Infant-Toddler Technical Assistant Specialists Scarlet Welborn and Joy Johnson speak about their experience having an ITTA partner and how it’s influenced their work, how they were able to stay connected to their teachers and directors during the pandemic and the impact they’ve seen Infant Toddler Intensive Technical Assistance (ITITA) Model Pilot project have on their teachers, directors and the children they serve.
What is ITITA?
The Infant Toddler Intensive Technical Assistance (ITITA) Model Pilot is a three-year project funded by the N.C. Department of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) from September 2018 through September 2021. The primary goals of the model pilot project are to train and support technical assistance (TA) specialists to become ‘Master TAs.’ In addition, the project will determine if intensive, long-term support, based on strong relationships can sustain change and growth in early childhood providers. TAs are focusing on improving teacher-child interactions and leadership skills in directors, which in turn will provide better outcomes for children and families. This project is currently being piloted at Randolph County Partnership for Children, The Children’s Council of Watauga County and Child Care Resource Center in Region 10. Learn more about ITITA here.
Meet the ITITA Specialists
Scarlet Welborn is an Infant-Toddler Specialist with the Infant-Toddler T/A Model Pilot Project. A Randolph County native, Scarlet has worked in the early childhood field for eleven years now. She started out as an afternoon assistant in a three-year-old room, and eventually went on to be a lead teacher in a two-year-old classroom. She accepted the Infant Toddler TA position while still working toward her bachelor’s degree in early care and education from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Scarlet is a huge advocate of the Reggio Emilia Philosophy and truly believes this philosophy and CLASS® coincide well together.
Joy Johnson is an Infant-Toddler Specialist with the Infant-Toddler T/A Model Pilot Project in Randolph County. Joy has been in the early childhood field for 14 years. She began as an Early Head Start teacher for 8 years and then became an Education Mentor Coach for Head Start before joining the ITITA project.
