For technical assistance in Durham, Orange and Wake counties of children older than 3, visit our Technical Assistance page.
Program Overview
In 2004, North Carolina established the Statewide Infant Toddler Quality Enhancement Project (ITQEP) with funding from the NC Division of Child Development. The goal of the project was to improve the quality and availability of care for children aged birth to three in North Carolina by supporting Early Care and Education Centers through coaching, mentoring and training. In August 2022, the project became the Birth-to-Three Quality Initiative.
The project team includes Birth-to-Three Specialists (B-3S) housed in Regional Lead CCR&R agencies throughout the state and a project management team employed by Child Care Services Association (CCSA).
The B-3QI serves all 100 counties across the state, and Regional Birth-to-Three Specialists provide leadership, coaching, training and hands-on support for teachers and site administrators. A team of Anchor Birth-to-Three Specialists provides virtual cohort-based learning collaboratives for birth-to-three teachers and administrators across the state. The project is rigorously monitored to ensure consistency, equitability and quality of services delivered statewide, and its impact is evaluated by several measurable outcomes.
Infant/Toddler News
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Why is Professional Development Important and Why Do I Need a Plan?
Professional development (PD) is key in any specialized career. By participating in professional development opportunities, you are able to increase your knowledge about a topic, learn new ideas and implement new strategies to advance your line of work forward. PD also shows a level of commitment to and respect for your occupation. In the field of early care and learning, PD “requires knowledge of how children grow and develop, skills to communicate effectively with children and parents, and a great amount of dedication and love for the work” (NCICDP, 2001). -
Observations and Meaningful Change
When working with one of our skilled Birth-to-Three Specialist (B-3S) coaches, Practice-Based Coaching (PBC) participants get the benefit of supportive and constructive feedback related to their teaching and administrative practices. This feedback has the potential to not only improve quality in the child care facility, but increase professionalism and a sense of wellbeing for staff, children and families through development of a warm and nurturing environment. An essential part of the feedback process is regular PBC participant observation to understand the impact of classroom change as it occurs. Many participants ask for the reasoning behind our diligent observation efforts. In this article, we unpack how these observations work logistically, what they are intended to do and why they are essential to helping our project enhance our coaching services. -
Resilience in Early Childhood Care and Education Spaces
Resilience is generally understood as the ability to bounce back or recover quickly from adversity. It can be difficult to describe the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECE) space without […]
B-3QI Quarterly Newsletter
Stay in the know with B-3QI. We provide relevant information to birth-to-three teachers and administrators committed to high-quality care and education. We will highlight project updates and offerings, offer tips and scenarios based on NC Foundations for Early Learning and Development and ZERO TO THREE Critical Competencies, and include profiles of our Birth-to-Three Specialists who are ready to support you.