Pre-K Technical Assistance
Note: The NJIETA project will provide services during the 2022-23 school year either in person, hybrid, or virtually depending on the district’s request.
Application form is at the bottom of the page.
A wide variety of Technical Assistance options are available through the NJIETA project. Each year, we will add additional options to meet the needs of schools. Our current options are detailed below, and the application form is at the bottom of the page.
Format
All of the Technical Assistance options listed below share the same five-session format. Asynchronous webinars will be made available followed by in-person or virtual Professional Learning Community discussions including coaching on strategies related to the selected topic.
Technical Assistance Topics and Descriptions
Preschool Inclusion 101
Audience: General and Special Educators, CST, Administrators, Related Service Providers, Master Teachers, PIRS, Community and Parent Involvement Specialist
General Description: This package is intended as an introductory series, designed to help staff in preschool programs expand their knowledge about the fundamentals of inclusive education and how they can be implemented in the classroom setting. Training will touch on the why, when, where, and how of inclusive education for all preschool programs including those who receive state funding and those who do not.
Outcomes: At the completion of this Technical Assistance package, participants will gain knowledge and understanding in:
Common vocabulary for educational professionals to utilize when discussing inclusive education
Research, laws, and policy statements that support the inclusion of preschool students with disabilities in general education
Guidelines for including preschool students with disabilities in New Jersey general education classrooms.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Audience: Pre-K General and Special Educators, CST, Related Service Providers, & Administration
General Description: The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework guides educators to design curriculum, instruction, and assessment in flexible ways that account for learner variability so that students can receive, engage with, and demonstrate knowledge of content in multiple ways according to their unique strengths. This technical assistance package will introduce attendees to the three principles of UDL and provide them with tools to incorporate these principles into their lesson planning.
Outcomes: As a result of participation in this technical assistance package, participants will receive knowledge and guidance in:
Defining the principles of UDL;
Designing goals, assessments, methods and materials with flexibility and learner variability in mind; and
Applying UDL principles to lesson planning and classroom instruction.
Facilitating Play at All Developmental Levels
Audience: Pre-K General and Special Educators, CST, Related Service Therapists, Administration
General Description: Young children learn through play and all high quality preschool classrooms include time, space, and materials that encourage child-directed play facilitated by adults. This technical assistance package reviews the cognitive and social developmental levels of play and explores how adults in the classroom can support learning and peer interactions for all preschool children.
Outcomes: As a result of participation in this technical assistance package, participants will receive knowledge and guidance in:
The developmental sequence of learning and interaction through play;
How to follow a child’s lead and expand their play; and
Strategies to make necessary adaptations to ensure that all children can access and participate in play.
Stress and Young Children
Audience: Pre-K General and Special Educators, CST, Related Service Therapists, Administration
General Description: This technical assistance package uses the science of human development to explore the sources of stress and the role adults can play to help all children feel calm, alert and available to learn.
Outcomes: As a result of participation in this technical assistance package, participants will receive knowledge and guidance in:
The neurobiology of stress and the link to human behaviors;
A framework to recognize sources of stress for both adults and young children; and
Strategies to reduce stress for young children with a focus on the role of the adult in co-regulating a child.
Integrating Related Service Into the Classrooms
Audience: Pre-K General and Special Educators, CST, Related Service Therapists, Administration
General Description: Related services such as speech & language, occupational and physical therapy best support preschoolers access to the curriculum and engagement with peers when they are provided during typical routines of the school day. This technical assistance package provides strategies for planning and delivering related services during ongoing activities within general education early childhood classrooms.
Outcomes: As a result of participation in this technical assistance package, participants will receive knowledge and guidance in:
Collaborating with other school-based professionals to plan for the delivery of integrated related services;
Prioritizing skills for student participation in natural environments with peers;
Reviewing the daily schedule and embedding learning opportunities in everyday routines and activities; and
Adapting the classroom environment and modifying the curriculum to support all children.
Reframing Autism
Audience: Pre-K General and Special Educators, CST, Related Service Therapists, Administration
General Description: This technical assistance package supports school-based professionals in gaining a deeper understanding of students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and how they can support their full-participation in general education classrooms. We will address the neurobiological foundations of ASD that contribute to each student’s individual sensory, communication, motor, cognitive and social/emotional profile.
Outcomes: As a result of participation in this technical assistance package, participants will receive knowledge and guidance in:
The heterogeneity of individuals with a diagnosis of ASD and the need for individualized interventions;
The nature of sensory processing and self-regulation in children diagnosed with ASD and strategies to help children to be calm and available for engaging and learning; and
The application of evidence-based practice to support the inclusion of students with the diagnosis of ASD in developmentally appropriate general education classrooms.