coaching, for teachers who want a coach

practice-based coaching is a cycle: you and a coach agree on one focused goal, the coach spends time in your classroom or watches a short video of it, and then you talk together about what you saw. the goal is usually one specific move — a transition, a routine, one child's regulation plan — not a whole-classroom overhaul.

the model comes from the head start early childhood learning and knowledge center (eclkc). many head start, early head start, and state pre-k programs are required to offer it.

if you work in head start, early head start, or a state pre-k, ask your education manager or coach. programs receiving federal preschool development grant money often have coaches on staff whose only job is to be with teachers.

if you work in a smaller center or family child care home, your child care resource and referral (ccr&r) agency usually has a technical assistance specialist who can visit. these visits are usually free.

if none of that is available, a peer coaching cycle with another teacher in your building works. the two of you take turns being the observer.

coaches ask for real, recent moments. one hard transition. one specific child. a routine that keeps falling apart. not a whole month's summary.

if you already save short observations during the day, you have your material. print the last week for the child or moment you want to work on and hand it to the coach at the start of the session.

your saved observations are the plainest possible record of what a child did and when. a coach can read them in two minutes.

the reframe tool keeps your original wording, which lets a coach see how you were describing the moment when it happened — not a cleaned-up version. that is what coaches actually want.