ACES PDSI

09/28/2026

09/22/2026

📣 NAEYC Accreditation Updates Are Here!

NAEYC has updated the Early Learning Program Accreditation experience, with important changes taking effect September 1, 2026. Updates include revised Assessment Items, Resource Guides, the Observation Tool, renewal timelines, policies and processes, and improvements to the ELP Hub.

Explore NAEYC’s Accreditation Enhancements:
https://www.naeyc.org/accreditation/early-learning/accreditation-enhancements

Working toward accreditation, preparing for a site visit, or renewing? The ACES Early Childhood Team is here to help your program understand the updates, navigate requirements, prepare evidence, and feel ready for what’s ahead. Connect with us at www.acespdsi.org.

Strengthening the accreditation experience through ongoing learning and improvement.

09/20/2026

📚Today, ACES PDSI welcomed a new cohort of ARCLMS participants! These teachers begin an exciting year of literature review, collaboration , research, and practical exploration of the nuts and bolts of the school library! Participants who complete the ARCLMS program will earn a cross-endorsement as a school library media specialist. Here’s to a great new year!

09/18/2026

📣 Early Childhood Special Education Educators: Get Your Updated CT DOTS II Resources!

Connecticut is transitioning from the Brigance IED III to CT DOTS II for reporting Early Childhood Outcomes. Updated materials are available to help you make the transition. Use these resources to strengthen observation and documentation, inform instruction, and track children’s developmental progress.

📚 Request your CT DOTS II resources today and pick them up at your local Regional Educational Service Center (RESC): https://www.ctoec.org/order-ct-dots-and-ct-elds-materials/

09/16/2026

Great things happen when educators think, collaborate, and learn together!

ACES Professional Learning Specialist Nicole Beauchamp recently partnered with K-5 teachers in Wolcott for two days of professional learning focused on Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) framework. Teachers explored practical ways to adapt existing curriculum tasks to boost student thinking, collaboration, independence, and problem-solving without starting from scratch. They also considered how BTC strategies can extend beyond math into ELA, science, and social studies.

Interested in bringing BTC to your district? Whether you’re just getting started, scaling across K-12, or expanding the framework across content areas, ACES PDSI offers practical, engaging professional learning designed to fit into teachers’ daily practice.

09/14/2026

Educators at ACES Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School (WIMS) recently engaged in collaborative learning around restorative practices and the Engagement Window, with ACES professional learning specialist Stacey Simpson. Educators explored how relationships, regulation, and responsive interactions contribute to a supportive classroom community. Through discussion, reflection, and application, educators considered how restorative approaches can help students remain engaged, navigate challenges, and build the skills needed to participate successfully in learning.

09/12/2026

Clear the day, and come join us!

https://www.acespdsi.org/ai-conference-2026

09/12/2026

Clearly defined values give a school community a shared foundation, but their real impact comes when they shape everyday actions.

Nicole Beauchamp, ACES Professional Learning Specialist, recently partnered with the team at ACES Bassett Road School to bring their core cultural pillars Kindness, Courage, and Collective Responsibility to life. Using an adapted Futures Protocol, the team identified specific, observable behaviors that demonstrate these values across roles and turn their vision into an actionable blueprint for the year ahead!
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09/04/2026

Congratulations to our latest cohort of educators who completed training to advance their careers in the early childhood field! Through a grant from CERCLE, ACES PDSI offered this intensive six month training program for New Haven childcare program staff to obtain their CDA credential, a foundational step toward becoming qualified educators of young children. We are looking forward to seeing them continue to grow as educators and professionals!

09/03/2026

What does it look like when students are doing the mathematical thinking? How do our instructional decisions shape what students think, say, and do?

Lisa Seales and Dr. Jessica White of ACES PDSI recently examined these questions with educators from the CT Technical Education and Career System (CTECS). Educators took on the role of learners, working through mathematical tasks and examining instructional practices that support student reasoning, decision-making, collaboration, and productive struggle.

Check out how PDSI can support educators at acespdsi.org.