ECE Professional Learning
Early Childhood Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS® )
Early Childhood LETRS office hours. Select the link to join.
1st Wednesday of every month at 2:00 PM
The Arizona Department of Education is partnering with Lexia Learning to provide free LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training for Early Childhood Preschool Educators and community partners across Arizona.
LETRS® for Early Childhood Educators professional learning provides deep knowledge of literacy instruction for the youngest learners.
Lexia LETRS for Early Childhood Educators provides deep knowledge and clarity of effective skills necessary to prepare the youngest learners for success in kindergarten and beyond by providing the “why” and “how” of early literacy instruction across all domains: language, literacy, cognitive, motor, social, and emotional. Dr. Louisa Moats and Dr. Lucy Hart Paulson designed this ongoing professional learning course for early childhood educators because research shows the foundation of literacy begins at a young age. This will support Arizona’s literacy initiative to build a generation of lifelong readers. To learn more about EC LETRS professional learning please visit https://www.lexialearning.com/arizona-letrs and our Padlet for frequently asked questions.
If you and/or your district/site are interested in receiving this training, please fill out the form and someone will be in contact with you (please give a few weeks as the volume of requests is high).
This training is designed for Preschool Educators and does not meet the requirements for the K-5 Literacy Endorsement.
Informational Webinar Recordings:
Wednesday, April 3rd Webinar Recording
The Arizona Department of Education Early Childhood Education (ECE) team offers a comprehensive list of synchronous (live) and asynchronous (on-demand) professional learning opportunities. All ADE-ECE professional learning opportunities meet the requirements for continuing education units (CEUs).
FY25 Live Training Schedule
*Live trainings may be cancelled due to low enrollment. Please keep an eye on your email for any updates from your instructor.
Early Childhood Literacy: Oral Language Development - Birth to 5
Monday, March 17, 2025 9:00am-11:00am
In person at 1400 W Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85007
Room 1104
This course takes a look at oral language development of children from birth through five years old. Participants will dive into the ITDG and AZELS and see the correlation between brain research and how children develop. The course will provide participants with strategies for enhancing children's communication skills, interactions and literacy- rich experiences from infancy to Kindergarten entry.
Early Childhood Literacy: Emergent Writing
Monday, March 31, 2025 12:30pm-2:30pm
In Person at 1991 E Whitehouse Canyon Rd., Green Valley, AZ 85614
Participants will expand their knowledge of the developmental stages of early writing. Learners will leave with strategies that support and celebrate young writers during each phase with authentic writing opportunities that can be embedded throughout the day.
Early Childhood Literacy: Emergent Writing
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 8:30am-10:30am
In Person at 3305 E. Fry Blvd.; Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
Participants will expand their knowledge of the developmental stages of early writing. Learners will leave with strategies that support and celebrate young writers during each phase with authentic writing opportunities that can be embedded throughout the day.
Early Childhood Literacy: Phonological Awareness
Wednesday, April 16, 2025 9:00am-11:00am
In Person at 1400 W Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ 85007
This training will describe the developmental progression of phonological awareness skills and the correlation between understanding our speech- sound system and later reading success. Participants will walk away with instructional activities and embedded routines for supporting young children with these critical skills.
AZELS: Physical Development, Health, and Safety and Moving with the Brain in Mind
Thursday, April 24, 2025 9:30am-12:30pm
In Person at 100 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix AZ 85007, Room 300
Physical activity is natural for young children. Including physical activity in early childhood classrooms will help children remain physically fit later in life. Active children are healthier children. Health and safety go hand in hand with physical development and activity. In this interactive session, participants will actively explore physical development, health, and safety. They will see how all three are connected and will lead to happy children and healthier adults. Through hands-on activities, participants will gain practical ideas that will allow children to develop motor skills in appropriate ways, increase children’s capacity for learning, and promote social well-being as well as physical and mental health.
