2025 Conference News
Alabama’s Infant Toddler Specialist Network provides coaching and support with the goal of offering high quality care and learning experiences for infants and toddlers across the state.
Alabama’s Infant Toddler Specialist Network provides professional development workshops for both educators and directors who care for infants and toddlers. These workshops, which are provided at no cost, are specific to the unique learning needs of the birth to three age range. Opportunities can be facilitated through face-to-face, virtual, or hybrid methods.
Technical Assistance and Consultation from ITSN means support and a myriad of resources to help childcare providers achieve excellence in early care for infants and toddlers. Through network of highly skilled specialists, ITSN is able to provide these opportunities for specialized training, technical assistance, and coaching in-person, by phone, or virtually throughout Alabama.
A relationship-based process that includes individualized, practice-based support through shared goal-setting, action plans, focused observations, and reflective feedback. This evidence-based practice, targeting professional development goals identified by the teacher, includes two visits per week for the 90-day coaching cycle and offers a financial incentive to teachers.
Through the network, which spans across Alabama, ITSN provides: Professional Development, Technical Assistance and Consultation, and Coaching.
Alabama’s Infant Toddler Specialist Network provides professional development workshops for both educators and directors who care for infants and toddlers. These workshops, which are provided at no cost, are specific to the unique learning needs of the birth to three age range. Opportunities can be facilitated through face-to-face, virtual, or hybrid methods.
Technical Assistance and Consultation from ITSN means support and a myriad of resources to help childcare providers achieve excellence in early care for infants and toddlers. Through network of highly skilled specialists, ITSN is able to provide these opportunities for specialized training, technical assistance, and coaching in-person, by phone, or virtually throughout Alabama.
A relationship-based process that includes individualized, practice-based support through shared goal-setting, action plans, focused observations, and reflective feedback. This evidence-based practice, targeting professional development goals identified by the teacher, includes two visits per week for the 90-day coaching cycle and offers a financial incentive to teachers.
The ITSN Teacher Credential recognizes teachers with specialized knowledge, skills and professional achievement which serve as a foundation for high-quality interactions and care of infants and toddlers. The credential process supports educators in strengthening competencies and skills related to early care and education through professional development and job-embedded support.
Participants in the coaching program may earn an Infant Toddler Teacher Credential, which is accompanied by a stipend.
Alabama’s Infant Toddler Specialist Network provides a three-part approach to support with the goal of offering high quality care and learning experiences for infants and toddlers across the state.
Through the network, ITSN provides: Professional Development, Technical Assistance and Consultation, and Coaching.
Participants in the coaching program may earn an Infant Toddler Teacher Credential, which is accompanied by a stipend.
The ITSN Teacher Credential recognizes teachers with specialized knowledge, skills and professional achievement which serve as a foundation for high-quality interactions and care of infants and toddlers. The credential process supports educators in strengthening competencies and skills related to early care and education through professional development and job-embedded support.
Child development and learning
Building family and community relationships
Building meaningful curriculum using developmentally effective approaches
Supporting emotional expression and regulation
[Coaching] has helped me a lot with my knowledge of infants and toddlers, plus having a coach who understands the age appropriate elements. I have grown so much as a teacher and have begun to learn and understand more for my age group.
My Coach has been extremely wonderful. Her ideas and advice have allowed me to rearrange and make everything child accessible.
We are officially a FOUR STAR DAYCARE, thanks in part for all the resources from (the Specialist). We couldn’t have moved up without them.
Working with (the Specialist) through the ITSN coaching program has been transformational for our toddler teachers. The guidance, support, and mentorship provided by this program has given our toddler teachers a strong foundation in which to continue to grow and lead their classrooms. By providing our teachers easy-to-implement strategies, our teachers have grown in their confidence to lead classrooms through language-rich, positive interactions.
(The Specialist) support along the way was invaluable as she provided our teachers a strong support system, listened to their struggles, and identified specific strategies to address each one. In doing so, we’ve seen an incredible transformation that is evident to everyone who enters our program.”
[Coaching] has helped me a lot with my knowledge of infants and toddlers, plus having a coach who understands the age appropriate elements. I have grown so much as a teacher and have begun to learn and understand more for my age group.
My Coach has been extremely wonderful. Her ideas and advice have allowed me to rearrange and make everything child accessible.
We are officially a FOUR STAR DAYCARE, thanks in part for all the resources from (the Specialist). We couldn’t have moved up without them.
(The Specialist) support along the way was invaluable as she provided our teachers a strong support system, listened to their struggles, and identified specific strategies to address each one. In doing so, we’ve seen an incredible transformation that is evident to everyone who enters our program.”
