New Infant and Toddler Teacher Orientation

Thank you for your interest in the New Infant and Toddler Teacher Orientation (NITTO)! Through participation, teachers support the healthy development of our youngest children and provide strong foundations for lifelong wellbeing. Early educators and administrators can work together to use the course content to enhance their quality of care. 


What is the NITTO Project?

The New Infant Toddler Teacher Orientation is a self-paced online course designed to support teachers who are new to infant and toddler classrooms. It has been developed by the NC Infant Toddler Quality Enhancement Project (NC ITQEP) operated out of Child Care Services Association.

 Topics covered include: 

  • Child Care Resources in North Carolina
  • Brain Development
  • Routine Care
  • Classroom Environment
  • Behavior Guidance

There are six overall objectives related to the course content, though we hope that the training will inspire teachers to continue with professional development. 

The course objectives are:

  • Learners will learn about resources specific to child care in North Carolina.
  • Learners will identify the effects that relationships have on brain development in the first three years of life.
  • Learners will recognize the components that form age appropriate infant/toddler routines.
  • Learners will demonstrate an understanding of creating an age appropriate environment for infants and toddlers.
  • Learners will examine age appropriate guidance strategies for infants and toddlers.
  • Learners will use research based information to explain the importance of an infant/toddler professional.

The orientation should take about 12-14 hours over 6 weeks to complete. 

The orientation is self-paced, but we have created a suggested weekly timeline that is available on the NITTO Moodle site. We hope that this will help to keep participants on track. Upon completion, participants will receive a certificate for 14 DCDEE-approved contact hours

An NCID is needed in order to access the course on the Moodle DCDEE website. 

Participants will log into the course on DCDEE’s Moodle site. The links to Moodle and NCID Help are included below. 

Once the entire course is complete, participants will have the opportunity to work with one of our regional Infant Toddler Specialists for hands-on technical assistance! 

FAQs

  • How long is the course and how much time will it take me to complete?

    The course is self-paced and should take a total of approximately 12-14 hours over the course of six weeks. We have included a suggested timeline for completion to keep you on track. Should you find that it is taking significantly longer for you to complete the sections as compared to the suggested timeline, please contact us and let us know so that we can support you moving forward to course completion.

  • What happens if I have a problem with my NCID?

    You will need an NCID to have access to DCDEE’s Moodle site that hosts the course. If you have trouble with your NCID creation or password, please contact NCID support at 919-754-6000 or toll-free at 800-722-3946. Other helpful information can be found at the NCID Help site.

  • What happens if I have a problem with the Moodle site?

    If you have an issue with the course materials, please email us. If you are having problems with Moodle itself, please contact Brenda Williamson, or call her at 919-814-6326 and allow 24-36 hours for a response. 

  • What opportunities do I have for support outside of the orientation?

    At the end of the course, you will find a Google Form where you can request to receive follow-up technical assistance (TA). Hands-on technical assistance will be provided as it relates to course content. You can also share this information with colleagues, coworkers and your administrators to see how they might help you incorporate what you learn.

  • What if some of the content does not make sense to me?

    If you have questions about the material covered in the course, you can email us and we will happily provide support. You can leave your contact number if you would prefer to be contacted via phone. We welcome feedback so that we know what we can do to ensure the content is clear and applicable to your work in the classroom. We value your thoughts and opinions!

  • Can I share this information with my coworkers and my administrators?

    Please do! We would love for you to engage in conversations with your colleagues about the material covered here. You can also share what you have learned with any professional development providers—such as college course instructors or workshop trainers—to get feedback. A NITTO information packet is available to download and provide to your administrator. We encourage you to get support from your administrator as you learn new content to figure out how the practices presented can be implemented in your classroom.

Have questions?

Contact us.