Each Child. Every Community.

Smart Start’s Coaching for Technical Assistants

Technical assistants are essential early childhood professionals who work with teachers and caregivers in early learning sites, ensuring educators have the tools, resources and support they need to provide high-quality care and early learning.

Coaching for Technical Assistants is a Smart Start Initiative that focuses on working with Smart Start Local Partnerships, technical assistance providers, and early learning programs to implement best practices.

The Initiative grew out of Shape NC, a Smart Start Initiative that focused on working with Smart Start Local Partnerships, technical assistance providers, and child care programs to implement best practices in physical activity, child nutrition, and outdoor play and learning environments.

Coaching for Technical Assistants uses the essential lesson from Shape NC—technical assistance is a key support for early care providers—to consistently incorporate best practices. Coaching for Technical Assistants aims to expand coaching and professional supports for technical assistants in the Smart Start Network, providing coaching and consultation to providers towards implementation of healthy best practices in the early care and education setting.

The Initiative includes resource creation, the development of a technical assistant resource repository, and the creation of professional development and training opportunities to enhance teacher practice and effectiveness, as identified as needed by the Smart Start Network .

How is Coaching for Technical Assistants supporting implementation of healthy best practices in child care settings?

NCPC led focus groups comprised of Smart Start Network staff to gain insight on supports needed for technical assistants and supervisors, the challenges facing technical assistants, and opportunities for success for technical assistants across the state. Opportunities for success include creating connections between peers and creating well-being and skill-building opportunities. Based on the focus groups, NCPC convened a Smart Start Technical Assistant Peer Connection & Well- Being Community of Practice and hosted a full-day preconference session at the Smart Start Conference for over 100 technical assistants across the state in 2023.

What is a Community of Practice?

Peer support is critical for ensuring technical assistants can effectively support early child care providers. By offering a regular Community of Practice space for technical assistants, Smart Start is working to ensure that these professionals feel supported by each other—providing space for communication on classroom techniques as well as emotional support.

Through Coaching for Technical Assistants, over 140 technical assistants have come together to collaborate around supporting early childhood education! These technical assistants receive needed resources, share valuable stories, and offer critical feedback and support to each other on a regular basis.

Coaching for Technical Assistants Work Towards Quality

Coaching for Technical Assistants is collaborating with GO NAPSACC (Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care) and Be Active Kids (BAK) to scale up Be Active Kids implementation across the state. From this work, Smart Start technical assistants will be equipped to provide BAK training, coaching, and consultation across all 100 counties to promote physical activity best practices in early care and education classrooms.