DPP QI Supports Brief 2025

Educators’ Experiences With the Denver Preschool Program’s Quality Improvement Supports The Denver Preschool Program (DPP) offers preschools quality improvement supports, including financial support and professional development (PD) from early care and education (ECE) experts, to help educators grow their professional knowledge and skills. Professional development encompasses training, coaching, and higher education courses.

Evaluators from the Butler Institute for Families at the University of Denver examined the characteristics and experiences of 410 DPP educators surveyed in fall 2023 and 14 DPP educators interviewed in spring 2024.

This brief summarizes educators’ experiences and their perceptions of quality improvement supports.

Professional Development Training Educators appreciated the wide range of training and PD resources that DPP offers, and they generally found them to be moderately to very helpful. Educators who participated in DPP PD were less likely to say they intended to leave their position in the next two years.

However, educators were not always sure what PD was available and how to access it.

DPP could provide a menu of offerings so educators can access all PD offerings in one place. DPP could also implement a phone text system that informs educators about upcoming PD opportunities. Figure 1 shows percentages of educators who used or planned to use various types of PD.

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I would like to learn effective strategies for different challenging behaviors, either with videos or by modeling the strategies. I think many of the trainings about challenging behaviors are not effective because they often have us share our experiences but do not provide us with effective solutions.”

- DPP Educator

Types of Quality Improvement Supports: •

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Professional development is a broad term that includes educational opportunities focused on foundational job skills as well as skills and knowledge for future career growth and advancement. It includes onsite and virtual training, coaching, and higher education courses.

Coaching is an individualized professional development approach that engages individuals or small groups to help them work on specific areas and challenges.

Quality improvement financial supports include stipends, scholarships, and tuition assistance.

Figure 1. Percentage of Educators Who Used or Planned to Use PD PDIS Trainings

92%

Workshops/Trainings

73%

Attendance at a Conference

49%

Coaching

56%

Community of Learners or Community of Practice CDA Training

21% 10%

Most educators said the training sessions they attended were important and relevant.

Interviewees said the most helpful trainings were about safe classroom environments, medication administration, and social-emotional learning and discipline. Newer educators found ECE 101/103 and CDA courses particularly beneficial. Training opportunities varied widely, but much of it was geared toward novice first-year teachers. More experienced educators expressed an interest in in-depth PD experiences and advanced training.

Across the board, educators wanted more autonomy in choosing their PD, rather than having administrators choose for them. Popular future training topics among educators included curriculum planning, tantrums and challenging behavior, managing relationships, family engagement, English language acquisition, cultural competency, and trauma/traumainformed care. Educators were also interested in learning about concrete, innovative tools to try in their classrooms, not just “theories and research.”

Coaching Coaches offered support through individual and group PD. They also provided a space for educators to discuss their stress and frustrations and to process QRIS ratings. Educators consistently described coaching as their most impactful PD experience, often describing positive relationships with their coaches. Some educators expressed a need for faith-based coaching and for coaching in Spanish. Yet others expressed appreciation for Spanish-speaking coaches. Given that Spanishspeaking coaches are available, DPP could gather an inventory of where needs exist and pair coaches and educators accordingly.

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I think the best support would be coaching in the schools from ECE experts. Ideally, they would observe over a few days and then create coaching sessions that would reflect what they have observed in the classroom, rather than broad training sessions.”

- DPP Educator

Higher Education Enrollment and Completion Higher education is a valuable form of PD for early childhood educators. Twenty-six percent of educators surveyed were currently pursuing ECE-related higher education. Of those not currently pursuing higher education, 51% indicated an interest in doing so. More experienced educators preferred to take college courses for their PD more than training sessions.

Barriers that prevented educators from pursuing higher education included tuition and other school-related expenses (e.g., books and transportation); difficulty managing school, work, and family responsibilities; and lack of energy and motivation to pursue higher education.

Additional Supports In addition to PD, DPP offers financial resources such as stipends, scholarships, and tuition assistance to support educators’ quality improvement efforts. In fact, 39% of educators currently pursing ECE-related higher education reported receiving tuition assistance. Further, 15% and 10% reported using or planning to use educational stipends and scholarships, respectively.

Educators mentioned other supports that would help them in their quality improvement efforts. These included financial support to buy materials or implementing a “material sharing day” where educators could come together and share and swap materials. They also mentioned that their outdoor playgrounds need updates. Finally, they said they needed access to an expert in early childhood special education and a specific DPP person to contact with any questions.

Conclusions and Recommendations DPP educators who use quality improvement supports found them to be useful and relevant.

Their feedback highlights the need to: 1. Continue to provide individual and small group coaching. Educators valued coaching very highly, saying that it allows them to receive tailored support to feel confident in their teaching roles. The one-on-one coaching also allows educators to discuss their individual frustrations and stress. DPP should provide Spanish-speaking coaches where they are needed.

2. Provide levels of PD. PD opportunities need to accommodate new and experienced teachers. Many training sessions are geared toward novice first-year teachers, and more experienced educators expressed a desire for more in-depth training. DPP could provide levels of PD sessions or higher education courses to meet these needs.

If educators pursue higher education courses, DPP could reimburse them or provide stipends.

3. Consider creating a one-stop-shop for PD opportunities. Educators were not always aware of what PD was available and how to access it. DPP could provide educators a menu of offerings so they can access all PD opportunities in one place.

DPP could also implement a phone text system that informs educators about upcoming PD opportunities.

4. Promote new and innovative quality improvement supports. Educators had new and innovative ideas about how to improve program quality, such as implementing a “material sharing day” where they could swap classroom materials. They also expressed a need for an expert in early childhood special education as well as a DPP contact. It is important to consider the voices of educators when deciding on what supports to provide for quality improvement.