The NC Infant Toddler Quality Enhancement Project (ITQEP) team serves all 100 N.C. counties through Infant Toddler Specialists housed in regional lead child care resource and referral agencies.
For technical assistance in Durham, Orange and Wake counties of children older than three, visit our Technical Assistance page.
How Can We Help?
Find Specialized Training
Specialists provide training specific to infant and toddler care for teachers and administrators, including ITS-SIDS, Language and Development, Recruiting and Hiring and much more.
For questions about training, please email the Infant Toddler Education Manager.
Contact a Specialist
Specialized training is provided and required for each specialist. To contact an Infant/Toddler Specialist in your area, please see the CCR&R Council Contact List.
New Infant Toddler Teacher Orientation Project
The New Infant Toddler Teacher Orientation (NITTO) is a self-paced online course offered through DCDEE’s Moodle site designed to support teachers and administrators who are new to infant and toddler classrooms. Though the course was created for new educators, experienced infant/toddler teachers and administrators can benefit from the training content as well.
ITERS-R Assistance Package
Getting ready for Rated License (ITERS-R) Assessment? Click here to request a comprehensive package of resources to support you in the process. We have included information about sanitation, interactions, signage and worksheets to help you prepare.
A Teacher Activity Pages Book
If you are looking for fun and developmentally appropriate activities for your infant toddler classroom, look no further! The activities included here align with all five developmental domains of the North Carolina Foundations for Early Learning and Development (NC FELD).
The NC ITQEP Annual Report
The NC ITQEP is pleased to report another successful year providing a variety of support services to North Carolina’s infant/toddler workforce. This report will include both quantitative and qualitative data to support and document the project’s work during fiscal year 2019-2020 (FY20).
Program Overview
The Specialists provide hands-on individualized and tailored support (technical assistance) for providers and administrators that includes:
- Building positive relationships with children, families and co-workers
- Creating environments to support social-emotional development and the developing capacity of infants and young children to:
- Form close and secure adult and peer relationships
- Experience, regulate and express emotions in socially and culturally appropriate ways
- Explore the environment and learn social skills
- Implementing best practices for infant and toddler group care every day that creates the quality of care that provides solid foundations for infant and toddler development
- Providing support for developmental monitoring and screening through the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Learn the Signs Act Early materials
We use a Practice-Based Coaching framework that involves building partnerships and shared goals with infant and toddler teachers and administrators to help them plan for and achieve best practices.
FAQs
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What is an Infant Toddler Specialist and is there a charge?
Infant toddler specialists have extensive knowledge, certifications and specialized training in infant and toddler care and development. They offer support and training in your area through the NC Infant-Toddler Quality Enhancement Project (ITQEP), a special project of the NC Child Care Resource and Referral Council, at no cost through funding from the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education. Each N.C. county has an infant toddler specialist dedicated to supporting its child care centers. View the list of infant toddler specialists here.
If you are unsure of which infant toddler specialist you should contact, please email the Technical Assistance Manager for assistance with connecting with technical assistance.
What are people saying about NC ITQEP?
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[My teachers] collaborated together and had great discussions about the class.
— Administrator of NITTO participant
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[NITTO] is a great resource for every teacher and all infant/toddler teachers must consider taking this course.
— NITTO participant
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My teachers were very excited about this program. I appreciate you all letting administrators be a part of it too. It was fun getting to see my teacher’s face light up as they explained when I asked them what they learned this week or that week. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity for early childhood educators, especially in infant and toddler care. This age is my heart!
— Administrator of NITTO participant
Infant/Toddler News
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ITITA Helps Toddler Teacher Involve Children Leading Their Own Day
ITITA Specialist Scarlet Welborn sits down with Erin Hayes, the lead toddler teacher for Randleman Enrichment Center in Randolph County, N.C. -
Building Teacher Collaboration through ITITA Pilot Project
ITITA Specialist Lori Anderson interviews Mashunda Vaughters, once lead teacher in the two-year-old classroom, now assistant director for New Horizons Preschool. Mashunda speaks about the biggest impact she’s experienced being a part of ITITA, how technology and COVID-19 affected the project and what she’ll take forward from the project as an administrator with her staff now. -
ITITA Helps New Toddler Teacher Focus on Intentional Interactions
ITITA Specialist Lorrie Looper interviews Chris Wells, the Lead Toddler Teacher at Sugar Grove Developmental Day School. In a mostly female-dominated industry, Chris speaks about his experience with ITITA, what it’s meant to be part of this program as a new toddler teacher and how participating in ITITA has impacted his classroom overall.
“Who’s Caring for Our Babies?”
A statewide report on county, regional and statewide status of infant/toddler care, called “Who’s Caring for Our Babies?” was completed in 2016. This study examines care in 2016 and shows how it has changed since 2008.