Who are we?

We are a state level committee composed of state and local agencies and family representatives representing the Birth to Three System, Head Start, Department of Education/Schools, Child Care and other related entities. We believe that the WV Birth to Three System, Head Start, public schools, and child care programs all have important roles to play in transitioning young children ages Birth Through Five years and their families from one program or service to another.

What is our vision?

Local communities in West Virginia will have effective transition policies and practices for all young children ages Birth Through Five years that will:

• Maximize positive outcomes for children through effective early childhood programs that are compatible as the child moves from one program to another,
• Foster positive ongoing relationships between families and professionals and among participating agencies, and
• Result in a smooth transition process for children, families, and involved agencies.

What is our mission?  

We work toward our vision through providing supports for effective transitions at the local level including:

1. Annual Statewide Conference known as Celebrating Connections
2. Products and Training and Technical Assistance Materials
3. Information Dissemination via

• Training - including statewide conference and other events, e.g., TADPOLE Team Training, WV Early Childhood Training Connections and Resources training, individual agency training and technical assistance activities
• Mailings
• Websites
• Newsletters

Our targets for these supports include:

• Local interagency early childhood transition teams (often known as TADPOLE teams),
• Local agency administrative and program staff, and
• Families.

 Local TADPOLE Teams

TADPOLE teams are a group of people at the local level who work together to insure smooth transitions for young children, their families and the agencies serving them. While the membership varies from one community to another, typical TADPOLE team members include representatives of families, WV Birth to Three, Early Head Start/Head Start, Public School System, Child Care and other community partners such as Family Resource Networks (FRNs), Starting Points, Health Department, Right From the Start, etc. Every county has a team such as this. Some refer to them as TADPOLE teams. Some refer to them by other names such as Early Childhood Collaborative, Interagency Council, Early Childhood Committee of the FRN, and so forth.

If you would like to submit products to the Training Connections Web site click here