Early Learning

Children develop many key concepts and skills between the ages of birth and age five that are critical to building a solid foundation for learning. The Ohio Department of Education has developed Early Learning and Development Standards to help ensure young children get a strong start in school across five domains:

• Social and emotional development
• Physical well-being and motor development
• Approaches toward learning
• Language and literacy development
• Cognition and general knowledge

More information can be found on the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce website.

What We Do

Our consultants offer support to educators, families, and community partners to help Ohio’s youngest learners get off to a strong start through technical assistance, coaching, networking opportunities, and professional development.

Contact Us

As a part of the Statewide System of Support, State Support Teams work closely with the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce to provide training, resources, and technical assistance to schools and districts as they strive to ensure that each child has access to a high-quality education. The documents, policies, and laws shared here provide the foundation to this work.

Links:

• Early Learning and Development Standards
• Each Child Means Each Child
• Ohio Improvement Process
• Preschool Licensing
  
• Step Up to Quality Guidance
• Overview of Preschool Special Education Rule 3301-51-11

Links

• Ohio Department of Education: Early Learning and School Readiness
• YWCA Child Care Resource and Referral
• OCALI

The State Support Team Expansion Grant is a statewide initiative with the partnership of the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Mental Health to partner Early Learning School Readiness (ELSR) Consultants, Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) Consultants and Ohio’s State Support Teams, to work together to support Ohio’s Strategic Plan for Education and Ohio’s Whole Child Framework. 

The outcome of having an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant working closely with the SST’s and ELSR’s is to:

• Improve children’s social skills and emotional functioning
• Promote healthy relationships, wellness & self-care by providing resources and supports for SST’s and ELSR’s to share in districts
• Reduce challenging behaviors and the number of suspensions & expulsions
• Improve classroom quality
• Reduce provider stress, burnout & turnover

Andrea Longenecker, Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant at Harbor Behavioral Health Care in Toledo has been assigned to work with SST1. She has created a padlet full of early childhood mental health resources. We hope you take advantage of the valuable information she has provided. 

Questions or ideas for Andrea can be sent to our office. 

We are here to help!

Please feel free to reach out with any questions or support requests you may have. Our Early Learning consultants are here for you!

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