Reaching consensus on the meaning of professional development is needed to integrate professional development across various sectors of the early childhood field, distinguish various professional development approaches, match learning opportunities to learner characteristics, and evaluate its effects on professional practices and child and family outcomes. This article proposes a definition and conceptual framework for professional development across all sectors of early childhood and describes methods used to validate them. A case example illustrates how the definition and framework can be used to organize and plan professional development. Future directions for how a shared definition could move the field closer to a shared vision for planning, implementing, and evaluating professional development are discussed.

Young children with special needs and their families often experience transitions across multiple environments in the early childhood years. Many transitions are identified as stressful for children and families. In the present study, a series of focus groups involving administrators, practitioners, and family members were held around the United States to identify transition practices that have been implemented effectively for children, families, staff, administrators, and communities. Two major themes emerged from the data: critical interagency variables, defined as strategies that support an interagency process involving multiple parties; and transition practices and activities, defined as practices that address child, family, staff, program, and community-specific activities. Outcomes from these focus groups included identification of transition strategies for young children with special needs that are considered valuable by parents, providers, and administrators and that are consistent with theoretical frameworks described in the transition literature.

Over the past 2 decades, the number and types of programs available for young children has increased. As a result, the transition of young children with disabilities has become more complex, resulting in an increasing need for improved transition processes for both children and their families. The literature in early childhood transition contains evidence of the organizational complexities and resulting problems experienced by children, families, and professionals who provide services. Recent research in transition has provided valuable information about the individual variables that impact this complex transition process. Given some of the distinguishing characteristics of the transition process for young children with disabilities and their families, there is a need for a conceptual framework that will guide new research, provide an organizational framework to integrate the current literature in transition, and begin to lay a foundation for improving transitions and the outcomes for children. This article presents a conceptual framework that describes how the complex interactions of multiple factors influence the transition process for young children with disabilities during the early childhood years. This ecological framework is based on the premise that the ultimate goal of a successful transition process is the child's entry and success in the primary school program.

The study of transition process for young children with disabilities and their families is complex. This complexity is reflected in efforts by researchers and policy makers to understand the phenomenon and determine ways to improve the transition experiences and outcomes of young children with disabilities and their families. This article synthesizes the literature from early childhood special education as well as general early childhood in an effort to exemplify the current understanding of transition processes and practices. Future directions for more integrated approaches to transition research, policy, and practice are presented.