Professional Development

Pennsylvania Keys to Professional Development is a comprehensive, statewide system for practitioners serving children and families in early childhood and school age programs. This new system was constructed on the PA Pathways foundation and includes many of the same components that have been in existence for several years such as access to an online calendar of professional development events, reimbursements for professional development and CDA Assessment fees, and support and monitoring for professional development opportunities. The PA Key office will also continue to offer statewide access to professional development opportunities through the Early Childhood Education Linkage System (ECELS), Better Kid Care (BKC) and Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.). By combining these services with additional programs, such as free access to a web based database management system to manage professional development experiences, online registration, and a State Credential for School Age Program staff, PA Key has enhanced its ability to serve providers with an all-inclusive professional development system.

This Professional Development System is relevant to practitioners in all settings including center and home-based child care, school age programs, Head Start, early intervention, school district based pre-kindergarten, Pre-K Counts nursery schools and faith-based programs. The PA Keys to Professional Development System include the following components (click on each to learn more):

The NW Regional Key manages and supports professional development programs that enhance the knowledge of providers in the region which focuses on these components. Programs are designed to:

There are several resources for providers and instructors within the Professional Development System. Here are some of the services you can access:


To download and print a copy of the 09-10 Professional Development Days Flyer click here.