Professional Development
We operate the Philadelphia Teaching and Learning Collaborative (TLC), providing research-based training and technical assistance for over 400 service coordinators and providers who work within the City's birth-to-three Early Intervention System. This program is designed to improve the quality of services and to impact on family, child, and system outcomes (Campbell & Halbert, 2002). We have targeted family-centered practices within natural environments (Campbell & Sawyer, 2006).
We conduct studies that use a Participatory Action Research (PAR) model with early intervention practitioners and families to adopt use of evidence-based practices. Other studies look at alternate ways of serving families and their infants and toddlers who are at risk for poor school readiness and less than optimal school outcomes. Through these efforts we have developed competence and expertise in working with adult learners, designing professional development materials, and in conducting quasi-experimental and qualitative research studies concerning the impact of professional development.
In a recent study (Campbell & Milbourne, 2004) we made preliminary attempts to isolate the impact of consultation (when combined with a training course) on child care quality using a convenience sample of infant-toddler caregivers. Through this professional development we have designed and published a tool kit called CARA's Kit: Creating Adaptations for Routines and Activities (available from the Council for Exceptional Children, Division for Early Childhood).
We have implemented a series of research and professional development activities with inner city child caregivers (Campbell, Milbourne, & Silverman, 2002a; 2002b). These externally-funded research and training activities resulted in the establishment of the Philadelphia Inclusion Network (PIN) which offered a series of training programs and modules for child caregivers in family day care (family homes) and center-based settings and a number of research-based publications (Campbell, Milbourne, & Silverman, 2001, Campbell & Milbourne, 2005) about professional development.
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