What Connected Beginnings Training Institute does

Connected Beginnings Training Institute (CBTI) is a nonprofit professional development program operated under the UMass Donahue Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Founded in 2007, the organization provides training, consultation, and evaluation services focused on infant and early childhood mental health, with the stated mission of nurturing the social and emotional well-being of children from birth to age eight within families, communities, and early care and education programs. Its core products include the Foundations of the CSEFEL Pyramid Model Training, IN-TIME Training in Infant Mental Health, Mind in the Making Learning Modules, Family Connections materials, and Tell Me a Story materials, supplemented by a publications and resources library. Service delivery is human-facilitated through professional development trainings, consultations, and program evaluations; no technology platform, mobile application, or AI-mediated product is offered.

The organization operates as a professional services entity using a sales-led go-to-market approach, reaching customers through a quarterly newsletter, website content, conference presentations, direct contact with staff including the Director and Data & Instructional Technology Manager, and direct enterprise sales of training courses. Revenue is generated from training fees, consultation engagements, and evaluation services delivered to early childhood programs, agencies, and practitioners; pricing is not publicly disclosed and engagement is initiated through contact forms or direct outreach. Customer segments include Early Care and Education Programs, Families and Caregivers, and Early Intervention Practitioners operating primarily within Massachusetts. Strategic partnerships include the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University and ZERO TO THREE, alongside resource partnerships with Strategies for Children, the Massachusetts Association for the Education of Young Children, the Federation for Children with Special Needs, and the Massachusetts Association for Infant Mental Health.

Name

Connected Beginnings Training Institute

Legal name

Connected Beginnings Training Institute

Website

https://connectedbeginnings.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Connected Beginnings Training Institute is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit program of UMass Donahue Institute providing professional development training, consultation, and evaluation services in infant and early childhood mental health for early childhood programs, practitioners, and families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Professional Development & Training Services

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses) (EDACAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Inclusion, Special Needs & Early Intervention Training (IEPs/IFSPs, Neurodiversity) (EDACAIAF), Mental Health & Infant/Early Childhood Consultation (0–5) (EDACAFAO), Developmental Screening & Assessment (0–5) (EDACAFAA), ECE Leadership & Administration Training (Directors/Owners/Supervisors) (EDACAIAD)

Keywords

• Early childhood mental health
• Professional development training
• Social-emotional learning
• Infant mental health consultation
• Pyramid Model training

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Development Services: Connected Beginnings provides, coordinates, and evaluates professional development opportunities aimed at enhancing the social emotional well-being of children. The organization offers trainings, consultations, and evaluations for early childhood professionals, programs, and agencies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Connected Beginnings Training Institute provides, coordinates, and evaluates professional development opportunities aimed at enhancing the social-emotional well-being of children birth to age eight. The organization delivers trainings (including the CSEFEL Pyramid Model and IN-TIME Infant Mental Health), consultations to agencies and programs, and evaluations of professional development efforts, primarily serving early childhood professionals and programs in Massachusetts.

Product overview

Connected Beginnings Training Institute (CBTI) is a program of the UMass Donahue Institute that provides a unified suite of professional development services focused on nurturing the social and emotional well-being of children birth to age eight. The organization's core offerings include the Foundations of the CSEFEL Pyramid Model Training, Connected Beginnings Trainings, Consultations, and Evaluations of Professional Development Efforts. These are supplemented by IN-TIME Training in Infant Mental Health, Mind in the Making Learning Modules, and a Resources Library. CBTI also disseminates publications including the Family Connections Materials, Tell Me A Story Materials, and various Connected Beginnings Publications on infant and early childhood mental health research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Development Training Services Provides, coordinates, and evaluates professional development opportunities aimed at enhancing the social-emotional well-being of children birth to 8 years within families, communities, and early care and education programs. Targeted at early childhood professionals and agencies.
• Connected Beginnings Trainings Training courses focused on relationship-based practice, professional development, maternal depression, and social and emotional well-being for early childhood professionals.
• Consultations Professional consultation services for agencies and programs to improve their capacity to evaluate and monitor professional development efforts.
• Evaluations of Professional Development Efforts Evaluation services that explore the efficacy of professional development initiatives, including training for early childhood professionals, programmatic consultation, and mentoring activities.
• Foundations of the CSEFEL Pyramid Model Training Core training course on the CSEFEL Pyramid Model for promoting social-emotional growth and addressing challenging behavior in early childhood settings. Targeted at early childhood educators.
• IN-TIME Training in Infant Mental Health Training program focused on infant mental health practices for professionals serving very young children and their families.
• Mind in the Making Learning Modules Learning modules for early childhood teachers focused on executive function and life skills development.
• Connected Beginnings Publications Research publications, evaluation briefs, and reports on infant and early childhood mental health professional development.
• Resources Library Online resources including Massachusetts Resources, National Resources, and Articles and Short Papers for supporting early childhood professionals and families.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered primary, former, core and minor.

