Teaching Strategies, the leading provider of early childhood education curriculum, assessment, professional development and family engagement solutions, today announced its Professional Development Teacher Membership has been named “Professional Development Solution of the Year” in the 6th Annual EdTech Breakthrough Awards. The annual awards honor excellence and recognize innovation, hard work and success across the educational technology space.
“Early childhood educators increasingly want professional development that is as flexible and practical as it is meaningful, and Teaching Strategies is listening,” said Celia Stokes, president of product at Teaching Strategies. “Our Professional Development Teacher Membership offers an expansive range of learning and support–not just a large catalog of on-demand courses but also short, live virtual classes, small group discussion forums, expert coaching, an 8-week virtual bootcamp for new teachers, and an active online community of peers–when they want it, how they want it. We’re thrilled it has been recognized as a breakthrough solution for our field.”
A recent survey of more than 2,200 early childhood educators shows an increasing number of early childhood educators prefer online, on-demand professional development. Fifty-seven percent of educators surveyed said they were interested in continuing education, with a preference for online, self-paced courses and shorter credential-bearing modules. The preference for online courses that educators can take at their own pace increased notably from 38 percent in 2022 to 61 percent in 2024.
The Professional Development Teacher Membership is meeting these needs and preferences by providing educators with access to comprehensive professional development opportunities that extend well beyond a full- or half-day, once-a-year training approach. The membership provides 24/7 unlimited access to a catalog of online courses with over 400 hours of research-based content; an active professional learning community of over 80,000 peers; a community of members and experts going through shared learning experiences in real time; informal support sessions to help guide educators in specific topics; a start-up boot camp modeled after best practices in the postsecondary training spaces; and a professional development dashboard to manage badges and certificates. And everything is available in both English and Spanish.
The on-demand course and live class catalog includes IACET-accredited courses that allow educators to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and complete required state training hours. It also includes all of the training needed for early childhood educators to obtain the Child Development Associate (CDA®) credential, which is a key requirement for educators in Head Start programs.
In addition to training coursework, the membership includes access to a robust professional learning community for early childhood educators, with access to experts; scheduled, live weekly interactive sessions; libraries of media featuring high-quality classrooms; and the support of peers from around the world.
Finally, the membership also includes the Teacher Acceleration Program (TAP), a first-of-its-kind, eight-week virtual bootcamp that brings small cohorts of teachers together with an expert mentor who guides and supports them week-by-week to program confidence.
In 2023, over 80,000 teachers became active members, participating in over 3,000 unique, ongoing discussions, and completing 150,000 on-demand courses. Over 3,000 educators have enrolled in TAP, and nearly 7,500 educators have registered for Live Virtual Classes.
While the membership is utilized by both private and public early childhood care and education providers, Teaching Strategies is also serving an increasing number of state government partners. Most recently, for example, North Carolina announced it was making it easier for aspiring and current early childhood teachers to get classroom experience and college credit to meet the state’s growing child care needs. Now, anyone working in a licensed child care program in the state is eligible to enroll in free coursework toward a CDA certificate through Teaching Strategies’ Professional Development Teacher Membership.
The EdTech Breakthrough Awards is conducted by EdTech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization that recognizes the top companies and solutions in the global edtech market. This year’s program attracted more than 2,500 nominations from all over the world.
About Teaching Strategies
Driven by research that shows a child’s first eight years form a critical foundation for success in school and in life, Teaching Strategies has been an advocate for the early education community for 45 years. Today, Teaching Strategies connects teachers, children and families to inspired teaching and learning experiences, informative data, stronger family partnerships, and professional learning through the leading early learning platform and resources. Its products, including the most widely-used curriculum and assessment solutions The Creative Curriculum® and GOLD®, are found in over 270,000 classrooms and more than 80 countries around the world and reach over 4 million children each year. To learn why thousands of early childhood programs and many states and countries choose to partner with Teaching Strategies to help ensure children’s success in school and in life, visit www.teachingstrategies.com.
