What We Do

The Early Childhood Education (ECE) Resource Hub is a collection of high-quality, professional development resources that help educators foster young children’s development (birth to five). Created by UVA-CASTL in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Education, the hub aims to provide educators with evidence-based classroom strategies and promote equitable learning opportunities for every child. Hub resources are free to use and are publicly available.

Developed through funding and partnership with the Virginia Department of Education, the ECE (Early Childhood Education) Resource Hub offers free, high-quality educational resources for those caring for children from birth to five.

The ECE Resource Hub is a trusted place where educators can deepen their understanding of children’s development, find new ways to engage children and families, and get support for effective professional development sessions. The initiative is led by a team of ECE educators, coaches, researchers, and experts at CASTL who select and create the materials. 

The Hub was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic with a primary focus on supporting children’s social-emotional skills. Its focus is expanding into other areas of early learning like inquiry, imagination, math, language and literacy, motor skills, and more. Resources are organized around five Core Skills that children are working to develop: 

  • Relate
  • Regulate
  • Think
  • Communicate
  • Move

Educators can find overview guides, classroom videos, strategies, and book recommendations to support the development of these skills.

In addition to a focus on young children’s developing skills, the ECE Hub also supports equity, inclusion, and family engagement. Visitors to the site can access resources such as articles, podcasts, and age-specific guides for considering equity and supporting families with respect to each of the Core Skills.

The initiative serves those in the ECE field in Virginia and beyond. Updates can be accessed by subscribing to the newsletter

Visit the Full ECE Resource Hub

"Our partnership with VDOE is focused on applying the science of early childhood education to practice and policy at scale in Virginia… The ECE Resource Hub was designed with our strong commitment to both scholarship and service."
–Amanda Williford 

Project Leaders

Kate Matthew

Kate Matthew

  • Senior Project Manager
  • STREAMin3 Project Director
Kathy Neesen

Kathy Neesen

  • Research Scientist
  • Instructional Technology Director
Amanda P Williford

Amanda P. Williford

  • Batten Bicentennial Professor of Early Childhood Education Associate Director for Early Childhood Education
  • CASTL Clinical Psychologist

Related Projects

  • Research Project

Advancing Effective Interactions & Instruction in Birth-to-Five Classrooms

The Advancing Effective Interactions and Instruction (AEII) initiative supports teachers in birth-to-five classrooms to provide children with high-quality preschool experiences through individualized coaching and professional development (PD).

  • Research Project

STREAMin³ Curriculum Model

STREAMin³ is a comprehensive curriculum model for birth to five that seamlessly blends a focus on academic and social-emotional learning. For more details about the initiative, visit the STREAMin³ website.

  • CASTL
  • Research Project

Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program

VKRP measures mathematics, self-regulation, and social skills to complement Virginia's statewide assessment of literacy skills using Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS).