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Early Childhood Coach Credential Scholarship Program

Why Become an Early Childhood Coach?

IDecorative image featuring the words 'inspire,' 'empower,' and 'transform' alongside the social media handle '@ECCLAColorado' to promote ECCLA's social media profiles.n the 2019 Colorado Shines Brighter (Colorado’s Preschool Development Grant) Needs Assessment, one of the top priorities for the state was to “Continue Investing in Quality-Enhancing Professional Development Opportunities and Workforce Recruitment and Retention Across the Early Care and Education Landscape” and to “Continue to Develop a Diverse Early Childhood Workforce.” A potential avenue for the advancement, retention, and recruitment of early childhood professionals is through free and accessible professional development opportunities, including coaching.  Increasing access to coaching provides opportunities for professionals to have more individualized access to knowledge specific to their individual needs and career supports. To make this opportunity possible, there needs to be credentialed coaches to meet the needs of the early childhood professionals. 

Studies have shown coaching to be one of the most effective ways to support adult educators in learning new knowledge and skills (Joyce & Showers, 2002). 

In partnership with the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) is offering a scholarship opportunity for early childhood professionals seeking an Early Childhood Coaching Credential. Applicants may choose between several CDEC-approved coaching programs.

Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance Logo Colorado Department of Early Childhood Logo

Eligibility Guidelines

Participants must meet the following criteria and enroll in a coach credential program by June 30, 2025:

  • Applicant is a Colorado resident
  • Applicant is currently employed (or is seeking employment) in the early childhood profession and has at least two years experience working in a licensed early childhood center or family child care home
  • Applicant has not already completed the Relationship-Based Professional Development Course or another department-approved coaching course in the past (see below for a list of department-approved coaching courses):
    • Colorado Department of Early Childhood – Relationship-Based Professional Development Course
    • Colorado Community College System – Relationship-Based Mentoring Courses
    • Coaching Potentials – Coaching Certificate
    • Dynamic Coaching Systems – Coaching Certificate
    • Healthy Child Care Colorado – Pyramid Facilitator Certification
    • Horizons in Learning – Transformational Coaching Course
    • Invest in Kids – Incredible Years Peer Coach Training
    • Mosaic Mindset Consulting – Coaching Early Childhood Professionals: Foundations
    • University of Colorado Denver – Coaching Certificate
  • Applicant is registered within the Professional Development Information System (PDIS)
  • Applicant currently holds (or will apply for) an Early Childhood Professional Credential 3.0 – Level 3 or higher
  • Applicant does not currently hold (or has not held in the past) an Early Childhood Coach Credential

The Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) is an equal opportunity scholarship provider. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, military status, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in any of its activities or operations. Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow (ASSET) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students are welcome to apply! 

Scholarship Commitments and Expectations

If awarded, Applicant commits to:

Supports Offered

  • Support in enrollment, registration, and coaching credential application
  • Support with meeting Reflective Supervision hours
  • 1:1 support to ensure progression toward the completion of your credential
  • Support with connecting to coaching resources and networks
Two professionals sit in a bright office near ceiling to floor windows. They face each other, smiling, while one has her hand on an open laptop.

Approved Coaching Programs

All programs below are offered virtually unless otherwise stated. While some programs may offer a year-long, three-part Certificate in Early Childhood Coaching, ECCLA’s Coach Credential Scholarship Program will only cover the cost of Part 1 which satisfies the eligibility requirements for an Early Childhood Coach Credential in PDIS.

Colorado Department of Early Childhood Logo
Coaching Potentials Logo
Horizons in Learning Logo
University of Colorado Denver Logo
Colorado Community College System Logo
Healthy Child Care Colorado Logo

Reflective Supervision

Thanks to funding from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), ECCLA has contracted with Reflective Supervisors and Consultants to provide free, group-based Reflective Supervision/Consultation (RS/C) to credentialed Early Childhood Coaches across Colorado. To maintain the Colorado Early Childhood Coach Credential, coaches must complete 45 hours of ongoing professional development and 24 hours of reflective supervision/consultation every three years.
Learn more about how ECCLA’s RS/C services can support this requirement.

An adult professional wearing glasses and a pink shirt engages in a friendly conversation with a young adult. On the left, logos of ECCLA and the Colorado Department of Early Childhood are displayed.

Frequently Asked Questions

About Coaching in Early Childhood Education

Coaching is a relationship-based process led by an expert with specialized adult learning knowledge and skills, who often serves in a different professional role than the recipient(s). Coaching is designed to build capacity for specific professional dispositions, skills, and behaviors and is focused on goal setting and achievement for an individual or group.

An early childhood coach is a professional who has the disposition, skills, reflective capacity, and adult learning expertise to work directly with other early childhood professionals to build capacity for continuous quality improvement.

Reflective supervision is a relationship-based approach that includes regular reflection and utilizes supervision as an opportunity for learning and development. Reflective supervision can take place individually or within a group setting, and encourages providers to reflect on their practices, assess and evaluate situations, and set goals. As stated by Zero to Three, the three building blocks of reflective supervision are reflection, collaboration, and regularity (2016).

 

Aligned to the Colorado Competencies for Early Childhood Coaches, the Colorado Early Childhood Coach Credential provides statewide recognition to early childhood professionals who have the foundational skills and dispositions necessary for effective coaching in the early childhood profession. Credentialed Coaches participate in department-approved, coaching-specific training and engage in ongoing professional development with a trained reflective supervisor/consultant to maintain their coach credential. Professionals seeking an Early Childhood Coach Credential must:

  • Complete a CDEC-approved coaching specific training
  • Complete your Coach and Educator Self-Assessments in PDIS
  • Complete your Individualized Professional Development Plan (IPDP) in PDIS by establishing at least two professional development goals
  • Complete the Recognition and Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect Training in PDIS
  • Apply for the Early Childhood Professional Credential 3.0 in PDIS and earn a Level 3 or higher 
  • Apply for Early Childhood Coach Credential in PDIS 
  • The coach credential must be renewed within PDIS every three years. To maintain the credential, a coach must complete at least 8 hours of Reflective Supervision a year, which equates to 24 hours of Reflective Supervision needed by the renewal period 

About ECCLA's Coach Credential Scholarship Program

Eligibility requirements are listed above.

The Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) is an equal opportunity scholarship provider. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, military status, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in any of its activities or operations. Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow (ASSET) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students are welcome to apply! 

No. ECCLA’s Early Childhood Coach Credential Scholarship Program is for participants who have not already completed Relationship-Based Professional Development or another department approved coaching program.

For available programs, see above. All programs are offered virtually unless otherwise stated. While some programs may offer a year-long, three-part Certificate in Early Childhood Coaching, ECCLA’s Coach Credential Scholarship Program will only cover the cost of Part 1 which satisfies the eligibility requirements for an Early Childhood Coach Credential.

No. Some programs offer a year-long, three-part Certificate in Early Childhood Coaching. ECCLA’s Early Childhood Coach Credential Scholarship Program will only cover the cost of Part 1 of these specific programs, which satisfies the eligibility requirements for an Early Childhood Coach Credential in PDIS. For available programs, see above.

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