Itinerant Early Childhood Special Education Service Delivery Model
Community of Learning
Fall 2026

The Itinerant Early Childhood Special Education (IECSE) Service Delivery Model Community of Learning (CoL) will deliver targeted technical assistance and professional development to teachers endorsed in early childhood special education who provide special education services using the itinerant model. In an itinerant model, an ECSE endorsed teacher travels between classrooms or programs to consult with general education teachers and/or to provide direct services to individual children as needed. While the general education teacher serves as the primary teacher, the IECSE teacher designs supplemental and specialized learning opportunities to address each child’s goals, as indicated in the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Together, the general education teacher and the itinerant teacher determine how to embed learning opportunities throughout the day and how to monitor the child’s progress to ensure learning.

The CoL will focus on building the necessary competencies to implement high-quality itinerant services to ensure the active and meaningful participation of young children with disabilities within the general education environment. The online CoL will address:

  • research behind the itinerant model and rationale for its use in early childhood;
  • the roles of the itinerant ECSE and general education early childhood teachers;
  • strategies and tools to develop a collaborative partnership;
  • the components of the itinerant model;
  • distributed instruction versus massed instruction;
  • identifying target skills and IEP goals;
  • providing intentional and planned instruction embedded into the daily classroom routines and activities;
  • improving teacher-child interactions as defined by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS); and
  • monitoring the progress of children with IEPs.

Leadership

The CoL will be led by Dr. Christan Pankiewicz (Coogle). Christan is a Professor of Special Education and Early Childhood Special Education. Prior to working in academic settings, she worked as a special educator within inclusive preschool settings and a developmental specialist in Part C settings. She is also a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst. Her email address is ccoogle@gmu.edu.

Schedule

The CoL will be virtual and will be held on Tuesday afternoons from 3:00 until 4:30 on the following dates:

Requirements

The participant is to attend all sessions and must currently be providing services using the itinerant model. The participating itinerant teacher will need internet access and a computer with a camera and microphone to access Zoom.

Throughout the CoL, participants will be expected to complete practice and preparation activities designed to enhance understanding and implementation of the model. This will include posting assignments on the CoL website and participating in discussions during sessions reflecting on their experiences.

Recertification

Points for educators working towards licensure renewal (recertification) may be awarded for participation in the virtual CoL. A Certificate of Completion providing documentation of the activity and clock/contact hours will be provided for the online CoL and each individual live event. Additionally, documentation will be provided for completion of specified assignments. It is estimated that there will be 10.5 hours of clock/contact hours for participation in the CoL sessions and 11 hours of clock hours for implementation of CoL content.

Registration

CoL members must register individually for each CoL session. Certificates of Completion will only be available to those who have registered for the particular session.

Step 1: Create a LEADS Account. To register, IECSE teachers will need an account on the Virginia LEADS (Leadership in Effective and Developmentally- Appropriate Services, ECSE) website. Teachers who do not have an account may create one at https://va-leads-ecse.org/home. Click on Create an Account at the bottom of the home page.

Step 2: Register for each date: To register for the CoL, IECSE teachers must visit the Communities of Learning page at https://va-leads-ecse.org/communities-of-learning, and go to the Schedule Section. Click on the date to register and login. IECSE teachers will see the CoL event page with the Register Now button in the top right corner. Click on Register Now. The page will refresh and teachers will see a registration confirmation message on the page.

Once registered, IECSE teachers will receive an email confirmation. The morning of the session, a reminder message with the connection information needed to participate in the CoL session will be disseminated.

Step 3: Access Materials. Remember to access the materials for each session via the Google Link. If you do not have access to the link, please email Jackie Kilkeary at jkilkear@gmu.edu.

JOINING THE COMMUNITY OF LEARNING SESSIONS

IECSE teachers will join the virtual meeting online using the link provided. This Zoom link will remain the same for all seven sessions. CoL participants should plan to login to Zoom at least ten minutes prior to the start of the session to ensure that they are connected and have video and audio working properly.