Atlas Training was developed in 2019 as a training program in child development. The primary goal of the program is to provide entry-level or non-credentialed teachers in the early childhood field with opportunity to earn the nationally recognized CDA Credential. Administered by the Council for Professional Recognition in Washington, D.C., the CDA Council is a leader in the credentialing of early childhood educators worldwide and has issued more than 800,000 credentials since 1975.
Introduction
Meet Atlas!
You may wonder about our name and its connection to early childhood. While the name Atlas is a nice nod to the accessibility of our program across the world (as well as our appreciation for diversity!), the name of our program was actually inspired by our founder’s grandson!
Atlas was born with Crouzon’s syndrome, a congenital condition that affects the growth of the bones in his skull. At birth, two of the plates in his skull were fused together, causing his head to be under enormous pressure. He has already had multiple surgeries. However, due to the changes in space in his head that occurred from the surgeries, Atlas developed hydrocephalus. Atlas now lives with a shunt and a feeding tube and will undergo additional surgeries in the upcoming years to give his brain and his face the space it will need to allow him to live a productive life. Today, Atlas is a vibrant boy who is in special education and he is a joy to be around. His medical challenges have affected his development, but they never stand in the way of his passion and love for this world. Due to the support of so many care professionals, Atlas is thriving.
Atlas’s story speaks to many of our program’s core values: resilience; appreciation for diversity; and the importance of family. The Atlas Training Program is dedicated to Atlas, and to all children and families who live with craniofacial abnormalities and/or other special needs. For more information on the Children’s Craniofacial Association, please visit their website at: https://ccakids.org/crouzon-syndrome.html
Program History
The agency’s founder, Maureen Hogan, has worked in the field of early childhood since the 1980s and has increasingly worked to support professional preparation and workforce development. After working as a program director with the U.S. Navy, she earned her terminal degree in Training and Performance Improvement and began working in higher education settings to contribute to teacher training. Over the course of her work in higher education, Dr. Hogan developed the opinion that multiple levels of training should be considered – not just college-focused training – for entry level providers. Drawing on her experience with the military training model for the CDA Credential, Dr. Hogan developed the Atlas Training program as a professional pathway for those educators who wish to advance their careers but are not quite ready to commit to college programs.
The Atlas Training model relies on knowledge of how adults learn. The model has an asynchronous design to enable working professionals to balance their family and work responsibilities. Additionally, learners are able to demonstrate their learning in a variety of formats, including field based assignments (checklists, observations, lesson plans, etc.), social interaction (via online discussion forums), multiple choice assessments, and reflection exercises. The model includes support for the development of the professional portfolio, and includes post-program support to guide participants through the final stages of the CDA application process.
The program has successfully developed, implemented, and reviewed processes that ensure quality of content, responsiveness to participants, and accurate training hour calculations. The program was reviewed by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) in Spring of 2021 and was subsequently accredited.
While Atlas Training is a newer organization, its staff and consultants continue to work to build rapport within organizations and communities, to ensure that all childcare providers can advance their professional qualifications logically and sequentially. The organization’s team looks forward to deepening its relationships with providers in New York and Connecticut as it works to realize its vision of a qualified early childhood workforce.
Accreditations and Recognitions
IACET Accreditation: Atlas Training, Inc. is an IACET-accredited provider. The International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to setting the standard for training providers. An accreditation from the IACET serves as a stamp of approval for those who provide classes for continuing education.
Obtaining IACET accreditation is a long, rigorous process that requires internal assessment and review of program systems and processes to ensure the delivery of well-designed, effectively implemented professional training and continuing education to enrolled participants. In order to achieve Accredited Provider status, Atlas Training completed an intensive application process, including a review by an IACET site visitor, and successfully demonstrated adherence to the 10 categories of the ANSI/IACET 2018-1 Standard, which addresses the design, development, administration, and evaluation of our programs. As a result of these efforts, Atlas Training was recognized as an Accredited Provider as of May 2021.
The National Workforce Registry: The National Workforce Registry is a national organization that evaluates the quality components of early childhood training organizations and lists them on an approved registry if they meet the quality requirements. Through the review process, the NWR ensures that:
- Instructors have knowledge of adult learning principles.
- Instructors have professional knowledge and qualifications to teach in the content area of the training.
- Training provided has clearly stated learning outcomes for the participants.
- Training content is appropriate to and designed for early care and education or afterschool workers.
- The hour or CEU value of training is consistently and properly calculated.
- Training completion is properly documented and stored.