Getting Started
A Registry Technical Assistance Professional (TA Professional) can use the Registry Professional Development Approval System to submit TA Professional events, which are accepted by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families toward continuing education hours for childcare and education professionals.
Registry Technical Assistance Professionals
A Registry Technical Assistance Professional (TA Professional) can use the Registry Professional Development Approval System to submit TA Professional events, which are accepted by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families toward continuing education hours for childcare and education professionals.
A Registry approved TA Professional has been specifically trained to offer one or more of the services described:
Technical Assistance
Technical Assistance is the provision of targeted and customized supports by a professional(s) with subject matter and adult learning knowledge and skills to develop or strengthen processes, knowledge application, or implementation of services by recipients.
Mentoring
Mentoring is a relationship-based process between colleagues in similar professional roles, with a more-experienced individual with adult learning knowledge and skills, the mentor, providing guidance and example to the less-experienced protégé or mentee. Mentoring is intended to increase an individual’s personal or professional capacity, resulting in greater professional effectiveness.
Coaching
Coaching is a relationship-based process led by an expert with specialized and adult learning knowledge and skills, who often serves in a different professional role than the recipient(s). Coaching is designed to build capacity for specific professional dispositions, skills, and behaviors and is focused on goal setting and achievement for an individual or group.
Consultation
Consultation is a collaborative, problem-solving process between an external consultant with specific expertise and adult learning knowledge and skills and an individual or group from one program or organization. Consultation facilitates the assessment and resolution of an issue specific concern.
Professional Development Advising
Professional Development Advising (sometimes referred to as career or PD counseling) is a one-on-one process through which an advisor offers information, guidance, and advice to an individual about professional growth, career options, and pathways to obtain or meet required qualifications.
Peer-to-Peer Technical Assistance
Peer-to-peer Technical Assistance fosters the development of relationship-based learning and support communities among colleagues, often in like roles. Peer-to-peer technical assistance is based on the premise that a significant expert knowledge base exists in the field and that peers who have solved challenges on the ground have developed tools and strategies that can be shared with their colleagues.
Assessing
Assessing uses a research-based assessment tool that the assessor has been specifically trained to administer. Results from the assessment are often used to develop Improvement Plans.
Getting to know the TA Professional Types
TA Professional Types
There are two different Registry approved TA Professional types:
Provisional Technical Assistance Professional
The Provisional TA Professional allows an individual to provide TA Professional services under the supervision of a Registry approved TA Professional. A Provisional TA Professional is one who has met the requirements as an approved TA Professional but lacks the 40 hours of TA Professional experience and 2 years of responsibility for the professional development of others.
Technical Assistance Professional
TA Professionals are approved through their experience and education in the field. Check out the T-TAP Requirements Chart to see how you might qualify.
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Adult Education Requirement
All individuals seeking the TA Professional endorsement must complete the following T-TAP Courses or an adult education course equivalency:
- Foundations: 25 hours (12 Instructor Lead hours + 13 self-paced hours)
- Technical Assistance Professional: 20 hours (12 Instructor Lead hours + 8 self-paced hours; Prerequisite: Foundations Course)
- First time TA Professional applicants are waived from the requirement of completing the Foundations course and the Technical Assistance Professional course if they have official documentation of completion for a 15-hour (minimum) non-credit adult coaching/mentoring or for-credit college coaching/mentoring course.
- Currently employed higher education faculty who are first time TA Professional applicants are waived from the requirement of completing the Foundations course but are not waived from the Technical Assistance Professional course.
To find upcoming T-TAP Course offerings, search the Statewide Training Calendar using the Filter Training menu on the left side of the screen. You may also contact the following agencies:
- 4C for Children
- Family Connections
- Five Star Childcare Connected
- Shine
- Spark Early Education
- Supporting Families Together Association (SFTA)
- Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA)
Finding T-TAP Courses on the State wide Training Calendar
To find upcoming T-TAP Course offerings, search the Statewide Training Calendar using the Filter Training menu on the left side of the screen and search by TRAINING CONTENT and clicking on the AREA OF INTEREST dropdown menu. Choose T-TAP Courses to find the list of upcoming events.
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Steps to Becoming a TA Professional
Step #1: Get Ready
- Obtain a Criminal Background Check Record or a copy of the results of a background check from the DOJ/FBI dated within the last 5 years. The Wisconsin Registry requires a name-based criminal background record check for all TA Professionals. This requirement will help maintain the integrity of the Wisconsin Registry and the community of approved TA Professionals.
- Documentation of TA Professional experience. This information is self-reported. One’s entire history of experience it not needed – just a list that demonstrates the minimum requirement has been met.
- The Wisconsin Registry accepts an itemized list of each technical assistance event provided that should include the following:
- Date of technical assistance service
- Length of time of the technical assistance
- Name of center or program technical assistance was given to
- Brief description of what technical assistance was offered (minimum of 2-3 sentences).
- The Registry will accept a copy of your TA log from the agency you work if it includes the above information.
- Documentation of two years of professional development of others, if applicable. This requirement is met if you have supervised student teachers, served as a mentor, held the position of a director of a center, etc. You can write a letter for your file to serve as documentation.
- Technical Assistance course equivalency, (training certificate or official transcript with course description), if applicable.
- Resume
- Certificates of additional endorsements or specialty areas, if applicable.
Step #2: Registry Membership
Becoming a TA Professional starts with a Registry membership.
- If your Registry membership is current and will not expire in the next 30 days, you can add the TA Professional endorsement at any time.
- If you do not have a Registry membership, you will need to apply for membership add the endorsement.
- There is a one-time fee of $15 to add the TA Professional endorsement.
- Be sure to set aside plenty of time to complete the application process online. If you are short on time or need to gather more information, you can save and continue later. Review the How to Become a Trainer guide for step-by-step instructions for filling out the online application. Although this guide focuses primarily on the Trainer application, majority of the content included in the guide is also relevant to the TA Professional application.
Step #3: Submit Documentation
During the application process, upload all necessary documents if possible. If documentation is missing, the application is incomplete and cannot be processed. After submitting your application, send all remaining documentation and request official transcripts be sent directly to the Wisconsin Registry, if applicable.
Complete applications are processed in date order. A complete application includes submitting a Registry membership application with the TA Professional endorsement online, payment of the application fees, and submitting all required documentation. Standard processing time for TA Professional applications is 2-4 weeks from the date the documentation is received by the Wisconsin Registry. When your application is processed, you will receive an email notification. You will then be able to log in to your Registry account to access your membership certificate and the PDASystem.
Step #4: Approval
An individual is approved at the highest endorsement level he/she qualifies for. If an individual is missing a requirement, the Wisconsin Registry will communicate with the individual what requirement is missing to reach an endorsement goal. If necessary, an individual can begin as a Provisional TA Professional while completing the missing 40 hours of TA Professional experience requirement with the goal of becoming a TA Professional in the future.
Be sure to review the WI Registry T-TAP Agreement to fully understand the Registry Trainer and Technical Assistance Professional code of conduct which includes ethical obligations, professional responsibilities, and the misconduct process.