The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center Model for Long-Term Systems Change

The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center was charged by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs from October 2001 through September 2006 to develop, implement, and evaluate an approach to technical assistance (TA) that would result in sustainable systems change in state early intervention and preschool special education programs served under the early childhood provisions of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Both process and summative evaluations were conducted over the 5-year contract period. The TA Model for Long-Term Systems Change was found to result in improvements in state and local infrastructures, personnel development systems, practices, and outcomes for children and families. The resulting model is a legacy that Pat Trohanis leaves to the field of technical assistance.