FAQs

FAQs

A list of our most frequently asked questions and answers

Click here TO VIEW STREAMin3 2022 Statewide access rollout
Haga clic aquí para ver la página web de preguntas frecuentes de STREAMin³ traducida al español

Technical Assistance

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Q: Where can I find my Zoom link for STREAMin3 training?

If you are having trouble signing in to a training or can’t find your Zoom link, please contact us at 855-STRMIN3 (855-787-6463).

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Q: How can I request an account to access the online curriculum portal?

If you are an enrolled program and need to request a new account for you or your program staff, contact us at ASK STREAMin3. Please include your name and enrolled program name in any request.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Q: I haven’t received the curriculum guides or children’s books yet. What can I do?

If you are enrolled in Group 1 and have not received your shipments, please contact us at ASK STREAMin3.

Overview

OVERVIEW

Q: What is the STREAMin3 Curriculum Model?

STREAMin3 is an engaging, interactions-based curriculum for children ages birth through five. It was developed by a team at the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) in collaboration with, and with funding from, E3: Elevate Early Education at The New E3 School. STREAMin3 is grounded in developmental and early education research. It focuses on 6 STREAM and 5 Core Skills to promote children’s development and early learning.

OVERVIEW

Q: Where can I view samples of the curriculum?

A curriculum overview and samples are available on our website for your review. These include downloadable guides, games, and resources to get a feel for STREAMin3. Contact us if you would like to explore additional samples or have any questions about the samples.

OVERVIEW

Q: Is STREAMin3 aligned to Virginia’s quality & improvement ECE initiatives?

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) added STREAMin3 to the approved curriculum list after conducting the comprehensive curriculum approval process. In addition, STREAMin3:

OVERVIEW

Q: Why increase access to high-quality early childhood curricula in Virginia?

Early childhood educators can use a high-quality curriculum to help young children learn and grow. Yet many programs across Virginia do not have access to a quality curriculum. And, educators say they need more training and resources to use a curriculum well. In response, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and the University of Virginia’s Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) now offers a low-to-no-cost curriculum option, STREAMin3, for all publicly funded birth-to-five classrooms in Virginia.

The curriculum provides a high-quality option for infant, toddler, preschool, and mixed-age classrooms. Through the statewide roll-out of the STREAMin3 curriculum model, UVA and VDOE are partnering to ensure all publicly funded birth-to-five educators in Virginia can access high-quality curriculum. The partnership aims to:

  1. Provide access to a low-to-no cost comprehensive, birth-through-preschool, curriculum.
  2. Deliver free professional development (PD) to help programs adopt and use the curriculum.
  3. Develop sustainable resources so programs can use the curriculum and professional development resources beyond the initial rollout years at low-to-no cost.

OVERVIEW

Q: When will STREAMin3 be available?

STREAMin3 is currently available as an option for publicly funded birth-to-five programs in Virginia at low-to-no cost.  See Enrollment and Registration section below.

OVERVIEW

Q: What’s included in STREAMin3?

Programs that choose to use STREAMin3 will receive curriculum materials and PD offerings. Access to the professional development supports will vary depending on need and availability. Our curriculum roll-out overview guide includes a comprehensive list of offerings.

OVERVIEW

Q: What will it cost to use STREAMin3?

Programs in Group 1 (‘22-’23) or Group 2 (‘23-’24) will receive printed curriculum guides, children’s books, and personalized, responsive professional development for free. For other programs, the cost of the curriculum guides, books, and any additional materials will be affected by what’s being ordered, the fluctuating costs of items, the potential for sharing across classrooms, and the resources currently available in a program. We will give all participating programs a purchasing guide to aid in decision-making related to the cost of additional materials that may be referenced or recommended to complete curriculum activities. 

Enrollment and Onboarding

ENROLLMENT AND ONBOARDING

Q: Who can enroll to use STREAMin3?

Publicly funded birth-to-five programs in Virginia who participate in VQB5 can enroll to use STREAMin3.  All educators in enrolled classrooms will get access to the curriculum materials and professional development resources.

ENROLLMENT AND ONBOARDING

Q: How can my program request enrollment?

Programs can complete our enrollment request form, available on our website. Only one representative per program should complete this request. All programs, even those that do not meet the priority criteria, are encouraged to complete a request for enrollment.

ENROLLMENT AND ONBOARDING

Q: What will my program receive if we request enrollment?

