ECCD training can be delivered in many ways. It can be provided through formal programs in secondary schools or universities; Argentina and Chile, for example, have long traditions of training parvularios (meaning teachers of small children—a term used in Chile but not in other Latin locations) at the university level. It can be offered through specially organized courses for ECCD practitioners, as is done for most nonformal programs. It can be provided on the job, by previously trained staff or by supervisors. Or it can be offered through distance training, such as the interactive radio training associated with the Bolivian Integrated Child Development Project.

Although there is much debate about what training methods are best, it is safe to say that training should:

• Emphasize learning rather than teaching.

• Have a strong experiential component and supervised practice (not just theory).

• Provide integrated content.

• Respond to trainees' needs (beyond their need to know something about early childhood care and development.

• Recognize and build on what trainees already know.

• Be continuous.

• Include attention to the organizational demands of the caregiving job.

The planning for a project's training component cannot overemphasize the need for continuous training on the job as well as initial training. There is a tendency to front-load training, either by requiring that caregivers have completed a formal course or by establishing a special training period at the outset of a program but providing little training afterward. On-the-job training has generally been weak in early childhood programs. Refresher courses are usually a poor training investment unless they are linked to practice and follow-up. Although on-the-job training also should be linked to practice and should be part of the responsibility of supervisors, this is seldom the case (see the section below on supervision).

Projects must establish an adequate process for training new recruits to replace practitioners who drop out. In systems with a sizable turnover, shortages of trained staff can become a problem. One solution has been to hire helpers who initially carry out menial tasks in running a center, but also receive training that prepares them to fill in for and eventually replace other caregivers.

For early childhood programs focusing on support and education of parents and other caregivers, practitioners must be trained to work with and provide education to adults. This area is seldom included in early childhood training, so that even practitioners very knowledgeable about child development may find it difficult to provide parental support and education. Training for such programs may need to include course elements on such topics as problems of self-esteem, methods of group organization, and presentation to groups.