TY - CHAP AB - Understanding the complexity of the change process is critical if early childhood improvement initiatives are to result in lasting change. One of the keys to effective programs and efficient use of resources is an understanding of readiness to change. This chapter presents a theoretical approach to understanding readiness to change in the field of early education and care. We describe applications of this approach used within a community-wide initiative in Rochester, New York, funded by an Early Childhood Educator Professional Development grant. The goal of the initiative was to create an integrated professional development system from entry level through the completion of a bachelor degree, with the priorities of increasing access, alignment, and articulation. We describe interventions at the community, organization, and individual level, and explore the impact of readiness to change at each of these levels.Evaluation results show that educators enrolled in the research-based mentoring program offered by this grant became involved in other types of professional development programs, made significant gains in the quality of the classroom environment, and had children who made gains in overall development and vocabulary beyond developmental expectations. We conclude with a discussion of these results as well as implications for policy, practice, and future research. VL - 15 SN - 978-0-85724-280-8, 978-0-85724-279-2/0270-4021 DO - 10.1108/S0270-4021(2011)0000015006 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/S0270-4021(2011)0000015006 AU - Peterson Shira M. AU - Baker Amy C. ED - John A. Sutterby PY - 2011 Y1 - 2011/01/01 TI - Readiness to Change in Communities, Organizations, and Individuals T2 - The Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Grant: Research and Practice T3 - Advances in Early Education and Day Care PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited SP - 33 EP - 59 Y2 - 2024/03/28 ER -