We had more than 2,000 classrooms sign up to use STREAMin3 during the 2022-2023 school year. This first group received:

  • Printed curriculum guides.
  • A set of children’s books to use with the curriculum.
  • Direct professional development support.

 

All enrolled programs for our 2023-2024 group will also receive:

  • The STREAMin3 curriculum materials listed above and professional development supports starting in the summer of 2023.
  • Immediate online access to the curriculum so that you can explore the resources in advance. This includes downloadable guides and activities and PD workshops for getting started with STREAMin3.
  • A professional development library of resources. This will build on the existing ECE Resource Hub. It’s still being developed and will grow over time.

ENROLLMENT AND ONBOARDING

Q: Can my private preschool program use STREAMin3?

The STREAMin3 curriculum is currently only available to early childhood programs who receive public funding in Virginia.

If your program does not currently qualify, please feel free to check out our ECE Resource Hub to access publicly available resources for early childhood educators and leaders.

ENROLLMENT AND ONBOARDING

Q: My program is based outside of Virginia. Can I request enrollment?

The STREAMin3 curriculum is currently only available to programs located within the state of Virginia. If you’d like, please feel free to check out our ECE Resource Hub to access publicly available resources for early childhood educators and leaders.

STREAMin3 Research

RESEARCH

Q: Is this curriculum research-based?

Yes, this curriculum is based on research-based developmental standards. Central to STREAMin3 is a focus on what children are learning and how they are learning it. To address the “what,” STREAMin3 identifies and focuses on promoting children’s development of 5 Core Skills that form the building blocks for later learning and 6 STREAM skills that prepare children for academic success in kindergarten and beyond. Core and STREAM skills map directly onto the theory and research related to what we know about the developmental sequences and expectations that support early learning for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

These developmental standards serve as the underlying framework of STREAMin3 to ensure that activities and materials are developmentally appropriate and relevant for children while also serving explicitly as a resource for teachers in supporting their own understanding of children’s early learning.

Learn more about the Research Behind STREAMin3.

RESEARCH

Q: Has STREAMin3 been studied to show its effectiveness?

We conducted an evaluation of STREAMin3 from December 2018 through June 2021. We invite you to review the full report of this evaluation. Despite the substantial undertaking of adopting a new curriculum — and the extraordinary challenges that programs experienced due to COVID-19 — teachers and leaders successfully implemented the STREAMin3 curriculum model. The conclusions from the evaluation were limited because that early pilot test of the curriculum did not include a control group. Additionally, the COVID-19 disruptions limited the data we could collect and made it difficult for many teachers to use the curriculum as intended. For example, many classrooms spent weeks in virtual instruction, and teachers had to adapt activities to work in that very unusual context.

RESEARCH

Q: What current STREAMin3 studies are being conducted?

We are currently planning a full, experimental trial to test whether STREAMin3 improves classroom experiences for children and supports school readiness. We hope that results from this trial will be available in 2024.

Implementation

IMPLEMENTATION

Q: What age groups does the curriculum cover?

The STREAMin3 curriculum is vertically aligned and can be used with children from birth to age five. It is provided in two options: an Infant/Toddler version and a Preschool version (3-5). A quick snapshot of STREAMin3 provides additional information.

IMPLEMENTATION

Q: Can this curriculum be used in a multi-age group setting or other types of program settings?

The curriculum has been piloted in multi-age groups and different program types including private, faith-based, VPI, ECSE, and Head Start classrooms. A STREAMin3 guide was created to support mixed-aged classrooms, which we are happy to share if you contact us at ASK STREAMin3. You can read more about our implementation pilot, including use in mixed-age classrooms, in the STREAMin3 evaluation report.

IMPLEMENTATION

Q: Is STREAMin3 aligned to the Virginia Early Learning Foundations?

Yes. The STREAMin3 model aligns with Virginia’s Early Learning and Development standards. View our crosswalk here.

IMPLEMENTATION

Q: How is STREAMin3 connected to classroom assessments? (e.g., VKRP, CLASS®)

STREAMin3 uses formative assessments, implementation checklists and progress monitoring assessments. STREAMin3 currently recommends the use of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®) and the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Project (VKRP’s) child assessments as progress monitoring tools. The curriculum model, including coaching support and training, are aligned to these measures. Review our assessment crosswalk to learn more.