• UMass Donahue InstituteprimaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected Beginnings is a program of the UMass Donahue Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The organization moved to this institute in 2019, marking their 3rd anniversary with the institute in 2022.
• Wheelock CollegeformerStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected Beginnings Training Institute was previously affiliated with Wheelock College. In 2019, the organization moved to become part of the UMass Donahue Institute.
• ZERO TO THREEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected Beginnings staff presented at ZERO TO THREE's 26th National Training Institute. The organization references ZERO TO THREE resources and maintains connections with this national early childhood mental health organization.
• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJack P. Shonkoff, M.D., Director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, provided an endorsement of Connected Beginnings' work in August 2011, stating the critical importance of their training focused on emotional and social development of young children.
• ZERO TO THREE (Resources)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected Beginnings provides links to ZERO TO THREE resources including The State of Babies 2019 Yearbook on their National Resources page.
• Children's Defense Fund (Resources)minorOthersConnected Beginnings provides links to Children's Defense Fund resources including The State of America's Children Report and National Child Poverty Fact Sheet.
• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (Resources)minorOthersConnected Beginnings provides links to the Center on the Developing Child's guide on Early Childhood Development.
• Strategies for Children (Massachusetts)minorOthersConnected Beginnings links to Strategies for Children's briefs, resources, and fast facts for Massachusetts.
• Massachusetts Association for the Education of Young ChildrenminorOthersConnected Beginnings provides links to Massachusetts Association for the Education of Young Children local chapters.
• Federation for Children with Special NeedsminorOthersConnected Beginnings links to the Federation's Parent's Guide to Special Education.
• Massachusetts Association for Infant Mental HealthminorOthersConnected Beginnings provides links to Massachusetts Association for Infant Mental Health's open access journals.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• HighScope Educational Research Foundation: HighScope delivers professional development, training, and curriculum for early childhood educators. Both organizations offer in-service professional development and training courses to early care and education programs on classroom practices.
• ZERO TO THREE: ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit focused on infant and toddler development, including the National Training Institute. CBTI staff present at ZERO TO THREE events and references its resources, making it a direct peer in infant-early childhood mental health training.
• Bank Street College of Education: Bank Street College provides professional development and graduate programs for early childhood educators with an emphasis on social-emotional development and child-centered practice. Both organizations serve early childhood practitioners through professional development and training services.
• Pyramid Model Consortium: The Pyramid Model Consortium is the national organization that promotes and disseminates the Pyramid Model framework. CBTI delivers Pyramid Model training statewide in Massachusetts, making the Consortium the framework steward and most direct peer in curriculum content.
• Erikson Institute: Erikson Institute provides professional development and graduate education for early childhood educators, with special expertise in infant mental health. Both organizations train early childhood professionals on social-emotional development and infant-early childhood mental health.
• Brazelton Touchpoints Center: Brazelton Touchpoints Center provides professional development for providers serving infants, toddlers, and families on relationship-based care. Both organizations train early childhood practitioners on relationship-based practice and infant mental health, making them direct peers.
• Infant-Parent Training Institute at Jewish Family & Children's Services: JFCS Boston's Infant-Parent Training Institute offers trainings on infant-parent mental health in the Massachusetts region. Both organizations deliver professional development on mental health issues in early childhood to overlapping practitioner audiences in Massachusetts.

Regional players

• Strategies for Children: Strategies for Children is a Massachusetts-based advocacy and policy organization focused on early childhood, producing briefs and resources. CBTI links to its Massachusetts resources, making it a regionally adjacent peer in the Massachusetts early childhood ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University: Harvard's Center on the Developing Child conducts research and disseminates frameworks on early childhood development, including executive function. CBTI references and links to its resources, making it a broader research-and-dissemination peer rather than a direct training competitor.
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): NAEYC is the largest national membership organization for early childhood professionals, providing professional development resources, publications, and state chapter networks. It is a broader incumbent in the ECE professional development space, not specializing in CBTI's infant mental health niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connected-beginnings-training-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Connected Beginnings Training Institute