical Exchange articles written by the top experts in the field through our online database. Join Today!

Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/early-childhood-coaches--a-new-breed-of-professional-development/5022214/

Cynthia, an early childhood coach, spends the majority of her work week in child care programs working side-by-side with early childhood ­teachers in their classrooms, supporting their professional development through onsite ­coaching and modeling of appropriate teaching practices.

She is working with Tamara at Little Tykes and the formation of a coach-­protégé relationship is underway. In ­previous weeks, Tamara has been reluctant to make changes to her classroom ­environment and her approach to teaching. For Cynthia, this is a familiar occurrence. She knows relationships are important and that it takes time for this process to unfold. She also knows that a trusting, nurturing, and nonjudgmental relationship between Tamara and herself must form before a willingness to make changes in classroom practices might occur.

As she enters the child care program, the ­director says, “Tamara is eager to see you this morning. She has something she would like to share with you!” Cynthia is excited about this information and can’t wait to see what Tamara has to share.

Supporting Teachers as Learners

The teacher development research is clear: the quality of the early learning experience depends on the knowledge and skills of the early childhood teacher. The teacher’s ability to use developmentally ...

Want to finish reading Early Childhood Coaches: A New Breed of Professional Development?

You have access to 5 free articles.
or an account to access full article.