| Page content | Aligned to the Colorado Coaching Competencies for Early Childhood Coaches, the Colorado Coach Credential provides statewide recognition to early childhood professionals who have the foundational skills and dispositions necessary for effective coaching in the early childhood field. Credentialed coaches participate in Department-approved, coaching-specific training and engage in ongoing professional development with a trained reflective supervisor to maintain their coach credential. See the bottom of this page for more information on early childhood coaching.
Credential Requirements
The Colorado Early Childhood Coach Credential requirements are:
- Holding an Early Childhood Professional Credential (ECPC) Level 3 or higher at the time you apply and are approved
- Completing the Educator and Coach Self-Assessment in the PDIS
- Establishing at least two professional development goals in the PDIS
- Completion of the Department-approved coaching trainings:
- Relationship-Based Professional Development (RBPD) training (or other Department-approved training alternatives; see list below)
- Recognition and Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect
- At least two years of experience, either direct or indirect, in early care settings. Learn more about experience
Credential Award Period
The Coach Credential is valid for three years.
Apply for the Colorado Coach Credential
Follow the steps below to apply for a Colorado Coach Credential.
- Apply for the Colorado Early Childhood Professional Credential (ECPC) 3.0 in the PDIS and earn a level 3 or higher.
- Complete the RBPD coaching training or other Department-approved, coaching-specific training (see list below).
- Complete Recognition and Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect, a free, online course in the PDIS
- Complete your educator and coach self-assessments and your individualized professional development plan in the PDIS.
- Apply for the Colorado Early Childhood Coach Credential in the PDIS
Renew the Colorado Coach Credential
To maintain your Colorado Early Childhood Coach Credential, you must provide the following documentation every three years and submit a renewal application:
- 45 hours of ongoing professional development (OPD). Learn more about OPD
- 24 hours of reflective supervision or reflective consultation with a trained facilitator. If you'd like a list of approved reflective supervision facilitators, email cdec_coaching@state.co.us.
Coaching Training
Relationship-Based Professional Development
The CDEC provides Relationship-Based Professional Development (RBPD) virtually to communities across the state at no cost to participants. This coaching-specific training meets the training requirement for the Colorado Coach Credential. Topics covered include:
- Characteristics of coaching in early childhood settings
- Working with adult learners
- Coaching skills
- Reflective practice
- Tools to support the coach and coaching partner in continuous quality improvement
CDEC schedules RBPD training throughout the year. To register for this training, you must have an account in the PDIS. Registration is limited to 22 participants. Interest in this free, high quality course always exceeds seats available, but there are other for-cost Department-approved training listed below. If a training reaches capacity, coaches who will be providing Colorado Shines quality improvement coaching, Expanding Quality for Infants and Toddlers RELATE Coaching, and coaches who provide services within target regions will be prioritized for enrollment. Please join the RBPD training waiting list if you are interested in building coaching into your early childhood work.
To receive a certificate of completion for RBPD, participants must complete the 24-hour, hybrid training, including attending the live virtual instructor-led sessions and engaging in self-paced, online assignments. If you must miss more than two hours of any scheduled instructor-led session, please register for a different training that better meets your scheduling needs.
Other Department-approved Training
- Transformational Coaching for Early Childhood Educators from Horizons in Learning
- Pyramid Plus Coach Certification from the Colorado Center for Social Emotional Competence and Inclusion (This Training is no longer offered, but will be accepted.)
- Pyramid Colorado Facilitator Certification from Healthy Child Care Colorado
- ECED 4410/5410: Coaching Early Childhood Professionals: Foundations from University of Colorado, Denver
- Part 1: Foundations of the Early Childhood Coaching Certificate from Dynamic Coaching Systems
- EDU 2251: Introduction to Relationship-Based Mentoring in Education from Red Rocks Community College
- Incredible Years Peer Coach Training from Invest in Kids
- Intro to Relationship-based Mentoring (EDU 2251) & Intro to Relationship-Based Mentoring Techniques (EDU 2255) from Red Rocks Community College
What Is an Early Childhood Coach?
Coaching is an adult learning strategy that relies on co-construction of knowledge and reflective capacity to transform both participants' practices. Coaching draws on observations for collaborative analysis and decision-making with the coaching partner that informs planning to build upon the positive, equitable experiences children and families have daily. An early childhood coach is a professional who works directly with early childhood educators—including teachers, infant and toddler early care and learning providers, supervisors and directors—to build capacity for continuous quality improvement.
Coaching is nondirective, goal-oriented, and solution-focused (Rush and Sheldon, 2020). Studies have shown coaching to be one of the most effective ways to support adult educators in learning new knowledge and skills (Joyce & Showers, 2002). Coaching interactions include aspects of more directive approaches to working with adults like consultation, assessment services or other problem solving approaches; however, relationships that consist mostly of these approaches are not considered coaching according to the requirements of the Colorado Coaching Credential. A coaches' work with their coaching partner might include: joint planning, observation, modeling, reflective dialogue, feedback, shared analysis of program data (such as ERS-3, CLASS, LENA) as well as collaborative progress monitoring based on individualized goals.
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