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Trohanis TA Projects

The Trohanis Legacy

Photograph: Pascal "Pat" Trohanis

Trohanis TA Projects honors the legacy of Pascal "Pat" Trohanis, who directed a series of national and state early childhood technical assistance centers and projects from 1971 until his death in 2007. For almost 50 years his projects and those that have followed have been based on the values and guiding principles that he established and that evolved from his leadership. Those guiding principles have informed our Effective Technical Assistance Practices.

Past Projects

The first national TA center, TADS, assisted federally-funded HCEEP/EEPCD demonstration and outreach projects to develop, evaluate and disseminate models of serving children and their families. TADS evolved over its 16 years, refining and building upon the values, principles, and procedures of its model of technical assistance that still undergirds current projects.

TADS: Technical Assistance Development System

1971–1987

  • Developing, demonstrating, sustaining and replicating models of service

TAPPS: Technical Assistance Personnel Preparation System

1982–1986

  • Establishing and improving state level technical assistance

The national TA centers that followed, START and NEC*TAS, assisted states in developing and implementing interagency, coordinated systems of services.

START: State Technical Assistance Resource Team

1984–1987

  • Expanding access to services through state policy

NEC*TAS: National Early Childhood Technical Assistance System

1987–2001

  • Creating interagency systems of service — birth through five
More recently, NECTAC and ECO emphasized improving the outcomes of their early intervention and early childhood special education service systems.

NECTAC: National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center

2001–2012

  • Improving quality of services

ECO: Early Childhood Outcomes Center

2003–2013

  • Improving child and family outcomes of services

NC-ELN: North Carolina Early Learning Network

2O12–2O22

  • Providing statewide technical assistance with the North Carolina preschool exceptional children's program.

Child Find Access: Child Find ACCESS

2O21–2O24

  • Refining the Child Find system within three communities selected for longstanding equity issues.

North Carolina Data Governance Project

2022–2024

  • Documenting policies and procedures for DCDEE data sharing internally an with with partners.

Kindergarten Sturdy Bridge

2O23–2024

  • Kindergarten Sturdy Bridge offered leaders in SEAs as well as LEAs the opportunity to participate in peer learning to improve the kindergarten year.

See also: Current Projects