The Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education conducts groundbreaking research on the measurement and improvement of teaching. Known for advancing the scientific study of teaching and learning, work at CASTL led to the development of the CLASS and related professional development resources. Teachstone was founded by Robert Pianta and Bridget Hamre to scale these CASTL-developed tools.

Teachstone proudly partners with Kaplan Early Learning Company to support the early childhood education field with training and tools to improve teacher-child interactions and implement the CLASS system. Kaplan is a leading international provider of products and services that enhance children’s learning, bringing to market innovative curricula, cutting edge assessments, teacher resource materials and valuable professional development opportunities to early childhood and elementary school educators, caregivers and parents around the world. Together, Teachstone and Kaplan are committed to supporting the field in raising quality, specifically around the field’s needs for improved, effective teacher-child interactions to improve child outcomes.

Teachstone joined the Early Care and Education Consortium (ECEC) in August 2014. ECEC is the nation’s leading voice for early care and education providers and organizations committed to delivering quality programs and services. As a member of ECEC, Teachstone is partnering with like-minded organizations to push forward an agenda for high quality early childhood education across the country. Together, Teachstone and ECEC are calling for investments and policies that improve access, affordability, and quality of child care; strengthen the early childhood workforce; and incentivize continuous quality improvement among programs and their staff.

Teachstone proudly partners with KinderCare to provide professional development to KinderCare teachers.  Teachstone delivers the CDA with CLASS online courses and training modules to meet the specific needs of educators working in a variety of childcare and educational settings across the country.  KinderCare and Teachstone are working together to ensure these early childhood professionals are equipped with the essential understanding and skills required to positively affect children.  KinderCare Education is an experience-based provider of early education and child care with more than 32,000 teachers and staff serving 170,000 families every day.

The International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) is a non-profit association dedicated to quality continuing education and training programs. IACET is the only standard-setting organization approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for continuing education and training. The IACET standard is what learners seek for quality and is the core of thousands of educational programs worldwide. IACET’s mission is to advance the global workforce by providing a standard framework for quality learning and development through accreditation. IACET’s history includes the development of the original Continuing Education Unit (CEU) and creation and maintenance of the ANSI/IACET Standard for Continuing Education and Training. As a result of its Accredited Provider status, Teachstone is authorized to offer IACET CEUs for programs that qualify under the IACET standard.

Teachstone and the Office of Head Start have partnered to improve Head Start classroom quality. Teachstone provided CLASS Observation Training and certification to Head Start and offered professional development support to boost teacher-student interactions. Building on this foundation, Teachstone has trained and certified more than 100 Head Start Affiliate Trainers, helping Head Start build internal CLASS capacity. Teachstone continues to support Head Start grantees across the country with various CLASS-based programs and resources as they strengthen teacher quality. Head Start is a federal program that promotes school readiness by enhancing cognitive, social, and emotional development in children birth through age 5 from low-income families. Learn about Teachstone’s support for Head Start.

Teachstone partners with the National Head Start Association (NHSA) to support the Head Start community as it implements the CLASS. Together, Teachstone and NHSA are committed to addressing the field’s needs related to CLASS implementation by sharing innovations and best practices and providing additional resources to help Head Start teachers improve their classroom interactions. NHSA works to ensure that the Head Start community provides leadership in early childhood development and education and empowers children and families across the country. Learn more about how Head Start is using the CLASS.

Educators hold critical influence over children’s learning and development. That’s why Sesame Workshop has recently expanded their efforts to include caregivers and teachers in early childhood education settings and why they found an ideal partner in Teachstone.

Teachstone and Sesame Workshop both have a lot in common: we’re dedicated to improving children’s long-term developmental success, steeped in rigorous academic research, and committed to producing high-quality learning experiences. There’s also strength in our differences: Sesame offers expertise in child development and strategies for meeting the learning needs of the individual child, while Teachstone brings expertise in teaching effectiveness and professional development solutions targeted to the individual teacher.

The result of the partnership is a content-rich, research-based professional development series in myTeachstone that connects the essence of CLASS—teacher-child interactions—with child-development concepts. By engaging in this co-produced educational experience, teachers will better understand how their interactions impact children’s learning and gain concrete strategies for improvement.

In 2012, Teachstone and Florida’s Office of Early Learning formed a partnership to offer the CLASS measure and related resources to Florida’s 31 early learning coalitions to improve quality in toddler and pre-K classrooms. Through this two-year partnership, Florida’s early learning coalitions will gain the tools to learn about the CLASS framework, reliably measure teacher-child interactions, and improve these interactions to advance children’s learning and development. Florida’s Office of Early Learning is the lead office responsible for administering Florida’s School Readiness, Voluntary Pre-K, and Child Care Resource and Referral programs.

Teachstone and Bright from the Start, Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), have partnered to maximize CLASS training, measurement, and professional development opportunities for Georgia teachers. Bright from the Start administers Georgia’s nationally recognized pre-K program and manages voluntary quality enhancement programs. Together, Teachstone and Bright from the Start have built a network of reliable CLASS trainers and observers to help make teacher-child interactions more effective each year.

For over ten years, Teachstone and First 5 California have partnered to maximize CLASS training, measurement, and professional development opportunities for California’s early care and education workforce. Together, Teachstone and First 5 California built a network of reliable CLASS observers, trainers, and coaches to focus on and improve adult-child interactions in a wide variety of early care and education settings across the state. Specifically, Teachstone’s online and face-to-face CLASS training coupled with its intensive coaching programs including MyTeachingPartner (MTP), Making the Most of Classroom (MMCI), and CLASS-Based Coaching, have created awareness, education, and increased the quality of adult-child interactions in participating counties.

Teachstone proudly partners with the Council for Professional Recognition to support the early childhood education professionals who use Teachstone’s professional development programs as part of their work in obtaining the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™, a national credential developed by the Council for Professional Recognition. The Council recognizes and credentials professionals who work with children birth to five in all types of early care and education programs – Head Start, pre-k, infant-toddler, family child care, and home visitor programs.