New Jersey Early Learning Training Academy (NJ-ELTA)

The Center for Effective School Practices was awarded a grant from the New Jersey Department of Education to design and implement the New Jersey Early Learning Training Academy (NJ-ELTA), a crucial project within New Jersey’s Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge. NJ-ELTA was the professional development component of the Grow NJ Kids Quality Rating Improvement System, a multifaceted effort to improve preschool performance across the state. The program impacted 83,000 infants and children at 1,788 preschool settings. Using a “train-the-trainer” model, NJ-ELTA staff delivered training modules to a team of master preschool educators, who then delivered the modules to their local peers. The modules were based on the key skill set areas identified by Grow NJ Kids as essential for early childhood workers: Health and Safety, Curriculum and Learning Environment, Family and Community Engagement, Workforce Development, and Administration and Management. By training New Jersey’s preschool workforce in these areas, NJ-ELTA ensured preschool students throughout the state were in the care of highly qualified and competent professionals who provided instruction that supported child development while expertly managing the many challenges that arose in a preschool setting. CESP worked with two regional partners to manage the delivery of training: Passaic County Community College in northern New Jersey and Atlantic Cape Community College in southern New Jersey. CESP delivered training for the central region of New Jersey in addition to acting as the primary agency for the overarching statewide program.