Competency Frameworks for Infant and Toddler Teachers and Caregivers in Maine
Evidence | Publications

Competency Frameworks for Infant and Toddler Teachers and Caregivers in Maine

OPRE report #2022-322
Published: Dec 30, 2022
Publisher: Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Human Services Early Childhood Early Childhood Systems Professional Development Child Development Federal
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Associated Project

Infant and Toddler Teacher and Caregiver Competencies (ITTCC)

Time frame: 2017-2023

Prepared for:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation

Clients
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Authors

Davis Straske

Andrea Mraz Esposito

Pia Caronongan

Key Findings
  • The Maine Infant Toddler Credential was designed to support the professional development of infant and toddler teachers and caregivers across settings by providing an expanded number of trainings available throughout the state and a less expensive, more accessible option to move up the state’s career lattice.
  • Trainings on the competencies are offered in a variety of modalities, including in-person, virtual, and on demand (self-paced and virtual). Through agreements with state institutions of higher education, teachers or caregivers with a Maine Infant Toddler Credential can receive college credits such that the credential could serve as a stepping stone to college.
  • Teachers and caregivers are not required to have the credential for a program to become licensed. The Maine Infant Toddler Credential is tied to the state career lattice and state quality rating and improvement system.
  • Teachers and caregivers interested in earning the Maine Infant Toddler Credential must complete an assessment to determine whether they have integrated the knowledge and skills gained through the required trainings into their daily practice.

To support the quality of care for infants and toddlers, many states have developed competency frameworks to outline specific competencies (that is, knowledge, skills, and attributes) that are essential to the practice of teaching and caring for infants and toddlers. The Infant and Toddler Teacher and Caregiver Competencies (ITTCC) project conducted in-depth case studies of five states to learn about the processes and practices that facilitate use of competency frameworks and how competencies in those frameworks are assessed.

This profile provides an overview of the Maine Infant Toddler Credential, a competency framework that Maine developed to support infant and toddler teachers and caregivers across setting types.

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