The learning objectives are to identify the three strands of the Physical Development, Health, & Safety Standard; to explain the interrelationship between all areas of the Early Learning Standards; and to identify characteristics of child development as it pertains to the area of Physical Development. We will also discuss how to plan and implement appropriate activities that enhance the physical development of children in specific age and functional levels, describe an environment that contributes to the prevention of illness through the implementation of general hygiene and health practices, and plan and implement environmental safety rules that will foster the children’s physical development and skills.
Early Childhood Literacy: Phonological Awareness
Wednesday, April 30, 2025 2:00pm-4:00pm
Live Virtual
This training will describe the developmental progression of phonological awareness skills and the correlation between understanding our speech- sound system and later reading success. Participants will walk away with instructional activities and embedded routines for supporting young children with these critical skills.
ADE ECE is now offering LIVE Webinar sessions on specific Early Childhood topics. These will be open to the entire ECE field. No registration is needed for these sessions unless otherwise noted. Please add to your calendar as a reminder and join below!
More live webinars coming soon!
| Date | Time | Webinar Topic | Link to Join |
|---|---|---|---|
Recorded Webinars
Webinar TOPIC | PRESENTED BY | SESSION MATERIALS | link to RECORDING |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Childhood LETRS Informational Webinar (4/3/24) | Lexia Learning and ADE Literacy Specialist | N/A | View Recording |
| Early Childhood Quality Improvement Process (ECQUIP) Informational Webinar | ECE Team Arizona Department of Education | ECQUIP Overview | View Recording |
PDG B-5 Subgrantee Guidance Manual Overview/Q&A (English) | ECE Team Arizona Department of Education | PDG Sub-Grantee Manual Q&A Slide Deck (English) | View Recording |
Manual del subconcesionarios de PDG B-5 (Español) | ECE Team Arizona Department of Education | Manual del subconcesionarios de PDG B-5 (Español) | View Recording |
| Introduction to Adult Resilience | ECE Team Arizona Department of Education | Intro to Adult Resilience | View Recording |
Empower Program / Go NAPSACC | Bonnie Williams Dept of Health Services | View Recording | |
Observation and Assessment | ECE Team Arizona Department of Education | View Recording |
Introductory Online Courses
*UPDATED*
Intro to Infant Toddler Developmental Guidelines (ITDG)
This course provides an introduction to the five domains of the Infant and Toddler Developmental Guidelines (ITDG) and how to use the guidelines to provide responsive caregiving and quality learning experiences for all children birth to 3 years of age in early care and education settings.
*UPDATED*
Intro to Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS)
This course provides an introduction to the eight standards within the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) and how to use the standards to provide an instructional foundation for all children 3-5 years old in early care and education settings.
Intro to Program Guidelines for High-Quality Early Education
The course provides an introduction to the Program Guidelines for High-Quality Early Education: Birth through Kindergarten and will help participants develop a working knowledge of the guidelines to support their program and be better prepared to help young children succeed.
CURSOS INTRODUCTORIOS EN LÍNEA (30 MIN)
Introducción a las Directrices para el Desarrollo del Bebé y del Infante (ITDG) (30 min)
Este curso proporciona una introducción a las Pautas de desarrollo para bebés y niños pequeños (ITDG) y cómo usar las pautas para proporcionar cuidado receptivo y experiencias de aprendizaje de calidad para todos los niños desde el nacimiento hasta los 3 años de edad en entornos de atención y educación temprana.
Introducción a los Estándares de Aprendizaje Temprano de Arizona (AZELS) (30 min)
Este curso proporciona una introducción a los ocho estándares dentro de los Estándares de Aprendizaje Temprano de Arizona (AZELS) y cómo usar los estándares para proporcionar una base de instrucción para todos los niños de 3 a 5 años de edad.
1-hour Online Courses
ITDG Social Emotional Development (1-hr)
This course focuses on the SE Domain of the Infant Toddler Developmental Guidelines (ITDG) including early brain research in relation to positive development and how to create rich learning environments for infants and toddlers.
