IHE Pre-Service Faculty ECHO

Program goal

To increase collaboration and communication between and amongst transdisciplinary IHE faculty and stakeholders to work toward more coherent pre-service pathways in early childhood/early intervention/early childhood special education.  

About the IHE Pre-Service Faculty ECHO 

Institute of Higher Education (IHE) programs provide training for individuals to acquire the specified knowledge, skills, and competencies required to meet state and national personnel standards in a specific discipline. The programs of study also include sufficient field-based experiences across a variety of high-quality infant and early childhood settings. 

IHE pre-service faculty and other stakeholders who participate in this ECHO will be able to:

• Provide guidance to IHE programs and confirm curricula for each discipline are based on knowledge and skill competencies that are aligned with state personnel standards.
• Ensure that the IHE programs and curricula for each discipline are based on knowledge and skill competencies that are aligned with professional organization personnel standards.
• Assist IHE programs and curricula for each discipline are aligned with state and local program quality initiatives and evaluation systems (e.g., QRIS, educator effectiveness frameworks, licensing).

Who should attend? 

• Pre-service faculty from the various disciplines that interact with early intervention.
• Transdisciplinary faculty in pre-service programs preparing professionals for early childhood care and education settings, early intervention, and early childhood special education, family support, home visitors, including but not limited to:
  1. Early childhood and early childhood special education
  2. Physical therapy, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy and audiology
  3. Social work and psychology
  4. Family studies and child development
  5. Other related fields and other collaborators

Meet our team

• Björg T. LeSueur, MEd, Clinical Assistant Professor, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University
• Brandy James, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Arizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities
• Erica Melies, AzEIP Program Manager, Arizona Department of Economic Security/Arizona Early Intervention Program (ADES/AzEIP)
• Tanya Pinkerton, MEd, Clinical Assistant Professor, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University
• Chantelle Curtis, Professional Development Coordinator, Arizona Department of Economic Security/Arizona Early Intervention Program
• Pamela Meurer, AzEIP Continuous Quality Improvement Coordinator, Arizona Department of Economic Security/Arizona Early Intervention Program
• Amanda Tipotsch, AzEIP Technical Assistance Specialist, Arizona Department of Economic Security/Arizona Early Intervention Program 
• Katherine Kicey, Clinical Assistant Professor, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University

Program schedule

Session dates: Oct. 13, 2023, Nov. 17, 2023, Dec. 8, 2023, Jan. 12, 2024, Feb. 9, 2024, Mar. 8, 2024, Apr. 12, 2024, from 8:30-9:30 a.m. MST. 

Community partners