Teaming and collaboration practices promote and sustain collaborative adult partnerships, relationships, and ongoing interactions. They ensure that programs and services achieve desired child and family outcomes and goals.

Learn more about recommended practices related to teaming and collaboration from the Division for Early Childhood (DEC).

Resources for each topic area are organized based on their level of impact for learning. The resources provided are only a sampling of the resources available on these practices.

Knowledge Awareness Level

Resources that fall into this category provide basic information and do not include activities that draw participants in to respond or reflect. They include archived webinars and checklists.

Collaboration with Families and Other Partners: Essential Features of High Quality Inclusion
Explore how to build partnerships that ensure high-quality inclusion for children with disabilities. Discover resources and strategies for communicating and collaborating with families and other adults. Learn about the federal laws and policies related to these topics. Also, hear about ways to collaborate with state and community partners to build stronger infrastructure supports.

Coordinated Approaches: Serving Children with Disabilities
Watch this webinar to learn how program-wide coordinated approaches can help children with disabilities have full and effective participation in Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Review the connections between the Head Start Program Performance Standard regarding disabilities (45 CFR § 1302.101(b)(3)) and current practices. Hear how an implementation science framework may help staff in using coordinated approaches.

Infographic: Young Children with Disabilities
This infographic provides easy-to-read information about the requirements of serving children with disabilities. It includes essential information about laws and Head Start requirements.

Integration Checklist: Including Children with Significant Disabilities in Head Start
Disabilities coordinators, teachers, and staff can use this checklist to ensure that children with significant disabilities are included in Head Start program and classroom routines and activities to the maximum extent possible.

Teaming and Collaboration Checklists and Practice Guides for Practitioners and Families
Learn more about recommended practices related to teaming and collaboration from the DEC. Explore practice guides for practitioners and families and three practitioner checklists that help increase understanding and use of the DEC Recommended Practices around teaming and collaboration. The checklists can also be used as a self-evaluation to get a feel for how you are using and implementing the practices.

Mastery Level

CONNECT Module 3: Communication for Collaboration
Discover effective communication practices for collaborating with other professionals and families in this CONNECT module. CONNECT Modules start with a real-life dilemma and include video demonstrations of the practice, a research brief, activities, and practice checklists. The modules are also available in Spanish.

CONNECT Module 4: Family-Professional Partnerships
Learn how to build trusting family-professional partnerships based on practice-focused instructional resources for faculty and other professional development providers. CONNECT Modules start with a real-life dilemma and include video demonstrations of the practice, a research brief, activities, and practice checklists. The modules are also available in Spanish.

Inclusion of Children with Disabilities: Collaboration and Teaming
Inclusion depends on a team of family members and service providers who assume collective responsibility for coordinating services to young children with disabilities and their families.  The Collaboration and Teaming module contains six sessions on how to make teams work. Professionals can view videos and handouts to learn effective team building strategies. A facilitators' guide for trainers is also included.

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Last Updated: May 28, 2024