ITDG Approaches to Learning (1-hr)
This course focuses on the Approaches to Learning Domain of the Infant Toddler Developmental Guidelines (ITDG) including an introduction to early brain research in relation to approaches to learning and how to foster initiative, creativity, and problem-solving skills in infants and toddlers.
ITDG Language Development & Communication (1-hr)
This course focuses on the Language Development & Communication Domain of the Infant Toddler Developmental Guidelines (ITDG) including an introduction to early brain research and how to build the language and communication skills of listening, speaking, and emergent literacy in infants and toddlers.
ITDG Cognitive Development (1-hr)
This course focuses on the Cognitive Development Domain of the Infant Toddler Developmental Guidelines (ITDG) including a connection to early brain research and how to foster exploration, build memory skills, and support reasoning and problem-solving through imitation and symbolic play.
AZELS Social Emotional Development (1-hr)
This course provides an overview of the Social & Emotional Development Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) and an introduction to the Pyramid Model to provide behavior support, along with strategies to foster positive development in children aged 3-5.
AZELS Approaches to Learning (1-hr)
This course provides an overview of the Approaches to Learning Standards from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including support to foster curiosity, confidence, creativity, and problem-solving skills in children aged 3-5.
AZELS Language & Literacy (1-hr)
This course provides an overview of the Language & Literacy Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including support to build language, emergent literacy, and emergent writing skills in preschool-age children.
AZELS Mathematics (1-hr)
This course provides an overview of the Mathematics Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including support to foster counting, operations, measuring, and geometry skills in preschool-age children.
AZELS Science (1-hr)
This course provides an overview of the Science Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including support to foster scientific inquiry and application skills in preschool-age children.
AZELS Physical Development Health & Safety (1-hr)
This course provides an overview of the Physical Development, Health & Safety Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including support to promote healthy physical development, appropriate hygiene practices, and safety measures in the environment and the classroom for preschool-age children.
PGHQ: Family Engagement & Support (1-hr)
This course provides an overview of Program Guideline 5: Family Engagement & Support from the Program Guidelines for High-Quality Early Education: Birth through Kindergarten including specific ways to more fully and effectively engage with families involved in your program.
AZ School Readiness Framework (1-hr)
This course provides an overview of the Arizona School Readiness Framework and its key components such as research-based curriculum and assessment, high-quality kindergarten transitions, and the importance of family engagement.
Ongoing Progress Monitoring (1-hr)
This course is designed to show the importance of ongoing progress monitoring within the early childhood education system. The four stages of the assessment cycle are outlined to include high-quality practices that support children’s outcomes, family engagement, and programmatic decision-making.
2-hour Online Courses
ITDG Language Development & Communication (2-hr)
This course takes a closer look at the Language Development & Communication Domain of the Infant Toddler Developmental Guidelines (ITDG) including the connection of early brain research to language and communication development and provides effective strategies for supporting listening, speaking, and literacy-rich experiences for infants and toddlers.
AZELS Social Emotional Development (2-hr)
This course provides a closer look at the Social Emotional Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including the tiers of the Pyramid Model to provide behavior supports and instructional strategies for fostering positive development in children aged 3-5.
AZELS Approaches to Learning (2-hr)
This course provides a closer look at the Approaches to Learning Standards from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including support to implement the strands within the Standard as well as strategies to support executive function skills and cognitive flexibility in children aged 3-5.
AZELS Language & Literacy (2-hr)
This course provides a closer look at the Language & Literacy Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including support to build language, emergent literacy, and emergent writing skills and how to design a literacy-rich environment for preschool-age children.
AZELS Mathematics (2-hr)
This course takes a closer look at the Mathematics Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including supports to foster counting, operations, measuring, and geometry skills along with effective strategies for implementing math skills in all standards of early learning for preschool-age children.
AZELS Science (2-hr)
This course takes a closer look at the Science Standard from the Arizona Early Learning Standards (AZELS) including support to foster scientific inquiry and application skills, as well as strategies for designing a science-rich environment for preschool-age children.
