The ECE Resource Hub – Explore a New Resource for the New Year
Kick off the year with a new approach to your instruction and PD planning.
For many of us, January is a time for resolutions – a time to reflect on how things went last year and what we hope to accomplish in the year to come. As an educator, we know you have specific goals in mind for the children in your classroom based on child assessments and classroom observations. Whether you are looking for a new strategy, a great book to add to your library, or a professional development topic that inspires your team, the ECE Resource Hub may have just what you’re looking for!
Developed through funding and partnership with the Virginia Department of Education, the ECE Resource Hub is a website that offers free, high-quality educational resources for those caring for children from birth to five.
What Makes the Hub Unique?
You may be wondering, “How is the ECE Resource Hub unique?” The Hub features resources that come from trusted sources in the field. They’re practical, easy-to-use, and effective. That’s because they’ve been carefully selected by a team of early childhood educators, coaches, researchers, and experts.
We know that finding effective educational resources can be time-consuming and overwhelming. That’s why we’ve done some of the legwork for you. In just a few minutes, you can find an activity or lesson to support children, learn a new strategy, or find more intensive professional development (PD).
What can I find on the ECE Resource Hub?
The Hub has hundreds of high-quality resources for you to use. These resources are organized around five Core Skills that young children are working to develop: Relate, Regulate, Think, Communicate, and Move.
The Hub includes:
- Authentic videos of educators and children that show what effective interactions look like.
- Activities that are quick, fun, and designed to support children in their learning and development.
- More than 20 strategies to help you support children’s social and emotional skills.
- Over 65 book recommendations with accompanying lesson plans.
- Resources that focus on equity and inclusion, family connections, and trauma-informed care.
Currently, the site features resources that support children’s relationships (RELATE) and self-regulation skills (REGULATE), as well as physical development and healthy habits (MOVE). This spring, we’ll expand our offerings to include a focus on children’s thinking and communication skills (THINK and COMMUNICATE).
High-Quality Professional Development
The Hub also offers over 50 professional development resources that focus on topics such as equity and inclusion, family connections, and trauma-informed care. Each featured resource comes with a set of ready-made questions and activities.
A Focus on the How: Interactions to Support Children’s Learning
The resources on the Hub don’t just focus on what to teach, they also focus on how: intentional interactions that we know are important for supporting children’s development. Our activities emphasize interactions that support and encourage every child individually. They offer ideas for starting conversations, questions that encourage problem-solving, and feedback that focuses on each learner’s needs. We also include video exemplars that highlight what genuine, effective interactions with young children look like.
What’s Next for the Hub?
Just like the children you teach, the ECE Resource Hub is always growing! Each month, we feature new resources you can use to support young children. In addition, we also offer quick and easy ways you can grow your own teaching practice.
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We offer free, high-quality professional development resources that help educators foster critical skills and promote equitable opportunities for every child from birth to five.
Acknowledgment Credit:
This blog was written in collaboration with information and text from University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development News and Stories: New Free Resource Hub Provides Comprehensive Tools for Early Childhood Educators, written by Audrey Breen from the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning.
More Questions for the VKRP Team? VKRP provides support via the online chat feature when you are in the system, via email vkrp@virginia.edu, and via toll free 866-301-8278
