The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC) is the professional association for early childhood special education. DEC provides guidance on early intervention and early childhood special education recommended practices (RPs) related to better outcomes for young children with disabilities or delays, their families, and the personnel who serve them.

When the DEC RPs 2014 version was published, the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute was charged with developing resources to promote the use of the recommended practices. These practice improvement tools guide practitioners and families in supporting young children who have or are at risk for developmental delays or disabilities across a variety of settings. 

As the practice improvement tools were being developed, it was clear that a method for promoting awareness and use of the tools would be critical to connect with the adults directly caring for young children with disabilities. So, in 2016, ECTA developed and piloted the aRPy Ambassador Program. 

ECTA recruited and supported a cohort of 15 professionals to become the first aRPy Ambassadors.  And over the last eight years, ECTA has expanded its resources, tools, and products that support the Ambassadors work in promoting the RPs. The Ambassadors include faculty from institutions of higher education, state IDEA Part C and Part B, Section 619 staff, Parent Training and Information Center staff, Regional Parent Technical Assistance Center staff, and Community Parent Resource Center staff.

ECTA staff have strategically expanded their partnership with DEC and Parent to Parent of Georgia to co-facilitate and grow the Ambassador program. It now includes family Ambassadors and technical assistant (TA) and professional development (PD) Ambassadors. To date, 41 aRPy Ambassadors represent 32 states and two territories. Since its inception, six cohorts (2016–2023) of Ambassadors have been recruited.

In fall 2024, ECTA's external evaluator, the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), conducted case study interviews to better understand the impact of this work on the Ambassadors and their spheres of influence.

Read the full report to learn about the many qualitative impacts noted by case study participants.