Staff Training Plans

Training is important in any workplace, but it’s absolutely essential when working with children. The types of training that ELP employees participate in set them up for success before the first child arrives at the school. As programs reflect on and set quality improvement goals, administrators can support staff with creating individualized training plans that will help them achieve those goals. Although some training topics are required, there are opportunities to pursue topics of interest. The administrative team’s plans should include leadership skill building. Child Care Regulation (CCR) outlines the minimum standards of training hours that staff must complete each year, but Texas Rising Star requires a bit more. Your Texas Rising Star assessor will examine the training plans to determine whether they reflect appropriate training hours.

Stop and Reflect

What are your professional development and/or quality improvement goals for this year?

How do staff choose and document their professional development plan? How do they find professional development opportunities?

What support do you need from your Texas Rising Star mentor to create staff training plans with employees?

Define

Texas Rising Star has several measures related to staff training. Click the links to learn more about these measures. 

    • S-DQT-03: Operation or program director training plan (school-age programs)
    • S-DQT-04: Director training plan (center-based programs)
    • S-COTQ-01: Staff orientation
    • S-COTQ-02: Staff training plans (center-based programs)
    • S-COTQ-04: Staff training plans (school-age programs)
    • S-COTQ-07: Staff training plans (home-based programs)
    • S-COTQ-09: Additional staff training plans (home-based programs)
    • P-CQT-04: Staff participate in the Texas Workforce Registry

Learn

Sample Staff Training Plan

This sample plan shows a practitioner’s professional development goals and the trainings she has completed and plans to complete. Notice how there is alignment between her professional development goals and the trainings she completes.

Age group(s): Infant, Toddler, Preschool, School-age
Resource Type: Example Document
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

This website offers a range of digital and print materials and resources related to child care training, including a number of online courses for child care professionals seeking to fulfill state-mandated training requirements. These resources will help early childhood professionals find and complete training hours needed as related to their role.

Age group(s): Infant, Toddler, Preschool
Resource Type: Toolkit
Texas Core Competencies for Administrators Training

This training was designed for use by early childhood administrators. These competencies represent the range of knowledge and observable skills needed to effectively manage early childhood programs. They are intended to serve as a guide to those interested in acquiring a better understanding of the scope of responsibilities associated with early childhood program administration.

Age group(s): Infant, Toddler, Preschool
Resource Type: Online Course
Texas Core Competencies for Practitioners Training

Core competencies refer to specific, basic concepts, skills, and abilities that early childhood professionals should learn, understand, and be able to demonstrate. This training was designed for use by early childhood professionals to improve the quality of care and education young children receive. (9.5 hours)

Age group(s): Infant, Toddler, Preschool
Resource Type: Online Course
Texas ECE Career Pathways

The career pathway relates a professional’s training hours, education, work experience, and other factors to a position on the career pathway, from entry-level to expertise in the early childhood field. The Texas ECE Career Pathways support those who identify as Practitioners, Administrators, Trainers, and Coaches.

Age group(s): Infant, Toddler, Preschool
Resource Type: Guide

Practice and Improve

Annual Professional Development Self-Reflection

Use of this reflective document will support staff in identifying which future training topics (aligned with the Texas Core Competencies) would be beneficial to their professional development. This document should be used in tandem with the staff’s Annual Professional Development/Training Plan.

Age group(s): Infant, Toddler, Preschool, School-age
Resource Type: Guide
Professional Development Profile Report – Administrator

This is an example of a Professional Development Profile Report for Administrators and Practitioners from TECPDS. This report can be used to analyze staff education, experience, and training to ensure staff are meeting requirements for training hours and topics. The report can also help inform staff training plans if some training topics have less coverage than others.

Age group(s): Infant, Toddler, Preschool, School-age
Resource Type: Example Document
Professional Development Self-Assessment for Administrators

This self-assessment is designed for Administrators: early childhood professionals who are responsible for planning, managing, implementing, and evaluating early childhood programs. When selecting professional development opportunities, look for conferences and sessions aligned with the professional development plan to meet your goals.

Age group(s): Infant, Toddler, Preschool, School-age
Resource Type: Assessment
Professional Development Self-Assessment for Practitioners

Early childhood practitioners complete many hours of professional development each year to support their professional growth in child skill development and instructional practices, and to meet state guidelines. When selecting your next professional development opportunity, look for conferences and sessions aligned to the professional development plan to meet your goals!

Age group(s): Infant, Toddler, Preschool, School-age
Resource Type: Assessment
Staff Orientation Checklist

Before beginning child care duties, all teaching staff members receive documented in-person interactive orientation with the director/administrator to improve knowledge of the childcare operation, specific job responsibilities, and children’s needs. Here is a sample document that provides evidence that this onboarding has taken place. This documentation should remain in the teacher’s staff file.

Age group(s): Infant, Toddler, Preschool, School-age
Resource Type: Example Document
Staff Training Plan Template

This template is an effortless way to document staff members’ professional development goals and training opportunities. Training opportunities should help the practitioner meet their goals while also meeting minimum requirements for clock hours and training topics.

Age group(s): Infant, Toddler, Preschool, School-age
Resource Type: Template
TECPDS for Texas Rising Star

Create and update your professional development profile, review staff profile reports, and plan professional development for your center/facility. Anyone who works with children birth to age 8 can register for a TECPDS account, regardless of their role or the sector in which they work. If you work with young children and would like a personal account where you can keep track of your professional development, create an account today!

Age group(s): Infant, Toddler, Preschool, School-age
Resource Type: Guide
Texas Workforce Registry

The Texas Workforce Registry (TWR) is a web-based application for early childhood professionals to keep track of all of their education and employment history, as well as the clock hours of training they have accrued. Through your TECPDS account, create a professional development profile, view reports, link to your program or school, connect to the job search resource and matching system, and evaluate trainings presented by Registered Trainers.

Age group(s): Infant, Toddler, Preschool, School-age
Resource Type: Implementation Tool