Preparing Professionals to Work with Infants, Toddlers, and Their Families: A Hybrid Approach to Learning

A shortage of well-prepared professionals imposes limits on access to comprehensive and effective early intervention services to deaf and hard of hearing children. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act expects states to ensure that professionals working with infants and toddlers have relevant skills, however, there are very few university programs that provide specialized preparation for working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Many professionals begin their work with limited experiences with this population and depend upon workshops and conferences to acquire the information they need. Unfortunately, this approach to learning is not ideal and often results in significant gaps and misunderstandings. Gallaudet University developed an innovative approach to address the need for more well-prepared professionals to work with young children and their families. In the summer of 2007, the Burstein Leadership Institute, under the College of Professional Studies and Outreach at Gallaudet University, launched the Early Education Professional Leadership Certificate Program with a cohort of 12 students. This initial on-line certification program included a series of four courses that were offered for PST credit (professional development credit). Students received a certificate from the College of Professional Studies and Outreach after successful completion of the four-course sequence of studies. Beginning in the summer of 2011, an expanded version of the program will be offered as a graduate certificate program. This newly revised program will be known as the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants, Toddlers and Families: Collaboration and Leadership Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate Program. Participants in the initial program evaluated their experiences positively and said that they were able to apply what they had learned to their daily work. However, some students indicated that they would like more, and in the years after the development of the certificate program the program directors decided to review and revise the initial program. The newly revised program includes an emphasis on how to work as a member of an interdisciplinary team. (Contains 3 resources.)