FAQs

A list of our most frequently asked questions and answers

STREAMin³ Statewide 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.

Have questions about the statewide rollout? Discover where we’ve been and where we’re going on our Past and Present page.

Technical Assistance

How do I access the new digital curriculum portal?

Go to the new portal at this link to register: http://streamin3.virginia.edu/register
Click on Register
You will be prompted to create an account using the email address we have on file for you.

If you don’t know which email address to use, check your inbox for any emails sent to you from streamin3@virginia.edu. That's the email we have on file for you.

Once you login, click "My Account" in the left navigation pane to select the age group that you work with. You can always change this at any time later by going to My Account.

Having trouble logging in? Email us at streamin3@virginia.edu.

The portal is only for enrolled publicly-funded programs in Virginia. If you are not currently enrolled, click here to request enrollment.

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) or email us at streamin3@virginia.edu

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, please complete our Digital Access Request form.

I'm having issues logging into/hearing the webinar. How do I fix this?

You can join our webinars live from our Events Page. If you're having trouble accessing our LIVE webinars, please try to refresh your browser. Still having trouble? Recordings and resources for each webinar can be found here within 24 hours of the live webinar ending.

Overview

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. Email us at streamin3@virginia.edu.

if you would like to explore additional samples or have any questions about the samples.

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:

Aligns with Virginia’s Early Learning and Development Standards.
Supports skills and interactions that align to the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®) and the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP).
Aligns with VDOE’s other key Early Childhood Education (ECE) initiatives (VQB5, AEII).
For more information on how STREAMin³ curriculum aligns, visit our Crosswalks page.

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:

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

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 Onboarding section below.

Is STREAMin³ available in Spanish?

STREAMin³ is available in Spanish. Email us at streamin3@virginia.edu for more information.

What's included in STREAMin³?

Programs that choose to use STREAMin³ will receive digital access to the curriculum through our *new* interactive, mobile-friendly digital curriculum portal and virtual PD offerings. Email us at streamin3@virginia.edu for more information.

What will it cost to use STREAMin³?

Enrolled programs will receive free digital access to the curriculum through our new interactive portal starting July 15, 2024. Virtual trainings, webinars, and the canvas on demand courses will also be provided at no cost. Cost of children's 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. A materials guide is available in the digital portal to aid in decision-making related to the cost of additional materials that may be referenced or recommended to complete curriculum activities.

Will I receive STREAMin³ Updates Newsletter by email?

The STREAMin³ Gazette Newsletter is emailed monthly to all enrolled program staff. To read past issues of STREAMin³ Gazette Newsletter, click here. If you are not receiving the Newsletter, but would like to, please do not hesitate to contact streamin3@virginia.edu or call us at 855-STRMIN3 (855-787-6463).

Enrollment and Onboarding

Who can enroll to use STREAMin³?

Publicly funded birth-to-five programs in Virginia can request access to STREAMin³.

Publicly funded includes funding for VA Childcare Subsidy Program, DoD on base, DoD off base, ECSE/IDEA, Head Start, Early Head Start, Local Child Care Assistance, Title I, VECF Mixed Delivery Grant, VPI, or has DSS subsidy vendor number. To learn more about becoming publicly funded, please visit the Virginia Department of Social Services website: https://www.dss.virginia.gov/family/cc/assistance_providers.cgi

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.

What will my program receive if we request enrollment?

Publicly funded programs in Virginia who request enrollment will receive:

Immediate online access to the new digital curriculum portal, where you can use and customize the curriculum from your phone, tablet, or desktop.
Ability to print lists of weekly plans from the new curriculum portal.
Access to virtual PD offerings.

Can my private preschool program use STREAMin³?

Please email us at streamin3@virginia.edu with private program inquiries.

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

Please email us at streamin3@virginia.edu with out-of-state program inquiries.

STREAMin³ Research

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.

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.

What current STREAMin³ studies are being conducted?

In 2022, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) conducted an independent evaluation of the STREAMin³ curriculum during the first year of its statewide availability. A team at VCU led by Dr. Kevin Sutherland, Dr. Bryce D. McLeod and others evaluated the implementation and effectiveness of the STREAMin³ curriculum model.

The University of Virginia also received funding from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to conduct an efficacy trial starting in the fall of 2024. The trial will test the impact of the STREAMin³ model to improve the quality of children’s early learning experiences and their school readiness skills over the next 5 years. The data collected will be used to continuously improve the model.

Implementation

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.

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

The curriculum has been used in mixed age settings and different program types including FDH, 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 email us at streamin3@virginia.edu.

You can read more about our implementation pilot, including use in mixed-age classrooms, in the STREAMin3 evaluation report.

Can the curriculum be used year-round?

Yes. The curriculum includes 36 weeks of content. We know that all programs are different, and some programs operate differently in the summer months! Often, programs use the curriculum guides to plan for summer, or select to spread out 36 weeks by adding in a few Make It Your Own weeks throughout the year.

If you'd like to learn more about summer planning, you can read our Make It Your Own Summer Planning Guide (Preschool), Make It Your Own Summer Guide (Toddler), or email us at streamin3@virginia.edu.

Is STREAMin³ aligned to the Virginia's Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS)?

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

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. Visit our assessment page and review our crosswalks to learn more!

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.

Does STREAMin³ work in an Early Childhood Special Education (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.

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 Virginia Literacy Partnerships (VLP) teams to ensure our model supports the key readiness skills children need.

Professional Development

How do we get started?

STREAMin³ recommends that all new program leaders, educators, and implementation support staff take our on demand onboarding course through canvas, available at: https://streamin3.connectcatalog.its.virginia.edu/

What other PD is available?

We offer additional on demand courses on Canvas at https://streamin3.connectcatalog.its.virginia.edu/.

We also offer weekly office hours and monthly live online and webinar trainings. For more information, head to https://streamin3.org/streamin%c2%b3-curriculum-model-2/newsandevents/events/

Can I receive direct coaching?

Direct coaching is currently available based on need and capacity, for programs identified as priority by the VDOE.

Have Questions or Need Support?

Don’t hesitate to email us at streamin3@virginia.edu or call 855-STRMIN3 (855-787-6463).