IMPLEMENTATION

Q: Is STREAMin3 inclusive of different cultures, religions, family models, and lifestyles?

A hallmark of STREAMin3 is dedication to inclusion for each child and family and their unique cultures, backgrounds, strengths, and needs. At a structural level, the curriculum is built to meet the needs of each and every child through intentional instruction and interactions. Our resources are representative of children, educators, authors, and illustrators from a wide range of abilities, backgrounds, races, and cultures.

IMPLEMENTATION

Q: Does STREAMin3 work in an ECSE classroom?

A hallmark of STREAMin3 is dedication to inclusion for each child and family and their unique cultures, backgrounds, strengths, and needs. At a structural level, the curriculum is built to meet the needs of each and every child through intentional instruction and interactions. Each activity provides guidance on providing more support and challenge. The curriculum includes support for educators as they modify it to meet the strengths and needs of the children in their classroom. STREAMin3 has been piloted and successfully implemented in ECSE classrooms across Virginia.

IMPLEMENTATION

Q: How does STREAMin3 support literacy?

STREAMin3 prioritizes supporting literacy and language development. Our “Communicate” Core Skill focuses on supporting the foundational language and literacy skills we know children need to thrive. Each week includes four dedicated “Communicate” activities centered around a high-quality children’s book. In addition, the curriculum provides ideas for supporting language and literacy throughout the day using short activity cards and games. We are happy to share a guide that outlines all the curriculum resources embedded to support literacy. Our team worked closely with the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program and the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screener (PALS) to ensure our model supports the key readiness skills children need.

Professional Development

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Q: Will we receive training to support curriculum implementation?

Yes. All programs who request enrollment will receive access to professional development to support curriculum implementation, including:

  • An ongoing series of professional development webinars/videos focused on getting to know STREAMin3 and getting started in your program.  
  • A professional development library of resources, available on the ECE Resource Hub. This and other resources are being expanded and will grow over time.  

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Q: What is the STREAMin3 Onboarding Training Series?

All enrolled program staff and trainers are invited to attend onboarding training the summer prior to the start of STREAMin3 curriculum implementation. Onboarding training, led by STREAMin3 coaches, is an interactive and in-depth look at the STREAMin3 curriculum model to support programs as they start implementation.  

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Q: I can’t attend the STREAMin3 Onboarding Training Series. What should I do?

If you cannot attend the virtual training, the five curriculum workshops in the curriculum portal are available as an alternative. We will also post a recording of the virtual onboarding and participant guide following the sessions, but we highly recommend attending the live sessions.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Q: I missed the registration deadline for a training session. What should I do?

No worries! Contact us at ASK STREAMin3 so that we can sign you up for an available session of your choice.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Q: What is the "Deeper Dive" training series?

The 10-week Deeper Dive will consist of an online asynchronous course that will include video examples of classrooms and activities to deepen understanding of the curriculum. And weekly group PLC-style sessions to discuss and connect with others. 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Q: Will my program receive direct coaching?

Up to 300 classrooms will receive the opportunity to engage in direct coaching to support curriculum implementation in the ’22-’23 and ’23-24 school years. Priority for coaching will be given to Family Child Care or private programs that are not currently using a curriculum.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Q: What is involved in STREAMin3 coaching?

Classroom staff in programs receiving coaching will connect with their coach regularly. In the fall, coaches will reach out to learn more about the educators and their needs. From there, they will make a plan for how and when to meet. Based on the needs and interests of the educators on their caseloads, coaches may also hold small group sessions. A major goal of coaching will be to provide one-on-one support to educators to work through the Deeper Dive online course materials. 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Q: What is a STREAMin3 Implementation Specialist?

Each program implementing STREAMin3 will interact with a STREAMin3 Implementation Specialist, who will be available as a resource to program staff and answer any questions as classrooms begin to implement the curriculum.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Q: Where can I find my training registration confirmation and details?

If you registered for training and have questions regarding training details (including confirmations, details, or updating registration), please contact our team at ASK STREAMin3.

2022 Statewide Access Rollout

The story of STREAMin3 started with many collaborators and one vision:
to bring an affordable high-quality curriculum to a wide range of early childhood education programs.
And our story is still unfolding. Discover where we’ve been and where we’re going.

timeline

Have additional questions about STREAMin3?

Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Don’t hesitate to contact us.