The 15-minute In-service Suites are professional development resources for early education leaders and staff who often have limited time for ongoing learning. The suites are designed for flexible use and support various approaches to professional growth, such as self-directed learning, facilitator-led sessions, coaching and community of practice groups.

Each suite focuses on a practice that encourages one of the following:

• Nurturing, responsive, engaging interactions and environments
• Use of research-based curriculum
• Screening and ongoing child assessment
• Highly individualized teaching and learning

All practices center on meeting the needs of children and partnerships with parents and families.

How to Use the Suites

You can use the suites in many ways. Start by identifying the professional development needs of the group or individuals you are working with. Based on these needs, you can choose and adjust suite materials for different purposes.

The following are examples of how to use the suites.

Ways to Identify Areas of Focus

Below are several ways to help you identify which practices to focus on for professional development with education staff.

• Self-identification: Education staff choose a practice they want to learn more about. They can review the suites online or use feedback from education leaders to guide this decision.
• Program data: Use program data to identify areas of strength and areas of growth among education staff. Early learning leaders can then provide individual or group learning opportunities.
• Practice-Based Coaching needs assessments: Use these assessments to identify areas of strength and areas of growth among education staff. Learning leaders can then provide individual or group learning opportunities.
• Tools for learning leaders: Use these observational tools to identify practices to focus on with education staff in home-visiting, family child-care, center-based, or socialization group settings.
• Individualized Professional Development Plans (IPDP): Review IPDPs to look for alignment between current professional goals and skill building using the 15-minute In-service Suites.

Formats to Use the In-service Suites

You can use in-service suites with individuals and groups in various formats. Below are some learning formats to use the suites. Combined with the ideas above about timing, you can use the suites one at a time as they are needed, in a sequence during longer learning sessions, or over a period of time.

	Self-paced	Hybrid
Individual	Education staff access online materials for self-directed learning. They start by watching a highlight video and reading the tip sheet. Next, they watch the exemplar videos to see the practices in action. Finally, they work through the learning activities to plan, implement, and reflect on using the practice.	Education staff access the suites online and use them with guidance from a learning leader. They start by watching a highlight video and reading the tip sheet, then meet with the learning leader for reflection and planning. The learning leader uses the Tools for Learning Leaders handout to observe the educator and provide feedback for continuous learning. The Coaching Companion may be a good tool to use for this type of learning.

	Guided facilitation	Hybrid
Group	Early learning leaders work with education staff to identify beneficial practices for the group to learn. The learning leader uses the online materials to facilitate a learning experience by watching the highlight video and reading the tip sheet. Then the education staff watch the exemplar videos to see the practices in action. Next, the facilitator and group work through the learning activities to plan, implement, and reflect on using the practice. The facilitator shares the handouts with educators and families. The learning leader uses the Tools for Learning Leaders handout to observe the educators and provide feedback for continuous learning.	Early learning leaders and education staff identify beneficial practices for the group to learn more. Educators use online materials for self-directed learning. Learning leaders facilitate group reflection and planning sessions about the practice. The learning leader uses the Tools for Learning Leaders handout to observe the educator and provide feedback for continuous learning. The Coaching Companion may be a good tool to use in this type of learning.

In addition to the resources provided, consider connecting with your early childhood specialist or MyPeers learning communities for extra resources and peer support. 

Last Updated: June 27, 2025